CHAPTER 15Muffled laughter came from the kitchen as Sam and Hannah washed dishes after dinner. Diana sat in a lotus position on the circular throw rug in front of the fireplace, her eyes closed and her head tilted upward slightly, meditating. She could catch more than half an hour of solace, because, when her son and granddaughter did the after-dinner chores, they spent as much time playing as cleaning. Mara sat in one of the armchairs off to the side of the fireplace, staring down at her knees on which sat the book, the Chronicle of Continuity. Light from the fireplace dappled across its cover.
Mara had meant to talk to Ping more about the book and the new haiku that had appeared, but their argument about the dragon had derailed that. For the moment she felt like she was on her own. She
