After he brings home a golden bird, still miraculously alive after being rescued from an iron box, Gerda declares she will go find the truth about their third son, Karl, whose body was never found. In a desperate attempt to keep his wife home, Dieter volunteers to search instead.
The bird guides Dieter safely to the front, but once they reach the battleground, they find only chaos. Exploding shells pepper the muddy ground as far as the eye can see. The fighting is so savage and constant that many bodies are never recovered for burial.
As his chances of finding his son’s grave tumble from slim to none, Dieter becomes trapped on the battlefield. It seems likely he will share his sons’ fate.
But the bird has other plans…
Cathleen Townsend loves a good tale, especially if it involves fantasy. She lives in California’s beautiful gold county, and in her mind the tree-covered hills contain trolls, dragons, and dwarves, although they persist in lurking unseen. She enjoys chatting with readers on her blog at cathleentownsend.com.