After years fighting to reclaim his rightful home, Uhtred of Bebbanburg has returned to Northumbria. With his loyal band of warriors and a new woman by his side, his household is secure - yet Uhtred is far from safe. Beyond the walls of his impregnable fortress, a battle for power rages.
To the south, King AEthelstan has unified the three kingdoms of Wessex, Mercia and East Anglia - and now eyes a bigger prize. To the north, King Constantine and other Scottish and Irish leaders seek to extend their borders and expand their dominion.
Caught in the eye of the storm is Uhtred. Desperate to avoid being drawn into battle, yet pressured from all sides with threats and bribes to join their cause, he faces an impossible choice. To stay impartial and risk his freedom, or throw himself into the cauldron of war and lose all that he has fought for.
With Britain’s fragile peace about to be shattered, Lord Uhtred of Bebbanburg must prepare to fight in the most terrible battle Britain has experienced - and only fate can decide the outcome.
