Asherah

"I am not queen here. Do not address me in that manner."

- Asherah to Joshua Plimpton

Asherah is one of the villains who appears in Chris Heimerdinger's ''Tennis Shoes Adventure Series. She appears as a flashback character in Kingdoms and Conquerors and the main antagonist of Sorcerors and Seers. ''She is the wife of Akish and the queen of the Jaredites.

Past
Asherah was the daughter of Jared, who was the son of King Omer. She met Akish when he was employed by Jared to help take over his father's throne. As part of their agreement, Akish was allowed to marry Asherah as Jared took the throne from his father. Asherah helped Akish in his plans to murder King Omer, but Omer learned of their intentions and escaped. In his absence, Jared took the throne.

At some point during her rule, Asherah introduced sorcery to the Jaredites. She drew information from texts carried over the oceans and taught her people the secret oaths and combinations. She even went so far as to prod Akish into using sorcery himself.

Kingdoms and Conquerors
Asherah and Akish continued to commit crimes and sorcery among the Jaredites. However, when Akish murders Asherah's father, she sets out on a quest against him. During this campaign, she experiences a dream vision where she sees that one of Akish's prisoners, Joshua Plimpton, is destined to be the one who kills Akish. She recalls that Akish told her he could only be killed by his own mystical sword, and the sword had to be wielded by an avowed enemy. With this knowledge, Asherah steals Akish's mystical sword and frees his political prisoners. Asherah meets Joshua Plimpton and decides to send him to the time and place he yearns for the most. Using the mystical sword, Asherah opens a time rift that takes Joshua to the final days of the Nephites. Believing that Joshua is still destined to kill Akish, Asherah knowingly allows him to take the sword as he enters the portal.

Sorcerors and Seers
Asherah is reintroduced when Joshua Plimpton and Marcos are tracking Akish (who has stolen the Golden Plates to barter for his stolen sword) and end up in the time period of the Jaredites. A group of female warriors led by Teshebel and Hamira, Asherah's daughters, brings Joshua and Marcos to the encampment where Asherah resides. Teshebel informs Asherah that Joshua possesses Akish's sword, much to her surprise. Asherah looks at Joshua and recognizes him. She tells him not to address her as Queen Asherah, as she is not queen here. Asherah then orders Teshebel and her soldiers to untie Joshua and Marcos, as they pose no threat to them.

Hamira and Teshebel question Asherah's decision, pointing out that if Akish wanted to send warriors to kill King Omer, then he would surely have given said warriors his magic sword. Asherah tells them that she has foreseen that Joshua will be the one to save them from Akish and allow them to return to the land of their forefathers. Joshua admits that he isn't sure why he and Marcos are there, since they had simply followed the Liahona's directions and ended up in the Jaredites' time.

King Omer then comes out of his tent and inquires about Joshua and Marcos. Asherah tells Omer that Joshua is the one who stole Akish's sword from her, which Joshua corrects by saying she took it. At first, Omer doesn't believe that Joshua is the same boy, as Joshua has aged five years. Joshua assures Omer that he is the same boy, and that he is completely free of Akish's sword's evil influence. Asherah doesn't believe him, saying that no man is free of the sword's influence. Marcos clarifies that Joshua only just touched the sword today, and that he had gone five years without touching it. Asherah testifies that, when she saw Joshua in Akish's dungeon, he was "an utter slave to the silver sword" and was consumed by his hatred of Akish. Asherah goes on to explain her true motives for freeing Joshua and giving him the sword.

Joshua admits to Asherah that she is right about the person he was back then, but he has changed now. Marcos tells Asherah that he believes he and Joshua were sent here by God to help them. Asherah shoots down his claims, saying that she feels God has abandoned them. Omer decides to allow Joshua and Marcos to be taken in by the Jaredites, while Asherah orders Teshebel to protect Akish's sword with her life.

King Omer holds a feast where everyone, including Asherah, attends. Omer reveals that his people possess ancient, valuable records whose pages have only been seen by their author. He explains that himself and one other person (whose identity is unrevealed) know the location of these records, hence why their country is plagued with civil war. This is also why Akish and his sons are so desperate to usurp the kingdom-they want to destroy the records.

Omer goes on to say that he had a dream much like Asherah's, where he saw that he would have to gather his people and take refuge inside a cavern near the beach. Asherah states that Akish and Hathrom, along with their assassins, have discovered this cavern's secret location. Hamira counters this by saying that an earthquake destroyed the passage leading to the Jaredites' homeland where Akish and Hathrom reside. In other words, the Jaredites may very well be safe from Akish and Hathrom.

Marcos deduces that the reason he and Joshua were sent here was to help the Jaredites return to the land of their forefathers. Asherah doesn't believe this. She reiterates that their enemies found them in Ablom and would've killed the king and destroyed the records if they hadn't escaped. Marcos insists that Akish and the sons of Mizerath are fighting a war that will lead to both of their downfall, leaving the Jaredites unharmed. Marcos goes on to explain that Akish stole the Golden Plates from him and Joshua in the hope that Joshua would bring him his sword back in exchange. Asherah asks them probing questions about the Golden Plates and how they plan to make the exchange with Akish. Joshua's and Marcos' answers cement Asherah's belief that they are not really servants of God.

Joshua presents the Liahona to Omer and Asherah in an attempt to dispel Asherah's false belief. Asherah examines the Liahona and comes to the conclusion that it's an object of sorcery. Omer takes a look at the Liahona and sees words written on the spindles inside. The words warn him that Akish and his sons' armies are coming, and that they seek to destroy them.