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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

I had hoped that the door ward might be dozing, drowsy after a long night of staring silently into the darkness. But the luck we had enjoyed until this moment now left us. Maybe he had heard us, or perhaps the baby’s crying had roused him, or the dog’s barking and now the cock’s crowing had warned him of danger. Mayhap he was just a better guard than I, and did not allow his weariness to overcome him. Whatever the reason, the man was alert, and to his credit, he was fast too. He stepped from the shadow of the door as if he had expected us. Still, even with fast reflexes and a sharp awareness of our headlong sprint towards him, he was no match for Runolf’s lengthy strides and the reach of his huge battle axe. The sentry’s sword had not cleared its scabbard when Runolf’s axe bit deep into his skull with a thudding crunch. The man wore no armour, but even if he had worn a helm, no iron could have saved him from that hammering blow. He made a strange, strangled sound, and collapsed into a heap of tangled limbs. He was dead before he hit the ground.

I could barely believe that our plan had worked. For a heartbeat there was silence, and then a voice shouted out, loud and very close.

“Alarm!” it cried.

A chill washed over me as if I had plunged once more into the cold waters of the river. I understood our mistake, an error that would now see the populace of Ljósberari’s realm descend upon us. On the far side of the hall doors, there was a second guard. Like the first, he had been silent and hidden in the shadows and we had failed to see him in the gloom. It was his voice that now rent the night’s stillness.

I had learnt my lesson earlier, so without hesitation, I sprang forward before Runolf had wrenched his axe free of the first man’s skull. The second sentry bore a spear and a shield. He lunged towards me, but he was no match for my speed. I deflected the spear haft with my left hand, pushing the point away from me and down. Stepping close, I feinted a blow at his shins. His shield dipped to protect his legs, and then his eyes widened as I buried my blade in his throat, silencing his yelling. I twisted the sword, tugging it free with a shower of dark gore.

He fell to the earth and I turned to stand, panting beside Runolf, our backs to the doors as if we had taken the place of the sentries and now stood watch there. Shouts echoed around the settlement as men, women and children awoke, rudely roused from their slumber by the sound of fighting and the sentry’s calls of warning.