The Flower of the Cedar: Recent Episodes
Kay Ben-Avraham
The Flower of the Cedar is a tale of dryads, from a time long before human history began. Lara, a young dryad, once had three hearts (as with all her kind). To recover them and bring them to life, she must set out on an unknown journey. Fearing the god of the land, who reportedly devours hearts, and inexplicably drawn to the lamia (who, tales say, revive hearts by an ominous method called guttings), she leaves her home, embarking on the heart-finding quest. For lovers of fantasy, mythology, and fairy tales—for those whose bookshelves may harbor the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, Madeleine L’Engle, and others of their glad company—or for dabblers in mysticism and the sacred feminine—this story will doubtless have deep resonance.
Dane returns to the Temple for the Feast, and dreams bring him an unlocking he did not expect.
The family take Jann, Lara, and Dane to the underground springs, and Lara is thunderstruck by a stranger’s revelation.
The travelers come into the home of Thoman and his wife Nisa, and they learn of the sorrow held there.
Together with the beleaguered healer and his wife, Jann, Lara, and Dane take refuge in a Mahoghany village.
Their survival seems uncertain, when unexpectedly they are met by a healer and his wife.
The approach of winter threatens, and the two young women find a new traveling companion.
Turned out, Lara and Jann journey into the cold. Lara has her first sight of living hearts.
Their journey brings them to a woman named Nena, whose unexplained past pains her still.
Lara and Jann leave the Lifted City and strike out on the heart-finding quest, together.