The Lethal Oath

The Lethal Oath is the second book in The Viking Series. It's a historical action-adventure novel with Sigve the Awful as main character. In the novel, Sigve enters into a hot erotic relationship with Yljali. She is a mysterious thrall girl and the only person who knows the secret of Sigve's sword. She knows the slayer rune, the spell that quickens the sword and gives its wielder superhuman strength.

Despite his young age - and mostly because of the slayer rune - Sigve has gained reputation as a swordsman. In the beginning of the book, Sigve becomes the youngest chieftain in King Godred's realm. During the inaugural feast, on his sword, he swears a sacred oath, only to discover it stands in the way for his getting Ylajali in bed.

Sigve breaks the oaths with dire consequences. His sexual desire gets out of control; he finds himself in conflict with both his mother and his captain of arms, and he gets deeply involved in the war between Godred and Harald Greycloak, two mighty kings. Soon Sigve has to fight for Yljali, for the people at Vik, and for his own survival.

The Lethal Oath has many unique characters, such as Odd the Squinter, Sigrunn Silkyhair, Kale Curved-Cock, and the Body. They all play pivotal roles in the plot. So does Odin, to whom the oath is sworn. According to Grim, Sigve's one-eyed tutor, everyone's life is entangled in the great struggle between order and chaos, a fact Sigve ignores, blinded as he is by his lust for Yljali.