Chapter 4
Jabari jumped up from his cushion and started pacing, shaking his head against the tirade of words coming from his mother's mouth.
"…must accept the wisdom of the collective elders," she was saying. "Things cannot go on as they have."
He sighed and sank down to sit directly on the cold tiles of the floor, ignoring the cushions that were scattered throughout the room. His family was gathered in the small room they used for private discussion, off to the side of the throne room. The floor tiles were colorful and intricately painted, the palace walls were white. There were hanging lamps that were not yet lit, since twilight had not yet fallen. He looked through a window with longing. It was a waste to be indoors on a day like this.
Jabari's father, Andar, First elder of Maween,
