Coenred has discovered that the lone horseman who approached his camp at Tadcaster is in fact Eorl Gyrth, the brother of Harold Godwinson, King of England. Eorl Gyrth is the only representative of his house, however, King Harold rides at the head of one of the largest Saxon armies ever to take to the field.

As the clouds of war gather once more Mildryth continues her wary friendship with Thorald, a Norwegian, and makes a surprising discovery concerning Saxons and Vikings.

It might seem as if events have been moving slowly since the book opened with a violent encounter between the Saxons and Vikings, but they have been moving.

Continuing on with the idea that people often buried their treasure during times of unrest, Branda visits Mildryth with a plea to accompany her on a short journey outside of the city walls. She has need to withdraw a little money from a deposit hidden by her now dead husband.

Wulfhere has started a new life with a gang of outlaws. His first act is to lead them to an unfortunate who makes a huge mistake; going into the forest alone.

What would life be like living in a city captured by your ancient enemy?

Coenred finds himself in Tadcaster with the remnants of the Saxon army that fought at Fulford Gate. Ever the warrior, he starts training the men for another expected encounter with the Vikings. Here is an opportunity for his fellow huscarl, Thrydwulf, to step forward and illustrate the kind of training that a Saxon soldier would have received in 1066.

It is a general rule in writing that you should not allow a significant character disappear from the telling of the tale without accounting for their absence.