Redeeming the Lost The third book in the Tale of Lanen Kaelarseries Elizabeth Kerner

To

the Glory of God

and to

Martha Newman Morris Ewing

and

Sarah Alice Morris Gramley

The Marvellous Morris Girls

My mother, Martha, so desperately missed,

so dearly loved,

even if we did fight like cats and dogs

for quite a few years:

so far away in death, and as near as my mirror

where I sometimes catch a heart-stopping glimpse of you—

the ache in my heart that never forgets that you are gone,

the joy that remembers all that you were

and the indomitable warrior spirit in you

to fight for those who could not fight for themselves

My dear Aunt Sarah, whose love and affection have upheld me

in the good times, the bad times, and the dry, hard times—

whose strength and tenacity and sheer zest for life

have inspired me for many years,

whose faith in me has braced a flagging heart,

and whose truth-speaking is as rare and precious a gift

as the loving heart that prompts it—

to you, who have become my second mother

I dedicate this work