It is 1036. Halfdan is a Viking mercenary who is determined to travel to Constantinople & become one of the Viking Guard serving Empress Zoe. He promises to take his daughter but one morning Solveig wakes up to find him gone. Setting off in her own tiny boat she is determined to make the journey from Norway to the breathtaking city. Her boat is washed up but Solveig is undeterred. What awaits Solveig as she continues on her summer journey across the world? She finds passage with Viking traders witnesses the immolation of a young slave girl & learns to fight. She sees the clashes between those who praise her Norse Gods & the new Christians. In this perilous & exciting world a young girl alone could be quickly endangered or made a slave. Will Solveig live to see her father again & if she survives will she remain free? A glittering novel that explores friendship & betrayal the father-daughter relationship the clash of religions & the journey from childhood to adulthood.