Peaks of Grace (The Colplatschki Chronicles Book 5)
Page 21
As they left the burial yard, they stopped by Reverend Mother Odile Kiara’s marker. Someone, several someones perhaps, had left candles, paper flowers, and a lump that bore a resemblance to a little clay animal, perhaps a sheep. A few scraps of paper with what looked like writing sat under the items on the grave. Despite everything Marta smiled a little, shaking her head under her black head-cover. “Perhaps this is how saints come about,” she mused before walking on.
“She certainly had the patience of one,” her eldest son agreed. “I’d have told Fr. Misha Martin to go soak his head in the Martins River years ago.”
“She did have a great deal of, hmm,” Marta hunted for a phrase. “Understanding and compassion for the willfully confused.” That’s tactful enough, I believe. I still can’t believe that he’d say that about her, especially not to her face. She was blind, not deaf or stupid.
They’d decided to postpone the burial feast until later in the spring. The past winter’s heavy, late snow made travel difficult, and the harvest had been lean the year before thanks to a dry spell at the worst possible time. Edmund the Younger had agreed that it would be wise. So did Paolo di Montavi, Antonia’s husband, second son of one of the patricians of Florabi (and a fifth cousin of Edmund Roy on his father’s side). Antonia and Paolo would be returning south once the Martins River road opened, but like Edmund the Younger, had been able to come before Edmund Roy’s death.
Now what? Marta wondered as she followed her sons back to deSarm Hall. Edmund is capable and of age, Antonia will be leaving, and Michael Jules is almost old enough to go off on his own, or to learn in Florabi. Perhaps I should consider retiring to the convent. Except she did not feel right even considering that.
Once inside and warmed, Edmund turned to his mother. “Lady Mother, when did you intend to hold court next?”
She blinked. “I didn’t. You are Count deSarm.”
He shook his head as if mimicking her habitual gesture. “I am, but you know the people and the laws better than I do right now, Mother. And there’s a case and petition list as long as my arm.”
Marta gulped. He had very long arms. “Ah, well, weather permitting, after the next holy day should be suitable. I can break the list into two by date of filing, hear the oldest first, and then set a later third day for any that need research or for time to have additional witnesses come in.”
“Good. I’ll come to hear and learn,” he announced.
Jules Martin made a face. “But you’re the count. You should be leading the militia, or riding horses, or hunting, or something fun.”
Edmund, Antonia, and Paolo all laughed. “Sorry to tell you this, Jules,” Paolo informed him, smiling a little. “Even counts, dukes, and patricians have to do work first, then have fun.” He gave his wife a fond look, because her thickening middle showed just what kind of fun they’d been having. Their first child had stayed at home with his grandparents and a half-dozen cousins.
“And some work is fun,” Edmund added.
Marta smiled, feeling a little of the heavy weight and loneliness fading. Her heart would always ache for Edmund Roy, but the deSarm lands rested in good hands, and perhaps she’d get to see her grandchildren. Thank you, Godown. Little Edmund put his arm over her shoulders. Thank you.
About the Author
Alma T. C. Boykin was born in the Midwest, moved to the Great Plains, and after a brief period living in places where trees almost outnumber people, returned to the plains. She escaped college with a BA, worked for a living, then returned for an advanced degree some years later. When not writing or rotating the cat, she teaches and does a few other odds and ends. Hobbies include cooking, reading, hiking, geology, astronomy, and music.
Visit Alma’s blog at AlmaTCBoykin.Wordpress.com
The Colplatschki Chronicles
Elizabeth of Starland
Book 1 of the Colplatschki Chronicles.
Stubborn as a mule? No, stubborn AND her mule.
Colonial Plantation Ltd. abandoned ColPlat XI, writing the planet off as a tax loss after a series of severe Carrington-type events. Now, four hundred years later, Laurence V of Frankonia wants to write Elizabeth von Sarmas out of his kingdom, but like her Lander ancestors, Elizabeth refuses to roll over and die.
To survive, she needs to cross the continent, thread her way through a holy war, and find friends in the Eastern Empire—an impossible task for a sheltered gentlewoman. Or is it? Never underestimate a woman with a mission and a mule.
Available from Amazon.com at:
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Elizabeth of Donatello Bend
Book 2 of the Colplatschki Chronicles
Elizabeth grows into her duties as colonel and lady of Donatello Bend, and makes a fateful enemy.
