What a wonderful launch Victory’s Voice had! If you missed the fun, this is THE place to go to catch up. Everything is summarized succinctly for you right here!
First, today is the LAST day to enter the #VictoryContest and win an ebook of choice. Send me a photo or digital image with the word “Victory” in it somewhere to be entered (email me, comment on this post, or post it on social media and tag me).
The paperback is available now and it’s gorgeous and you probably want it.
It was hard to put it down, because it held the suspense so well from the beginning to the end that I was always tempted to read “one more chapter.” [read more]
All-in-all, just a really good book! I wish more authors would write like this, actually having “meat” to their stories instead of all fluff and filler! [read more]
Her conversations, mannerisms, and dialogue were the most natural thing in the world, and perhaps the easiest and most fun part of writing Victory’s Voice. [read more]
[W]hat would you pick if your author let you change one element in your story/plot/world, whether a technological advance or a plot twist or a social reality you live with each day?
Oh, there are so many things I think I’d want to change! But in reality, even the difficult parts of my life have proven a blessing, and I’ve learned and grown so much through them. Even the hardest things I really can’t say I’d exchange for anything. As for technological advances, it would be helpful if someone would . . . [read more]
Thank you to all who participated – and thank you, readers, for being here! You are why I publish.
Stay tuned for the cover reveal and preorder info on BOOK THREE – coming THIS MONTH! If you’d like to apply to beta read any of the other Truth from Taerna books, click here.
Hello! Today, for the Victory’s Voice launch tour, we have TWO book reviews! Jenavieve Rose atLiving Outside the Lines is reviewing both Promise’s Prayer and Victory’s Voice!
Hop over and check it out, and leave a comment to let us know what you think.
Welcome back! Today for the Victory’s Voice launch tour, we have a fun post: a character interview with Wyn (a bubbly Academy student who plays cello) posted by Katja atLittle Blossoms for Jesus!
Hop over and check it out, and leave a comment to let us know what you think.
Truth from Taerna is a six-book kingdom adventure fiction series born from a heart to communicate the truths of God’s kingdom—the spiritual realm hidden from our physical senses—in an engaging story format. Each book focuses on an aspect of spiritual truth that today’s church often downplays. The author’s desire is to demonstrate how the powerful, life-changing truths of God’s kingdom could play out in a fictional setting. The author’s goal is that God will use this series to reveal His kingdom to you as the reader.
Each book can be read as a standalone. Each book follows a sibling of the family as they learn and grow closer to Adon Olam (God). These books have no violence, no magic, no language, and minimal squeaky clean romance.
Promise’s Prayer: Kaelan and Carita learn the true importance and place of prayer in their quest to save the world. Victory’s Voice: Book-loving Ellisia attends Academy and discovers the true power of spoken words in the spiritual realm. Surrender’s Strength: Laelara discovers her true identity when a mix-up forces her to live a double life and come to the end of herself. Sustainer’s Smile: Liliora makes peace with her past and discovers her future among the cradles of Taerna’s unwanted babies as her present reality meets tears, heartbreak, smiles, and the sustaining hand of Adon Olam. Memory’s Mind: Quiet and analytical Kethin learns the importance of focusing his mind and meditating on the Word of Adon Olam as his skills prove crucial to Frydael despite his aversion to public scrutiny. Romance’s Rest: Even in heartbreak, big-hearted, animal-loving Kelton discovers the true meaning of love—and covenant relationship with Adon Olam.
Hi friends! Today for the Victory’s Voice launch tour, we have a very special post: a character interview with Carita (Ellisia’s older sister who is especially devoted to God) shared by Chelsea at Sheep Among Wolves Publishing.
Hop over and check it out, and leave a comment to let us know what you think.
Greetings! Today for the Victory’s Voice launch tour, Katja atOld Fashioned Book Love is sharing her review of Victory’s Voice! Hop over and check it out, and leave a comment to let us know what you think.
If you preordered Victory’s Voice, it should be waiting on your Kindle right now!
If you didn’t, be among the first to pick it up today on release day! And don’t forget to leave a review.
(Did you know that release day sales and reviews both help boost the book and author rank on Amazon to enable more people to find the book? Yes, your launch week purchase can help with reaching other readers with this book! And preorders all count towards this.)
Chapters 26 and 27 of this book hold a unique place in my heart: no matter how many times I read them, I get excited. Excited at the power of God. Excited at the reality of our victory in Jesus. Excited at the unity and oneness of believers and the power of praising, rejoicing, giving thanks, singing, and speaking truth.
