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

"Oh no," he said, "you've got to be kidding." With some trepidation, he walked over to where he found one of the lamps sitting on the floor by the shelves. He breathed a big sigh of relief. No Goddess, just a forgetful Brother. He picked up the lamp to return it to his desk when he noticed a book lying precariously on a pile of scrolls. As he looked at it, it slipped and without thinking he caught it. The book fell open. Patrick sat abruptly on the floor and began reading the book.


Chapter 60