Elrich E-Readers Exclusive
Announcing the Winner
Dear Reader,
If you’re new around here, welcome! This is the Elrich E-Readers, a group of Christians who read high fantasy with romance subplots. You have joined this group by entering the Clean Fantastical Fiction Paperback Giveaway. You can opt out any time by unsubscribing at the bottom, but I hope you will stick around for news about my book series, Daughters of Tamnarae and other opportunities to read free clean and/or Christian Fantastical Fiction.
The winner of the paperback giveaway is…..
Nathanael Stottlemyer
If you didn’t win, I hope you’ll take advantage of this FREE story instead.
Here’s a sample:
I paused at the top of the stairs and took a deep breath. As I stared at the worn treads, I prepped myself for the off chance that I might come in contact with Fiona. “It’s just another day like any other. Don’t expect anything from her. It doesn’t matter that it’s your birthday.” No matter what, this year, I would not get my hopes up.
I shuffled downstairs then through the dining room to the kitchen. Fiona’s immense plate collection in the hutch rattled in my wake.
Fiona sat at the kitchen table, eating a late breakfast. She dropped her head, shaggy gray hair falling around her face as she wiped her eyes, and shoved a postcard into the pocket of the drab brown sweater she always wore—even in this summer heat.
I almost turned and left, but I needed coffee. Sighing, I plodded to the coffee maker, eyeing the cracked black-and-white checkered tile as I went. My tangled mass of black hair dangled in my face, shielding me from view.
Fiona slurped her coffee. “Look who decided to grace us with her presence.”
I wanted to ask if “us” included her many personalities. I bit my tongue. Instead, I grunted something resembling “morning.”
I hoped she’d leave it at that. Nothing good came from conversation with Fiona. The more I allowed the woman to voice her opinion, the greater the chance I’d run away in tears. She was a guilt-trip ninja, striking when I least expected.
“I have something for you.”
A warning thumped in my chest. I continued to stir the cream and sugar in my coffee, too much of each. I turned to face her. “What is it?”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake, stop gawking and come here, Fallon.”
I peered with extreme caution into her outstretched palm.
“Well, take it.” She shook the object clasped in her meaty fingers.
Like a game of Operation, I snatched it and removed my hand as fast as possible as if to avoid the buzzing sound. I then backed to a more comfortable distance.
A necklace. I sucked in my breath. The pendent seemed ancient. A heavy circle made from some type of gray stone attached to a leather cord. Seven cone shapes pointed from a circular indent in the center, giving it the shape of a star or a sun. Strange marks, like hieroglyphics, each unique, etched deep between the points.
It had been so long since I’d received a gift I didn’t know how to respond. “What is it?”
“Not quite sure. It belonged to your mother.”
“My mother?” The amulet fell, the cord caught around my finger. I pulled it to safety and let out a heavy breath. My mother. I couldn’t remember the last time she was mentioned in this house.
Fiona’s steel-blue eyes lost their sharpness for a nanosecond. “Yes.” Then with a quick shake of her head, adding more volume to her frizzy hair, she stood and brought her dishes to the sink. “Well, enough of that.”
“No.” My mother’s ghost had been summoned. I couldn’t let it float away.
Fiona stuck out her jaw and glared at me with dead, unblinking eyes. My stomach jumped into my throat. I had ventured into dangerous territory, but I might never have another chance to find out about my mother. I’d searched this house from top to bottom for pictures—any insight into my parents—only to be denied. I tried softening my tone. “I mean…did my mother give this to you?”
Fiona dropped her gaze and returned to the sink. “No. She didn’t.”
“Well, who then? You’ve been holding on to it all these years? Why’d you give it to me now?”
Fiona placed her hands on her disproportionately large hips, lowered her head, and sighed. She remained like that, as though worn out from fighting down whatever humanity remained entombed within her otherwise heartless carcass.
After a few eons, she faced me. “Fallon, I really didn’t know your mother well. This was given to Nathaniel after her…” She paused as if searching for the appropriate word. “…disappearance. He was instructed to hold onto it until your seventeenth birthday then give it to you. He’s not here, so I’m doing it.”
“Someone gave it to Bumpah after my mother…? Who?”
“I don’t know. I wasn’t there. He never said.”
“But why? Why give this to me now? What for?”
Fiona folded her arms across her chest. She leaned toward me. Her pear-shaped frame extended as her face scrunched in a scowl, forcing the peach fuzz to stick out on her upper lip. “I was tempted to throw the stupid thing away. I’m only doing this for Nathaniel. I promised.”
Was she for real? I knew she hated me, but this was a whole new level of heartlessness. To want to toss the one thing connecting me to my mother…that was cold. My eyebrow twitched as I tried to think how to respond. I opened my mouth, but words escaped me. Her unblinking eyes bulged in my direction. Words I’d been dying to say for years flew from my mouth. “You’re not the only one who lost your family, ya know. I miss Bumpah too. It’s not fair. I can’t even remember my parents. And I’m…I’m…” I knew what I wanted to say but couldn’t bring myself to do it.
“You’re what?”
Her nasty tone loosed my tongue. “I’m stuck with you!”
“Don’t try to bait me. Nathaniel would still be here if it weren’t for you. He was too old to be chasing after a rambunctious kid. As for my son—let me just say—no parent should outlive her child. You miss people you never knew. I lost the only people I ever loved. And where’s your mother? I don’t know. Her casket is empty next to my son’s. Is that fair?” She paused as though I might actually reply. “For all I know, she killed him.”
Fiona’s chest heaved as she gulped for air, her face red. Blotchy. I stood frozen. Though her words stung, they didn’t send me crying as they once had. Instead, they fueled my anger. I wanted nothing more than to smack her across the face. I fought to keep my clenched fists by my side. “What about me? I’m your granddaughter, remember? You didn’t lose everyone.”
Fiona shoved her hands into her pockets. “Oh for Pete’s sake, I don’t have time for this nonsense. I have more important things to attend to. Not all of us sleep until noon.” She trudged out of the kitchen, leaving dirty dishes in the sink.
Blown off again. Fiona didn’t have anything to do but send herself postcards from her dead husband, add to her ridiculous plate collection, and resent being stuck with me.
I dropped my cup into the sink, chipping it, and adding to the pile.
Several fantasies flashed across my mind. Most involved Fiona spinning and falling after a swift blow from a frying pan. Hurtful words I wished I’d said resonated in my mind. I cursed myself for allowing her to suck me in. I should know better by now.
My mind returned to the amulet. My first tangible connection to my mother. I placed it around my neck. It fell heavy against my breastbone. Warmth radiated from the spot, comforting me as if a missing piece of my heart had returned. I held it up to study the markings once more. As my fingers traced the cone shapes, feeling the rough surface, it sparked, like static electricity in the dark. I jumped. The necklace slipped from my fingers and thudded against my chest. My heart skittered. I yanked the stone off and dropped it on the counter.
Thank you for voting in the poll! As you asked, I’ll be back in January with a feature about Etania, and a snippet of her appearance in Lavanna’s Journey, the fourth book in my series. Save the Date: January 9, 2026.
Until Next Time,
M.H. Elrich