rivate study and practical exercises both in and outside of court, during the

to review his kingdom and would greet his loyal subje

the citizenry in the narrow streets. Attendance from the palace was made up of a long procession of court officers, underlings, self-serv

d and wonderf

Sorcerer, Borla the Royal Adviser, with many beauti

east with their shields, spears, swords, and bows carried openly in their hands, tog

ingdom would also be forced to march in the parade, mercilessly chained together in long lines at their necks, and wi

m to roll their eyes frequently in terror, lest any should stumble, or the ri

rowd of stragglers who had found any number of

st be seen cheering it. They took great relish and delight in hurling garbage and dung as accura

and it was well worth the effort to participate with a g

e behaviors, nor physical altercations, but all such were to be seen

ourt. By the time the whole procession got lined up and under way,

owed by bamboo woodwinds, and a l

all with long pikes or fla

n which Emperor Euphrate

A tame spider monkey rode in the Emperor's lap and skittered res

pleasing and entertaining them as they called loudly and repeatedl

back on a litter for treatment by the Royal Physician. He had been kicked in the side of the head by one of the huge birds, but word

lded, was, in the hands of any but Si'Wren, about as controllable as a wild cat on the scent of blood. The c

dignified enough to merit it, and infrequently waved back when others waved first. Clearly,

e lunatics who constantly drooled and were ofttimes possessed, and were either utterly a

d the calling of a different god, and felt as one moonstruck in broad daylight. It was an odd sensation which persisted st

clearly of noble lineage, and had the lines of a thunderer and was blessed not only of classic lines but also of an inordinate swiftness which, with l

ck, and tight at the cuffs of wrists and ankles and at the waist, but free to ripple over her slender limbs in the sun and wind. Attached t

ted from the appearance of royal dignity and absolute asceticism in her calling as Royal Scribe. It was bad enough, decried Ibi one day, that she was only a female. Worse, she was small ev

arry about her some sort of outward dignity as a signal to all who observed her, of the terrible sense of majesty which her high station demanded. She desperately needed to perso

iform, under strictest guidelines, and had put her totally in black to signify bef

ow could she possibly expect to be taken seriously by her peers at

court or appearing in public, she was to braid it in one or more long braids, which she had permission either to wear st

form, and no color was to be added to her face. She must

al business of court. Many unlettered buyers went to market to look upon the wares of the merchants like so many red-eyed judges, and they drove exceeding hard bargains. Such c

etual scorn by palace peers and the public? Without the unthinking esteem of the crowds, the common masses of peoples who thronged daily to th

ldier by parading around half-naked in his armor. No

the case for Si'Wren,

shrewd wisdom of his directives, and in the end, Ibi's peculiar ways had somehow come to actually i

ling well lately, and had remained back in his private palace chambers to try and rest. His body, he

ounted camel soldiers, cut-throats all, brought up the rear and she felt quite safe in their immediate presence-in public at least. In p

repeatedly from one side to the other as she waved grandly at the noisome, chaotic sea

ashion from her perch high up on her pra

t, sitting by the wayside in the city gates and c

f formation and walked the high-stepping stallion skittishly up in front of him. Then she adroitly slipped a leg over the top of the saddle

ed gesture of respect from such an exalted member of the Emperor's royal court to a m

at first, and suddenly stared at her in dumbstruck disbelief. All of

n a hoarse voice. "C

h an inarticulate exclamation of joy, and suddenly Si'Wren found herself weeping, crying and laughing all at th

led free of his embrace and wiped quickly at her tears with on

a series of heavy thuds, Si'Wren steadied him with her hands, and swung her arm back to sweep her flowing cape out of her way, and reached up

d her most radiant as she hel

taking and examining

wrote

nodded v

own eyes, as he looked alternately a

is well-practiced and most admirable! Of a truth, the Invisible God has worked a mighty work in your life! Because of your selfless example of fai

er eyes lit up in round-eyed wonder, shocked to the

what this surprising series of events may portend, Si'Wren, but verily is t

t an old, old man, who was totally ignori

said Habr

ly bald-headed, stirred as if shaki

ho is

t. "It is the Royal Scribe of the Emperor, who rides i

ver the river of noise from the tumultuous

scoffed the bowed and w

peror, eh? Well, where

r head in a perfunctory bow before the ancient, as she

d Bassdag, sensing her pre

n," said Bassdag. His speech was very s

no man at all," laughe

g at first, but only lifted up his great old white-

critically from under snow-white bushy eyebrows, and she felt the power o

?" said

smiling, but

ly, "seeing she has taken a vow to the In

E

is no empty-headed minstrel, or some plaything in the Emperor's harem, but a Royal

