The Stone Lions

by Gwen Dandridge

  “Suleiman’s back?” Su’ah’s eyes ratcheted to her forehead.

  Ara smiled. “Yes, he is back.” A weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Suleiman was human again. The palace was safe. Father was unharmed. All was back to normal.

  Normal? Ara frowned, puzzled. Why did that bother her? Granada was a wonderful place to live, and the Alhambra the most beautiful of the beautiful. But Tahirah was leaving, and Ara didn’t know if she would ever return.

  Maybe Tahirah would stay. Father had invited her, after all. She couldn’t imagine life with Tahirah gone.

  At a muffled squeak from Layla, Ara turned to see a shimmer of light dance across the carpet. Su’ah gasped and sat down on the bed as the light congealed into the outline of a lion. Before their eyes, Ara’s lion slowly materialized on the red and blue carpet. Golden stars twinkled and disappeared as he solidified. Su’ah looked near to fainting, her hand on her heart.

  Layla scrambled out of bed to comfort her. But Ara leapt up and threw her arms around the huge tawny beast.

  “I knew you’d come back.” She buried her face in the thick mane.

  The lion purred.

  Ara sat upright. “What happened last night after we left? Are Suleiman and Tahirah and Father truly all right?”

  The lion stretched his huge paws out until they touched Su’ah’s loom. “Suleiman identified his last lessons, stubbornness and resourcefulness. They proved useful, did they not?” He bared his teeth in a cat-like grin. “He and the sultan spoke long into the night. Suleiman finally agreed to take on the wazir’s cloak. Your father has a few bruises from routing his enemies.” He snorted, and his teeth gleamed in a grin. “The Castilians now need to barter with him for the men they lost when your father captured them last night.”

  Ara nodded, “And Tahirah?”

  He snorted. “She is a Sufi, restless and always on the path to spiritual awareness. Their roads are paved, not in glory, but in duty.”

  He collected himself and rose, towering over her. “You are the one I call on now.”

  “Me?” Ara exclaimed, thinking she must have heard wrongly.

  “The power of Granada fades and that of the Christians grows. Mohammad’s tolerance of different religions is used against us. Our sultans, like your father, have been wise and kind rulers, but it is not enough. Though we have grown rich in mathematics and science, even that will not defend the walls of the Alhambra. We are not welcome here. We will be forced out eventually, back to the deserts and plains of my kind. So now it’s up to us, you and me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You and I are bonded, child. Our fates woven together from your birth.”

  “Truly?”

  “Yes. For each generation in the Alhambra, one child and one lion are joined. I am the last of the lions to choose a life bond.”

  She sat back on her heels, startled. The lion was truly hers, connected by magic. “You chose? Father has many children. Why did you choose me?”

  “In each generation there is a trait that has been necessary for the survival of Granada. A trait that is foremost in the human they bond to. In the past, my brothers’ qualities have been in much need. Justice and Wisdom have linked many times, Courage and Vigilance also. My brother Reason bonded with your father. But my nature has never been needed.” He sniffed at the flowers sitting in a vase. “Until this generation and you.”

  Ara shook her head slightly, though she waited for him to continue.

  Purring again, the lion licked her with his rough tongue. “You are the beginning of the end. A start of a new time. Our ways are being threatened by those with a narrowness of spirit—those with a disdain for learning, and those who fear change. Not only among the Christians but also among our own people.”

  “But I’m just a girl.”

  “Yes, but a curious one. And curious girls grow into women of wisdom. The lion roars, but the lioness rules. You embrace change, yet respect our culture. Let learning and peace remain part of who you are.” Silver motes danced around him as he started fading once again. “Remember.”

  “What is your name?” Ara called after him, desperate. “You never told me your name.”

  He grinned. “My name is Curiosity. And you, my curious friend, and those like you, are the hope for our future.”

