" nd concerning the cities of My people, when My priests decide, lay you first the walls of the city, for upon the walls rests the strength of the city, as the strength of My people rests upon Me. And the walls shall be as thick as the king's span; yes, even as the span of the king's arms shall the thickness of the walls be. The height of the walls shall be the height of the king Tishra, and again his height, for he was a giant among men and a man of good conscience. And within the eastern wall shall the gate be, and the gate will be such that five men may walk abreast, and its height shall be the height of Tishra. And the gate shall be of two doors, and they of fir wood bound in copper, but the walls shall be stone." (The Law of Rimah, Book 2)

It wasn't fitting, Essiba knew, for one of his stature to run through the streets like a child. He was a priest of GOD -- well, almost a priest -- and was expected to maintain dignity at all times. Besides, the streets had barely been laid out, and were little more than muddy tracks across the large mountain meadow enclosed by the wall.

At the moment Essiba didn't care, though, because there was wonderful news, and he was the first of the hundred or so priests hear to know about it. His searching eye found Alei, the High Priest, and he ran even faster, jumping piles of stone and wood in his excitement.

"Father! Master Alei! They did it! They crowned him last week!" The boy, for Essiba was still truly little more than a boy, nearly ran into the high priest, which earned him a sharp look from the others.

"Essiba eben-Rimah!" Alei's voice was harsh and loud, and the boy felt the eyes of the entire camp on him as the working priests stopped to see what was going on. "What were you doing? You know the words of Rabun concerning the behavior of priests! You will cleanse yourself tonight, and offer up the trespass offering. Do you hear?"

Essiba lowered his eyes and replied solemnly, "I hear and obey, Master."

"Good." The high priest winked at his fellows and spoke again to the abashed boy. "So you will atone to GOD for your sin, but how will you atone to me, or to those here who would be your brothers in His priesthood?"

The boy said nothing, only shook slightly as he struggled to hold back his tears.

"Your atonement," the priest continued, waving the other priests over to his little group, "will be to tell us this wonderful news." Essiba looked up, blinking, and the assembly laughed at his confusion. There was more than a little understanding in their laughter; they all remembered similar moments when they were boys, though few of them had involved the High Priest himself. Of course, few of them were the son of a High Priest, either.

"It's ... it's King Talen," Essiba began, uncomfortable as the center of attention. "I mean, they crowned him last week. The Governor's Council, in Tarela. King Talen eben-Gez the Jhaber." There was a brief moment of silence before the priests broke into wild cheers, some of which were coherent prayers of thanks, others wordless exclamations of pure joy. They all quieted, though, when High Priest Alei eben-Rimah raised his hand for silence.

"My brothers, my sons, this is indeed a glad moment for the people of GOD. We have served Him faithfully, and He has rewarded us beyond all our hopes. Though we are but beloved strangers to the Empire, sharing a home but not a faith, though we speak the language of the chosen of GOD which they can but poorly learn, though our ways are strange to our mighty allies, that have chosen one of our own, a Jhaber of the tribe of Gez, as King over the Empire of Taran and Vandela. Let us prepare the feast of thanksgiving, and baptize the very stones of this new city with our adoration for GOD."

"But if the city be a city of the priests, then there shall be three gates, and above each gate there shall be stones to represent My nine tribes, which number is good and holy. And over the gate to the north set a stone of jasper for the tribe of Eben-Jehd; and set a stone of onyx for the tribe of Eben-Rabun; and set a stone of pyrite for the tribe of Eben-Masana; for these are the tribes of the warriors, who are the strength of My arms. And over the gate to the west set a stone of sardonyx for the tribe of Eben-Zalib; and set a stone of quartz for the tribe of Eben-Yerad; and set a stone of beryl for the tribe of Eben-Jamin; for these are the tribes of the merchants, who are the bounty of My hands. And over the gate to the east set a stone of jacinth for the tribe of Eben-Azjir; and set a stone of topaz for the tribe of Eben-Gez; and set a stone of amethyst for the tribe of Eben-Rimah, which is the tribe of the priesthood; for these are the tribes of the scholars, who are the light of My eyes. To the south there shall be no gate, for the bondage from which I delivered you was in the south, and from the south I delivered you, for I am your GOD." (The Law of Rimah, Book 2)

It was later that evening. Alei and Haram, the chief priest of the city of Kheter, were standing atop the completed wall, looking out over the worksite. The new city, to be named Saraiter, was almost ready for consecration. Once the ceremony was complete, the common people would come to finish the city. The priests, and only the priests, were responsible for the wall, the streets, and the central pool; these things were sacred to GOD, and were the sacrifice of the priests. The temple would also be sacred, but GOD had ordained that to be the work of the Jhaber men, women, and children who would inhabit the city. It was not uncommon for temples to be under construction for years after the city was settled. It did not matter to GOD; apparently it was the sacrifice of time and obedience that He truly wanted. With the entire universe as His dwelling-place, what need had he of a temple?

