Malechia’s decision to participate in the conspiracy to defeat Darsinia last year was a fateful one. There are unexpected consequences too difficult for many Malechians to accept.

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Commander Daron’s nephew, Mondo, is a different man after having lived with Caleb and his wife during the occupation of Talla.  He remembers Caleb as a man who treats servants as friends, a man willing to die for those he loves, a man who follows and serves his God.

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Mondo is restless for the societal change he believes men like Caleb could cause in Malechia. As the son of the first of Malechia’s ruling Council of Three, Mondo has influence, but he also has enemies. Armed rebellion against his ideas and the Council of Three is brewing. 

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In Darsinia, King Jadon convenes a special meeting of the Friends of the Realm and encourages their support for his plans. After two years of fighting, he needs to strengthen Darsinia’s ability to defend itself, but he also wants to expand their influence to other nearby lands. If he is successful, Avri believes Jadon will become known as one of the country’s greatest kings. The people rally behind their king, excited for the progress he proposes, but even good plans create conflict.

Darsinia’s civil war is over and King Jadon now rules the land. He invites his countrymen to Festival in Larsa and many of them come, ready to celebrate, full of the hope their new king gives them. They’re ready for things to be as they once were but, even before Festival is over, they learn a new enemy is attacking an ally. Jadon must send soldiers to Beladin with physicians from the university in Kriva to fight the plague.

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Disgraced Commander Tarkin leads conspirators into Darsinia to take the throne from Jadon. His enemies are near enough to his people in in their villages to disrupt their lives, even kill them. And too many of his soldiers are dead or held captive. It is a bleak time.

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The mysterious tenebrisi, not seen in Darsinia for generations, harass the invaders and join with the remaining soldiers to drive them from the land, but the conspirators are determined. 

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Their lust for power, riches – even revenge – is as consuming as Tarkin’s obsession with an ancient talisman stolen from his family. He believes it has the power over life and death and he is certain King Jadon has it.

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This is a story of how the faithful endure when the enemy is so close. If we understand who God has revealed himself to be, if we trust him when we are defeated, terrified or hopeless, we can persevere through the worst of what life can do to us.

In the medieval land of Darsinia, a malevolent prince makes a ruthless choice which devastates his family and forces innocent people into a senseless civil war. Followers of Elyon despair and believe their Creator, their Holy One, has abandoned them to be ruled by an evil king. Despite their suffering in the civil conflict, Avri of Talla reminds the people of what they know to be true of Elyon and encourages their continued faithfulness.

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He secures an ally for good Prince Jadon and acts repeatedly to prevent Darsinia from destroying itself. His son, Caleb, leads an army of immigrant volunteers to challenge the evil prince. They’re eager to defy the despot who despises them. Their skirmishes leave many dead on both sides. Grief, fear and hopelessness grip the hearts of Darsinians and immigrants alike. When at last the future of the kingdom hangs in the balance, “Commander” Caleb makes a fateful choice to save the land and people he loves.

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If present day leaders and political divisions concern you, the story of Avri of Talla might reassure you with this eternal truth: the Creator of All Things will forever be sovereign in human events.  Even if we don’t understand all he allows to happen.