  Appendices

  Glossary of Terms

  Al-Andaluse, name of Islamic Spain pre-1500

  Alhambra, The Red Palace. The palace of the Nazrid Kings in the Country of Granada

  Alhamdulillah, praise be to Allah

  Allah, God

  Aragon, a country north of Granada, now part of Spain

  Baklava, an Arabic dessert made with nuts and honey wrapped up in a flaky dough

  Bedouin, a nomadic tribe of Arabs from northern Africa

  Berbers, a tribe of people from northern Africa. The only blue-eyed race of Africans

  Bismillah, in the name of God

  Black Death, a plague that wiped out almost a quarter of the European world around 1350

  Caftan, a long tunic

  Caravan, a company of merchants traveling together

  Castile, a country north of Granada, now part of Spain

  Childbed fever, an infection of the reproductive system following childbirth

  Concubine, a status of women in the harem, not married to the sultan, who also bear his children

  Court of the Lions, a courtyard in the Palace of the Court of the Lions, surrounded by rooms on every side. Twelve lions support a central fountain. The original centerpiece of the fountain is no longer there. It was removed in the 1500’s.

  Crusades, multiple wars fought between the Christians and the Arabs over the holy lands

  Emir, Arab prince, governor or commander

  Ewer, a pitcher or container for liquids

  Eunuch, a neutered male who worked in the harems

  Five pillars of Islam: prayer, fasting, pilgrimage, almsgiving and the remembrance of God

  Generalife, the summer palace of the Alhambra

  Gilded Court, a courtyard in the Palace of the Myrtles

  Granada, the name of the Islamic country in southern Spain between 800 and 1492. It was also the name of the capital city in the Kingdom of Granada

  Hall of the Abencerrajes, room off the south side of the Court of the Lions

  Hall of the Ambassadors, the throne room in the Palace of the Myrtles where the sultan received important visitors

  Hall of the Kings, room on the eastern side of the Court of the Lions

  Hall of the Two Sisters, room on the north side of the Court of the Lions

  Harem, a protected place where the women and children lived. A cloistered environment

  Hijab, veil worn by Muslim women outside of their private lodging out of modesty

  Infidels, nonbelievers of the Islamic religion

  Inshallah, if Allah wills

  Islamic Spain, that part of Spain that was under Islamic control before 1492

  Jerusalem, the holy city for three religions, Islam, Judaism and Christianity

  Justice Gate, one of the four main gates of the Alhambra

  Khanqa, a Sufi hospice

  Mirador de Lindaraja, a room in the Alhambra (mirror of the Lindaraja) off the Hall of Two Sisters

  Mohammad, the spiritual founder of the Islamic religion

  Mosque, religious building for Muslims

  Muezzin, the person who gives the call to prayer

  Navarre, a country in Spain near the French border during the 1400’s

  Nazrid, name of the family of rulers that controlled Granada during the early middle ages

  Palace of the Lions, one of the palaces in the Alhambra. One hundred and twenty-four peristyles are in the courtyard

  Palace of the Myrtles, one of the palaces in the Alhambra, joined together with the Palace of the Lions after the expulsion of the Muslims in 1492

  Palace of the Partal, a group of buildings in the Alhambra where guests were frequently
housed

  Patio de la Acequia, a beautiful courtyard in the Generalife

  People of the Book, Christians

  Peristyles, tall narrow columns

  Prayers and when they occur: Fajr, at dawn; Zuhr, noon; Asr, midafternoon; Maghrib after sunset and Isha, right before midnight

  Raptor, a bird of prey

  Red Palace, the English translation of the name Alhambra

  Rumi, a famous Sufi Arabic poet of the eleventh century

  Saracens, a north African tribe

  Scheherazade, a famous heroine of Arabic stories

  Sierra Nevada, the mountain range in the south of Spain

  Sitti, a female title of respect

  Sufi, a mystic religious order of Islam

  Sultan, a Muslim ruler or monarch

  Tasbih, a necklace worn and used similar to a rosary

  The Book of the Thousand and One Nights, the book of stories told through the voice of Scheherazade. Aladdin and his lamp is one of the better-known stories from the book

  Toledo, a city in Castilian Spain once under Islamic control

  Ululating, a high wavering sound made with the voice and tongue to indicate joy or sorrow

  Vega, the great plains of southern Spain

  Wazir, the office of Minister or Advisor (as in a minister of government)

