Offa: Rise of the Englisc Warrior

Set deep in the mysterious forests of North Germania, amid the warring tribes of the late 4th century, comes the true story of an Anglo-Saxon king… Written as a prequel to Hengist & Horsa: The Thirst of the Gods, Offa: Rise of the Englisc Warrior is the dark, harrowing tale of a young boy, a girl named Ælfwynn, a wild wolf cub, and the most famous duel in English history. Before the arrival of the Anglo-Saxon long-ships on British shores, an English prince, age seven, witnesses the death of his friend and a murder committed by two of his brothers, an act which brought shame upon the young English kingdom. Overtime, Offa becomes withdrawn and reclusive. Afraid and alone, he spends his time in the untamed forests of Ængla lande, with his only companion, a wild wolf cub named Fenris. But Fenris is no ordinary cub… Sent by the Gods, Fenris teaches Offa the way of the forest, to be a wolf, to unleash the beast within. At the age-of-thirteen, Offa had remained a mute for the last six years, until the day the Saxons entered his father's hall, demanding the aged and blind king's unconditional surrender, and for Ængla lande to lay down their weapons in submission. True to the old Englisc code of honour, the young Offa is forced to break his self-imposed silence, challenging not one, but two of the enemy's greatest warriors to mortal combat. These are the first words Offa has spoken in many winters; it is widely believed they may very well be his last! Standing on the island, before hundreds of enemy warriors, surrounded by an otherworldly mist, clad in wolf skin clothing, his flesh painted black, like the heroes of old, and his heart beating to the sound of enemy drums, Offa stood firm, Stedefæst in hand, refusing to show fear or intimidation. He wasn't fighting for fame, for the Gods, or for personal honour. He was fighting for his father, a waning kingdom and to restore the honour and grace of the noble Englisc folk.