Part one of the outstanding Star Dancer quartet A rich … shaggily textured tapestry: Daily Telegraph Family Book Club Choice It is the end of the Iron Age. In the face of Roman invasion the druids believe a warrior-magician will appear when the stars dance. Two children are born that night. A girl and a ‘half-head’ boy....

2. The midwife took the squealing
bundle to the door of the cottage
and held the infant high to see the
lights sparkling in the dark. ‘There,’
she said. ‘That’s for you, my dear, to
welcome you to the world.’

3. She smiled down at the tiny round face
with its mop of dark hair. Huge eyes
stared back at her, amazed. ‘She’s a
pretty little thing,’ Gilda said. ‘She is
indeed.’ Nessa stroked her baby’s cheek.
‘I’ll name her ‚Tegen‛ – pretty thing.’

4. For many long years
after Tegen’s birth,
the druids and their
servants looked for a
boy born on the night
the stars had danced.
Dressed in their white
robes of office, they
walked far and wide
through valleys and
over hills.

5. Tall and lithe, dark-haired and greeneyed, Tegen ran about her parents’
home, chasing the geese and learning
to work.

6. ‘I want to know where the Star Dancer
is!’ The young man glared down at
Witton. ‘You’ve given us nothing but
promises for years, but he never comes!
They say the only child born that night
is a girl! A female Star Dancer?’ He
clicked his tongue and tapped his head,
making the sign for madness. ‘What will
you think of next?’

7. ‘The Goddess has always honoured
those who act with faith!
Just waiting for a mere child will only
end with us all being slaughtered! Who
knows what the coming evil is?
It may be demons, or it may be the
Romans with their
short swords and shorter skirts that
we hear so much about.

8. Suddenly Witton raised his staff and
crashed it down between the burning
weapons. ‘Stop it, both of you! Neither
the stars, nor Gorgans are liars. The
child will appear, of that you can be
sure.’

9. Tegen was afraid.
She stared up at the night sky through
the wind-eye. The constellation of the
Watching Woman burned brightly. It
always seemed to be watching her,
following her;
but was it speaking to her?

10. It is the end of the Iron Age. In the face of Roman
invasion the druids believe a warrior-magician will
appear when the stars dance.
Two children are born that night. A girl and a ‘halfhead’ boy.
Both are rejected.
As they grow, Tegen and Griff struggle against
treachery and malice as they unlock the true magic
that will save Britain.
But for Tegen, this is only the beginning …

11. A rich … shaggily textured tapestry:
Daily Telegraph Family Book Club Choice
An absorbing tale: Carousel (editor’s Choice)
A many layered and satisfying tale:
Books For Keeps
Rewarding and complex … highly recommended:
Book Bag