A Bell Struck Once

Every lie sounded like breaking glass. Until his son stood accused of treason-and the king heard nothing.

For thirteen years, King Edric has ruled Serrelith with a divine gift: he can hear a lie the moment it is spoken. His people trust his judgments. His mercy has made him beloved.

Then the gift falls silent.

When letters bearing his son's seal point to treason, Edric faces the one judgment he cannot bear to get wrong. Wystan has secrets. He also has a father who has never believed him without proof.

With suspicion spreading through the glassmaking kingdom, Edric turns to a sharp-eyed clerk and an aging furnace keeper whose blunt kindness leaves him little room to hide. But someone knows his gift is gone. Forged evidence is turning neighbor against neighbor, his council is closing ranks, and every delay brings his son closer to condemnation.

To seek the truth, Edric must risk the certainty that held his kingdom together-and trust the Hand he can no longer hear.

When mercy could save a traitor and justice could condemn his son, how can a king choose faithfully?

A Bell Struck Once is a Christian allegorical fantasy weaving royal intrigue, a fractured father-son bond, unlikely allies, and costly mercy into a story of faith when certainty disappears.

Step into Serrelith, where glass can be tested by fire-and a king must learn what it means to believe.

An allegorical fantasy for adult readers, with no romantic subplot.

Book one of a planned trilogy set in Serrelith, with Edric's central story resolved in this volume.