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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

Quentovic, the Frankish emporium where Scomric and Chlotar were captured by the Norsemen, no longer exists. It is thought to have been situated near the mouth of the Canche River with access to the English Channel, but its exact location is unknown. Anglo-Saxon monks would cross the English Channel and travel through Quentovic on their pilgrimage to Rome. During King Charlemagne’s reign, many monasteries owned warehouses in or around Quentovic. It is not known exactly what happened to the emporium. The last written reference of Quentovic was in 864, but as the rich trade post was attacked by Vikings earlier in the ninth century, that could certainly have had an impact on its decline. It also makes it a possible candidate for a location where an Anglo-Saxon monk could have been captured in an early, undocumented Norse raid.

This period also sees the flourishing of the Abbasid Caliphate with its capital in the new circular city of Baghdad. There were many other Islamic dynasties, including the Umayyad Emirate of Cordoba in the Iberian Peninsula, which all saw a blossoming in education and writing, and an incredible thirst for knowledge.

We have the writings of Ahmad Ibn Fadlan from the tenth century to show us that emissaries from as far south as Baghdad travelled to the land of the Bulghars on the banks of the Volga far to the north, and there are countless artefacts found in Scandinavia that come from all corners of the known world. Who is to say that wealthy and enterprising Muslim nobles were not sending their servants into northern kingdoms in search of valuable items? If one such emissary had travelled to Rogaland and discovered a book such as The Treasure of Life, he might well have paid good silver to take it back to his master in Seville, Cordoba or Baghdad. And he might just have written a proof of such a purchase on a piece of parchment. Written receipts have a long history and have been found in Egypt on papyrus dating back to the time of Ramses II.

It seems that this particular receipt will lead Hunlaf far to the south in search of the book that has taken such a hold on his life. He has already hinted at some of the adventures that await him, but whatever stories he has yet to tell, and whether he will survive to write them, they will be for another day.

And other books.

Acknowledgements