SUMMARY OF WILDING

A terrifying encounter with mysterious creatures on Halloween eve thrusts twenty-year-old THOMAS McCADDEN into Dark Ages Britain, where he finds himself in the midst of a kingdom in transition, with a new king on the throne who is struggling to prove his worth. Exiled warrior CELYN AP WYNN witnesses Thomas’ strange arrival and is seized with the certainty that God would have him take this odd newcomer to the shelter of the monastery on Lindisfarne Island.

On the way to Lindisfarne, a chance encounter with GODRIC, another Traveller through time, reveals that Thomas is Fey, heir to powers he cannot understand or control, including Travelling through time. Godric assures Thomas that he can help Thomas get home, but Celyn thwarts Thomas’ attempt to join Godric, leaving Thomas with no choice but to continue with Celyn to Lindisfarne.

Lindisfarne is close to Bebbanburg, the seat of power for the new king of Bernicia, OSWY. At Bebbanburg Thomas meets Celyn’s cousin NONA, whom he discovers is a Fey Healer. Thomas hopes that Godric will come to show him how to get home, but in the meantime he settles at Lindisfarne under the care of AIDAN, the charismatic Bishop of the monastery.

At the winter solstice, Thomas and Nona go to the Gathering of the Northern Seelie Fey and meet NECTAN, the king. Thomas must pledge to Nectan or be killed as a wilding Fey, one who has never learned to control his powers. Wildings are feared and hated amongst the Fey because they often bring disaster in their wakes. The pledge ties him in ways he does not understand to the rest of the Fey and brings him under control of the Seelie King.

Thomas continues his efforts to find a way home, hoping that Godric will come and help him. But a strange encounter with another Fey, JACK REDCAP, reveals that Thomas is a Speaker, a Fey who can speak into and influence another’s mind, something Nectan knew but has hidden from Thomas. Thomas realizes that, truly, his life will never be the same. He can no longer be who he was, and he does not know how to be who he is.

Redcap’s odd behaviour results in some sinister occurrences at the monastery, and suspicion falls upon Thomas. Aidan sends Thomas away, accompanied by Celyn and another monk, on a mission of mercy to a nearby holding. But there they encounter a crazed Saxon, the one responsible for the murder of Celyn’s family years before. In order to track down the Saxon, who has taken shelter in a mysterious haunted forest, Thomas has to reveal to Celyn that he is Fey in order to guide him through the woods to the killer.

An unexpected crisis calls Thomas and other nearby Fey to Nectan’s side, to help another Fey who is being pursued by the fearsome Solitary Fey known as the Alder King. Thomas discovers that the Fey who is in danger is his own father, MATTHEW McCADDEN, whom he thought had died eleven years ago. Thomas’ intervention saves his father from the Huntsman.

Nectan reveals he knew all along that Thomas’ father was in this place and time. Thomas is determined to cut his ties with the Fey, but in his confrontation with Nectan, the King’s power overwhelms him, forcing Thomas to capitulate to the Seelie King once more.

Yet a growing hope keeps despair at bay: that his father will teach Thomas all he knows of Travelling so that they can both go safely home. 

But unbeknownst to them all, WULFRAM, another Traveller from Thomas’ time is watching him, plotting how to use this young wilding Traveller to further his own plan to change history….