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Back Golden Age Save as PDF
Chapters (70)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Dedication
  4. CONTENTS
  5. MAP
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. 49
  55. 50
  56. 51
  57. 52
  58. 53
  59. 54
  60. 55
  61. 56
  62. 57
  63. 58
  64. 59
  65. 60
  66. 61
  67. 62
  68. 63
  69. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  70. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

‘I want soma flowers,’ Chloe said.

‘You want tar of heaven?’ The old man looked at Tomarys and then back to her. ‘Show me your coin.’

‘I don’t want the tar,’ she said. ‘I want some of the flowers.’

‘What for?’ He looked down his hooked nose and scowled. ‘It is the tar you want.’

‘Just the flowers,’ she insisted.

He scratched at his cheek as he considered. Finally, the old man nodded. ‘Wait here.’

She glanced at Tomarys, seeing that he appeared surprisingly nonchalant, but wondering if it was an act. Her instincts told her that she needed to be wary. She felt comforted by her escort’s towering presence.

The old man returned, emerging from behind the shack and beckoning. ‘Follow me.’

The pair fell in behind him. The hut covered the approach of a narrow lane, with high stone walls on both sides. The pockmarked old man continued to beckon them forward, into the boxed alley.

‘This is a dangerous place,’ Tomarys muttered. ‘We should go.’

‘You serve me?’ Chloe tilted her head to look up at him.

‘I do. I must protect you. I must also keep you close, and never let you out of my sight.’ Tomarys’s voice became deeper, a rumbling growl. ‘But girl, do not think we are friends. I will do my duty and no more. If you try to escape, I have orders to recapture you, or kill you if I must.’

The lane was long and curved, so that it was hard to see what they would find at the other end. Eventually, they saw light. The old man had now vanished, and a boy who couldn’t have been older than seven stood waiting for them.

‘Two silvers,’ he said.

Tomarys took a pouch from his belt and counted out the coins, handing them to the boy.

‘Wait here,’ the boy instructed. Leaving them still a dozen paces from the alley’s end, he exited and soon vanished.

‘I doubt we’ll see him again,’ Chloe murmured.

‘Look,’ said Tomarys.

The boy returned. Glancing around him, looking past the two figures to see if anyone lurked behind them, he handed Chloe a leather pouch.

She started to open the pouch.

‘Not here,’ the boy hissed.

She opened it anyway. Within were two plump flowers, somewhere between fresh and completely dried, with petals closed. Noting the purple-yellow coloring and pale green stem, Chloe nodded.

The boy departed without another word.

‘Back to the palace,’ she said.

‘I hope you know what you are doing,’ Tomarys muttered.

29

29

It was late in the women’s quarters as Chloe sat cross-legged on her bed pallet, with only the light of a few flickering torches to see by.