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Back A Night of Flames
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 know we are all glad that Hereward, Gwawrddur, Hunlaf and Runolf were here when the Norse sought to land their ships. They have become our friends.” I tensed at these words, picturing Wistan’s pale face staring up at the sky when moments earlier I had attempted to gut him. Mancas, perhaps having similar thoughts, rushed on. “Many of you have even stood beside them in the shieldwall. And I thank them for their bravery and strength. But more than that, I wish to thank all of you. Every one of you has made sacrifices, and each of you, in your own way, has helped to build Brymsteda, whether splitting and planing timber, laying the strakes and hammering in rivets, or in other ways, such as feeding the men, or working longer at sea to make up for some of the fishermen being unavailable while they worked on the ship. You should all be proud. I know I am filled with pride to be your lord. I raise a cup to you and offer you this feast in your honour. In these dark times, you have stepped into the light, and I drink to you all.”

Mancas raised his cup. There was a ripple of movement in the shadows as everyone did the same.

“To heroes in the darkness,” he said.

I drank deeply, wondering what everyone else had made of Mancas’ words. He was slender and unimposing, different from other powerful men I had met like Uhtric, who always seemed to fill any room he entered. And yet there could be no doubt that Mancas could hold a crowd’s attention.

When everyone had drunk, he continued. There were no jeers or sounds of dissent now.

“It was Hereward who led the men at Werceworthe, just as he led us in defence of my lands. But it was Hunlaf here who saw what the future would bring.” Mancas reached for my arm, pulling me forward to stand beside him. I was glad that the onlookers would not see me blush. “God spoke to him, and Hunlaf in turn spoke to the king. In his wisdom, Æthelred ordered a ship to be built, that we might travel to the lands of the Norsemen and broker a peace with them.”

“Peace?” shouted Eafa, and I cringed. “Was it peace that Hunlaf brought when he fought with my son?”

“It was terrible, what happened to Wistan, but it was not Hunlaf who killed him.” I winced, remembering my sword being deflected by Wistan’s belt buckle. “Did Hunlaf not seek to avoid the fight with your son? It was an unfortunate matter, but young men will always be young men.”