Eleven-year-old William yearns for the life of a falconer—training the magnificent birds of prey for the favored sport of medieval England’s nobility. But in the boy’s clubfoot his mother sees a sign from the gods: like the legendary Hephaestus of ancient mythology, William is bound to wield a blacksmith’s hammer. So his future lies in the smoky foundries of a swordmaker rather than the rolling fields of a falcon master.Then fate plays its hand: William rescues the wounded bird of King Henry himself, gains favor with the grateful monarch, and at last sees his deepest desire within reach. But with his new life as apprentice falconer at a nobleman’s castle begins a tumultuous coming-of-age. The years to come will bring triumph and tragedy, friendship and treachery, truest love and most brutal loss. Yet through it all, he will never stop battling—for justice, joy, and the chance to soar skyward in spirit beside his beloved falcons.