I can’t say there is anything else I’ve ever written that I react to quite this way. And I think it’s because there is a truth in these chapters (to which the rest of the book builds) that goes far beyond me or my writing abilities. It’s an eternal truth, a kingdom truth, a covenant truth. It’s something God wants His people to understand. It’s something He is working in and through the body of Christ today.
As this book launches into the world, I hope you too catch the vision and passion of this truth.
Today for the Victory’s Voice launch tour we have TWO character spotlights as well as a book spotlight!
Abigail Kay Harris at Read Review Rejoice is sharing a character spotlight on Caeleb, an elder-brotherly friend who’s a lot of fun to get to know. Click over there for photos, fun facts, and more.
Tara at Tower in the Plains is sharing a character spotlight on Jolyn, an Academy student that Ellisia meets . . . who plays a key role in the story. For better or worse.
No, you don’t need to guess, because I gave it away in the post title! 😉 Victory’s Voice (Truth from Taerna book two) is officially on its way!!
If you’re new to my blog and my books, Truth from Taerna is my six-book Christian kingdom adventure fiction series. With no violence, no romance (except very mild romance in books three and six), and no fantasy/magic, it’s a clean book series for all ages, focusing on portraying deep spiritual truths and how they might look in a fictional setting. Promise’s Prayer is Book 1, but it isn’t necessary to read it first: each book is designed as a standalone.
But THIS post is celebrating Victory’s Voice! Launch week kicks off today, and there are a variety of interesting celebratory activities planned.
First, you can pick up the paperback and ebook on Amazon here.
But what else? I’ll keep it simple and concise, because I know your life is probably as busy as mine and you don’t have time to read excess fluff any more than I have time to write it. 😉
Review the #VictorysVoiceChallenge on Instagram for insights into key Scripture verses that inspired the book.
Join the #VictoryContest – a creative photo contest. (Take or design an image with the word Victory in it and post it on Instagram or in the comments below – or email it to me. Click the link above for more details including the prize.)
Check out the rest of the blog tour stops (below) for character spotlights, reviews, interviews, and snippets.
Today, we have a lovely review by Chelsea at Sheep Among Wolves Publishing. I so enjoyed reading her kind, honest, and encouraging words! This review is very thorough, and you can find some favorite quotes hidden within it. 🙂
Excerpt: “Erika is very good at writing likeable godly characters who stretch our understanding of what living for God really means. I also love the way she weaves deep spiritual truths and realities into the characters’ storylines, and how she continually turns the focus back to God.”
ABOUT THE BOOK
When an extroverted bookworm discovers the hidden power of spoken words, death and life tremble in the balance on the tip of her tongue. But not only figuratively.
At seventeen, Ellisia’s passion for learning and books dominates her small-town existence. No wonder she’s elated when an opportunity to attend Academy arises: she can finally fulfill her lifelong goals to further her education and see the famed Palace BookHall. But as she begins to discover the true power of the spoken word, she faces a choice: join forces with a foreign physicist or relinquish her dream to someday work in the BookHall. Loyalties and ambitions war within Ellisia once the scientist’s projects begin to threaten her family’s safety. When impending crisis brings a clash of spiritual kingdoms, Ellisia must once for all choose how she’ll harness the power of words. Spoken words transcend her reality, uniting heavenly with earthly and commanding the forces that drive the physical world, and Ellisia’s voice will be the catalyst for sure defeat—or decisive victory.
3/15/2021: Victory’s Voice comprehensive book review by Chelsea at Sheep Among Wolves Publishing
3/18/2021: LAUNCH DAY! Read Victory’s Voice on Kindle today! + Character spotlight on Caeleb (27-year-old friendly elder-brotherly friend), shared by Abigail Kay Harris at Read Review Rejoice. + Character spotlight on Jolyn (an Academy student) shared by Tara at Tower in the Plains + Book spotlight & excerpt shared by Jenavieve Rose at Living Outside the Lines + Special release day post here at Resting Life
3/22/2021: Character interview with Carita (Ellisia’s older sister who is devoted to God) shared by Chelsea at Sheep Among Wolves Publishing
3/25/2021: Character spotlight and interview with Aethelwyn (Wyn – a bubbly Academy student who plays cello) posted by Katja at Little Blossoms for Jesus
3/26/2021: Promise’s Prayer and Victory’s Voice book reviews by Jenavieve Rose at Living Outside the Lines
Erika Mathews is an author and editor who lives in the farm country of Minnesota with her husband and children. She’s a homeschool graduate with a Bachelor’s in Communications, a Master’s in Biblical Ministries, and a passion for sharing Jesus Christ and His truth. When she’s not working with books, she enjoys reading, outdoor activities, piano and violin, organizing, and using the Oxford comma. You can connect with Erika at restinglife.com.
