A Warrior in the Garden
Every morning before dawn, Henrik Olinger trains his mind with books and his body with his sword while his family sleeps.
He is a farmer, a father, a husband but he is also preparing for something his neighbors refuse to see. While they chase comfort and wealth, Henrik teaches his teenage son Benjamin to fight, reads to his young daughter Marianne about defending beauty and goodness, and holds his wife Anneliese close when she worries that his vigilance might bring the very danger he fears.
When word reaches their island that barbarian raiders attacked the neighboring settlement of Odenwald and that a handful escaped the slaughter Henrik tries to warn his village. But they laugh at him. They have known peace for so long they cannot imagine it ending.
So Henrik does what he has always done: he takes responsibility. He travels to the city alone, carrying what little coin his family has saved, and finds the Old Man a washed-up knight drowning his regrets in ale.
Henrik and the Old Man prepare the village for battle. They warn farmers and Benjamin has his courage tested. Before they are ready, the barbarians strike dragging Klaus, Henrik's kind-hearted friend, into the square as bait. The battle Henrik prepared for his entire life finally comes.
Will his discipline and preparation be enough to defend his family and the entire village?
