Shortlisted for the Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction! The Inquisitor's Tale meets The Book of Boy in this adventurous fantasy inspired by the myth of Romulus and Remus.

Twelve-year-old Rae is content as the adopted daughter of shepherds, helping with the flock and revelling in the beauty of her family's hillside farm. But after a frightening encounter with a wolf-to whom she feels a sudden, peculiar connection-Rae realizes there is much more to her past, and her future, than she could have imagined.

Meanwhile, a young girl named Alba goes about her days as an oracle's apprentice, a duty that confines her to a distant, watery cave. But when she bestows a troubling prophecy on the rising boy-king, her words unintentionally begin a reign of terror, and send Alba on a desperate mission alongside Rae and the wolf.

Inspired by Roman mythology, this mysterious and uniquely magical adventure explores the intricate roles of nature and fate in our lives, the power of language to shape our world, and the boundless importance of love and kindness.