  Glossary of Names

  Abn al-Humam, Layla’s Father, Commander of the Army and brother of the sultan

  Abd al-Rahmid, Wazir

  Ara, a girl of the harem. Daughter of the sultan

  Dananir, fourth wife of the sultan

  Enrique, son of the Lady Theresa

  Fatima, Zoriah’s grandmother. One of the women living in the harem

  Hasan, a young boy who lives in the harem

  Lady Anna, visiting woman from the north of Spain

  Lady Catalina, visiting woman from the north of Spain

  Lady Theresa, visiting woman from the north of Spain

  Layla, Ara’s cousin

  Maryam, Layla’s mother

  Rabab, Ara’s Great Aunt, who also lives in the harem

  Sara, young girl in the harem

  Sister Helena, nun from the north of Spain

  Sister Mary, nun from the north of Spain

  Su’ah, a Saracen slave

  Suleiman, a palace slave who has risen to the job of harem tutor

  Sultan, Muhammad VII, father of Ara

  Tahirah, famous Sufi mathemagician

  Thana, second wife of the sultan’s brother, Abn al-Humam

  Zoriah, head wife of the sultan

  Stone Lions

  Loyalty

  Vigilance

  Justice

  Wisdom

  Endurance

  Reason

  Strength

  Prudence

  Discipline

  Courage

  Patience

  Curiosity

  Symmetry Summary

  Band symmetry: seven symmetries that form a one-dimensional pattern (a row or band) and seventeen wallpaper symmetries (two-dimensional) have been used in art and architecture for almost as long as people have created art and architecture.

  Recently, three-dimensional symmetry was discovered to be important in many areas of science; in particular, crystallography and particle science. This book is an introduction to band symmetry (one-dimensional symmetry).

  There are seven possible band symmetries

  1.Vertical Reflection

  A symmetry family with a vertical reflection. There is no rotation and no horizontal reflection. Bilateral Symmetry is included in this group. Two of the vertical lines are shown here with arrows.

  2. Horizontal Reflection

  A symmetry family with a horizontal reflection. There is no rotation and no vertical reflection. The single horizontal line is shown above.

  3. Double reflection

  A symmetry family that has two reflections, one over a horizontal line and over a vertical line. It does rotate and it looks the same upside down as right side up. The single horizontal line plus two of many possible vertical lines of reflection are shown above.

  4. Translation

  An asymmetrical shape with no reflection and no rotation. It moves by translation or sliding. No vertical or horizontal lines are possible.

  5. Rotation

  An asymmetrical object that rotates around a point. There is no reflection. Three of the points of rotation are shown above with dots.

  6. Glide reflection

  An asymmetric object with a glide. No vertical mirror, does not rotate. The object glides (the triangle shows the first glide) and then reflects. The horizontal line is shown as a single glide.

  7. Glide with a vertical mirror

  A symmetric object (the vertical mirror) that glides. It also can be seen to rotate. The object reflects, creating the double triangle, then it glides (as shown by the double triangle) and then it reflects. The horizontal line is shown. This symmetry can also rotate. Two of the points of rotation are shown with dots.

  And Four Motions

  Reflection (mirror or flip), the image flips over a horizontal or vertical line

  Rotation, the image turns around a fixed point

  Translation (Slide), the image moves along the row one space

  Glide reflection, the image moves along the row one space and then flips over a horizontal line

  The Alhambra Palace

  The Alhambra

  Al Andalusia Circa 1390’s

  About the Author

  For many years, I supported myself as a systems analyst, but now I’ve focused myself as a dedicated dilettante of art.

  I bake seriously and garden. Reading is my passion. I read fantasy (and any other written material put near me) and have walls of books in my house.

  Not so long ago, my life centered around Morris and short sword dancing. I started writing around the time I ended my fifty bell dancing habit.

  During the last fifteen years, I have belonged to SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) and have been active within the group.

  My golden retriever and my husband keep me active, hiking and roaming the hills.

  Also by Gwen Dandridge

  The Dragons' Chosen

  The dragons came from beyond the Crystal Mountains, demanding a virgin sacrifice…and Princess Genevieve learns she's it when she's handed a golden token–the mark of the chosen. Genevieve accepts her fate. She must, in order to save her kingdom. But the journey to her final destiny is complicated by the arrival of Chris, a 1970s Berkeley co-ed. To Chris, the whole scenario reeks of deception. Where she comes from, corsets are for burning and virgins are hard to find. She's sure the dragons are out for more than innocent blood, but the only way to find out what they really want is to accompany Genevieve on her journey. Not what she had planned for her freshman year of college. Genevieve is duty-bound–unless Chris is right. Then her sacrifice would mean nothing. Other than woe to those who duped her...

  Coming soon

  The Jinn’s Jest

  the second of The Stone Lions series