Monday, February 15th, 2010

Time	Event
12:46a	There were also towers, eight of them, curving... There were also towers, eight of them, curving forward at intervals around the wide embrace of the wallsThis was clearly a place built, however many hundreds of years ago, to withstand adversitySet within the complex, rising serenely above everything else, the dome of Eanna's temple shone in the sunlight as they rode up to the open gates and passed within Just inside Alessan pulled his horse to a haltFrom ahead of them and some distance over to the left they heard the unexpected sound of children's laughterIn an open, grassy field set beyond a stable and a large residence hall a dozen young boys in blue tunics were playing maracco with sticks and a ball, supervised by a young priest in the beige work-robes Devin watched them with a sudden sharp sadness and nostalgiaHe could remember, vividly, going into the woods near their farm with Povar and Nico when he was five years old, to cut and carry home his knock off chanel watches first maracco stickAnd then the hours, minutes more often, snatched from chores when the three of them would seize their sticks and one of the battered succession of balls Nico had patiently wound together out of layers and layers of cloth, to whoop and slash their way about in the mud at the end of the barnyard, pretending they were the Asolini team at the upcoming Triad Games "I scored four times one game in my last year of temple schooling," Erlein di Senzio said in a musing voice"I've never forgotten it Surprised and amused, Devin glanced over at the wizardAlessan turned in his saddle to look back as wellAfter a moment the three men exchanged a smileIn the distance the children's shouts and laughter gradually subsidedThe three of them had been seenIt was unlikely that the appearance of strangers was a common event here, especially so soon after the melting of the snow The young priest had left the rolex day date playing field and was making his way over, as was an older man with a full black leather apron over his robes of beige, coming from where the sheep and goats and cows were kept in pens on the other side of the central avenueSome distance in front of them lay the arched entrance to the temple and beside it on the right and a little behind, the smaller dome of the observatory, for in all her Sanctuaries the priests of Eanna tracked and observed the stars she had named The complex was enormous, even more so than it had seemed from above on the hill slopesThere were a great many priests and servants moving about the grounds, entering and leaving the temple itself, working among the animals, or in the vegetable gardens Devin could see beyond the observatoryFrom that direction as well came the unmistakable clanging of a blacksmith's forgeSmoke rose up there, to be caught and carried by the mild breezeOverhead he cartier watches women saw the hawk again, or a different one, circling lazily against the blue Alessan dismounted and Devin and Erlein did the same just as the two priests came up to them, at almost exactly the same momentThe younger one, sandy-haired and small like Devin, laughed and gestured at himself and his colleague "Not much of a greeting party, I'm afraidWe weren't expecting visitors this early in the year, I must admitNo one even noticed you riding downBe welcome though, be most welcome to Eanna's Sanctuary, whatever the reason you have come to usMay the goddess know you and name you hers He had a cheerful manner and an easy smile Alessan returned the smile"May she know and surely name all who dwell within these wallsTo be honest, we wouldn't have been certain how to deal with a more official greetingWe haven't actually worked out our entrance routines yetAnd as for early in the year, well, everyone knows new-formed hermes pink bag companies have to get moving sooner than the established ones or they are likely to starve "You are musical performers?" the older priest asked heavily, wiping his hands on the leather apron he woreHe was balding and brown and grizzled, and there was a gap where two of his front teeth ought to have been "We are," said Alessan with some attempt at a grand manner"My name is Adreano d'AstibarI play the Tregean pipes, and with me is Erlein di Senzio, the finest harp player in all of the peninsulaAnd I must tell you truly, you haven't heard singing until you've listened to our young companion Devin d'Asoli The younger priest laughed again"Oh, well done! I should bring you along to the outer school to give a lesson to my charges in rhetoric "I'd do better to teach the pipes," Alessan smiled"If music is part of your program here The priest's mouth twitched"Formal music," he said"This is Eanna, not Morian, after gucci women's watches (Comment on this)
12:46a	Then, very softly, he said: "Eanna be praised for... Then, very softly, he said: "Eanna be praised for her most gracious loveMay all tongues give her praiseWelcome home my PrinceOh, in the name of love, be welcome home at last Devin swallowed awkwardly, looking from Torre to AlessanAn uncontrollable shiver ran along his spine: there were tears, bright-sparkling in the brilliant sunlight, in the porter's eyes Alessan made no replyHe lowered his head, and Devin could not see his eyesThey heard children's laughter, the final notes of a sung prayer "She is still alive then?" Alessan asked, looking up at last "She is," said Torre emotionally He could not finish the sentence "There is no point in the three of us being careful if you are going to spill tears like a child," Alessan said black quilted chanel purse sharply"Enough of that, unless you want me dead"Forgive me," he whispered "No! Not 'my lord'Not even when we are aloneI am Adreano d'Astibar, musician Alessan's voice was hard"Now take me to Danoleon The porter wiped quickly at his eyesHe straightened his shoulders"Where do you think we are going?" he snapped, almost managing his earlier tone againHe spun on his heel and strode up the path "Good," Alessan murmured to the priest, from behind"Very good, my friend Trailing them both, Devin saw Torre's head lift at the wordsHe glanced at Erlein but this time the wizard, his expression thoughtful, did not return the look They passed the kitchens and then the outer school where Savandi's charges, children of noblemen or wealthy merchants, sent here to be chanel bags and wallets educated, would study and sleepAll across the Palm such teaching was a part of the role of the clergy, and a source of a goodly portion of their wealthThe Sanctuaries vied with each other to draw student boarders, and their fathers' money It was silent within the large building nowIf the dozen or so boys on the games-field with Savandi were all the students in the complex, then Eanna's Sanctuary in Lower Corte was not doing very well On the other hand, Devin thought, who of those left in Lower Corte could afford Sanctuary schooling for their children now? And what shrewd businessman from Corte or Chiara, having bought up cheap land here in the south, would not send his son home to be educated? Lower Corte was a place where a clever man from chanel bucket tote bag elsewhere could make money out of the ruin of the inhabitants, but it was not a place to put down rootsWho wanted to be rooted in the soil of Brandin's hate? Torre led them up the steps of a covered portico and then through the open doorway of the High Priest's houseAll doors seemed to be open to the spring sunshine, after the shuttered holiness of the Ember Days just past They stood in a large, handsome, high-ceilinged sitting-roomA huge fireplace dominated the southwestern end and a number of comfortable chairs and small tables were arranged on a deep-piled carpetCrystal decanters on a sideboard held a variety of winesDevin saw two bookcases on the southern wall but no booksThe cases had been left to stand, disconcertingly emptyThe black and white chanel purses books of Tigana had been burnedHe had been told about that Arched doorways in both the eastern and western walls led out to porches where the sunlight could be caught in the morning and at eve On the far side of the room there was a closed door, almost certainly leading to the bedchamberThere were four cleverly designed, square recesses in the walls and another smaller one above the fire where statues would once have stoodOnly the ubiquitous silver stars of Eanna served for painted decoration on the walls The door to the bedroom opened and two priests came out They seemed surprised, but not unduly so, to see the porter waiting with three visitorsOne man was of medium height and middle years, with a sharp face and close-cropped salt-and-pepper buy chanel bag ha (Comment on this)

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