Blade of Honour – A 170pg Medieval Novel by Zack Collett for Ages 11-15

Merham Village, Wessex, 867 A.D.

As the evening sun slowly sank below the horizon, Ranulf trudged along the gently winding path that led homeward. Today marked the end of a successful harvest. Earlier that day, he had helped the men of the village as they harvested the wheat with their curved sickles. The next day, the feast of Yuletide, which was celebrated every year at harvest time, would begin.

Ranulf was tall and slight of build, and he had his mother’s red hair. His father, who worked as the village blacksmith, however, was broad-shouldered and bald. His beard, grey as the iron he worked with, reached almost down to his chest.

When Ranulf’s peaceful home village of Merham is attacked and his father taken captive by the warlike Northmen, Ranulf is determined to find him and set him free, even if it means crossing the turbulent sea and risking his own life in hostile territory. When his plan begins to go amiss, he is faced by a harrowing decision: Will he set aside his differences and attempt to befriend those previously known only as foes, or will he succumb to his deep-seated desire for revenge?

This was a mistake. Ranulf knew it the moment the words left his mouth. Thormund, his eyes aflame with anger, dragged Ranulf to his feet, then laid the blade of his axe against the soft flesh of Ranulf’s throat.

(for ages 11-15)