Tribute to the Warlord (Drakkari Book 1)

Evran is cast out by his father and sent to the Drakkari clan as tribute, a people his own society views as savage barbarians ruling the northern wastes. He arrives at their stronghold expecting brutality, but instead meets Warlord Vaike, who is angered by the insult of receiving a human offering and refuses to participate in what he sees as enslavement disguised as a peace gesture. When Vaike announces he will return Evran immediately, the young exile faces a crisis. Returning home means facing his father's wrath and a fate worse than death. With no other options, Evran makes a desperate bargain with the stern warlord: he offers his absolute service in exchange for Vaike's protection, binding their fates together.