The Smith's Bastard

Born from blood, fire, and broken iron, Siegfried enters the world in a wolf den with the shattered pieces of his father's sword clutched in his newborn hands. His mother dies protecting him. His father dies chasing a cursed hoard. The wolves raise what remains. For ten winters, Siegfried survives by tooth, stone, instinct, and hunger. He learns the laws of the pack before he learns the language of men. Then Regin, a dwarf smith with ancient hands and unfinished vengeance, finds him in the forest and brings him to the forge. There, Siegfried learns iron, speech, restraint, and the terrible inheritance carried in the shards of Gram. But Regin has not come only to teach. Beneath Gnita Heath, Fafnir waits: once Regin's brother, now a dragon made monstrous by greed and Andvari's cursed gold. To kill him, Siegfried must become more than wolf, more than man, more than weapon. He must claim the sword, face the dragon, and decide what kind of power he will carry afterward. The Smith's Bastard is the first book in the Blood & Gold Saga, a dark mythic fantasy that reimagines the legend of Siegfried through blood, desire, betrayal, craft, and cursed treasure. Before kingdoms know his name, before love and ruin wait in Worms, Siegfried must be made. In the fire, the forest, and the shadow of ancient gold, destiny truly begins.