MatthewWuertz

            I was nervous about writing this story because "First Son" had made some good impressions on the editors at The Sword Review, and I knew that if I failed to continue Klevtrìth's tale with the same narrative and intensity, I had little chance of seeing the series published. Klevtrìth was going to be older in this story, old enough to fight in the war. Knowing where I wanted him to be years later, I realized that this was a "coming of age" story, so the title came to me pretty quickly.

            Part of my dilemma in this story was figuring out a way for Klevtrìth to integrate back into human society. He could never become a great leader among men while living with the elves, but he wasn't likely to venture out on his own either. It seemed to make sense that there needed to be a conflict as the transition; a small-scale battle that would signal the beginning of the war and also place Klevtrìth in a pivotal position to muster the strength of the towns in that area.

            When I originally brought Klevtrìth and the elves into a confrontation with the dwarves, I thought they would battle immediately, but that betrayed the reservations of the elves in their attempts to avoid another war. It was almost sickening to watch a character like Idìlm stand idle while the carts of human slaves rolled by. I knew the elves would only break the truce in order to save Klevtrìth's life, and it was almost a moment of relief to write Idìlm as the one who shot the arrow. To me, that's one of the most significant moments of the story.

            Just as this story is about the path Klevtrìth continued on as he matured, we each have a path as well; one that is the best for us, if we can find it. In the previous "Behind the Story," I wrote about God's adoption of those who choose to follow Jesus. Have you taken that first step of faith? Will you look to God's path for your life, or would you rather stay put, waiting for something else? Don't wait for life to pass by; it's a path that you can't choose when you're dead.

            "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it." (Luke 9:23-24)