Ashley Beach-Author and Storyteller

An angry growl resonated in Luscian’s throat, culminating in him saying the name of the Mage’s Son with all the anger the years of fighting against him and his father’s gagging light magic had festered within him.

“Mmm-Melchizidai,” Luscian yelled as he turned and shot out his staff, calling all of his forces of darkness into the hopefully fatal blow.

The Mage’s Son stood, a force of light unlike any Erianna had ever seen shining out from him. The collision of dark and light sounded like a whip cracking across the length of all the realms. The power of Melchizidai’s light knocked Luscian back, but it didn’t harm him or knock him completely down. Luscian regained his footing and glowered at the Mage’s Son.

“My father granted you permission to bestow a gift on the previous Snow Queen because it needed to be her choice to stay in the light, or let the vanity of her heart prick her soul. But you were granted that permission on the condition that you would never bring harm to the snow babe she carried within her at the time. That rule still applies, and you are never to bring Erianna, or her children harm. This includes not only the children she carries within her now, but any children she may bear in the future.”

Icy tears pricked Erianna’s eyes at being so greatly defended by the Mage’s Son. Hearing him speak of her mother and how it had been her choice to give into her vanity, which had ultimately resulted in Erianna’s curse, had landed on her ears, reminding her that it hadn’t ever been anything she had done to bring the curse on herself. As reassuring as that was, the part that had stood out to her in the words of the Mage’s Son was the point of unconditional safe keeping over Erianna – and her children. She had never known such incredible love and protection in all her years on this earth. Even from Gabriel, and he was more than quick to defend or protect her when needed. All the years she had lived in banishment and struggled with the feelings of abandonment and feeling unlovable had been replaced with the strong assurance that she had never been truly alone. The Great Mage and his Son had been protecting her all along.

This scene is by far one of my favorites in Beauty Revealed. I use the word one loosely because there are many beautiful scenes in the fourth book of The Solstice Chronicles that touch my heart, but this is definitely one of my favorite moments. (Check out the little video I designed for this scene on my YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/nFdCYcfXsfM?si=eSSp1oV6rAeVB08K

The fourth book in The Solstice Chronicles is a little different from the other three in the series. Not only is the timeline a little more removed than in the other books, but you see a closeness between the characters that you don’t get in the other books. The other three books, the characters are mainly on their own and the realms have been separated and isolated from each other for many years, but as each story has been added, the relationships and closeness between the realms has been built on and you see a really beautiful revealing of how close the characters have become in this fourth book. Another special facet to the closer relationships is the relationships that have grown between the characters and the Mage’s Son in Beauty Revealed. The Mage’s Son has always been a special character for me as he is my Christ character. I have loved developing moments where the characters meet the Mage’s Son for the first time and have a special “Christ”-encounter with him. There is a more personal relationship between the Mage’s Son and the characters in this book which is special not only for the characters to be on more of a friend level with the Mage’s Son, but it’s also special for the Mage’s Son to have close relationships with the people of the realms again. If you look at how Jesus interacted with people while he was on earth, He was very relational and he was often strengthened and encouraged by those he was blessed to call close friends. As the Son of God walking among men, He could have easily used His status in the universe to rise above the common people of earth and set Himself apart. But He chose to live and dwell among them and had a circle of friends that went with Him everywhere in the 12 disciples. And, He had friends in Mary and Martha and Lazarus and the many women that cared for Him and encouraged Him in the times spent in their homes, sharing meals and laughter together. You definitely see that side of the Mage’s Son as he interacts with the characters in this fourth book. They went from not ever really knowing him to being on a first name basis with him and having that close and personal relationship with him that is just as encouraging to him as it is to them.

The title, Beauty Revealed, gives a small idea into what I wanted to convey in this book. I wanted this book to be a sort of revealing of the strength and the beauty of the characters and their stories that’s developed over the course of this series, but I also wanted it to be a revealing of the Mage’s Son and some other characters that will be revealed at the end of this book. The Mage’s Son is often described as having love and gentle kindness and compassion pouring out from his eyes when the characters look at him and he brings peace as well as knowledge of who the characters really are. In this scene that I shared a tiny snidbit from, Erianna, Queen of the Winter realm, is in the woods of the Winter realm near the place she lived in isolated banishment for much of her life. If you haven’t read the first book in the series, Erianna was cursed as a child and often viewed herself as a monster and someone who could never be loved. There is a beautiful moment in the first book where the Mage’s Son comes to her in the barren winter woods and tells her she is beautiful and the farthest thing from a monster and that her curse doesn’t have to rule her life. Since that moment in the woods, Erianna has grown immensely and has the Mage’s Son to thank for turning her life around and she lives in constant gratitude of the blessed life she’s been given since her encounter with him. In this scene in the fourth book, Luscian (my Satan character) comes across Erianna in the woods when she is weak and weary and easily provoked. He fills her mind with reminders of all the things she viewed herself as being all of her life because of her curse, emphasizing her loneliness and not being wanted by anyone. In a moment of rage, she lashes out at the Dark Lord and worries she might have brought harm to the life growing in her womb. Melchizidai (the Mage’s Son) appears and steps between her and Luscian, assuring Erianna the life she’s carrying will be ok. Luscian and Melchizidai banter back and forth, giving a glimpse into the relationship and bond they used to share, and at one point, Luscian becomes so enraged by something the Mage’s Son says, he summons all the dark power he can from within him to strike Melchizidai. Unafraid, Melchizidai stands up, placing himself between Erianna and Luscian, and Luscian’s magic is rendered powerless against the great light magic the Mage’s Son possesses. More than physically standing in the gap between Erianna and Luscian to defend her against Luscian’s unbridled rage, he reminds Luscian of a covenant made many years ago between him and the Great Mage (my God character) that no harm was ever to come to Erianna, showing the Mage’s protection over Erianna through the years as well as in the present and future. Melchizidai is revealed as Erianna’s Advocate, Defender, and Protector.

