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Back The Witch Roads Save as PDF
Chapters (73)
  1. Copyright Notice
  2. Dedication
  3. 1 ON ORDINARY LANES AND BEHIND UNPROTECTED WALLS
  4. 2 THE DEPUTY COURIER
  5. 3 A THIRD PRESENCE
  6. 4 THE HOLYSTONE PAVEMENT
  7. 5 THE HAUNT
  8. 6 THE MOON-BRIGHT MIRAGE
  9. 7 THE SOLE FRAGILE DEFENSE
  10. 8 THE SPORE
  11. 9 THREE WELL-SPRUNG CARRIAGES
  12. 10 A SWIRLING RIOT OF ACTIVITY
  13. 11 OF COURSE HE WAS HANDSOME
  14. 12 A GAMBIT TO RUIN HIM
  15. 13 A SLICE OF FESTIVAL CAKE
  16. 14 ORDER CREATES TRANQUILITY
  17. 15 THE THIRD ATONER
  18. 16 A FALSE AND ROTTEN HEART
  19. 17 BAIT
  20. 18 ALL WE HAD TO LOSE WAS OUR LIVES
  21. 19 THE OPENING
  22. 20 THERE IS ANOTHER WAY
  23. 21 AN EFFUSION OF UGLY SATISFACTION
  24. 22 BEST ADMIRED FROM A DISTANCE
  25. 23 SOMETHING HAD CAUGHT IN HIS THROAT
  26. 24 TO THIS DAY
  27. 25 THE THIEF
  28. 26 A PRAGMATIC SUGGESTION
  29. 27 DESTINED TO BE A CHARMING ADVENTURE AND NOT A TEDIOUS SLOG
  30. 28 SHOULD THEY LIVE THAT LONG
  31. 29 A PERILOUS DELIGHT
  32. 30 THAT UNEASY TIME
  33. 31 TEARS ARE A LUXURY
  34. 32 WISHFUL THINKING
  35. 33 EVEN IF THEY DO NOT LOOK IT
  36. 34 A SLOWLY HEAVING MOVEMENT
  37. 35 THE SOBER SEARCH FOR TRUTH
  38. 36 THE CONUNDRUM SHE WRESTLED WITH
  39. 37 FIVE BASKETS FULL!
  40. 38 SOMEWHERE AMONG THE ROCKS
  41. 39 THE MORNING OF THEIR DEATH
  42. 40 THE CLOUDBERRY BREW
  43. 41 THEIR PURSUERS
  44. 42 A SWALTER DELVING
  45. 43 THE ROPE BRIDGE
  46. 44 DON’T LOOK DOWN
  47. 45 THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY
  48. 46 A MORE COMPLICATED STORY
  49. 47 THE AFTERMATH
  50. 48 INTRUSIVE AND RUDE
  51. 49 A DOUSE OF ICY WATER
  52. 50 MORE LIKE A JOKE
  53. 51 AS THE EMPIRE DECREES
  54. 52 IF THAT IS YOUR PREFERENCE
  55. 53 THE VIGIL
  56. 54 NO ANSWER
  57. 55 A WILD AND ALLURING STORY
  58. 56 THE PULSE OF THE EMPIRE
  59. 57 HALF-TOLD LIES AND FRAGMENTS OF TRUTH
  60. 58 THE GREAT LINEAGES
  61. 59 A FUNNEL CLOUD
  62. 60 BATH
  63. 61 A PINCH OF JEALOUSY
  64. 62 TOO MANY BLANK SPOTS
  65. 63 THE LAST VIGIL
  66. 64 THE BEAT OF ITS HEART
  67. 65 THE DISTURBED VIPER
  68. 66 IMAGINE THERE IS A NAMELESS LAND
  69. 67 THE PERFECT WEAPON
  70. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  71. Also by Kate Elliott
  72. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  73. Newsletter Sign-up

Thus, the emperor stands in the First Estate, shielding the land and its people from all that may attempt to harm its tranquil harmony.

The crown prince stands in the Second Estate, making ready to take up the shield when a blessed emperor returns to the heart of the High Heavens by departing the mortal world.

The princes of the Third Estate are those deemed worthy and capable enough to ascend to the Second Estate, should that become necessary.

The princes of the Fourth Estate are those born into the Flower Court to a prince or a prince’s consort.

A child born to a prince of the Fourth or Third Estate, or to such a prince’s concubine or bed partner, and who by happenstance or design is born outside the environs of the Flower Court, stands as a prince of the Fifth Estate.

When a prince marries outside the palace and its extended clan lines, any child they sire or birth stands as a prince of the Sixth Estate, and any child that child sires or births, outside the Flower Court, will not receive the title of prince.

Princes of the Fifth and Sixth Estate are the most numerous and of the least account.

Beneath the princely Estates stand the Manors, sometimes called the bedrock upon which the palace rests.

Beneath the Manors stand the empire’s subjects, each to their appointed place and profession, according to their own Declaration and its approval by a local justiciar and the imperial administration.

The complete Grand Ladder of One Hundred Steps codifies the descending rungs of rank, position, and status for all who live beneath the imperial shield. While copies of this volume can be found in each of the provincial governors’ palaces, the original resides in the Diamond Archives of the Pavilion of Orderly Benevolence in the southeast quarter of the imperial palace.

In the words of the Lotus General, “To act outside order is to upend the world.”

Nevertheless, a few of the bolder poets, in the early days of the empire, noted that the Lotus General himself upended the world of the Seven Golden Kingdoms so he could establish an orderly and tranquil empire. However, their work fell under the ban of the imperial censors and was gathered and burned. Its traces can now only be found in fragments left forgotten on overcrowded and unsorted shelves in provincial archives, or buried in sealed pots in Heart Temple gardens, if one knows where to dig.

From The Official’s Handbook of the Empire as compiled by Luviara, theurgist, working at the behest of the Inner Chamber of the Heart Temple

15 THE THIRD ATONER