Uhtred has been made Governor of London while Alfred, building fortified towns to hold Wesssex, pushes into Mercia.

Guest, returning home after a late night, sees a body hurtling from the uppermost reaches of the London Bridge. While whispers in the street claim that it was a suicide, Guest is unconvinced. The man was believed to be searching for the Spear of Longinus-- the spear that pierced the side of Christ on the cross-- which is believed to make those who possess it invincible. Geoffrey Chaucer comes to London and is anxious to help Guest find the missing...

January, 1400. The bowman strikes at night, slaying one of King Henry's loyal garrison men before vanishing into the dark. Was the murder personal? Or is it the start of an uprising against England's self-crowned king? Friar and reluctant spy Brother Chandler is ordered to investigate, before the spark of rebellion can set the country alight.

"Who would cut the throat of a young nun and throw her remains in the river? And what was she doing outside the confines of the priory in the first place? Secretly acting as a spy for Henry Bolingbroke, Chandler is torn by conflicting loyalties and agonising self-doubt. As the king's cousin marches towards Wales and England teeters on the brink of civil war, Chandler's investigations will draw him into affairs of state - and endanger not only himself...

London, 1385. Surrounded by ruthless courtiers--including his powerful uncle, John of Gaunt, and Gaunt's artful mistress, Katherine Swynford--England's young, still untested king, Richard II, is in mortal peril, and the danger is only beginning. Songs are heard across London--catchy verses said to originate from an ancient book that prophesies the end of England's kings--and among the book's predictions is Richard's assassination. Only a few powerful...