"In A.D. 866 Uhtred, a boy of ten and the son of a nobleman, is captured in the same battle that leaves his father dead. His captor is the Earl Ragnar, a Danish chieftain, who raises the boy as his own, teaching him the Viking ways of war. As a young man expected to take part in raids and bloody massacres against the English, he grapples with divided loyalties between Ragnar, the warrior he loves like a father, and Alfred, whose piety and introspection leave him cold. It takea a terrible slaughter and the unexpected joys of marriage for Uhtred to discover his true allegiance and to rise to his greatest challenge."--BOOK JACKET