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Chapter XXXIV – Empire State of Mind – Counterblast
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Bette nodded. “Yeah he told me about how he felt, and what he’d planned. Makes me all the more curious why he’s insisted on holding on to those liens and mining rights in Mali. And why he’s basically handcuffed me to them. If he wanted to break away from all of that, why hold on to those?”
Jackson licked his lips as he thought about a long-standing theory that he’d had about those rights. Before he could say anything, Bette added, “And why is he making me hold on to those, too?”
Jackson sat up and turned to her, “Bette can I share a theory with you?”
Bette looked back at him in surprise, “Of course, Jackson! Is it about the liens?”
Jackson nodded, “I’ve talked to you about Mansamusa before, remember?”
“Yes. The ruler of Mali during the 14th century, right?”
“That’s right. Remember that I’d told you about how much gold his regime held, and his journey to Mecca and everything?”
She nodded.
“Well … there’ve been scores of maps drawn up through the centuries that have purportedly outlined where all of this gold was kept, where they’d been mined, etc,” he continued.
“An empire of gold – would be a draw for crowds of treasure hunters, of course,” Bette observed, with a nod.
“I think that Peter’s grandfather procured one such map, and then arranged for those liens and rights to a few of those ancient mines, but squeezed Andrew Green’s father out while doing so,” Jackson said quietly.
Bette sat up.
“Was a map like that ever found amongst the family papers?” she asked.
Jackson shook his head. “Not that we can establish.”
“So … Peter’s grandfather could have bought a map, and believed in it enough to grab the rights to a few mines in such a map. Mines of a magnificent empire of gold?” Bette repeated.
Jackson nodded slowly. “If what he believed was true … that would alter anyone’s state of mind, wouldn’t it?”
Bette sat back against the comfortable sofa again, mind whirring. “An empire of gold,” she repeated quietly.
“Wow.”
“So what do you say, boss?” Jackson asked, after a few minutes of companionable silence between them. With a twinkle in his eye, he half-joked, “Should we head out there and check things out? You up for it?”
Bette shook her head and laughed lightly, “Tina will kill me.”
After a few minutes as she sipped on the water, she mused out loud, “But maybe later, when things die down, after I’ve sorted out all of this stuff about what I’ve been charged to do by the custodians, and after we’ve finished arranging and putting into place what we need for the foundation. You know, when we’re all in a suitable state of mind…”
Jackson smiled back at her, expectantly.
“We can go check on whether Peter’s grandfather did indeed stumble on something out there,” she paused, shook her head slightly.
“Can you imagine it, Jackson? Discovering a gateway to an ancient empire ….”
Jackson smiled and lifted his glass in a toast, “To discovering empires.”
Bette clinked her water glass against his. “And absent friends who would’ve helped make it happen.”
“Amen to that.”
Finis
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I would like for your next story has more passion and romance, I’d like tina bette conquers again and grow your love, thank you for all your stories you’re the best!
Looking forward to the next book. Thanks, enjoyed them all so far.
Thanks for completing this story. Look forward to more.
The end was a long time coming, but the journey was worth the wait !
Thank you for all your time and effort. Thank you for your gift. The one that was given you, and the one you gave to us in return.
…another chapter perhaps…
A trip to bountiful….. ;)
Love the way you put a story together. Looking forward to your next one.
Oh no, this can’t be the end!
I followed it from the beginning till the end and there is so much more to tell.
Thanks for telling this amazing story.
I hope that you can find the time to write another book.
For now, thank you so much!
You deserve applause !!
Thank you for this wonderful gift
that is: Empire State of Mind, do not want
believe that is the end, only one
break, because there are new empires
which must be explored.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart
for having made us travel with Bette and Tina.
A bear hug
ALL STARS.
Thank you so much for this wonderful story, I cant wait for more from you.
Have really enjoyed writing this story and have truly appreciated your thoughts, comments, PMs, ever since “Let It Happen” in the other site, through “Love Soul Heaven Hell,” and “Empire State of Mind.” You’ve played a bigger role in shaping the whole story than you may have realized and have been patient through all the ups and downs and twists and turns. (does anyone remember the near universal consternation concerning Tina cheating in the first book? And the anxiety about having them exposed to mortal danger in a war-zone in the second book? But then I think you all loved the resolution to the problems they had in the first book via Aristophanes. And enjoyed the party scenes in the second and third books.) I know it was a gamble to take the story in the unexpected direction it took in the third book — but I sensed that, as readers, you were looking for more. Any readership that thought I used Plato at just the right moment of a story like this would appreciate a bold story about the last thing one would expect to find here, right? Gold, of all things. So thanks, again, for the challenge, patience, and appreciation.
All props to Jacky and everyone behind the scenes. You ladies, without a doubt, are gold.
Thanks for the journey. Absolutely loved it. I hope there’s more to come, like maybe “Empire of Gold.” I can see infinite possibilities. Please continue to share your talent–it’s off the charts.