These were the thoughts that occupied Alei's mind as he and his old friend stood reflecting on their handiwork. The construction of the wall had taken three summers, but the founding of a city was an uncommon event, so there was no shortage of laborers for the project. Though the High Priest was necessarily the (often absent) overseer, the rest of the priestly workforce consisted of volunteers, often old men who had already ordained their replacements and wanted to accomplish something great before they died. Saraiter was by no means going to be a large city; the meadow and the gentle slope to the north (ideal for terracing) would probably provide enough food for a couple of thousand residents at most. Still, to build a new city for GOD's chosen people was hardly the worst way to cap a lifetime of service.

Or, mused Alei, his thoughts drifting to Essiba, begin one. As if reading his mind, Haram asked about the boy.

"He was praying and grinding corn for his offering when I left him. He's a bit impetuous sometimes, but he takes his repentance seriously. He's still got a lot of the boy in him."

"When we were his age, we were already ordained," said Haram, scratching his bearded chin.

"We had the advantage of growing up in a very small town, too, remember? Essiba's stuck there in Jara Sa'ban, with me. There are too many distractions there."

"It looks bad, you know, that the High Priest's own son isn't ordained at sixteen."

"He'll come around, when GOD chooses."

"Sometimes GOD likes a little help, you know."

Alei sighed. "I know."

Haram slapped his friend on the shoulder, and they turned back toward the ladder. "You're probably right, old friend. Besides, I doubt he'd do better with me in Kheter. It's simply crawling with politicians. Whatever possessed me to become the chief priest of the capital of Jhaberred, I'll never know."

"Whatever possessed me to offer you the job, I'll never know," replied Alei, grinning. "You were a terrible priest, even back in that little town."

"You know, I don't remember there being a town. I thought it was just a mine, a couple of houses, and that scrawny old tame beaver everyone used to feed."

Alei laughed. "That was a wolverine, my brother."

"You mean we fed a wolverine all those years?" Feigning shock, Haram added, "Truly were the blessings of GOD upon us."

"They still are, of course."

"The pool you shall make of beaten gold, and it shall be a spear-length across, as the spears of the tribe of Eben-Masana are measured, for they are mighty warriors and the protectors of the pool, which is My dwelling-place, as I am your GOD. Nine feet deep shall it be, and four feet deep shall it be set into the ground, and four stones shall be set in the edge. To the north shall be set a sapphire, for it is the stone of the wind; to the west shall be set a ruby, for it is the stone of fire; to the south shall be set an emerald, for it is the stone of the earth, which I have despised save the land given to you My chosen; to the east shall be set a diamond, for it is the stone of the water, which was My home in the desert lands, when My children worshiped Me not and labored under the yoke of empire. Even so, the pool shall be the home of My spirit, and it is My home in the city. Around the sides of the pool shall be the etchings revealed to Zaccai the prophet, that you may know the signs of things to come, and that you might fear Me your GOD. For the temple is built for the people, but the pool is built for your GOD." (The Law of Rimah, Book 3)

"So dass it, eh?" The strange accent rang through the morning air.

Alei looked back at the monk who spoke. It was the same man who had brought the news yesterday that had so excited everyone, a youngish, nondescript monk of the Order of St. Elhaz the Traveler. The Order had no ties to the priesthood of the Jhabers, and counted virtually no Jhabers among its members, but it had no real ties with any other religion, either, so it was tolerated in the Province of Jhaberred. It monks devoted themselves to aiding all travelers in need, and in the towering mountains that covered most of Jhaberred, aid was always appreciated. Still, something about the Order had always rankled Alei.

"That is the pool of GOD, yes," he answered somewhat coldly.

If the monk noticed the coldness, he gave no sign. "En dass where de god lives den? Seem a leetle small, eh?"

"Brother Monk," the High Priest said, his voice little more than a growl, "if you do not refrain from making jokes at my GOD's expense, I will have you and your entire Order removed from this province. I am the High Priest Alei eben-Rimah, and I have this authority and more. Do I make myself clear?"

The monk seemed taken aback, as if he had not known his words would offend. Alei couldn't understand how the monk could have not known; besides, one didn't disparage GOD to GOD's own High Priest.

