“He knows, Uhtred, that the enemy are pagans. If they win, then Christ is defeated. This isn’t just a war over land, it’s a war about God. And Alfred, poor man, is Christ’s servant, so he will do all he can for his master, and that means trying to turn you into a pious example of Christian humility. If he can get you onto your knees, then it’ll be easy to make the Danes grovel.”
