Elrich E-Readers February 2026
Highlighting Zaden Rapiro, the rogue prince.
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 a giveaway or grabbing my free e-book, Beginnings. 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.
Author News:
My audiobook is under production! To listen to a sample of it, use this link. If you want to listen to other great audiobooks or check mine out yourself, go here.
Lavanna’s Journey is being edited by C.E. Stone. I am hoping to release it in September.
I am going to be live in March with a lovely author friend. This is hopefully the first of many author interviews I plan to do in a segment I’m going to call: Beyond the Written Story, where you can learn more about the books and characters of amazing Christian-made fiction. More information coming soon!
I’m helping an author friend launch her YA Dark Fantasy into the world. If you like books that address religious trauma in a fantastical setting, you can get her first for .99 and get an Advanced Review Copy here.
Also, if you are new and didn’t know, I am now offering paid subscriptions! For less than $2/month, you can read the serialized novel, Tala. Find out more about Etania’s mother and father, how they met, fell in love, got married, and most of all, how they came to faith in Melchizedek.
Highlighting Zaden Rapiro
Zaden Rapiro is one of those characters who is easy to write. Somehow, writing a bad boy with a charming personality came easily from my fingertips.
Zaden is a character who always threatens to take over the book when he shows up.
In the books, he is first a prince who has everything at his fingertips, but wants more.
He seduces wealthy women, convincing them to give him their most precious possessions or stealing them.
Then, he’s given a challenging prospect: seduce the Leici, Etania Selali. Steal her from her beau, Keyel. Use her, then hand her over to the evil queen, who just so happens to be Zaden’s cousin.
Of course, he takes the deal. It’s a challenge. It’s exciting.
He thinks it will be easy.
He is oh so wrong.
Zaden is one of those characters I always intended to break.
It sounds terrible, but I think that if you read Etania’s Calling, the first book he appears in, you’ll understand why.
Many believe that you can sin and get away with it. Think of Ocean’s 11 or Leverage. These kinds of shows can be fun, but they downplay the seriousness of theft, which is a sin.
Zaden is a character meant to show the consequences of a life of debauchery and selfishness.
But he is also meant to show what happens when life is transformed.
SPOILERS AHEAD, SCROLL PAST THE NEXT IMAGE TO SKIP
Once Zaden is properly humbled in Etania’s Calling, he experiences a massive redemption arc in Etania’s Destiny.
This arc has been compared to Zuko’s from Avatar: the Last Airbender. It isn’t immediate, and it isn’t easy. Zaden, like Zuko, has to earn back the trust of those he betrayed.
He also finds out that he has impregnated one of his lovers, Gwen. That’s where one of the main characters from Lavanna’s Journey comes in. Torrance is Zaden and Gwen’s son, but he doesn’t know it at first.
Of course, Zaden has another role to play besides being Torrance’s father. For that one, keep reading!
How I picture Mayumi (somewhat).
“Come on.” Mayumi dragged Zaden out of the cell by his arm, slamming the door behind them and locking it with a resounding thud. Picking up the box, she shoved it into Zaden’s hands.
Waving her tanto, she said, “Carry that and follow me.”
“What’s in the box?” Zaden asked as he trotted behind Mayumi. “It feels ominous.”
Ah, so he can feel it too, Mayumi thought. She had thought she was the only one who felt the evil emanating from the box. Choosing not to answer the Lehrling, Mayumi forced the Lehrling above deck.
On deck, the crew worked tirelessly to repel the sea dragon’s sweeping attacks. Whether it was repelling the dragon with waves or using their light Neuma to blind him, they had so far kept the masts intact. Mayumi found a place that was relatively out of the way for both of them, but still above deck.
“Open the box,” Maymi commanded.
Zaden obeyed, and then cocked his head to the side as he took in the kote. Metal and leather were woven together in long gloves that ended at the elbow. Mayumi figured the Lehrling had never seen such a thing. After removing the cuffs that limited Zaden’s power, Mayumi issued a command, flourishing her tanto.
“Put them on.”
Zaden bit his lower lip and hesitated.
“Put.them.on,” Mayumi threatened, deepening her voice even more and putting her tanto in front of Zaden’s face.
Zaden pulled the kote on, shuddering as the darkness that surrounded them seemed to sink into his skin. Mayumi put the other kote on and tried not to wince as it tightened around her arm. She lifted her arm and watched, with delight, when Zaden’s arm lifted too.
“What did you do to me?” Zaden asked.
“Surely, you have heard of Daas’ gauntlets?” Mayumi said.
Zaden’s eyes widened. “I-it can’t be. They were destroyed!”
“Maybe yours,” she said. “But ours are intact.”
She didn’t mention that it was because her brother had them commissioned by a Cult of Daas member, or that these were instruments of his eventual death. No, she wouldn’t mention that. She suppressed a shudder.
