Blood Enemy

by Martin Lake

  Grimbold, King’s-thegn and friend

  Cuthred, Ulf’s smith and friend

  Hunsige, an oyster farmer from Ulf’s village in Kent

  Siflaed, his wife

  Lilla, the village priest

  Gamal, Brand’s friend

  Ymma, an old wise woman

  Bryni, a thief

  Osgar, Ulf’s brother

  Framwick, Osgar’s friend

  Alfred, King of Wessex

  Ealswith, his wife

  Aethelflaed, his daughter

  Edward, his son

  Æthelgifu, his second daughter

  Aethelweard, Alfred’s youngest son

  Aelfthryth, Alfred’s youngest daughter

  Merewyn, Alfred’s mistress

  Osferth, their son

  Edgwulf, Alfred, his Horse-thegn

  Wulfric, a leading Kings-thegn

  Ethelnoth, Ealdorman of Somerset

  Daeglaf, the new Ealdorman of Wiltshire

  Wulfred, the new Ealdorman of Hampshire

  Bertulf, adviser to the Ealdorman of Hampshire

  Sighelm, Ealdorman of East Kent

  Æthelred, Ealdorman and ruler of English Mercia

  Bishop Athelstan, carrier of Alfred’s alms to Rome

  Ethelred, Archbishop of Canterbury

  Æthelhelm and Æthelwold, Alfred’s nephews

  Snelling, Alfred’s priest

  Manni, a young thegn who was charged with guarding Alfred’s family

  Tidhelm, lord of Lambehita

  Pope Marius’s Legate

  Denewulf, the Bishop of Winchester

  Mordaf, last King of Cornwall

  King Carloman of Francia

  Archdeacon Ceolmund of Rochester

  Theobald, a treacherous priest

  Hrólfr, leader of the Norse raiders

  Grimar, one of Hrolfr’s chieftains

  Asbrand, one of his chieftains

  Guthrum, King of the Danes

  Eohric, his brother

  Ketil, a young Danish captain

  Hæstenn, a Viking lord

  Dag, Hæstenn’s half-brother

  Jokul, one of Hæstenn’s men

  Snorri, one of Hæstenn’s men

  Lothair, the Frankish lord who betrays Ulf

  Bernard, one of Hæstenn’s slaves

  Eudes, Count of Paris, later King

  Wighelm the priest

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  BOOKS BY MARTIN LAKE

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  THE FLAME OF RESISTANCE

  The Battle of Hastings is over. The Battle for England is about to begin. Edgar Atheling, the young heir to the throne must decide if he will battle William the Conqueror for the kingdom.

  TRIUMPH AND CATASTROPHE

  Edgar leads an English army into alliance with the Danes and war with the Normans. At first there is only triumph and glory. Then William returns and catastrophe ensues.

  BLOOD OF IRONSIDE

  Edgar is banished from Scotland and takes the war to the land of the Franks. But the death of his mother forces him to return. And there he faces death at the hands of the man who slew his father.

  IN SEARCH OF GLORY

  Edgar has been tricked into making peace with William. But when his old friend Cnut invades, Edgar takes up again the struggle against the Normans.

  LAND OF BLOOD AND WATER

  Warfare and warriors meant nothing to Brand and his family. But then King Alfred chose their home for his last-ditch defence against the Vikings.

  BLOOD ENEMY

  Ulf has risen high in King Alfred's service. But when he shows himself a berserker he loses everything. Can he redeem himself and return to favor?

  WOLVES OF WAR

  Leif Ormson is a Skald, a story-teller, renowned for his witty tales. His brother, Sigurd is a black-smith, making knives, scythes and horse-shoes. And magnificent weapons of war.

  But one day, Ivar the Boneless, son of Ragnar Lothbrok, commands the brothers to make him a great sword. And he demands that they accompany his army to England.

  Leif and Sigurd are thrown into a maelstrom of war and violence. The great Viking army blazes across England, murdering, plundering, killing kings and setting up puppet-rulers in their place. Until now the Vikings had come only to raid and plunder. Now they have come to conquer.

  Leif and Sigurd face an agonising choice. Do they seek to return to their familiar lives? Or do they stay in England and embrace this uncertain new world of war, wealth and glory?

