Some winter is worse than autumn. It’s snowing, now raining, now icy slush, the cold wind chills to the bones - even if you don’t go outside at all. In such weather, even the owner will not kick the dog out of the house! Unless this owner is the king of Scotland, and the “dog” is not a hound breed... The last thing in the world Lord MacLyon wanted to go north, to the Normans, and even without an invitation. I didn’t want to take my nosy wife with me at all. And the prospect of spending a week on board a longship, writhing from bouts of seasickness, was completely depressing, not counting other circumstances. However, service is service!.. Reluctantly, the royal adviser stepped onto the gangplank, not expecting anything from the upcoming trip except a headache... But he greatly miscalculated. No, he certainly got a headache. Now, if only she had one! The cheerful feast turned into a funeral feast, the hospitable hosts turned into jailers, the hunter and the game changed places, the life of an old friend hung in the balance... And worst of all, this was just the beginning.