Book
The Wyvern’s End
Wessex, 726. King Ine, exhausted by rebellion and internal division, announces his departure on pilgrimage to Rome and leaves the succession unresolved. Æthelheard, son of Cædwalla and an experienced warrior, has a strong claim but must overcome rival æthelings and nobles who see the king’s withdrawal as their opportunity.
The contest is intensified by Wynflæd, a renegade nun pursuing a private vendetta against Æthelheard’s mother, Cynethryth, now abbess of Wimborne. The novel brings the family’s story to its conclusion through political manoeuvre, religious rivalry and armed confrontation, asking whether Æthelheard can secure the crown without becoming the kind of ruler his mother once feared.
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