  OUTCASTS: CRUSADES

  Saladin is marching to conquer the city of Jerusalem. Within the city waits only one nobleman, Balian of Ibelin, and four knights. In desperation, Balian knights thirty ordinary men of the city in to lead the defence. History says nothing more of the men raised so far above their normal station. 'Outcasts' tells the story of how they fare in a world grown more bitter and fanatical.

  A LOVE MOST DANGEROUS

  Her beauty was a blessing…and a dangerous burden…

  As a Maid of Honor at the Court of King Henry VIII, beautiful Alice Petherton receives her share of admirers. But when the powerful, philandering Sir Richard Rich attempts to seduce her, she knows she cannot thwart his advances for long. She turns to the most powerful man in England for protection: the King himself.

  Reveling in her newfound power, Alice soon forgets that enemies lurk behind every corner at court…and there are some who are eagerly plotting her fall…

  VERY LIKE A QUEEN.

  The King’s favor was her sanctuary—until his desire turned dangerous.

  Alice Petherton is well practiced at using her beauty and wits to survive in the Court of King Henry VIII. As the King’s favorite, she enjoys his protection but after seeing the downfall of three of his wives, she’s determined to avoid the same fate. Alice must walk a fine line between mistress and wife.

  She finds a powerful protector in Thomas Cromwell and Alice has every reason to believe that she will continue to enjoy a life of wealth and comfort at Court…until she puts everything at risk by falling in love with a Frenchman, Nicholas Bourbon.

  When Cromwell is executed, Alice loses her only ally and flees to France. There she hopes to live in peace with Nicholas. But Alice is lured into a perilous game of treason and peace doesn’t last long. Will Alice get back the life and love she’s fought for? Or will she lose herself to the whims of a capricious monarch?

  A DANCE OF PRIDE AND PERIL

  Four thousand years ago, Crete is a land of contrasts. The mountains are wild and forbidding yet on the coast, a new world is arising.

  Mulia is famous for its thrilling and deadly acrobatic displays, where young men face the fierce charges of giant bulls, leaping over them or dying in the attempt. Talita is sold to the owner of the arena and trains as a dancer, her job to entertain the audience and goad the raging bulls.

  Yet she wants more than this. Even as a child, she protected her flock from bears and wolves and was undaunted by them. Now she yearns to be a bull-leaper, a role reserved for men. Her friends and lover believe she is foolish to have such dreams. Foolish, wilful and dangerously reckless.

  When she realises that she has a bond with Torq, the mightiest of the bulls, her ambition grows even stronger. Yet her dreams are thwarted when priests arrive from Egypt and steal Torq. Her enemies accuse Talita of taking Torq and she and her lover Pellon are condemned to death.

  Will she find the strength and courage to escape? Dare she voyage to the distant land of Egypt and challenge the powerful, cunning, High Priest? Can she liberate Torq,
prove her innocence and save her life?

  THE ARTFUL DODGER

  After his trial Dodger is transported to New South Wales. He is taken in by a kindly family and learns to improve himself. But when he returns to England he finds himself stalked by a man who seeks to kill him.

  PATHS OF TIME

  We all live within the bounds of time and it marches on inexorably. Yet sometimes it has an elusive, subtle feel which makes us feel uneasy or perhaps exhilarated. On occasion time does not work at all as we expect. We are wrong-footed, confused, beguiled.

  FOR KING AND COUNTRY

  Three short stories set in the First World War.

  NUGGETS

  Fast fiction for quiet moments.

  MR TOAD’S WEDDING

  First prize winner in the competition to write a sequel story to The Wind in the Willows.

  MR TOAD TO THE RESCUE

  Mr Toad almost gets married but he has a lucky escape. The bride is kidnapped, not once but twice and Toad and his friends leave their familiar home to journey to the French Riviera on a desperate rescue mission.

  THE BIG SCHOOL

  Three light-hearted short stories about a boy's experience of growing up.

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  Born and raised in England, Martin Lake discovered his love of history and writing at an early age. He worked as a teacher and trainer before he decided to combine his two passions and write a historical novel. Since then, he has written nine novels and several collections of short stories. When not writing, he can be found travelling, exploring interesting places and watching the world go by. He lives on the French Riviera with his wife.