The fates of two wise men from the same village living in different time periods are connected by one mythical creature—and forces they cannot control—in this compelling supernatural tale that imaginatively retells the historical legend of the Wolf of Allendale.
In a Druid village in Northumberland, England, Bran, the village leader, must face two dangerous opponents: an otherworldly animal and formidable invaders from the south.
Two thousand years later, at the dawn of the Industrial Age, this sleepy English village once again faces the frightening menace. Something is killing the sheep—and leaving large, mysterious footprints across the countryside.
Bert, an old shepherd, is the only villager who understands what is happening. The beast that once terrorized this land, a mythical wolf known as a
cysgod-cerddwr
—shadow walker—has been disturbed for the first time since the Iron Age, and only one weapon can stop it: an ancient ritual that has nearly been lost to time.
Separated by eons, Bran and Bert must battle this fearsome wolf using the sacred practice that has been passed down from generation to generation. Both must confront the threat of the mysterious beast and the end of their way of life. Bran’s culture is imperiled by Roman conquest. Bert’s shepherd life is threatened by the railways and mines that encroach upon his small town.
In this thought-provoking paranormal novel, Hannah Spencer uses the story of the Wolf of Allendale as a creative lens to examine the clash of progress and tradition as she brings to light ancient folklore that is nearly forgotten.