Sunrise on the Mediterranean
Read Sunrise on the Mediterranean Online
Authors: Suzanne Frank
WARNER BOOKS EDITION
Copyright © 1999 by J. Suzanne Frank
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including
information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may
quote brief passages in a review.
Cover design by Diane Luger
Cover illustration by Franco Accornero
WARNER BOOKS
Hachette Book Group
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Visit our website at
www.HachetteBookGroup.com
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First eBook Edition: April 2009
ISBN: 978-0-446-56146-4
Contents
SUZANNE FRANK
SUNRISE ON THE MEDITERRANEAN
“Colorful … intriguing…. The juxtaposition of modern-day observations and expressions and archaic situations gives a good
shot of humor to the clever, suspenseful narrative.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Suzanne Frank triumphs again with another mesmerizing tale of love and adventure in the ancient world….An exceptionally talented
writer, Frank brings us one thrill after another as she allows us to view history in an amazingly fresh light without sacrificing
one iota of reality.”
—Romantic Times
“A delightful twist on biblical history…. Not since Jean Auel’s Ayla has there been a heroine as resourceful as Chloe….Fast
paced and wildly entertaining, this third book in the series stands alone but makes the reader want to hunt down [the first
two books].”
—Booklist
“A compelling time-travel tale full of vivid characterizations, with historically accurate settings and a picturesque backdrop
illuminating a bygone era …by far the best to date.”
—New-Age Bookshelf
“A perfect combination of fact and fantasy… . The author’s solid knowledge of the Old Testament mixed with her quirky humor
will transport you.”
—Kerrville Daily Times
(TX)
“Fans and newcomers alike should enjoy this… . Frank effectively uses her knowledge of the Old Testament in her re-creation
of ancient Israel … recommended.”
—Library Journal
SHADOWS ON THE AEGEAN
“Imaginative. Creative. Ingenious. Engrossing. Suzanne Frank has given her readers a brilliantly written, magical story.”
—Clive Cussler, author of
Atlantis Found
and
Valhalla Rising
“A top pick—4 1/2 stars! … Everything a romance fan would want and much, much more. A treasure indeed!”
—Romantic Times
“An exotic, erotic, breathtaking adventure … wondrously conceived, brilliantly executed. I look forward with great eagerness
to Suzanne Frank’s next book!”
—Barbara Wood, author of
The Prophetess
“Part Mary Renault, part Jacqueline Susann, Frank delights in re-imagining … lost rituals of love and religion, but she also
finds moments of refreshing humor in the contrast between Chloe’s modern sensibility and ancient manners… . Fans will stay
tuned.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A tour de force of imagination,
Shadows on the Aegean
brings a magical world to brilliant life. Masterfully told.”
—Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, authors of
The Ice Limit
and
Riptide
“Suzanne Frank has absolutely surpassed her debut book with this second novel of rapturous romance and high adventure.”
—Bertrice Small, author of
The Duchess
“Brings all the splendor and beauty known as Atlantis into our reading world… . If you loved Diana Gabaldon, then this author
is not one to be missed. Ms. Frank is simply a gifted historical writer. Fantastic! 5 bells!”
—Bell, Book & Candle
REFLECTIONS IN THE NILE
“Good storytelling… . Ancient Egypt comes alive!”
—Diana Gabaldon,
New York Times
bestselling author of
Voyager
“An adventure you won’t want to put down.”
—Detroit Free Press
“Totally engrossing … the characters are exceptional.”
