Banished — Anna Markland

Vikings evoke images of strong men who allow nothing to stand in their way. They're not normally associated with tender feelings. Wildflowers conjure more personal and sentimental images. In BANISHED, a handful of bluebells picked from a meadow by childhood sweethearts becomes a symbol and eventually an acknowledgement of a love long denied.

Audra longs to leave behind the life of an elite mercenary, a role forced on her after her father's banishment from the Viking brotherhood. A journey from exile to the court of King Canute offers a new life, though she fears few men will want her once her history is known.

The bloody feud that precipitated her father's banishment resurfaces when she is unexpectedly reunited with a childhood sweetheart. Sigmar has always held her heart, but he is the son of her father's enemy. Sigmar's hopes for advancement in Canute's service will be dashed if he obeys the dictates of family honor. 

Can Audra and Sigmar lay the hatreds of the past to rest, or will the Viking code of vengeance triumph?

This novella first appeared in the anthology SIRENS OF THE NORTHERN SEAS.