Burdens of the Mind — Ruth Apollonia

'Run, Annabelle!' Peter repeated. 'Run! Forget me. I am in God's hands. Run!' As if in slow motion, she watched all of the Demolites around him turn their attention from the bruised and bleeding Peter toward her. She looked back at Peter; he lay on the ground, hardly blinking she had no choice but to run. So run she did as only Annabelle could.

When the emerald-eyed Annabelle of Anchony is kidnapped and taken to a desolate island at the age of five, she is rescued and raised by a mysterious man named Peter. For thirteen years the island is her home, but when her kidnappers return, she is forced to leave her comfortable inhabitancy and journey back to a family she barely remembers in an unrecognizable, perilous country. Will she ever find her way back to her family? Can Anchony ever truly be her home? Can she continue to believe in God's unconditional love as she loses those whom mean the most to her and unearths secrets that threaten the stability of the entire nation?

Set against the backdrop of the High Middle Ages, this thrilling tale of adventure, mystery, and political intrigue is sure to captivate readers.

'Ruth Apollonia gives us a delightful fable drawn from the glories of the High Middle Ages. It is rich in spiritual analogy and application all the while maintaining the wonder of childlikeness. A supernatural reverence suffuses the story, which clearly aims to edify the reader... Ruth Apollonia's storytelling is sacramental for it brings those invisible realities to life through Annabelle's world of sensible things.' Al Kresta President, Ave Maria Radio and host of Kresta in the Afternoon