"Y'Honuh, I 'pologize. I dint mean no harm. I beg y'pardon." Now it was Alei's turn to be surprised. The abrupt change in the monk's manner made him reconsider his own threat, which had been, to say the least, uncharitable. The monk was obviously not from around here, not with that near-incomprehensibly accented Jhaber that he spoke. It sounded as though he'd learned the language entirely from drunks.

"From where do you hail, Brother Monk?" asked Alei, turning to speak with the man. The priests were resting now, preparing to lower the bowl into its hollowed-out resting place in the ground, and didn't need his supervision.

"Ne'shala, y'honuh. Fah souf, at t'othuh en' o' de mountains." He pointed vaguely off to the southeast.

The two began talking, not even noticing when the workers resumed. Alei learned that the monk's name was Brother Aron, that he hailed from the province of Nelshala, and that he had indeed learned his strange version of the Jhaber tongue from mostly drunken men. Brother Aron told of his travels to the desert monastery of Goq ("where dey roll y'in de salt an' bake y'in de sun"), among the refugees of Tegara, and his encounters with the Krauzhi pirates of the Wayrk Gulf. "D'cided I had enough o' hot places, so's I come t'de mountains here."

By the time the pool was settled, Alei had explained its significance to the Nelshalan, among other points of Jhaber theology. Eventually the conversation came around to the newly-crowned king.

"What y'mean, he was arready king befo'?"

"You see," Alei explained patiently, "the Royal Governor of Jhaberred is the same office as the King of Jhaberred. We had a king long before the Empire came about, so when we joined our Gobaian brothers as part of that Empire, we kept our ruler. GOD chooses his king through His priests, we tell the Taran Vandelan king in Tarela, and he appoints our king as governor. It's very simple."

"Don' seem so t'me," laughed Aron, shaking his head.

"And on the day of consecration, you shall bring to the pool three living creatures, that the life of this world may enter the pool, and I may enter and My spirit dwell with you in the world. To the north of the pool will you bring the wolf, the pack-hunter; for it is sacred to me; I am your GOD. To the west of the pool will you bring the llama, the burden-carrier; for it is sacred to me; I am your GOD. To the east of the pool will you bring the owl, the night-seer; for it is sacred to me; I am your GOD. To the south will you bring no living creature, but the serpent of gold, even the beautiful tempter, for he is of the south, and speaks unto you My chosen even today. The serpent will you place in the pool, that he might drown in the blood of My creatures; I am your GOD. Then will you cut the throat of My wolf, and his blood fill My pool; then will you cut the throat of My llama, and the blood fill My pool; then shall you cut the throat of My owl, and the blood fill My pool; and the bodies you shall not eat, nor the meat, nor the fat, for they are Mine; I am your GOD. Lay you the bodies outside the gates for the carrion birds, for even these are a part of My glory, and I shall be glorified. When this is done, then shall the blood of My pool be made water, and the serpent made to rise, that you may remove him without fear, for he is dead. Drink you all from My pool, and bury the serpent of gold before the stone of the south, to trouble you not, nor vex you; I am your GOD." (The Law of Rimah, Book 5)

As High Priest, Alei stood on the southern side of the pool, feeling the terrible weight of the serpent in his arms. None other was trusted with such an awesome responsibility, for upon the High Priest was laid the sin of the people. He had never seen the golden serpent before; it had lain outside his tent this morning, a gift from GOD for the consecration.

Now he realized how incredibly beautiful it was. Close on the heels of that realization was the thought of how much money the thing was worth. Several hundred marks, at least ... he shook of the thought after a moment. He had never been an avaricious man.

But it was beautiful. His eyes ran over its scales, each minutely engraved with characters from the Jhaber alphabet. It was said that GOD wrote the names of all the sinners of Jhaberred upon the serpent, though Alei had never had the opportunity to see for himself.

The early sunlight over the mountains made a brilliant flaming glow of the serpent, blinding him. He looked to the sky until his eyes cleared, then carefully lowered them to look at the men who stood at the pool with him.

Peret eben-Jehd, whose two sons struggled with their formerly tame she-wolf, stood across from him on the north side. To his left, on the west, was Yasef eben-Yerad, whose llama had been not only muzzled and blindfolded to keep from panicking at the wolf, but also placed in a specially-made pen that lifted it three feet off of the ground, to facilitate the draining of blood. Yasef was also accompanied by a son.

On the eastern side of the pool was Malija eben-Azjir, the prophet, and his oldest son, Zechar, who held a large bar owl on his heavily-gloved right wrist. Alei felt a stab of regret, wishing Essiba were standing with him, but did not dwell on it. GOD's will was the only will, and the eyes of the men told him that he'd taken too long already.