e powerfully through Si'Wren to her very soul,

of his eyebrows. He seemed to be genuin

ing the assistance of a shepherd's cr

e, girl,"

a step closer, and Bas

orearm in his large

"who is older than anyone I ha

he white-haired old fa

ething with which to enrich men's souls. But since inventing it, much has happened t

l the world, to follow after the one true God now, besides ourselves? Just one soul, and that but a youth and a mere g

nt sh

aid, "but methinks you have

at Habrunt, and seemed

hich Si'Wren could discern, the inherent madness of the outcries making he

at every hand and froth madly at the mouth in the name of sanity; are they

uinted up

sworn never to speak? This is a mystery! Look around you, girl! Look how they have forgotten! Aye, they have fo

cant compared to old Bassdag, because she was so much younger and less-imposing in appearance than he. His frowning, wrinkled counte

, as they loudly proclaimed their praises to the Emperor. The torrent of noise mad

n young face, Bassdag said to her in a quavering voice, "Si'Wr

Habrunt confidentl

s tired head and stooped shoulders. "May the Almighty bless yo

, and awkwardly, lowered himself back down again with the us

Si'Wren. "I am always to be found here, sitt

ut his hands gently upon both of her shoulders a

We no longer have the Master Rababull to worry about. It is possible

ved in putting together his words that he was already going on, as if oblivious to the way she suddenly changed her expressi

se custom it is to sit in the gates of the city, that they must give u

at with them, and spoke of the same God. Then, when they saw that Bassdag and I were in agreement, each separate from the other, then t

en, listen to me! Should I be forced to- to continue without you a day longer,

came to a full, sudden realization of what had been happening between herself and this beaten-down wrec

d trembling as he kissed her proudly on the forehead, and then, after gazing deep into her eyes, he kissed her again -ever so tenderly- upon the lips, a long, burning, unbroken contact, putting a lifetime of pent-up passion into one searing

ked at her. He searched her eyes again, desperately seeking something, and

many years apart from me, let no meddlesome soothsayer tell you that mine has done otherwise. Remember; if I do not

in the slightest degree, and her face became luminous and ra

whom she had always known before as being perpetually so stoic, just, and reserved. "It is good, Si'Wren! As your husband, I shall exerci

a new world with Habrunt together with her, and of vast far-flung visions of new life and of laughter, and yet in her eyes she also showed the apprehension of et

time to go. Just like Habru

o her horse, to hold out a helping hand to her. Habrunt's back might be weak, but he gripped the saddle for support and showed that he intended to help her up. Si'Wren flashed a quick smile at him, and dipped down and gave a little hop

d up and swept the narrow, jam-packed street a fleeting glance. Then she flicke

ntered him down the narrow street past the noisome throngs. His hooves clomp-clopped the ground in a heav

continued to pound. The memory of his scent and the linger

old coins to the crowds, and their cheering would be transformed to lunatic crescendos

y were also caught up in the mad scramble for coins. Some of them were trampled sh

p looking back in the direction of Habrunt. But she could not pick him out now, alt

arned to see him

of the procession. There, far behind her, she saw a boisterous crowd of evil me

y doing there

amidst the cheers, far back at the gates of the city. She turned in her saddle to look, but could not see what was happening, and dared not break

tter, but it was no use, and she finall

for the Emperor's ears only. Such was his nobility and reputation with the Emperor that the sweating and dust-caked trade

ncy session was to be held in his private chambers, an

astened through the royal gardens and made her way through the crowded palace passages toward the meeting chamber. Around her as she approached the meeti

everal positions to the right of the Emperor, and when all officers of high posi

began, and s

high esteem, although no one believed the prophecy he had been speaking imploringly to all of late. Noah, said the trader, was the son of Lamech, who was the son of

d begun building a vast ship, of a size well beyond the sc

her writing capacity was rather limited by the relatively small size of the clay tablets, versus the set size of her cuneiform marking sticks. By Ibi's own oft-repeated i

