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With Eli standing at his back He lifted high the battle axe And horsemen turned their mounts around Or died upon that piece of ground. But lo the Khan of all the hordes Upon that spot his forces poured And promised gold in huge reward For he who killed the mighty Nord. From Ballad of the Blacksmith’s Son (circa 1100 anno domini) A Hero’s Ballad Fragmented by Cowardice and Greed Bound By Duty, Love, And Faith

Bards know the Ballad, but who knows the truth? Viking-Slav shield walls fought mounted Turk archers, and the end was messy. Whole units disappeared and with them the axe-wielding berserker Keri Ellison, the blacksmith’s son.

Years later a mysterious stranger is asking questions about Keri—and is willing to pay for answers. Driven by treasure, revenge, or perhaps power, the stranger sails a thousand leagues from the bone-littered Russian steppes through axe ravaged Baltic taverns to Norman England. But the trail proves cold…

What happened to the blacksmith’s son? Some survivors do not want the answer.