When Ellisia, a seventeen-year-old book enthusiast with a passion for learning and a fascination with words, has the opportunity to attend Academy, she’s elated to further her education as well as live near the Palace BookHall—the focus of her lifelong dream. But as she begins to discover the true power of the spoken word, she faces a choice: join forces with a foreign scientist or relinquish her dreams of someday working in the BookHall. As the scientist’s projects begin to threaten the safety of Ellisia’s family, she’s torn between her loyalties and her ambitions. When impending crisis brings a clash of spiritual kingdoms, Ellisia must once for all choose how she’ll harness the power of words. Spoken words transcend her reality, uniting heavenly with earthly and commanding the forces that drive the physical world, and Ellisia’s voice will be the catalyst for sure defeat—or decisive victory.
A blur of images paraded before her mental
vision, sprung from the slightly-yellowed page open on her lap. Curled in her
favorite main room corner chair, Ellisia let her imagination travel as rapidly
as her eyes. Dukes and drama, intrigue and investigation, foiled plots and
feisty populace—every word seized her fancy as her mind rapidly painted each
scene in vivid pictures. Her only focus: what the next chapter might hold.
She stuck her thumb under the
corner to begin the page turn. Wishing to reread a particularly mysterious
sentence, she wavered between pages for a brief instant.
Rap, rap.
Ellisia started, raising her
head to glance towards the front door. Judging by the insistent force of the
knock, someone had been trying to gain her attention for some time. She sighed,
stuck a crumpled bit of paper between the pages, closed the book, and went to
the door. Evidently she wouldn’t be finishing her story tonight.
Fumbling with the rusty metal,
she lifted the latch.
“Reading again.” The dark-haired
girl on the step didn’t even bother with a question mark. “Of course.”
Ellisia sighed and grinned at
the same time. “Of course,” she echoed. “Come in, Dresie.”
The neighbor girl stepped past
Ellisia. “Carita’s not home?”
“Not just now. And the baby’s
with her.”
“Ah, how convenient for me. I
hoped we could chat a bit.” Dresie’s dark eyes roved about the sitting room
before landing on the book Ellisia had been reading. “I don’t suppose you’d
like to head outdoors any more than you usually would.”
“Not really.” Ellisia returned
to her chair. “It’s far too cold. I can’t wait until this winter is over in a
few weeks.”
Dresie threw back her head, a merry
gilded laugh emerging. “You never used to mind the cold, as I recall. Remember
when we’d play outside for hours as young girls? With Dixaen? And remember how
you’d out-garden both of us?” She paused as her eyes flitted across the
bookshelf in the corner. “We used to write about such times in our story
journal…you still have that, don’t you?”
Ellisia murmured assent. “I
can’t tell you where it is though…I haven’t looked at that for an eternity.”
Dresie’s fingers moved quickly
across the titles. “It used to be back in this corner.” She pulled out several
volumes, then reached back for a thin, worn cover wrinkled behind them. “Here.
Just see.”
The lids fell open, and crooked
letters sprawled faintly across the pages. Ellisia scanned them, suddenly
transported by the few vivid words and the gaps filled in by her memories to
that autumn afternoon.
Nine Years Earlier
“Books? You’d better believe
there are books, Ellisia. Why, whole rooms full of books—you can’t even begin
to imagine. Rooms bigger than your whole house. And shelves up to the ceiling.”
Dreamy wonder shone in her eyes
as she gazed at Caeleb’s animated expression. A whole roomful of books at once!
“Have you read them all?”
A laugh rang out. “No, I
haven’t. Even you couldn’t possibly read all those books in one lifetime. One
of my favorite BookHalls is in Amadel Academy—we call it the Palace Academy.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s a school where students learn
about anything they want to—and get a certificate in that particular field.”
Caeleb leaned back on his hands, his gaze trained on the sky for a moment
before returning to Ellisia’s rapt expression. “They do have a BookHall,
though, and I enjoy going there because I can usually find a book more easily
than at the Palace BookHall.”
