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

 "Not quite," Patrick said. "Remember, Hamlan was once a country in its own right."


"Nonsense," the Brother said, "I spent the night in the library. None of that is in the scriptures."


"Your scriptures stop with the signing of the Peace. You need to read the diary I left with Sister Hersh."


"But we have no tales, no stories of an invasion."


"Would you tell stories that would humiliate members of the Peace? You hardly talk about the people who used to go teach the Peace in other lands, and that was only a generation ago."


"So you think you know our history better than we do?" asked the Chair.


"To be honest," Patrick said, "yes, I do. I spent weeks in the Library researching this very thing. This is what I do. You never thought to ask the question."


"So what would you have us do? Tell the Rakkikt not to come, give our land away to the Graffire?"


Chapter 65