All he needs is the sword of a true warrior – or so he thinks.

England AD 1070. In the fenlands of East Anglia, the Saxon resistance against the Norman king smoulders.

Loïc, a young squire, knows that every man has to stand their ground against the rebels, but he only attracts the scorn and spite of the other squires during fighting practice. He must prove himself in combat if he wants to teach the others a lesson and survive a hostile onslaught.

One day, when he comes across a unique sword, he believes he has finally found a way to hold out on the battlefield, only to be faced with a very different challenge – and an enemy who has long been following his every move.

"The prequel to the Northumbria Trilogy is a short story, but Birgit Constant achieves a sense of epic scale with 'deep dive' research and gripping storytelling with a truly cinematic feel." Tony Riches, Historical Fiction Author