Author:
Alex McGilvery has been reading since before he can remember, and writing almost that long. He has published 18 books and is author and editor at his imprint Celticfrog Publishing. He lives in Kamloops with his dog and the stories clawing their way out of his head.

Ten year old Justine has lived with the loss of her mother for two years. Even while she misses her Mom, she is discovering the gifts they share. When bullying at school makes Justine’s life miserable, she befriends a tree she calls Drasil. It isn’t fair that life causes so much pain for Justine, so her father is happy when she makes a friend, even when that friend is a tree.

She tells stories of visiting a land where peace is valued above all else and hospitality is the primary virtue. Her father listens to her stories and marvels at how she changes, even as he wonders if her stories are true, or the fantasy of a lonely young girl. When the stories get darker and more dangerous, he worries that she is being hurt, even in this land of peace.

He has no idea how much they will both be changed as they get caught up in the struggle between a people who believe in peace, and those who trust in war.

Playing on Yggdrasil

"The wedding was amazing, Dad." Justine was setting the table while Patrick served up the spaghetti. 


"Risha was beautiful. She wore a green dress and flowers in her hair. Hisen never stopped grinning the whole time. The priest read a poem about love being a guest in our homes and they kissed. Then they said the welcome thing to each other, only they added a bit about being cast out into the darkness if they ever broke their vows. Then they kissed each other again."


"Well, they were getting married. After they finished with the kissing then we ate. They loved the cannelloni, you were right about them being easier to eat. Stone keeps bugging me to make spaghetti again so he can show off his twirling skills. We all sang songs and danced. If you stepped on your partner's toes, you had to give them a kiss." 


"I'm guessing that Stone was a clumsy dancer."


"Oh Dad! I only let him step on my toes once."


"I'm glad that your friends are so happy."


Chapter 21