A wonderfully unique story of family, identity and language, set as the Saxons invade Britain in the 5th Century.

It is the year 454AD. The Roman Empire has withdrawn from Britain, throwing it into the chaos of the Dark Ages. Mai has been kept safe by her father and her sister, Haf. But when Saxon warriors arrive at their farm, the family is forced to flee to the hills where British warlords lie in wait.

Can Mai survive in a dangerous world where speaking her mother tongue might be deadly, and where even the people she loves the most can’t be trusted?

• A stunningly poetic novel, which uses Welsh idioms and grammar to mimic indigenous British dialects, exploring and celebrating the evolution of language. 
• An exploration of Britain’s history as an island of immigrants, focusing on the first interactions between Romano-Britons and Anglo-Saxons. 
• Elen Caldecott’s debut novel, How Kirsty Jenkins Stole the Elephant, was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and longlisted for the Carnegie Medal.