The Court of Stars was a pleasant place to meet in the Longheat swelter. The garden at its center was cool and shaded and the fountain produced a calming music as its healing waters burbled and spilled into the basin. The tunnel that had been driven beneath the court provided access for Mer, and it had served Hadama well when he had ruled Torchline alone.
Now the burden was shared and lightened by another, and it was the Tidebreaker's good fortune that the other was a friend as well as a co-ruler.
A sheaf of damp papers with regional improvement suggestions, gathered from the noticeboards, was drying beside the pool that the mermanta floated in, but at the moment he leaned on the stone-finished edge of it and tapped a stylus against the sturdy clay tablet that served him for a rough notepad.
"There have been more tumsea shells washing up on the shore recently," he rumbled. "Nothing for concern. A change in currents brings them here. They may be worth collecting, however. Though we should also consider repairing and improving the docks." He tilted his head at Harper, seeking the other man's input and priorities for Torchline now that he had offered his own for discussion.
Now the burden was shared and lightened by another, and it was the Tidebreaker's good fortune that the other was a friend as well as a co-ruler.
A sheaf of damp papers with regional improvement suggestions, gathered from the noticeboards, was drying beside the pool that the mermanta floated in, but at the moment he leaned on the stone-finished edge of it and tapped a stylus against the sturdy clay tablet that served him for a rough notepad.
"There have been more tumsea shells washing up on the shore recently," he rumbled. "Nothing for concern. A change in currents brings them here. They may be worth collecting, however. Though we should also consider repairing and improving the docks." He tilted his head at Harper, seeking the other man's input and priorities for Torchline now that he had offered his own for discussion.
