1067.

Northumbria.

King Harold lies dead on the battlefield, and William of Normandy has been crowned King of the English in Westminster Abbey.

Far to the north, however, Oslac, thegn of the village of Acum, has only one thought on his mind. Revenge. Descended from the ancient line of the Kings of Bernicia, Oslac is a man of honour for whom debts must always be repaid.

The embers of the centuries old feud with Gundulf’s Danes from Hexham have once again ignited, resulting in the death of Oslac’s young brother, Osberht.

Obsessed with the desire to defeat Gundulf, Oslac seeks help from his cousin, Oswulf, who rules as Earl of Northumbria from the ancient fortress of Bebbanburh. To his dismay, however, Oslac is forced to set aside his own needs to join his cousin’s warband; for a fresh threat is fast approaching.

King William is determined to bring every corner of England under his dominion. For this purpose, he has appointed a new earl, Copsig, a man despised throughout Northumbria for his rapacious past.

Oslac, who has never been beholden to any King of England before, foreign or otherwise, has no choice but to fight his cousin’s war before he can return home to end the feud.

The path to avenge his brother will take Oslac from the brink of defeat and death against Copsig to a final battle with his Danish enemy.

Paul Bernardi is the author of The Huscarl Chronicles and Blood Price.