Book
Kin of Cain
In 630, terror spreads through Bernicia as people and livestock are found mutilated and partly devoured. King Edwin sends five of his warriors, including Beobrand's older brother Octa, to hunt the killer believed by some to be a monstrous descendant of Cain. The expedition moves through winter-bound hills and marshes, testing courage and comradeship as legend and human violence become difficult to separate.
The belief in a monster matters because fear changes how witnesses interpret every sign. Octa and his companions must track through difficult terrain while deciding whether the killings come from legend, animal attack or deliberate human cruelty. The hunt becomes an early test of men who will later be shaped by Bernicia's wars, showing how courage depends upon disciplined judgement when the nature of the enemy is uncertain.
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