“I want you to teleport us on top of the dragon.”
“Excuse me?” Zaden said. “I don’t think I heard you right. Did you say teleport?”
“Yes. I have heard it is easier if you are in the open air. Perhaps you should consider climbing the main mast.”
He shuffled back a few feet. “You can’t be serious. You want me to teleport on a moving sea dragon?”
“I thought you were intelligent enough to understand basic words,” Mayumi spat. “Apparently, I was mistaken.”
Zaden crossed his arms over his chest. “I understand you perfectly. I think you don’t understand that doing so would put us both at risk.”
Mayumi ground her teeth together. She yelled the name of one of her subordinates, who came and bowed.
“What is it you need, Mayumi-sama?”
“Grab the female Lehrling and bring her here,” Mayumi said. “It seems our Lehrling friend needs extra motivation today.”
“No!” Zaden said. “Please, don’t. I’ll…I’ll do it.”
Mayumi would normally be happy that she had convinced her prey so easily. Instead, she was relieved she wouldn’t have to hurt the woman herself. She knew all too well how it felt to be vulnerable, and she didn’t wish that on anyone. She dismissed her subordinate with a wave of her hand.
“Good,” Mayumi said, making sure her voice didn’t reveal how she truly felt. “Get started then.”
Taking a deep breath, Zaden stared at the water dragon for a few minutes, observing its patterns while her crew defended the ship.
“I’m ready.” Zaden held out his hand.
Mayumi frowned at him.
He rolled his eyes. “Trust me, okay?”
She didn’t trust him, but the kote should keep him from disobeying her. With that in mind, she sheathed her tanto and reached out her hand. He took her hand in his own, and she was surprised to find it calloused from working with swords. Was this man truly the smooth talker that Sensei thought? Before she could complete that line of thinking, she heard Zaden start mumbling under his breath. Is that a prayer? Mayumi wondered. Whatever it was, the darkness seemed to shrink away from the kote, and amethyst colored flames began to swirl around Zaden’s arms. Trying not to be frightened, she kept her eyes open as the tornado of flames swirled around them, whooshing them away.
The blur of flames and passing landscape mixed, causing her to be dizzy and disoriented when they reappeared—directly on the sea dragon’s back! Mayumi cursed as the dragon flailed with its new riders. Hanging on as best she could, she scrambled to reach her tanto. Zaden used his flames to burn the sea dragon’s head, causing it to shake even more. Mayumi’s grip slipped, and her tanto began to fall. Managing to grip the hilt without falling off, the water dragon dove underwater.
The sting of seawater and sudden loss of breath almost shocked Mayumi away from her task. Once the dragon saw that it could not drown them, it emerged from the water. Mayumi gasped, and nausea rose as the dragon began shaking its head violently. Zaden hit its head with his flames once more, and Mayumi tried to steady herself so she could stab it. Just as she managed to swallow her nausea and withdraw her tanto, the dragon dove again. She choked and sputtered as it dove into the water and emerged. Finally, she stabbed downward even while she coughed, her sharp blade penetrating the scaly flesh. The dragon roared, the water spraying from its mouth and moving in waves to its sound. Zaden added to her attack, using his flames to continue. The dragon bucked as it died, and Mayumi and Zaden were flung into the sea.
Immediately, her heavy clothes caused her to sink. She tried to kick and emerge, but she had never been a strong swimmer. She looked around and saw Zaden swimming toward her. He put his arm around her waist and pulled her upward, kicking both of them to the surface. She spat out seawater and tread water with his arm around her waist. The crew threw a rope out to them, and they were taken aboard. On the wooden platform of the ship’s deck, they cheered and congratulated her. Mayumi’s ears rang as she gasped for air, trying to get her dignity and her bearings back. Zaden was already on his feet, and he offered her his hand. She huffed and didn’t take it.
“Why did you save me?” Mayumi questioned. “You could’ve been free!”
Zaden shrugged. “It was the right thing to do.”
Book of the Month
Sold as a slave and uprooted from home, 18-year-old Hest must decide where his loyalties lie or risk losing his new friends.
At peace in the stable, Hest cares for the visitors to Stad while spinning tales of adventure for the innkeeper’s son. But when a foreign warrior purchases him as a slave, he must decide if he’s willing to live the adventures he’s told.
With his new home under attack from an old enemy, Hest must learn to fight or lose his life in battle. While recuperating from injuries, he overhears a plot of treason. Choosing where his loyalties lie will seal his fate and that of a kingdom.
Hest’s already lost one family. He’ll do anything to keep his new one—even ride out to battle and most-certain death.
Uprooted is the first book in the coming-of-age fantasy series, The Sovereigns. If you like action, rounded character development, and dragons, you’ll love Kandi J Wyatt’s book.
Until Next Time,
M.H. Elrich