“Oh, Gods Above, Stave!” Karvik laughed. “Don’t let her hear you say that!”
* * *
King Kalin called his council to order and stood to speak before anyone could say anything. Stavin and Shari were back in their seats as Minister of Trade and Assistant, and he stared at them in silence for a moment, then shook his head.
“The first order of business is Trade. Late yesterday Prince Stavin came to me and requested permission to resign as Minister of Trade.” There was a sound of shocked negation from several of the Ministers, but several others were nodding in satisfaction.
King Kalin let them react for a moment before continuing. “I have agreed to his request. The latest change in Stavin’s fate has caused far too much turmoil. Therefore, as of tomorrow, Master Trader Zel’Kardym will be taking his place.”
“Your Majesty, what will Prince Stavin be doing instead?”
“That will be up to him,” the king replied with a smile for his son. “Given his record of accomplishments, I’m sure he’ll find something to keep himself busy.”
Stavin stood and bowed to the king. “Your Majesty, Shari and I thank you. Arandar’s blessing has become an impediment to my ability to negotiate. Everyone keeps collapsing and just agreeing to anything I propose. That is not good for Trade, and it’s not good for Evandia.”
Shari stood and put her arm around Stavin’s shoulders. “Rest assured, we will not be idle. I don’t think either of us could ever stay idle for long.” She smiled at Kalin and Markal.
Markal stood and bowed his head. “Whatever the Gods have in store for Stavin, I’m sure it is not sitting idle as the world passes him by.”
Afterward
THE WINTER PASSED QUICKLY FOR STAVIN and Shari. Every fifth day they went to the temples and checked the workmen’s progress. Madam Elain’s influence had the workmen giving the project a little more effort than they might have otherwise done, but Stavin simply nodded as he surveyed how much they’d completed.
Because he’d decided to refurbish all ten temples, he was employing over a thousand workers, men and women alike, though he’d objected to the age of some of them on his first visit.
“Why are there children here?” he’d asked the leader of one of the work crews.
“Don’t worry, Prince Stavin, they’re not getting but a fifth of the pay we’re giving their parents.”
“That’s not what I mean,” Stavin said as he looked at the man. “Why aren’t they in school?”
“School, Prince Stavin? These are the children of Common Clan workers, not Chosen.”
Stavin clenched his teeth in anger, but didn’t say anything else. He knew that one spark every five days would help those children’s families. It was more than they earned out on the farms around Twin Bridges during the warm months, but Scribe Stavin couldn’t help feeling that these children should be in school. On their second visit, he and Shari did something about it.
Stavin arrived in a large carriage with Shari and their servants. The temples were all progressing nicely, but none of them were complete enough for what he had planned--except the memorial to Mary Death.
Shalamis Zel’Fordan met them on the steps and bowed. “Prince Stavin, the chairs and braziers are arranged as you requested.”
“Thank you, Shalamis,” Shari said as she led Sindal past. “This will do nicely,” she murmured as she surveyed the temple.
Shalamis asked, “What are you up to?” in a suspicious tone.
Shari laughed. “Going back to our roots: We’re going to teach school.”
“In here?” Shalamis asked in a stunned whisper.
“Well, we’re starting with history, and the Legend of Mary Death is as good a place to start as any.”
Shalamis looked around. There were thirty-seven chairs arranged in a semi-circle around several braziers. “But who are you going to teach?” she demanded in an exasperated tone.
Stavin and Shari laughed and walked out, only to return a short time later with a gaggle of children behind them: Children dressed in warm working clothes.
Shari laughed at the expression on Shalamis’ face. “We’re teaching the children of our workers. We’re teaching the future of Twin Bridges.”
END OF BOOK FIVE
This concludes the adventures of Stavin Kel’Aniston.
Author’s Notes
I have been asked a number of questions over the years about what certain things mean. The most common is about the Gods Above and Below. In this book, I explained the layout of the Temple Circle in Rey, but North and South don’t really explain Above and Below. The Gods Above are represented by celestial objects: Sun, Large Moon, Small Moon, Constellation of the Lamb, and Constellation of the Cube. The Gods Below are represented by planet bound objects: Dessert of Pain, Mountains of Fear, Mountains of Sorrow, Sea of Anger, Swamp of Confusion. So, literally, Gods Above and Below.
LKJ
GODS ABOVE & BELOW
Arandar the Bright--Father God--Sun
Sahrana the Just--Mother Goddess--Large Moon
Alankarah the Kind--Family God--Small Moon
Mariniva the Beautiful--Lover Goddess & Fertility--Constellation of the Lamb
Ordendershandaram--God of Order--Constellation of the Cube
-----------------------------------------------
Kaysandershandaram--God of Chaos--Swamp of Confusion
Nokavala--Goddess of Anger--Sea of Anger
Omalaha--God of Storms--Cyclone--Mountains of Sorrow
Ravashanal--Goddess of Terror--Screaming Face--Mountains of Fear
Eshokanal--God of Pain--Broken Skull--Dessert of Pain
The Moons (Months) on Dracana
1. The Winter Moon
2. The Ice Moon
3. The Hungry Moon
4. The Planter’s Moon
5. The Breeder’s Moon
6. The Maiden’s Moon
7. The Fisher’s Moon
9. The Picker’s Moon
10. The Harvest Moon
11. The Crone’s Moon
12. The Frost Moon
13. The Snow Moon
Twenty-eight days in each moon plus the eleven days of the Mid Winter Festival for a total of 375 Days per Year.
About the author
A U. S. Navy veteran, Loren K. Jones served as a nuclear reactor operator on attack submarines for six years before his honorable discharge in 1986. Loren makes his living as an instrumentation and controls technician, and writes because the stories won’t leave him alone until he does.
Table of Contents
Prelude
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Afterward
Author’s Notes
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