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Chapters (76)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise forMATTHEW HARFFY
  3. BY MATTHEW HARFFY
  4. Title Page
  5. Copyright
  6. Dedication
  7. Maps
  8. Epigraph
  9. Contents
  10. Place Names
  11. One
  12. Two
  13. Three
  14. Four
  15. Five
  16. Six
  17. Seven
  18. Eight
  19. Nine
  20. Ten
  21. Eleven
  22. Twelve
  23. Thirteen
  24. Fourteen
  25. Fifteen
  26. Sixteen
  27. Seventeen
  28. Eighteen
  29. Nineteen
  30. Twenty
  31. Twenty-One
  32. Twenty-Two
  33. Twenty-Three
  34. Twenty-Four
  35. Twenty-Five
  36. Twenty-Six
  37. Twenty-Seven
  38. Twenty-Eight
  39. Twenty-Nine
  40. Thirty
  41. Thirty-One
  42. Thirty-Two
  43. Thirty-Three
  44. Thirty-Four
  45. Thirty-Five
  46. Thirty-Six
  47. Thirty-Seven
  48. Thirty-Eight
  49. Thirty-Nine
  50. Forty
  51. Forty-One
  52. Forty-Two
  53. Forty-Three
  54. Forty-Four
  55. Forty-Five
  56. Forty-Six
  57. Forty-Seven
  58. Forty-Eight
  59. Forty-Nine
  60. Fifty
  61. Fifty-One
  62. Fifty-Two
  63. Fifty-Three
  64. Fifty-Four
  65. Fifty-Five
  66. Fifty-Six
  67. Fifty-Seven
  68. Fifty-Eight
  69. Fifty-Nine
  70. Sixty
  71. Sixty-One
  72. Sixty-Two
  73. Author’s Note
  74. Acknowledgements
  75. About the Author
  76. An Invitation from the Publisher

“Silence,” snarled Chlotar, pushing me forward with a vicious punch to my back.

I stumbled and we walked on without speaking further. My skin was cool as the moisture from the river dried. It felt good to be clean and I glanced back at the hut where our friends were trapped. I wondered whether Os would survive the night.

And then our destination became apparent when we stopped before the wide doors of the great hall. There was no more time for wondering what the future held. It awaited us within. It was dark inside, and I was gripped with a sudden, dreadful fear, my recent bravery having fled like a miser when asked for alms. The crowd that had followed us hushed. They stood, swaying and silent. Waiting. Expectant. I scanned the land around the hall and saw no bonfire piled with kindling and timber. There was no stake awaiting us as far as I could make out.

“Perhaps they do not mean to burn us right away,” I whispered.

“Hush,” said Chlotar, his tone sharp. I realised with a start that he too was frightened. He had a sword strapped to his belt and I had seen him use it with skill and savagery. His face and arms bore the scars of many fights, and yet, standing here before Ljósberari’s hall, the Frank was subdued and on edge.

“Show my guests in,” said a mellifluous voice from deep within the shadowed bowels of the hall.

Chlotar did not reply, but placed a hand on our backs and pushed us through the threshold. I resisted for a moment, leaning against the Frank’s strength, testing him.

He growled.

Leofstan made the sign of the cross in the air before him.

“May God be with us both,” he said.

And with that, I allowed Chlotar to usher us both forward into the heart of the darkness.

Fifty-One

“Come closer,” said the voice from the gloom. Tentatively, Leofstan and I took a couple of paces. The far end of the hall was shrouded in shadows.

“Closer,” the voice insisted.

We shuffled forward. Chlotar stepped inside and pulled the door shut. The murmurings of the crowd were silenced behind the thick oak planking. A little light filtered in through several windows dotted along the length of the building. They appeared to be covered with tight, translucent skins. On the brightest of days, the windows would provide enough illumination for the hall’s inhabitants to carry out their chores, but now, with the sun low in the sky, the hall was dark.