{the final installment of the Victorious series!} 

The Creator smiled and began to mold and shape the ball he held in his hands. With one small breath of air, he sent the orb into the void. It became a small dot on the dark horizon, shining its light in glory to its Creator.

 Lile didn’t leave the barn for two days. She slept in a loft and refused to leave Mischief’s side. Mia brought her food and water, but said nothing. The morning of the third day, she went out and dug a hole to bury the kitten. Then she dried her tears and went inside.

                Coem was on his way out the door with his pack on his back when she entered. “Good morning, Lile!” He said.

                “Morning,” Lile mumbled.

                “I was going outside to gather some bark. Would you like to come?”

 {thank you for your comments on the first part! I've changed some things - though I haven't put it up on here, it was minor editing and taking out some of the redundencies in long sections of thought. Here's part 2!}

        Mia passed a plate to Lile.

        “How will we ever survive?” Lile asked. She looked at the thin slice of bread on her plate. A few peas rolled around it, and a tiny piece of cheese finished the meal.

        “The Creator will provide,” Mia said, handing Coem his dinner.

 {Here's the first part of Mercy Victorious. It's longer than the other short versions of the stories but still shorter than a full-length. I have to say, I think this has been my favorite to write and re-read - probably partly because the characters are inspired by real-life people and the story came in pictures, like Nikolai}

Chapter Twenty-Two:

Three Years Later

            Jeffrey sighed. “Oh, I have so much to learn, Elspeth.”

            Elspeth, in her quiet and gentle manner, slipped her hand into his and looked up at him. “Then let us learn together,” she said.

            “Aye, we must.” He agreed. “Together, the two of us, and the Creator.”

            She let her head fall onto his shoulder. “It will be hard, but good.”

After this, there's just one more chapter and the epilogue... which will be posted before I leave for the states at the end of June!

Chapter Twenty-One:

“Welcome, welcome, welcome!” Donagh said jovially as the tired band entered his bookstore. “Glad to see you again,” he said to Archie. “But you’ve doubled in size!”

“Aye, we have.” Archie grinned. “These are the two men we were asking you about – Jonathan, and Timothy – Kianna, Jeffrey, and Liam’s father. And this,” he said, gently pushing Elspeth forward. “Is Elspeth.”

These chapters don't have titles yet... I haven't thought of anything epic for them yet. Any suggestions?

We're nearing the end - only four more chapters!

Chapter Fifteen: Thankfulness
    A quarter of an hour later found Jeffrey outside the cabin. Archie stood across from him.
    “Jeffrey, I’m sorry, too, for the loss of Keegan. He was a friend to us all.”
    “Yes, sir, I know.”
    “At ease, Jeffrey.” Archie commanded. “I hate seeing a boy who has suffered so much death stand so stiffly that it seems as if nothing can heal that hurt.”
    “Mr. Archie, sometimes I wonder,” he paused, “if there is anything that can heal my heart.”

Chapter Thirteen: The Traitor’s Daughter

            "Him serve with mirth," Elspeth sang. Next to her, she heard her father's