The days are dark. King Arthur fights to protect his kingdom from the warlike Northerns, and Edith, a young Anglish girl, leaves her home in a peaceful corner of Wessex, setting out alone to avenge the killing of her mother. Pregnancy - and a bitter adversary - threaten to disrupt the course of her quest. But she meets her hero, Redhelm; rides with King Arthur's own huscarle; and finds peace, love and the fulfilment of her vow in ways she had never imagined.