He looked again at the serpent and was shocked to see his own name written across its head. "ALEI EBEN-RIMAH," a voice said, and the high priest knew that he had not heard it with his ears.

"ALEI EBEN-RIMAH, MY PRIEST, MY SON. YOU HAVE HEARD THE VOICE OF THE BEAUTIFUL TEMPTER IN YOUR HEART, AND DESIRED ITS BEAUTY." Tears were spilling down Alei's face as he heard the disappointment in the voice of his GOD. "THE SERPENT IS POWERFUL, MY SON, BUT HE IS OF THIS WORLD, AND I AM GREATER THAN HE. YOU BORE THE SHAME OF THE PEOPLE, WHICH THE SERPENT BROUGHT TO THEM, AND FROM WHICH THEY DRANK DEEPLY. NOW THE SHAME PASSES FROM YOU BACK TO THE TEMPTER FROM WHICH IT CAME, THAT I MAY BLESS YOUR HOUSE ABOVE ALL. YOUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN, FOR THIS CITY SHALL BE A CITY OF REFUGE. I AM SA-AKALBAN, YOUR GOD."

"And there shall be cities of refuge, and he who comes to these shall find sanctuary, for the cities of refuge are holy to My mercy. Though he be a thief, or a murderer, or an adulterer, you shall not seek him in these, for mercy shall reign in the walls of the cities of refuge, and vengeance shall find no home in these. Though he stay in the city a year, even a year and a day, you shall not seek him, for he is in My mercy, and My love is upon him, which is great and terrible. When he has dwelled in the city of refuge one year and one day, then shall he walk forth a new man, and you shall greet him as your brother, for what is old has been made new, and what was stained has been made clean." (The Law of Gez, Book 7)

"Why his face shinin' like dat?" asked Brother Aron, staring at Alei.

"GOD is speaking to him." Essiba was staring, too. He'd heard of this, but he never thought he'd see it, and certainly not on the face of his own father.

Then the light went out, and the High Priest staggered somewhat and dropped the serpent noisily into the pool. At this signal, Peret's sons lifted the she-wolf. A short, swift knife-stroke sent blood pouring freely. Almost simultaneously, Yasef slit the llama's long throat where it met the chest, while his son held its head to direct the flow. The owl likewise was killed.

When the bodies were drained, men stepped forward from the crowd to carry them outside the gate. "What for?" Aron asked Essiba, who was explaining as the ceremony went on.

"They represented the world, so we give them back to the world. I expect the crows and wolverines will eat them."

When the men came back, all eye returned to the pool. Aron was amazed to see water rising inside, without the faintest tinge of the blood that had been there before. "The pool is GOD's home in the city, and he always keeps it full. When the Jhabers lived in the deserts of the south, GOD led Bar-Ham to an oasis that never dried up and told him that his sons would be as eternal as the waters if he would follow GOD. Even when the sons of Bar-Ham were oppressed by the Destines hundreds of years ago, the pools never ran dry as long as they were faithful to GOD. Even though we're far from the desert now, we still put a pool in every new city to remind us of His faithfulness."

When the pool was full a dead and waterlogged snake floated to the top and was removed by the High Priest. Aron was visibly terrified, and muttered some sort of mantra in his own language.

"You see," said Essiba, "when GOD entered the pool and cleansed it, He cast out the sin that was in it. Compared to the glory of GOD, the serpent that had seemed so tempting before is revealed for what it is: death."

Aron looked at Essiba and smiled. "You know so much, why you have all dis trouble bein' a priest?"

Essiba didn't answer, because his father was speaking.

"My brothers, my sons, my dear friends, today is one of glory for GOD. He has accepted this city as His own, that His people may be eternal, as was promised to our father, Bar-Ham, centuries past. Let us praise GOD in this city, which we have named Saraiter."

Alei paused, then continued. "In addition, the mercy of GOD is also to be exalted, for this city for this city is also, from the moment of its consecration, a city of refuge."

He did not continue, because the two hundred or so men assembled to witness the ceremony exploded into heated debate. "Wha's goin' on?" a bewildered Aron asked Essiba. "What he say?"

"He said it's a city of refuge." Essiba had plenty of questions himself, but he explained the concept to the monk, then added. "The Empire hates the cities of refuge, because we won't let them pursue criminals there. It's only happened a couple of times, but the Empire doesn't see things the same way we do. When a an flees to a city of refuge, he places himself under GOD's justice, and that's stricter than anything the government could do to him. King Talen had agreed not to build any more until they had worked the problem out."

"An' now dat he's de big king, you daddy done gone an' built one." Aron laughed. "Brave man, you daddy."

Essiba sighed. "I don't envy the next Jhaber king having to work this out."

