The Pale Horseman. Bernard Cornwell

of English Place Names for the years nearest or contained within Alfred’s reign, 871–899 AD, but even that solution is not foolproof. Hayling Island, in 956, was written as both Heilincigae and Hæglingaiggæ. Nor have I been consistent myself; I use England instead of Englaland, and have preferred the modern form Northumbria to Norðhymbralond to avoid the suggestion that the boundaries of the ancient kingdom coincide with those of the modern county. So this list, like the spellings themselves, is capricious.

Æsc’s Hill	Ashdown, Berkshire
Æthelingæg	Athelney, Somerset
Afen	River Avon, Wiltshire
Andefera	Andover, Wiltshire
Baðum (pronounced Bathum)	Bath, Avon
Bebbanburg	Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland
Brant	Brent Knoll, Somerset
Bru	River Brue, Somerset
Cippanhamm	Chippenham, Wiltshire
Contwaraburg	Canterbury, Kent
Cornwalum	Cornwall
Cracgelad	Cricklade, Wiltshire
Cridianton	Crediton, Devon
Cynuit	Cynuit Hillfort, nr. Cannington, Somerset
Dærentmora	Dartmoor, Devon
Defereal	Kingston Deverill, Wiltshire
Defnascir	Devonshire
Dornwaraceaster	Dorchester, Dorset
Dreyndynas	‘Fort of thorns’, fictional, set in Cornwall
Dunholm	Durham, County Durham
Dyfed	South-west Wales, mostly now Pembrokeshire
Dyflin	Dublin, Eire
Eoferwic	York (also the Danish Jorvic, pronounced Yorvik)
Ethandun	Edington, Wiltshire
Exanceaster	Exeter, Devon
Exanmynster	Exminster, Devon
Gewæsc	The Wash
Gifle	Yeovil, Somerset
Gleawecestre	Gloucester, Gloucestershire
Glwysing	Welsh kingdom, approximately Glamorgan and Gwent
Hamptonscir	Hampshire
Hamtun	Southampton, Hampshire
Lindisfarena	Lindisfarne (Holy Island), Northumberland
Lundene	London
Lundi	Lundy Island, Devon
Mærlebeorg	Marlborough, Wiltshire
Ocmundtun	Okehampton, Devon
Palfleot	Pawlett, Somerset
Pedredan	River Parrett
Penwith	Land’s End, Cornwall
Readingum	Reading, Berkshire
Sæfern	River Severn
Sceapig	Isle of Sheppey, Kent
Scireburnan	Sherborne, Dorset
Sillans	The Scilly Isles
Soppan Byrg	Chipping Sodbury, Gloucestershire
Sumorsæte	Somerset
Suth Seaxa	Sussex (South Saxons)
Tamur	River Tamar
Temes	River Thames
Thon	River Tone, Somerset
Thornsæta	Dorset
Uisc	River Exe
Werham	Wareham, Dorset
Wilig	River Wylye
Wiltunscir	Wiltshire
Winburnan	Wimborne Minster, Dorset
Wintanceaster	Winchester, Hampshire

       PART ONE

       Viking

       One

      These days I look at twenty-year-olds and think they are pathetically young, scarcely weaned from their mothers’ tits, but when I was twenty I considered myself a full-grown man. I had fathered a child, fought in the shield wall, and was loath to take advice from anyone. In short I was arrogant, stupid and headstrong. Which is why, after our victory at Cynuit, I did the wrong thing.

      We had fought the Danes beside the ocean, where the river runs from the great swamp and the Sæfern Sea slaps on a muddy shore, and there we had beaten them. We had made a great slaughter and I, Uhtred of Bebbanburg, had done my part. More than my part, for at the battle’s end, when the great Ubba Lothbrokson, most feared of all the Danish leaders, had carved into our shield wall with his great war axe, I had faced him, beaten him and sent him to join the einherjar, that army of the dead who feast and swive in Odin’s corpse-hall.

      What I should have done then, what Leofric told me to do, was ride hard to Exanceaster where