About the Author: Ross Richdale
After a teaching career, Ross Richdale now writes full time. He has completed forty novels both contemporary and science fiction novels, most of which are on line as ebooks . He lives in the Palmerston North is married with four grandchildren.
Many of his novels reflect his interest in the rural lifestyle as well as the cross section of personalities encountered during his years as a teacher. Ordinary people rather than the super rich, the super powerful or violent, are the main characters in his novels. He is also interested in current events and uses international incidents as a backdrop for many of his novels.
It is 320 AD and Hadrian's Wall separates Roman Britannia Inferior (now the northern counties of England) from the free lands to the north where the village of Darbarri is located. There, Jelena is asked by her father Druid Floyd to travel south of the wall into Roman territory to help the people in the small village of Bramfield. It is a dangerous area for the new Roman emperor has declare that everyone living in the Roman Empire should convert to their new faith.
For the Celtic, this means giving up generations of their beliefs with numerous gods and practices. Druids are not welcomed in Roman lands anymore even though they had helped villagers for centuries. With three friends, Olwina, Tad and Craddock she manages to reach Luguvahum the largest city south of the wall but with it, a surprise and perhaps the reason why her father sent her south in the first place. She finds he has taken a third wife, Kigva who is from one of the top Luguvahum families and she is having a difficult time giving birth to a child.
Only Jelena and Olwina can help. Jelena's tiny half-brother is born but danger surrounds them everywhere. An over-zealous Bishop Eucid wants them all arrested for crimes and blasphemy against the new faith but they are forewarned and escape from the city to head for the village of Bramfield, Jelena's original destination.
There, she must stop the villagers from using polluted water, overcome local superstitions, problems at a nearby Roman lead mine and establish her own position as a leader in the community. There is also Kigva to befriend and the baby to look after.
As well as the bishop, she finds another enemy is Bard Griffon from her home village, who wants to force her to marry him in the summer selection of brides. This ancient practice is banned by Druid Floyd's latest decree but is ignored by the ruthless bard.
How do Jelena, friends and extended family cope? There is not one but two ruthless men on their trail while at the same time she must help villagers under her care and survive in the hostile Roman territory. She befriends many and alienates others in this exciting story of our ancient ancestors from almost one thousand, seven hundred years ago?
