Return to the world where Midra and Midran rule. The god and goddess have two faces. Midra is Mistrees on the Moon and also Mistress of the Dark. Midran is Lord of light and Lord of shadows. Rons ago, the Three and Three rose, Seer, Warrior, Healer defeated the Lord of Shadows, though remnants of his worshipers remain. As generations pass in the four nomes of the land only a few remain to honor the Mistress. Once again the followers of Midran prevail, leaving trouble to roil beneath the surface. Prophecies abound and many point to change. Will the Three and Three come again?
In Nilos, Healwomen have become only midwives. Their hodara lies in ruins on the bank of the Nilos River in the city of Memphos. Only a few women come for training and remain in the city. Others serve in the highlands and on the desert. The Eldest, she who rules the midwives, sets upon a scheme fo bring the Three to life and to rule the nome.
What will happen when the Eldest sets her plan into action? Will there be just three women or will they find their opposites becoming the fabled Three and Three? Who will rule the changes to come?
Plus that cover is gorgeous!
EXCERPT
The
change had come long before her birth. As the last of a line of Elders
extending back for generations, she was a failure. She had failed to give birth
to a daughter. To her disgrace, she had one child, a son. He’d been taken by
his father when the boy reached his fifth year. Failure had honed her
determination. She had dreams and plans to restore the reputation of the
Healwomen. I will succeed.
She
stumbled over a protruding stone and nearly fell. Her hand hit a piece of
rubble that moved. A bit of parchment showed from beneath the rock. She stooped
and carefully moved the piece of granite and grasped the scrap.
After
finding a place to sit, she read the words. The
Three…Seer, Warrior, Healer…come again…unite with.
Those
few words rocketed into her thoughts. Destined. She’d always known a way would be found. What
else had been written on the torn shard? She wished for more. Her hopes flew
like prayers to Midra, Mistress of the moons.
The
Eldest planned. She would be the one to find the fabled Three and thus erase
her failure. She slid the scrap into the pocket of her divided skirt. Were
there more pieces of parchment to guide her?
Though
she overturned other stones and rocks in what had once been the scriptorium,
she found no other bits. Her excitement remained high. What she’d found was a
gift from the Mistress and she would use what she had learned.
Thoughts
of triumph raised a broad smile. I will be the one. The Three will come. The
Seer, Warrior and Healer called by the Mistress of the Moons will bring change
to Nilos. The midwives would regain their proper position in Nilos. Once again,
they will be called Healwomen. A new hodara would be built.
She
rose and crossed the road to the wall surrounding the house where she lived
with the other women considered mere midwives. Moments later, she opened the
beaded curtain and entered her office.
Plans
to make. Three young women, each to birth a girl, must be found. Her eyes
closed as she thought of the women living in this house and the few assigned to
the highlands.
Not
many young women sought to join the midwives. Most were middle-aged. Of the
five who were of a good age to bear a child one had just joined, two had nearly
completed their training and two were poor choices. Finding a willing man for
them would mean coins they didn’t have.
For
the fathers, young men would be best. They must possess good blood lines. Most
under consideration were priests of Midran. One of that ilk was her son. Though
he was a few years older than the others, his lines were pure. The daughter to
come would be of her heritage, making her failure less. Tomorrow she would
begin to implement her plan.
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