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THE EARTH GODDESS
Richard Herley
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-- Richard Herley
THE EARTH GODDESS
Copyright (c) Richard Herley 1984
The Author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
First published by William Heinemann Ltd, London, 1984
Revised for electronic publication, 2008
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 UK: England & Wales Licence. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/uk/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California 94105, USA.
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THE EARTH GODDESS
PART ONE
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In the grounds below his fortress Lord Heite, Gehan of the Gehans, had built a small pavilion by the lake. On spring mornings such as this he liked -- when the burden of his duties allowed -- to come here to meditate or perhaps to receive in privacy an especially favoured guest. Constructed of fragrant timber, five-sided, and with a gently sloping roof, the pavilion stood at the water's edge and allowed the occupants to hear each nuance of the quiet surge of ripples on the shore.
The sun had just come out: the ripples were being repeated as a network of lig