In “First Strike,” Second Lieutenant Michael Sheridan faces an unexpected war, leading untested soldiers against a fierce enemy while discovering that survival means confronting harsh truths about conflict.

A miraculous seven-headed horse, a symbol of unity, assembles three struggling youths with extraordinary origins into a journey of self-discovery. There Sunu the Saxon Poet, Rufus the Roman Stoic, and Keresaspa the Sarmatian Priestess must overcome pride, aversion, and unforgiveness; there they must learn from historical heroes, philosophers, and the gods that strengthen them to battle an unseen monster and its rising wolfmen-dividing the Sons of Man.