The fourth novel of the Kings of Northumbria series is set during the second half of Oswiu’s long and successful reign.
He quickly establishes himself as the King of Mercia as well as of Northumbria after his crushing victory over his nemesis, Penda. His nephew, the treacherous Œthelwald who sided with Penda, disappears in mysterious circumstances and his place as Sub-king of Deira is taken by Oswiu’s son, Alchfrith. However, he will prove to be just as faithless as his cousin in due course.
Oswiu invades North Wales to restore the true king to the throne and makes a friend of an old enemy. The new found harmony is disrupted when Mercia revolts against his rule and he is forced to accept the Rivers Mersey and Humber as the southern boundary of his kingdom. He is then faced with the murder of two of his allies in Scotland and he is forced to intervene in the various petty kingdoms of which it’s composed.
Disharmony within his family and estrangement from his wife follows. No sooner have they been reconciled than a struggle between Roman Catholicism and the Celtic Church erupts. He resolves this in favour of the former at the Synod of Whitby but he loses the support of those who brought Christianity to the North.
Conflict with his son Alchfrith over his support for an overly ambitious bishop follows and Oswiu quickly learns that church politics are every bit as complex as secular ones. Alchfrith is persuaded to lead a revolt and seize the throne but it fails and he flees into exile, as does Wilfrid, the bishop behind the attempted coup. However, the wily bishop soon returns and continues to sow dissention.
Northumbria enters a golden age of prosperity and power and Oswiu feels that at last he can fulfil his dream of making a pilgrimage to Rome, but it is not to be and tragedy strikes as he’s about to depart. Alchfrith returns at this point and Northumbria heads towards civil war.