In a world of pagan traditions and deeply rooted love, a girl in jeopardy must save her family and community. A transporting historical novel by New York Times -bestselling author Cathy Marie Buchanan. It's the season of Fallow, in the era of iron. In a northern misty bog surrounded by woodlands and wheat fields, a settlement lies far beyond the reach of the Romans invading hundreds of miles to the southeast. Here, life is simple--or so it seems to the tightly knit community. Sow. Reap. Honor Mother Earth, who will provide at harvest time. A girl named Devout comes of age, sweetly flirting with the young man she's tilled alongside all her life, and envisions a future of love and abundance. Seventeen years later, though, the settlement is a changed place. Famine has brought struggle, and outsiders, with their foreign ways and military might, have arrived at the doorstep. For Devout's young daughter, life is more troubled than her mother ever anticipated. But this girl has an extraordinary gift. As worlds collide and peril threatens, it will be up to her to save her family and community. Set in a time long forgotten, Daughter of Black Lake brings the ancient world to life and introduces us to an unforgettable family facing an unimaginable trial. Praise for Daughter of Black Lake :  “Far-off history comes to life in this story of two generations of women. In Iron Age Britain, a rapidly changing world threatens a mother’s dreams, while her daughter searches for the strength within herself to protect their way of life.” — Entertainment Weekly’s  ”Fabulous Fall Reads” “Evocative, meticulously researched. History truly comes to life.” — Parade ’s “Fall’s Best New Historical Fiction” “Buchanan has crafted an engrossing novel awash in historical atmosphere. From religious beliefs to culture clashes to social stratification and the activities of daily life, Buchanan immerses readers in Roman Britain in this beautifully emotive tale of family, community, and love.” — Booklist (starred review) “Immersive . . . Buchanan’s descriptions of pagan rituals are fully realized and provide a haunting, engaging backdrop. . . . Fans of thoughtful, inventive historical fiction will enjoy this transporting novel.” — Publishers Weekly “In this evocative, meticulously researched novel, Cathy Marie Buchanan creates a world of dark magic and haunting mystery, brutality, and beauty. History comes to life on every page.” — Christina Baker Kline, The New York Times– bestselling author of  The Exiles   “In a tale that feels at once classic and fresh, Buchanan brings her trademark grace and attention to detail to this luminous story of a mother and daughter in first-century Britannia.  Daughter of Black Lake  is a thoughtful, compelling novel, a true pleasure to read.” — Therese Anne Fowler, The New York Times –bestselling author of  A Good Neighborhood   “Evocative and deftly paced . . . transporting us to a time and place we have not lived, yet somehow recognize . . . A historical page-turner that’s the perfect antidote for our uncertain times.” — Brunonia Barry, The New York Times– bestselling author of  The Lace Reader  and  The Fifth Petal Cathy Marie Buchanan's previous novels, The Painted Girls and The Day the Falls Stood Still , were both New York Times bestsellers, with The Painted Girls named a best book of the year by NPR, Good Housekeeping , and Goodreads. Buchanan's work has been translated into nine languages. She lives in Toronto. Chapter 3 Hobble A cloud of dust appears beyond the fields, at first so faint that I squint and peer across the freshly furrowed earth. I straighten from squatting. My mother and I have spent the morning with the rest of the Hands in the field closest to the clearing—seed wheat falling from our fingers, disappearing beneath the black earth. The cloud swells and at its center a dark speck emerges—a horse galloping at tremendous speed. I feel my knees weaken as I wait for seven more horses, for glinting armor and swords. Soon the mount grows recognizable—not a Roman but a druid with a gleaming white robe fanned out behind him like spread wings. But something is amiss. Druids—our high priests—come to Black Lake to bless the feasts at festivals and to carry out our most sacred rites—the sacrifices undertaken to appease the gods. They rule the settlements as our lawmakers, our judges, emissaries who tell us the gods’ will. It was the druids who stirred up the early resistance to our Roman invaders, and my father says the Romans have not forgotten the power the druids hold, their ability to provoke, even coerce rebellion against Roman rule. As a consequence, whenever one of our druid leaders comes, he rides under the cloak of night. Not this druid though. He rides by daylight, and I have never known a druid to be so careless as that. When I was a child, a druid’s raised arms stirred feelings of consolation and hope in me. But as I grew, I began to notice h