“The Palace BookHall.” Ellisia’s
words were an awed whisper.
“You’d love the Palace
BookHall.” Caeleb plucked a blade of grass and tossed it at her. “You wouldn’t
know what to do with yourself. Or rather, you’d have more to read than you’d
know what to do with. You’d never leave. Shelves floor to ceiling. Three
stories, at least. All filled with books. And, guess what?” He leaned forward
conspiratorially.
“What?” She forced the whisper
out, hardly able to breathe. Three stories of books! What next?
“They’re all lined up by color.
Each topic is a different color. So when you walk in, it’s a stunning rainbow
array of blues, greens, reds, oranges, yellows, purples, browns—floor to
ceiling, mind you. And you’d tire yourself out before you reached the other
side of the room.”
“Tire myself out …” The echo
drifted into nothingness. “Caeleb, I’m visiting that BookHall someday.”
“I’m sure you will, princess.”
Caeleb grinned before pushing to his feet. “Looks like Dresie and Dixaen are
back. Want to play Captured Bases again?”
“Of course!” She leaped up.
Several rousing rounds later,
sunlight stretched the shadows into comically tall versions of their noontime
selves, and Caeleb had disappeared inside to talk grownup business with Kaelan.
“We need to go back home now,
Dixaen,” Dresie’s black braids flapped as she dashed around the yard scooping
up the bases. “Grandfather said we must come when the sun touched the hilltops,
and there it is now.”
“Get the ball, too, Dresie,”
Ellisia returned. “Put it in the kitchen lean-to.” Seizing a stick, she began
erasing the lines they’d drawn in the dirt to mark the boundaries.
She’d reached the other edge of
the yard when Dresie came flying back, panting heavily and braids flying. “I
can’t open the lean-to. It must be locked.”
“Locked? No, it can’t be. We
just got the things out of it earlier. And Carita never locks it while we’re
still playing.” Ellisia followed her friend to the lean-to and took a deep
breath as she tried the handle.
It wouldn’t budge.
“Can you go through the front
door?” Ellisia asked.
Dresie disappeared, only to
return a moment later. “That door’s locked, too.”
“What? No, it can’t be.” Ellisia
breathed deeply once again as tightness welled up inside her. They couldn’t be
locked out of the house. Carita would never do that.
Yet testing the door confirmed
Dresie’s words, and Ellisia’s heart sank yet further. Knocking loudly yielded
no response, and Dixaen’s strength added to the girls’ efforts still failed to
move the handle.
“What will we do?” Dresie’s face
drooped as she bit her lip. “You have to get in for the night.”
Ellisia thought rapidly. There
was no other way in. One of these doors had to open. Where was Carita? Why didn’t
she hear?
A passage Carita had often sung
to her shot into her mind. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock …” And there
was that other song from Adon Olam’s Word: “Knock, and it shall be opened
unto you.”
Adon Olam had said it. It
must be true. Ellisia couldn’t open the door, and Carita wasn’t there, but Adon
Olam was there always. Softly Ellisia sang the words, then louder and more
boldly as she banged on the firmly-shut door. “Open!” she commanded the door. “Adon
Olam says it shall be opened. So open and let us in!”
Her right hand reached for the
handle as her left hand continued to pound—and the door slipped open. “Thank
you,” Ellisia said, stepping in.
Dresie brought the bases in and
silently dropped them in the box where they belonged. “It opened,” she
whispered. “It opened. It was locked.” She gazed around as if
expecting to see Carita standing there somewhere.
“Adon Olam opened it for
us,” Ellisia said matter-of-factly. “Or He sent one of His angels to do it. I
knew He would. He always does when I say it for Him. He knew we needed to get
in.”
Ellisia blinked at the words in
the journal. Nine years ago, and she still remembered the relief when that door
had opened. Carita had been busy upstairs and hadn’t even heard their knocking.
And that conversation with Caeleb…she hadn’t penned much of it in the journal,
but every word had been seared into her heart. She’d dreamed regularly of
Academy and the BookHall since that day.
“Remember when you told the door
to open?” Dresie’s voice cut into her musings. “It just did. I almost couldn’t
believe it.” She flipped a page.
Ellisia shrugged. “I remember. I
wasn’t surprised. That wasn’t the first time something like that happened.”
“I know.” A note of seriousness
laced Dresie’s tone. “I remember a few other occasions later. Ellisia,
honestly, did it happen a lot?”
