Two kingdoms destined for war. One boy caught in the eye of the storm...

Francia AD853

After a failed Viking raid on the Frankish coast over 20-years-ago, Jarl Sven the Boar is forced to leave his only son, Torkel, as a hostage and warned never to raid Francia again or his son will die.

In Hügelburg, a small town in East Francia, Torkel and his 9-year-old son Charles are ambushed at home. Before dying, Torkel thrusts a package into young Charles’s hands and tells him to flee Francia for Denmark in search of his grandfather Sven the Boar’s protection.

But the man Charles eventually finds is not who he expects, and Charles must put his fate in the hands of a man betrayed by Odin.
Together they must uncover the significance of the package and why the Kings of Francia want Charles dead.

The start of an action packed, dark age historical adventure from Donovan Cook, perfect for the fans of Matthew Harffy, Peter Gibbons and Bernard Cornwell

'An action-packed scintillating thriller. Pacy, raw, violent fayre, with a cast of characters you'll swiftly loathe or admire - you'll think you're in the shield wall' Ross Greenwood

'A fabulous Norse tale of family secrets, betrayal and conflict right up until the very last page - I loved it!' MJ Porter

'Donovan Cook’s Charlemagne’s Cross series has everything I look for in a tale of the Dark Ages. Adventure and gritty action set against the backdrop of clashing religions and the collision of kingdoms. Great stuff!' Matthew Harffy