Having found the way back to Arkadia for them, Spartakus leaves the group. Nasty Max, however, soon captures the group and takes them back to the pirates' island, hoping that having Arkana and her powers will help him win the Inter-Marine Pirate Federation election. Spartakus must rescue his friends before they are sold into slavery.
Pursued by the pirates, Tehrig travels to the ice-covered stratum of Icelandis, where one of the three legendary gateways to Arkadia is said to exist. There they discover the strange ghost ship Araukania III, which might be from an expedition that left Arkadia a long time ago, as well as other artifacts that suggest a connection between Spartakus' ancestors and the ancient Arkadians.
Tehrig is swept away by the powerful currents of the River of Time. The group finds themselves in a land occupied by a primitive tribe that is being threatened by the machines of an advanced civilization from the stratum above. Meanwhile, the children of Arkadia are trying to fix the entrance to the Archives, which has rusted shut.