The great British commander Uhtred has reached old age and dreams of peaceful days in his family nest, his beloved Bebbanburg. However, inexorable fate has other plans... Many years ago, having won a decisive battle, Uhtred elevated Athelstan, the grandson of Alfred the Great, to the throne of Wessex. The young king swore an oath to his friend and mentor Lord Uhtred never to fight him or invade his native Northumbria. And now this oath is broken. Athelstan's enemies, who want to take over the Saxon kingdoms, turn to Uhtred for support. Will the lord really stand under their banner? Will Alfred the Great's dream of uniting all English-speaking peoples under the rule of one monarch come true? The thirteenth novel in the “Saxon Chronicles” series. For the first time in Russian!