"Then, should My prophet speak, prevent him not, but allow him to give you My words, that you may know My heart in all things." (The Law of Azjir, Book 1)

The Jhabers came forward then, one by one, to drink from the pool. Brother Aron and the other foreigners present were not allowed to do so, but none seemed anxious to drink anything from which a dead snake had been pulled only moments before. When all had finished, the High Priest spoke again.

"Thus is the city of refuge Saraiter consecrated, as I am Alei eben-Rimah, the High Priest of the Most Glorious and Merciful God, whose name is Sa-Akalban."

The speaking of the true name of GOD, which only the High Priest was permitted to do, signaled the end of the ceremony. Men began gathering in small groups to discuss the strange events.

"Alei!" The high priest turned to see who had called him. Malija eben-Azjir, short and dark, was walking swiftly his way, looking impatient.

"Yes?" Alei was drained from the ceremony and had been hoping to slip back to his tent for a nap.

Malija, though, seemingly had other ideas. "Get your anointing box, Alei, unless you want me to crown the new king for you." Malija was not one for social graces, but there was no use denying that he was GOD's prophet, just as Alei was GOD's high priest.

The prophet was waiting when Alei emerged from his tent with the anointing box that was always with the high priest. "Men of Jhaber!" Malija's voice was a bombastic roar. "There will be two consecrations this day! Pass before me now, that GOD may choose His servant the king from among you!" Those assembled assumed nearly identical expressions of shock, then slowly formed a line leading to the High Priest's tent.

One by one they passed, as morning became afternoon and afternoon turned to evening. Each man stood in front of the prophet, who, as far as Alei could tell, never opened his eyes or even knew whom he was judging. Whom GOD was judging, he amended. The awkward box of ash-wood, filled with the vials necessary to anoint the Jhaber King, grew heavy in his arms, so he set it down.

Eventually the end of the line drew near. Only two were left; Essiba and Aron, who, with a false humility that drew many laughs, offered his humble services to the Jhaber nation. Malija, clearly impatient, glared and waved him aside, then stared at Essiba. "Get out your box, Alei." The Jhabers in the crowd were shocked, but their surprise was nothing compared to that of the boy's father. Surely he's not serious, he thought. Essiba's not going to be king; we're not even sure he's going to be a priest. "Malija..." he began.

"Men of Jhaberred, children of Sa'ban, the eternal GOD, hear the words of His prophet. Before you is your king. He was chosen by GOD to be His chiefest servant; let none deny his choosing." The prophet looked pointedly at Alei. "High Priest, will you anoint your king?"

Alei was not entirely sure of his actions. He had already opened the box and withdrawn the four vials. "Kneel, child of GOD, son of Bar-Ham," he intoned, taking refuge in the ritual. He opened the first vial and poured its content over his son's head. "Oil, Essiba eben-Rimah," he said. "Oil from the corn GOD gives us. May His bounty continue."

He poured the second vial. "Wine, Essiba eben-Rimah. Wine from the vines that grow in the warmth of the valleys. May the warmth shine on us always."

The third vial. "Water, Essiba eben-Rimah. Water from the pools of Kheter and Jara Sa'ban." The two cities were the political and priestly capitals of Jhaberred, respectively. The mingling of their waters emphasized the union of church and state. "May the priests and kings of GOD be always wise."

Alei did not pour out the fourth vial, but removed a pinch of dust from it and sprinkled it over the boy's head. "Dust, Essiba eben-Rimah. Dust from the Deserts of Nun and Barsam. May we never forget the pain of our old land, and the blessings of the new."

There were tears rolling down the High Priest's face. He wanted to pull his son up and embrace him, but one did not embrace a king. Instead, he returned to the ritual.

”You knelt as Essiba eben-Rimah, but no more. Rise, King Essiba of Jhaberred, and kneel not as long as you live, save to GOD. To GOD be the glory, and honor, and praise."

"Hold not to the old, for the old has passed away, and made way for the new. So shall be all things, for I am the GOD of all things new, and bid you forget that which is passed away." (The Law of Azjir, Book 2)

"Journey carefully, my king, an may GOD speed your steps."

King Essiba was trying to appear strong and stoic, but Alei could see the miserable terror his son was in. He had the desire of every father to try and lessen the burden, but he knew that he could not. GOD had chosen, and He would not burden the boy -- the king, he reminded himself -- more than he could bear.

Nodding, the king turned away and walked to the waiting caravan. Haram looked at his old friend and reached out to embrace him. "I'll watch him, Alei, and GOD will take care of him. Perhaps we'll see you again soon."

"GOD smile on you, my brother." The high priest, too, was now trying to maintain his composure.