 |
| Welcome to my Blog! Wander through worlds real and fictional, meet interesting people, visit exciting places and find good books to enjoy along the way! |
 |
| About the Book |
Universal Paperback Buy Link:
https://mybook.to/thespiritofthetimes
Author’s Website:
Publisher website:
https://troubador.co.uk/bookshop/historical/the-spirit-of-the-times
Waterstones:
The Spirit of the Times by Justin Newland | Waterstones
TG Jones:
The Spirit of the Times: Justin Newland: 9781806344154: TGJones
Coles Books:
The Spirit of the Times by Justin Newland 9781806344154 Coles Books
Shakespeare & Company: https://www.shakespeareandcompany.com/books/the-spirit-of-the-times
iMusic: https://imusic.co/books/9781806344154/justin-newland-2026-the-spirit-of-the-times-paperback-book
 |
| read an excerpt |
Fireflies and Treachery
On the Silk Road to Khiva
and Beyond
July 1341
… As they got closer, Abi danced
and spun, whistled and hummed. “I like it,” she said. “It’s my place.”
“How is it your place, Abi?” Karia asked.
“The mountain speaks to me. It says it’s a sleeping tigress. Me, I’m a
tigress too,” she said with a roar.
“Yes, it does,” Karia cooed. “And yes, you are.”
“She’s a wise one,” Nazar said. “Because the mountain resembles a Sphinx,
a sleeping lion. Sher Kala is Persian and means Lion’s Castle.”
That night, they camped in the shadow of the Sphinx in the company of a
clutch of saxaul shrubs. Before setting off the next day, Karia announced,
“Today is your birthday, Abijiya. Congratulations. You’re three years
old.”
“Thank you, Mother,” Abi said, and she gave her a big hug.
In the late afternoon, Azat set up the caravanserai near a bay of the
Caspian.
“What would you like to do for your birthday?” Karia asked.
“I want to see the sea,” Abi said, pointing to the bay.
“Then that’s where we’ll go,” Karia answered. With Nazar’s contrivance,
she borrowed a camel and headed off to the Caspian. Abi loved the camel ride,
and soon they were standing on the shore, the still waters, blue as the sky,
stretching out in front of them.
Abi splashed the waves, play-acting like a fish, gurgling and humming
with joy, splashing water over Karia’s clothes. Enjoying this rare moment of
privacy, Karia took them off and bathed in the mildly salty, brackish water.
She didn’t mind, and her soul loved it, filling her with a rich well-being.
They sat on a rock, their clothes drying in the rays of the ebbing sun.
“Here we are, Abijiya, you and I,” she said. “We may appear to be alone,
but we’re not, because look, there are the pebbles on the shoreline, the
eternal blue sky and your mountain, the mysterious Mount Sherkala. This is the
Caspian Sea. Remember this moment. It’s your birthday treat. It’s special
because it’s the first time you’ve seen a large body of water and paddled in
the sea. When I was younger, I loved to bathe in Lake Issyk Kul. At dusk, like
now, the surface of the water was as smooth as a mirror. You left the Chuy
Valley before you saw the lake. That’s why we’re going back there.”
“I like it here, Mother. I don’t want to go back.”
“Why, Abi? I thought you’d like to see where you were born.”
Abi ignored her and splashed her hands in the water, making waves. As the
sun descended into the western sky, the birds on the shoreline gathered to
roost in the trees. Fireflies circled around Abi’s head, glowed and promptly
disappeared. Then the lights, like tiny sparks in the air, came back and
disappeared again. They flashed like sequins in the gathering dusk.
“Look at the lights. They’re here to wish me happy birthday,” Abi cried,
pointing at them with great animation.
Even the camel glanced at their dance. Each of the fireflies was host to
a tiny light, a flame, just like the human temple was custodian to a spiritual
fire. Even a creature as humble as a firefly had the privilege of being a
custodian to the fire, albeit a little one. As the wings of dusk drew in, Karia
left Abi and sneaked off to get dressed.
On returning, she found Abi on the rock staring at the fireflies. The
swarm had settled on the rock next to her, while the rest flitted and buzzed
around above it. Wearing a huge smile, Abi jabbed her finger at them.
Karia looked, and what she saw took her breath away. The fireflies, still
showing their flickering lights, had settled on the rock as … a lithe, living,
ringed rosette. Just like the ones on the snow leopard. When Abi pointed at
them, the fireflies seemed to respond, as if she acted as the orchestrator, the
fireflies as the performers.
Karia’s mouth dropped open because the rosette no longer seemed to be
composed of fireflies. It appeared as a swirling mass of sequins of silver
light in the shape of a volatile, mobile rosette. Abi was as thrilled as if it
were a game, like youth itself. Her eyes sparkled with childish awe and wonder.
Remarkably, her niece wore no surprise on her face. Instead, the little girl
seemed to know in advance what was going to happen and that the fireflies, in
obediently performing the dance of the rosette, simply enacted a predetermined
moment in the greater theatre of Abi’s life. Was this scene part of her
unfolding destiny?
Is Abi’s destiny tied up with the rose? Karia wondered.
Twitter / X Handles: @cathiedunn
@maryanneyarde
scroll down to leave a comment...
 |
| https://mybook.to/COURAGE-Anthology |
You might also like books written by Helen Hollick
nautical supernatural adventure
ghosts : non-fiction
 |
| 2025 annual award winner |
THANK YOU!