epy blinked-back tears of utmost boredom. Only, all of a sudden, for some speaker to abruptly begin an unexpected, long string of names, all of them sons and fathers and in-l

this time; Noah, and his father and grandfather along

Emperor Euphrates seemed to be unusually agitated by what was being sai

st building another ship by the sea shore, for ordinary fishing or trading. Oh no, not this one called Noah. He was a different kett

and build beside the sea. Very close beside it, in fact. For, who could haul a finished ship? Even a rowing bark was carried upon it's owner's back no

ferred to as an ark. A great ark. It was so far from the sea that all peop

irect revelation from the one true God, the God of legendary Adam himself. Adam, who was rumored

ation with them all, dropped her eyes humbly and stared red-faced down at her clay tablet and ivory marking sticks. She sudd

ould all react in so peculiar a fashion, as to respond by singling out

es bade him go on, and the trader forgot t

the messenger, would actually rain in droplets from the sky in so great a quantity, and for so great a time, sufficient as to dr

igh-born present, momentarily interrupting the apocalyptic narrative. But perceiving a disapproving frown from Emperor Euphrates, a stern-faced Borla silence

ackcloth and ashes of their evil ways, before God's thinning patience should

n his customarily heavy, foreboding tone of voice. His head was bowe

s idle comment. "It has been fetched far alright; all the way from the land of Noah

o one in particular, and th

inst this day of judgement by your strange Invisible God, who regards all idols with such abomination, and whom this great prophet Noah also

to enter long, tiny lines of dainty

ith which to record, he was usually giving her a pretty good idea of the s

operty boundary dispute, for instance. Or a tally of gifts to the Emperor, so many articles of gold, so many chalices of silver, so many horns of incense, and so on. Or worse yet, a

ind her shoulder and watched s

ll he desired was to make sure she put in all the truly relevant details, m

out, and how best to arrange it, working swiftly, neatly, and accurately. Now she unconsciously s

r Euphrates paused and

said, "Another tablet sh

expertly marking the smooth clay. After that, there were a few more details to be recorded by Si'Wren,

eir Emperor, occasionally directing pointed questions to the trader concerning various particulars, w

third clay tablet for the record,

he Royal Advisers became unanimous in advising their concerned Emperor to disbelieve this weary traveler's mad tale. Besides which, this so-called Prophet Noah didn't even

s very much afraid of the words of this prophet an

is beaked nose into the air and closed his eyes as he sounded out, considerably le

Emperor Euphrates, for

clay tablet and waited, her

, "shall be visited by Emperor Euphrates, and petitioned with all royal gifts and honors befitting his noble reputation,

is pronouncement, yet obediently gave the customary nod, but th

too, fear as their Emperor obviously did, the stunning revelation of this st

when a great flood such as no man had ever witnessed should cove

will make immediate preparations to accompany me on a journey into the far

readily at this

"I would hear more from you about this str

confusion. If she had sworn a vow ne

idle hand at her clay tablets

ing. How silly of her to forget, and she nodde

and went out. Then Borla dismissed them all after an announcement that an expedition was

squiggles, one upright and one laid over. Lastly, she marked a quickly executed pictograph of a king's crown. It was an oft and

n which Ibi could not come because of his extreme age and many in

procession had passed by. A huge crowd of evil men had stormed through, and

large and serious at

heavy hand on her shoulder, and said to Si'Wren, "Among the dead,

up at Ibi, ey

t while the elders all fled like cowards to save their own skins, Habrunt remained in spite of his injuries and rose up to his full former stature, and knocked down his first attacker with a staff of hard wood which the sword had failed t

ay Habrunt stood his ground with none to help him, and sought valiantly to defend the aged one who invented writing, and who was slain together with him also. Ye

s she dropped her eyes from Ibi's, and stared numbly at the stones of the floor wher

the greatest news of all, was

for her ivory marking sticks, and slow

n should instruct him, on this long journey, on the

icks with unseen fingers and hung her head in grief, staring blurrily down at the splash

k' through clay tablets, to an Emperor whose ears were perpetuall

d endured under Ibi's sage tutelage to bring it to pass. For the sake of God, if not her past

his stony one, that it should burn within him to hear more

Let there be no