Jesus is our Advocate. He often steps in the gap and intercedes on our behalf between us and His Father as well as between us and the enemy. An advocate is someone who goes to bat on someone’s behalf when they are unable to stand up for themselves. Our fallen state as sinners prevents us from being a part of God’s kingdom. He is Light itself, and so once Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and darkness and evil entered the world, He was no longer able to interact with us or be a part of our lives as He had been when He first created the world. Death entered the world and was our punishment for the decision made in the garden so long ago. It is a debt that we can never pay off, no matter how much we do or try. We are sentenced to live in eternal separation from God. But, Jesus stepped into the gap, and stepped into human form and gave his life as payment for the price we could not pay. He is our Advocate, Defender, Protector.

On the flip side, His choice to step into the gap and become our Redeemer and Savior between God and man, He is also our Defender and Protector from Satan’s attacks in our lives. Satan thought he had won when he had tempted Adam and Eve to eat the fruit that he said would make them like God, all-knowing. His attacks didn’t stop when he convinced Adam and Eve to eat of the one tree they were asked not to eat of. He continues to stalk the people of this earth and feeds on our vulnerabilities and weaknesses, attacking us with fears and doubts and unfulfilled desires and seeks to do whatever he can to destroy each and every one of us. We are God’s crowning jewel of creation and are the only created beings made to be a direct reflection of God and His characteristics. We were made in God’s image and have the ability to think and reveal God’s truth and love to others and Satan hates that. He will do whatever he can to destroy our beauty and the beautiful and powerful lives we were meant to live in the light of God’s love. Anything he can do to keep the world from seeing glimpses of God, he’ll do it. But we are not alone in our fight against the enemy. Our mighty God steps into the gap between us and Satan and fights for us and beside us and never gives up on us. Jesus is our Advocate. Defender. Protector.

It can be hard to feel His presence or believe He is standing in the gap for us. I know I often don’t feel His presence in my life and feel like I am being beaten down and facing Satan’s unbridled attacks alone. But that doesn’t mean He isn’t there, defending me and protecting me just like He’s always done. Jesus won’t always just step in and defend us. If we are trying to do things on our own or take things into our own hands, He often lets us and it can take many times of being knocked down for us to finally come to the point where we can do nothing but surrender and allow Him to take over. At the end of Beauty Revealed, there’s another scene I shared about a few posts ago where the main character is told to play her flute in order to help the others defeat the darkness. The Mage’s Son doesn’t show up until she plays her flute and brings the others into her song and this isn’t meant to give the idea that he or Jesus only show up when we obey. If that were true, our world would be in an even more depressing state than it is because we do not initially and of our own free will want to follow God, so it is His pursuit of us and our hearts that draws us to Him, undeniably. But, sometimes He tests us to see where our focus is. Are we trying to do something on our own in our own strength and power or are we allowing His power to be seen in and through us? Erianna didn’t have to ask the Mage’s Son to step into the gap for her in this scene, showing the never-ending love Jesus also has for us as He more often than we realize steps into the gap without us even asking for His help, but sometimes we do need to come to that point too where we cry out for His help. Luckily for us, His desire to help us and fight for us is not based on what we contribute (or don’t) to the relationship. He has and always will love us and defend us regardless of what we do for Him or if we accept it or not.

I hope as you read this book, and all my books, that you will see the pictures of Christ and God and our relationship with Him woven into the pages of these stories. May you be reminded that He is our Advocate. He is our Defender. He is our Protector. And, He is our Friend and beloved Savior and Prince. I pray you feels God’s presence in a mighty way in your life and that the next time you are faced with a difficult circumstance beyond your control that you not only know that Christ is standing in the gap for you and with you, but that you feel His strong presence and see Him standing in the gap for you.