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Elizabeth of Vindobona
Book 3 of the Colplatschki Chronicles
Ten years after Elizabeth reaches the Empire, court politics and military command aren’t the only things she has to deal with. A marriage proposal, an assassination attempt, and a siege on the Imperial Capital bring new challenges… and new opportunities.
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Elizabeth and Empire
Book 4 of the Colplatschki Chronicles
Twenty years after the events of Elizabeth of Vindobona, an untried emperor sits the throne while courtiers scheme. Elizabeth must navigate politics, religion, her relationship with Lazlo, and the Frankonians’ wrath in this fourth book of the Colplatschki Chronicles.
Available from Amazon.com at:
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Peaks of Grace
Book 5 of the Colplatschki Chronicles
Margurite deSarm knows that she cannot govern the Sarm lands alone. But her husband, Gregory Berlin of Louvat, refuses to fulfill his duties. As Marta attempts to undo her marriage, Odile Rheinhart discovers her own unique calling. In their own complimentary ways, over ten years the two women work to keep the Sarm Valley free from the machinations of Phillip of Frankonia while balancing family, duty, and desires.
And more…
Keep up with all the latest books by Alma T C Boykin on her blog: AlmaTCBoykin.Wordpress.com
The Cat Among Dragons Series
(Listed in chronological order from the perspective of Rada Ni Drako.)
Hubris: The Azdhagi Reborn
Book 1 of the Cat Among Dragons prequel series.
When the Azdhagi overreach the limits of their science, only a few individuals stand between them and chaos. Three interlinked disasters start a chain reaction of tragedy and triumph leading to the re-creation of Azdhag society.
Available from Amazon.com at:
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A Cat Among Dragons
Book 1 in the Cat Among Dragons series.
They started it. Rada Ni Drako just wanted to do her job, but her father’s people declared her a corrupt half-breed, one unfit to live. Now she’s on the run and in need of a new identity and a job. When she fled back in time to join an interstellar mercenary company, she did not anticipate becoming the Pet of House Nagali, becoming the student of a mysterious but very well connected Healer and diplomat, and fighting her way into power as the only sentient mammal in the court of a reptilian empire. And falling flat on her face several times in the process.
This collection of short stories, the first in the Cat Among Dragons series, begins the saga of Rada Ni Drako and her odd assortment of allies. Join the adventure as Rada takes on her father’s people and tries to keep her head, and the rest of her, intact.
Available from Amazon.com at:
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Hairballs
Short fiction from the Cat Among Dragons series.
Rada, Yori, and some of the other Scouts are unwinding from a mission when they hear that the Division is testing new battle armor. Yori gets the idea that someone needs to put the armor through its paces, and against Rada’s better judgment, Yori ropes her into the adventure.
Available from Amazon.com at:
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Justice and Juniors
Book 2 in the Cat Among Dragons series.
A collection of short stories following the exploits of Rada Ni Drako in a universe full of danger, excitement, and strange alien species.
Available from Amazon.com at:
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A Double-Edged Wish
Book 3 in the Cat Among Dragons series.
Rada Ni Drako soars to a new height—a moment of carelessness brings her crashing down. Rada and her business partner Zabet survive a King-Emperor’s anger, a contract that leads to plague and discovery, and motherhood. But when inattention, famine, and a conspiracy from Earth’s future combine against her, Rada proves once again that there’s nothing so deadly as a cornered cat. Especially one who already lost her soul.
A Cat Among Dragons short story collection, including the novella Famine, Fortune, and Justice. 92,000 words.
Available from Amazon.com at:
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Promises and Powers
Short Stories in the Cat Among Dragons series.
Don’t threaten a HalfDragon’s family: he’ll change the world in order to protect them.
Alien invasions only exist in bad movies. Earth’s militaries know better. That knowledge forces Joschka Graf von Hohen-Drachenburg to make a choice. Will he remain in hiding, or will he risk losing everything in order to protect his family and House Drachenburg? His decision pulls Rada Ni Drako back into his life. She in turn receives an offer she probably should refuse, from a creature as old as Earth itself.
When the Cat and a HalfDragon join forces, everything changes.
A Cat Among Dragons short story four-pack. 24,000 words.
Available from Amazon.com at:
www.amazon.com/Promises-Powers-Cat-Among-Dragons-ebook/dp/B00IOV8L94/
Available from Barnes & Noble at:
www.barnesandnoble.com/w/promises-and-powers-alma-boykin/1118759525
And more…
Keep up with all the latest books by Alma T C Boykin on her blog: AlmaTCBoykin.Wordpress.com
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