Birth of a Warrior

Thirteen-year-old Lysander, raised as a Helot slave but now aware of his lineage as a Spartan warrior's descendant, endures a grueling academy before being sent into the mountain wilderness with two other youths to survive on sheer strength and wit. There he battles the harsh elements, starvation, and wild animals while confronting a rival determined to sabotage him. As war with Persia looms, Lysander must choose where his allegiance truly lies between Sparta's rigid code and the people he grew up among.