S M Davies

The Carnyx: Book 3 in High King, an exciting new historical fiction series bringing the Dark Age to life. Abandoned by the Romans, facing slaughter by raiding Picts and Saxons, Britain stands on the brink of catastrophe. A man of the West known as Vortigern becomes king of this fractured country. Centuries later, the legends will call him a villain, but to his people he is the High King. This is his story, seen through the eyes of Kerin Brightspear, the young warrior who becomes his devoted companion.Book 3: The Carnyx. Victory in the North is sealed. Vortigern has given his people everything they hoped for. The Picts, an enemy so formidable that the Romans never defeated them, have been overcome at last. The High King and his greatest ally, Kerin Brightspear, return home in triumph with the women they love. But their fragile peace is shattered on Midsummer's Eve, when Vortigern's treacherous rivals proclaim his son Rufus as king, firing a brutal civil war. Kerin, now known to all as 'The King's Right Arm', rallies old friends and new allies. Soon he and Vortigern will be fighting for their homeland in Wales. Rufus draws a huge force of fanatics and mercenaries to his stronghold in Glevum, boasting of weapons his enemies cannot withstand. But Vortigern's warriors have a secret weapon of their own; a thing of mystic power, concealed for centuries by the druids. They have the Carnyx. Kerin alone believes that the sound of the ancient war horn could still strike terror into an enemy. But if he is wrong, the kingdom and everything he loves could soon lie in ruins as Vortigern and his son face their final decisive battle.

The 5th Century A.D. The Dark Age.Abandoned by the Romans, facing slaughter by raiding Picts and Saxons, Britain stands on the brink of catastrophe. Only one man can save the nation: VORTIGERN. His adopted name means High King, but he is an outsider from the far west; despised by the establishment and opposed by jealous rivals who will block his path to power. Vortigern's greatest ally is young warrior Kerin Brightspear, famed for his quick wits and fighting skills. Kerin is bound by oath and love to Vortigern, who saved him from death as an abandoned child and raised him with his own sons. He yearns to prove his worth to the man he idolises, but time is running out. At home, powerful British warlords, politicians and priests are locked in their own disputes. Beyond the borders, enemies are growing stronger by the day. Can Kerin seize the chance to repay his debt as Vortigern bids to become all that his name proclaims: lord of the Britons, the High King? The HIGH KING seriesAt one of the most dangerous moments in British history, when the Roman Empire was crumbling and invasion threatened on all sides, a warlord known as Vortigern became King of all the Britons. His people called him the High King, but the legends call him a villain. This is another view of his story, seen through the eyes of the young warrior who becomes his devoted companion.