“Some. Not regularly, but I
certainly noticed it. Just seemed like part of life to me.”
“Do you remember when
Grandfather was ill, and you told his disease to go away? I thought you were
being too optimistic and unrealistic.”
“And then you couldn’t believe
it when he recovered.” Ellisia sank into the green chair and clasped her thin
pale hands in her lap. “I expected that, too.”
“Ellisia, there has to be more
to this.” The whisper was earnest. “You know my cousin just married a teacher
from Doekh. Those Doekhans know so much more about things than we do here, and
my cousin says some of them have studied the effect words have and why.”
Ellisia’s dark eyes caught
Dresie’s black ones. “Oh? It’s a matter of study there?”
“I hear so.”
Her clasped hands tightened.
“Then I’m going to learn. And find out.”
“How?”
Ellisia shrugged. “I have no
idea. But some way or another, I’ll find someone who knows. You have no clue
what it’s like, Dresie. It’s true—I sometimes say something, and, good or bad,
later I see it happening. I’ve tried not to dwell on it too much, but now that
you say it, I do believe you’re right—it has to be more than mere coincidence.
I guess I’ve thought it’s like praying—you know how Carita prays. She prays;
things happen. But if there’s more to it, I’m finding out.”
“Be careful, though.” Dresie shut
the journal and shoved it onto the shelf. “You don’t know what you’re dealing
with. And I don’t know how much I trust most of those people from Doekh. You
know most of them don’t follow Adon Olam.”
Ellisia nodded. “I’ll be
careful.”
Scarcely had Ellisia returned to
her book after saying farewell to Dresie before a second knock sounded at the
door. A sigh escaped her as she again rose to answer—no reading for her today.
Was everyone in town out on social visits this afternoon? Her hand again sought
the rusty latch.
Then she barreled forward,
launching herself into the arms of the stocky twenty-seven-year-old man who
stood outside. “Caeleb! It’s so good to see you again! What are you doing here?
How’s your grandfather? And your parents? What’s the news? How long can you
stay?”
“Ellisia.” He returned the
embrace with a broad grin. “Good to see you, too. You know, you’ve still
grown since the last time I saw you.”
“Cae-leb …” she scolded
gently.
“Not really.” His grin melted
into a teasing chuckle. “But truly, it’s good to be back. Syorien’s social
expectations do get tiring.”
“I’m sure they do.” She pulled
back through the open door, shivering. “Won’t you come in?”
Caeleb entered, swinging himself
easily into the room and towards the chair that Ellisia had deserted. He picked
up the green-bound novel. “Is it a good book this time?”
“One of the best I’ve read!
Especially this year. Though I certainly haven’t had many new books this year.”
She bit her lip as her eyes again ran across the pitifully small collection on
the corner shelves.
“And why is that?”
She shrugged. “Not enough new
books in town here, I guess. I’ve read them all. Either borrowed them from
those who have them, or I own them myself.” She plucked the book from Caeleb’s
hand and thumbed through it. “This one was one the storekeeper’s wife picked up
from a traveling merchant a month or two ago and saved for me until I could buy
it. I’d love to be able to read a few more.”
Caeleb eased onto the low divan
and stretched his arms behind his neck. “Well, what would you say if I told you
that I could give you a chance to do just that?”
The book clattered to the table
as she whirled to survey him. “You can? You didn’t bring more books, by chance?”
She eyed the bag at his side with a slight frown—it hung as though stuffed with
clothing and food, not books.
“Better than that.” Reaching
into his bag, he pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Ellisia.
“What’s this?” She unfolded it.
“A listing of all the
certificates they’re offering at Amadel Academy now. There’s one that brought
you to mind.”
She scanned the list quickly,
her heart racing. She knew that Amadel Academy—the “Palace Academy,” as it was
commonly called—was open only to select scholars, and not penniless ones like
she was. And it was so far from her home here in Frydael…
A title jumped out at her.
“World Literature?” she exclaimed. “There’s such a thing?” Never once in all
her seventeen years had she heard of someone who was certified in literature.
Caeleb leaned back, his hands
again resting behind his head. “It’s a new whim in Syorien. Don’t know who
decided to offer it or why, but there it is.”
“Truly.” Ellisia was whispering
now. A trembling excitement seized her, and the hand still holding the list
shook. Grayness swirled about the edges of her vision, but the words WORLD
LITERATURE stood emboldened with crystal clarity before her eyes.
