Uhtred of Bebbanburg is a man of his word, an oath bound him to King Alfred and another to Aethelstan. Now an oath will wrench him away from his ancestral home, for he has sworn that on King Edward's death, he will kill two men, and Edward is dying. A violent attack drives Uhtred south with a band of warriors, and headlong into the battle for kingship. Plunged into a world of shifting alliances and uncertain loyalties, he will need all his strength to overcome the fiercest warrior of them all. As two opposing Kings gather their armies, fate drags Uhtred to London, and a struggle for control that will leave one King victorious, and one dead. As Uhtred has learned at considerable cost, he is inexorable and his destiny is to stand at the heart of the shield wall once again.