Tehanu

Book Four of Earthsea.

As volume 4 begins Ged is no longer part of the picture. We meet the priestess of Atuan now an old woman who foreswore the practice of magic to be a plain farmer's housewife and raise a family. She saves a gypsy child beaten and left to burn in a fire and the two live a solitary life on the now widowed housewife's farm. Called to minister to the Mage of Gont, Ged's former mentor, she eases his way to the great beyond. When a dragon glides in she discovers an unconscious Ged riding at his neck.

Having spent himself saving the world of Earthsea in Book 3 Ged is faced with continuing to live without the abilities that formerly defined him. The story continues losing none of its appeal as the young prince who 7accompanied Ged into the underworld is crowned King of Earthsea and sets out to restore order in his Kingdom.