“I know how much you love books,
and I know how much you want to continue your education. You’ve done an
excellent job teaching yourself all these years, and I’d love to see that
continue.”
“But you know I can’t …” Oh, how
she wanted this.
“I know Carita can’t afford to
send you anywhere,” Caeleb went on, plucking the list out of Ellisia’s trembling
fingers, “though I know she wants you to get all the learning you can. But I
have a proposition.” He grinned as he tucked the list back into his bag and
folded his hands around his raised knee. “How would you like to come to Syorien
with me and go to Academy?”
Ellisia’s mind whirled. Academy
had always been only a daydream. “With you? I couldn’t just…How?”
“It’s simple. You know I’ve been
back in Syorien with my grandparents for a while. My parents are in the country
currently. We’ve been living down the street from one of my sisters.” He
paused. “And now for the news you asked for.”
“What news?”
“Family news, of course. What
else would you want to know?” His eyes twinkled.
“About Academy.” The words
tumbled out before she could think. She clasped her hands tightly, trying to be
patient. Could she truly attend Academy? What did Caeleb have in mind?
Caeleb grinned. “All in time.
Family news first.” His smile tantalized her. What about Academy? He
continued, seemingly oblivious to her excitement. “My sister just had triplets.
Healthy babies, all three of them. But she needs assistance, and for some
reason she won’t trust all the daytime care of them solely to me.” He exhaled
exaggeratingly, rubbing his palm across his bag, his nose wrinkled at Ellisia.
“So—would you come to live with Mae, help her with the babies, and go to
Academy?”
Ellisia’s eyes widened. “I’d do
anything to go to Academy. What does she want me to do?”
“Mostly just the ordinary housework,
I think. She’s been having a neighbor girl help her with the babies during the
daytime, and she is adjusting to the care of them, but the other work could use
a hand. I figure Carita’s given you plenty of practice.”
Ellisia wrinkled her nose.
“Sure.” She’d never enjoyed housework as much as her sister had, but she’d
accompanied Carita many times on missions of mercy to neighbors’ homes in
Frydael. She knew how to work, anyhow. “I’d do that. And—do you think I would
be qualified to enter for the World Literature line? What does it involve? Can
I get certified in that?”
“I’m sure you can do it easily
if you set your mind to it,” Caeleb encouraged her. “I’m not certain what it
involves, but I assume it involves books in some form.”
“Of course.” Nervous excitement bubbled
over into a chuckle.
“And yes, you can get certified
in that field. It’s a three-year program.”
“When does it begin?”
“Beginning of spring. That’s
just two weeks away. Are you interested?” He grinned once more.
“Interested? Is that even a question?”
Ellisia flew out of her seat and seized his hand, then released it and sat down
again. “I’ll go. If Carita will let me. When are you returning to Syorien?”
“I hoped to make a week’s visit
here …” When she didn’t answer, he went on. “But they won’t let me off that
long. I’m leaving in five days. Can you be ready that quickly?”
“Can I? I could be ready
tonight! I just have to pack my books …”
“There are plenty of books in
Syorien, you know.” Caeleb laughed.
She shook her head, an arch
smile across her face. “You wouldn’t understand. I certainly need to bring my
favorites. There’s something about a particular book you’ve read over and over.
There’s simply no other copy that will do.”
“Can’t argue with that one.”
Caeleb stood. “Now where is Carita, anyway, that we’ve been left to
ourselves so long?”
“She and the baby are over
visiting Mrs. Jaelrven and her little flock. I suspect they’ll be at it a long
while yet.”
“I suspect so.” Caeleb agreed.
“In the meantime, want to play a game of Trux?”
“Most certainly,” Ellisia stated
with alacrity. Skirts spinning, she headed for the cupboard and removed the
game board and pieces. “If I can calm my mind that long. Are you sure I
shouldn’t start packing right now?”
“And leave my lonesome self to laze
away on one of the sole four days of the only vacation I’ve had in months? Yes,
Ellisia. Go pack. I’ll manage.” He pulled a despondent face, and wooden pieces
slipped from Ellisia’s hand as she doubled over in laughter.
“No, Caeleb. Trux it is. You are
stuck with it now.”
After an intense game—in which
Ellisia came off winner amid much back-and-forth bantering—Caeleb excused
himself. Laughing goodbyes were exchanged, then he touched his hat and moved
out of the doorway, waving.
She waved back, unable to wipe
the smile off her face.
