Sword of the Spirit: Armor of God, #6

By Theresa Linden

The final book in the Armor of God children's chapter book series!

 

Thanks to George, a handful of other pages, and the squires from Knight School, everyone from nearby villages remains safe in the underground shelters—or do they?

George and friends bravely investigate a strange noise down a tunnel they've never explored before. They soon discover two knights have different plans for solving the dragon problem, and fear has caused some of the townsfolk to develop a plan of their own.

 

The dragon threat is even greater now, as George and Robyn soon discover with an up-close encounter. How can the pages keep a courageous, peaceful spirit amidst such chaos, all while working to earn the Sword of the Spirit?

 

~ ~ ~

 

The battle within each of us goes on every day.  

 

"The Armor of God books delightfully teach children to love and strive after virtue, while entertaining them with interesting stories. I love how this final book in the series helps children to appreciate the Word of God and sparks their interest in learning Bible verses. The powerful lessons in this exciting story are needed by our children to help arm themselves against the enemy of their salvation." ~Sister Mary Roberta, Teacher

• Language: English
• Publisher: Silver Fire Publishing
• Release date: Dec 23, 2023
• ISBN: 9798201578725

Theresa Linden

Theresa Linden is the author of award-winning Catholic fiction that weaves the natural with the supernatural. Her faith inspires the belief that there is no greater adventure than the realities we can't see, the spiritual side of life. She hopes that her stories will spark her readers' imaginations and awaken them to the power of faith and grace. Her books include the Chasing Liberty dystopian trilogy, the West Brothers contemporary young adult series, Tortured Soul (a purgatory soul story), the Armor of God children's books, short stories in Image and Likeness: Literary Reflections on the Theology of the Body, and a story in each of the Catholic Teen Books Visible & Invisible anthologies. She is a member of the Catholic Writers Guild and CatholicTeenBooks.com. Her books can be found on Catholic Reads and Virtue Works Media. A wife, retired homeschooling mom, and Secular Franciscan, she resides in northeast Ohio with her family.

Book preview

Dear Reader

This is the final book in the Armor of God series! Many thanks to those who reached out to me about this series. You helped me overcome hurdles that stood in the way of completing these books.

I hope you have come to love the characters and stories as much as I do. Even more, I hope these stories have inspired you to live the values represented by each piece of armor. It is my prayer that you will grow in faith and love for God, and that you will become strong soldiers for Jesus Christ.

Happy reading,

Theresa Linden

Copyright

Copyright © 2022 by Theresa A. Linden

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events or places is purely coincidental.

http://theresalinden.com

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022931735

Paperback ISBN-13: 978-1734992946 

Second Edition, Silver Fire Publishing, December 2023

Cover: Theresa Linden

Illustrator: Nihal Dungdung

Editor: Carolyn Astfalk

Ephesians 6:13-17

"Therefore, put on the armor of God,

that you may be able to resist on the evil day and,

having done everything, to hold your ground.

So stand fast with your loins girded in truth,

clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, and

your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace.

In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield,

to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

And take the helmet of salvation and the

sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

Scraping and Clanking

George Pennington stretched and started to yawn, but his yawn turned into a groan. He rubbed his aching back through his cold, damp tunic. Sleeping on a straw mattress at home could get a little uncomfortable, but sleeping on the cold, hard ground was miserable. At least they were safe in the underground shelter. Dragons couldn’t get down here. Could they?

Ready for the new day, George sat up. He tried to keep from groaning as he got to his feet.

Last night, he’d helped turn this cavern into a sleeping chamber. They used the few straw mattresses they had for the sick and elderly. Then they’d run out of wool blankets.

This morning, dim light streamed in from a tunnel. It fell on the sleeping bodies nearest the entrance. Pages, squires, and families slept bundled in capes and wool blankets from one end of the cavern to the other.

Soft snores came from here and there. Someone mumbled, probably sleep talking.

Straining to see in the dark, George stepped over his brother, Erik. He placed his foot carefully to avoid stepping on the page next to Erik. But his foot landed on something—maybe a hand.

Ouch!

Oh, sorry, George whispered. He stumbled forward and tried again to find a safe place for his foot. His foot found something else—maybe a leg.

Ow!

Oops. My fault. George tried again. He was certain he could see an empty spot on the ground.

Hey! Watch it!

Sorry! George’s next few steps worked out better. No one complained anyway. A few careful steps later, he made it to the tunnel. Then he placed a hand on the gritty tunnel wall and took a deep breath.

Is it morning already?

George’s heart jumped at the sound of Erik’s voice. He turned around.

There stood Erik with curls flattened on one side of his head. My back hurts. I couldn’t sleep at all. I wish we could go home. He rubbed his back while he complained.

Shh. George held a finger to his mouth as he tried to shush Erik. He didn’t want to wake everyone. He wasn’t even sure it was morning. Then he saw two more figures tiptoeing over sleeping bodies.

Are the knights back? Henry whispered as he stumbled out into the tunnel.

Do you think dragons came to Dovenshire? Otho whispered. He rubbed his eyes as he shuffled up behind Henry.

George pulled Erik further down the tunnel, away from the sleeping chamber. Not wanting to wake anyone else, he motioned for everyone to follow him.

He headed toward the main cavern of the underground shelter. The dim light grew brighter as the tunnel turned a bit. Voices traveled to them just before they reached the main cavern.

Lanterns sat on cluttered tables and hung from walls. The yellowish light gave the room a welcoming glow. Not wanting to waste candles or lamp oil, the adults kept only this room and a few others lit through the night.

Five . . . six . . . seven people —all awake— gathered here. Robyn was one of them. She and an older woman in a white head covering had been taking care of the sick. The others sat on barrels or stood in a line against one wall. Shelves of herbs and other medicine filled another wall.

Henry and Otho whispered back and forth, arguing about something as they stepped into the main cavern. Erik continued moaning and rubbing his back.

This should help, Robyn said to a gray-haired woman with a blanket draped around her shoulders.

The woman lowered her hand from her forehead and reached for the mug Robyn offered.

Good morrow, Robyn, George said.

Before Robyn