Uhtred of Bebbanburg has won back his ancestral home but, threatened from all sides by enemies both old and new, he doesn't have long to enjoy the victory. In Mercia, rebellion is in the air as King Edward tries to seize control. In Wessex, rival parties scramble to settle on the identity of the next king. And across the country invading Norsemen continue their relentless incursion, ever hungry for land. Uhtred finds himself once again torn between...

Uhtred of Bebbanburg a man of his word, an oath bound him to King Alfred and another to Aethelstan. Now an oath will wrench him away from his ancestral home, for he has sworn that on King Edward's death, he will kill two men, and Edward is dying. A violent attack drives Uhtred south with a band of warriors, and headlong into the battle for kingship. Plunged into a world of shifting alliances and uncertain loyalties, he will need all his strength to...