PART 1 (sample the style in Chapter 1)

Chapter 1

"Fingers and rice! Fingers and rice!" cried the street vendor. "Come taste the enemies of the king!"

The air was thick with oily smoke. Mati stumbled when the crowd pushed her from behind. She felt her knees weaken. Above her a flock of crows was passing, and she strained her ears to hear what they were saying to her.

Mati woke up with a jolt. Sunlight was streaming in through the windows of her room and gleaming on the gold covers of her books.

Already her dream was beginning to fade. Crows...what was it the crows had been trying to say to her?

In the distance, she heard cawing. She rose slowly from her bed, dragged a chair to her window and looked out. A great flock of crows cast a shadow over the southern quarter of the City of Gold. As they swept by, the early sunlight glared on the rain-washed marble of the city. Half-blinded, Mati stepped down from the window and sat on her bed. She rubbed her face and tried to shake off her dream.

The last week had been terrible. Messengers coming and going, officers and ministers holding urgent conferences with her father, men working frantically on the city walls. A complete uproar. She knew her parents were worried but they would not tell her what was going on.

Mati was angry. She was a woman, fourteen years old. What right did they have to keep things from her? How could she study, how could she do her mathematics in the middle of such confusion?

Hearing a soft rustle, Mati turned her head in surprise. Now what? Her maid had entered the room and was standing there shivering without saying a word. She was looking at Mati, her eyes wide.

"What is it?" asked Mati. But the woman said nothing.

"What is it?" asked Mati more loudly as a spark of fear entered her.

"We must not panic," said the maid with a quiver in her voice. "We must not panic."

Mati stood up and shouted, "What are you talking about?"

"Princess," said the maid, trying hard to pull herself together. "The enemy is at the south gate."

***

Down the long hall rushed Mati and her maid--past crystal light-stands, jewel trees, and the glass pond where opal swans swam in tight circles. From below them, on the ground floor of the women’s palace, came the sound of urgent voices.

Mati had insisted on taking her measuring string with her. She was not only a princess, she was a mathematician, and no enemy was going to change that. Now, as she ran down the stairs to the main floor, she wound the measuring string around her wrist, finding its tightness comforting.

There was chaos! Cooks, servants and guards rushed everywhere, so distracted they even forgot to bow to Mati.

Mati could see the fear in everyone‛s eyes. Soon they would be pushing and clawing to escape the city! But her maid had regained her courage, and now she took Mati firmly by the arm and led her away from the main entrance and deep into the palace. Through a dark kitchen they went, and then through the cook’s quarters and along narrow winding corridors Mati had never seen before. An escort of four guards with drawn swords joined them.

Suddenly, ahead of them, shone the light of outdoors. Beside the open door of a back entrance of the palace, a group of Mati’s servants stood, their cheeks wet with tears. Mati’s old nurse, Devi, tried to speak but was too full of emotion. She pressed her palms together, her tears dripping onto the floor. The sight of Devi crying was almost too much for Mati, and she herself began to tremble.

"I am a Princess," she reminded herself. She took a breath, stood taller, and prepared to say goodbye to the servants. But before she could say a thing her maid pulled her through the door and into the sunlight where a chariot with two men in it was waiting. Giving Mati a desperate embrace, her maid, weeping, pushed her in.

Mati was caught roughly by a royal bodyguard while the tall young man handling the vehicle bowed to her formally. Then he spoke to the horses, and they were off!

Ahead in the distance Mati saw another chariot carrying her twelve-year old brother, Satya, to the north gate. Like her, Satya was trying to hold himself tall, playing the part of royalty, but she could tell he was as afraid as she was.

In the next few moments, forty of her father‛s war chariots pulled up around the two light chariots bearing Satya and Mati. The men controlled their horses expertly. There was no neighing, no rearing or shying. The escape from the north gate would be silent.

Suddenly, Mati thought of her parents. She turned abruptly to her driver. "Where are the King and Queen?"

"Princess, they are doing their duty. And I must do mine."

A Review

How wonderful! Lovely! Enchanting! Haunting! Who could have imagined there were such wonders in you – The character of Mati – the woman in you must be well developed for you to have written such a lovely woman – and the way she grows as the story progresses. I can see her walking tall and proud in her green cloak into the City with the Six Gates. (Into the valley of death rode the six hundred) You must have a great respect for women to have written her to be so strong and uncompromising.- and with such respect for her gifts and talents. (You obviously have the witch in you) The symbolism is magnificent. You must have worked so hard on the plot. The poetry – the music – the mysticism – it’s so wonderful! somewhere between Harry Potter and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. But you’ve really invented your own genre. This is a story for all humankind. It is universal –not just for India or for young people. It’s an allegorical journey that means so much on so many different levels. You sketch out Java and the archers with such skill - the whole medieval Arthurian – blend of romantic and spiritual – and heroic. I had no idea you had all of this in you. How wonderful! And the man in the tree – Nandu – a Merlin the Magician - he’s enchanting. I’d love to see more of him He’s so against type. He creates a world of wonder and magic and I want to follow him everywhere he goes. There is a thread of kindness in the book – of people helping each other – carrying for each other – rescuing each other – never giving up on each other – such a wonderful sense of duty and compassion - not only on the individual level but at the realm of the whole of nature as well – care of the trees – care for the civilization as a whole - there is a theme of reform and reformation – of overcoming fear and evil and the symbolism of the mirrors (the false heaven) that comes crashing down. And of the hell that’s a pit of bones ij the earth. It’s incredible. And the way you used the four elements to bring out the magic and the talking trees and moving through the trees – sheer genius. The Druid in you is alive and well – your Celtic blood is dancing and I love it!

This is so strong and lovely. The threads work so well together – the magic and the elemental and the dreamlike imagery – the chants and the spells and the poetry – the sense of duty and devotion – it’s such a good book for young readers – it will inspire values and hope.

You just blew me away – adults and kids will love this.