—Midwest Book Review
Also by Suzanne Frank
Reflections in the Nile
Shadows on the Aegean
To Dan
GLOSSARY
adon/adoni
(ad-o-nee)—man, sir, dear sir
akchav
(ahk-shahv)—Hebrew for emphatic “now”
Ashdod (ash-dohd)—Philistine city
Ashqelon (ásh-ki-lawn)—Philistine city
Ashterty (ash-téar-tee)—consort of Ba’al and fertility goddess in the ancient Near East
avayra goreret avayra
(áh-vay-rah gore-er-et áh-vay-rah)
—
transgression begets transgression
Ba’al (bah’ahl)—Near Eastern god of thunderstorms, among other things
bereshet
(b’ray-shéet)—the first word in the Hebrew Bible, meaning “in the beginning”
b’rith
(breet)—covenant
b’seder
(bí-say-der)—Hebrew term of agreement
b’vakasha
(bih-vak-ah-shah)—Hebrew for “please”
chalev v’d’vash
(ha-lev-oo-di-vash)—milk and honey
chesed
(hés-said)—lovingkindness
Dagon (day-gone)—fishtailed god of the Pelesti (Philistines)
Derkato
(dér-kay-toe)—mythological consort of Dagon
echad
(áy-had)—one
el
—god
elohim
(el-o-heém)—angelic warriors and divine courtiers
Gaza (gáh-zah)—Philistine city , also known as Aza
giborim
(gíb-or-eem)—David’s private guards
guf—
body/flesh
g’vret
(give-rett)—lady
ha
—the
hakol b’seder
(há-coal bih-say-der)—“everything is all right”
hal
(hall)—biblical term for devoting something to God through utter destruction
Hamishah (hám-i-shah)—term for the five Philistine cities of the plain
har
—mountain
henti—
an Egyptian measure of distance, similar to stadia
herim
(háir -eem)—holy war
I AM—the name of God
isha
(eé-shah)—woman
Keftiu (kéf-too)—Crete and the Cyclades islands Kemt—Egyptian for Egypt
ken
—Hebrew for “yes”
kinor
(kéen-or)—ten-stringed harp
laylah
(lié-lah)—night
Levim
(lév-eem)—the Tribes’ priests
lifnay
(leáf-nay)—Hebrew for “before” in the chronological sense
lo
—Hebrew for “no”
mah
—what
melekh
(meh-lehch)—king
Moshe—biblical Moses
nachon
(náh-hohn)—enthusiastic Hebrew agreement
nasi
(nah-sée)—prince
nefesh
(néf-ish)—soul
nishmat ha hayyim
(neesh-máht-ha-há-yeem)—the divine breath of God that starts life
Pelesti (páy-lee-stee)—ancient term for the Philistines
qiryat
(kir-ee-yáht)—city
Qiselee (kí-see-lee)—Philistine city
Rosh Tsor haHagana
(rosh tsore ha-hahg-ah-nah)—leader of the army
sela
(sáy-lah)—amen
serenim
(sáre-i-neem)—the Philistine leaders
Shabat
—Hebrew for the Sabbath, sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday
shalosh
(shá-losh)—three
shtyme
(shtai-yeem)—two
tani’n
(tán-in)—pre-battle pep talk and dance
teraphim
(téar-ah-feem)—totem statues Thummim (thóom-eem)—oracular stone
todah
(tóe-dah)—thank you
tov
(to-ev)—good
Tsidon (sí-don)—modern Sidon
Tsor (sore)—modern Tyre
tzadik
(zá-dick)—holy man/prophet Urim (érr-eem)—oracular stone Yaffa (yah-fah)—ancient Jaffa
yam
(yahm)—Hebrew for “sea”
yelad/im
(yéll-ah-deem)—child/children
Zakar Ba’al
—the official title of the ruler of Tsor
zekenim
(z’káy-neem)—the seventy leaders of the Tribes
History is known, illuminated. Details that elude the
historical record sculpt it from the shadows.
How does this darkness shade what we already know?
What of things that aren’t documented?
What of wars that aren’t fought? What of plagues that are
conquered before they become epidemics?
What of leaders who escape assassination?
Are the things that are not transcribed, the truths that are
never told, the events, good and bad, whose potential is
never
realized, equally vital?
As negative space in art delineates the structure of a
shape, does what has not happened
lend line, form, and credence to
that which has?
Ultimately, the truths on which we base our lives are half-
known, because we see only what we are told exists.
ART
I
C
HAPTER
1
I
WAS DROWNING IN SPACE
; then space became water.
Okay, at least drowning in water was logical.
Of course, logical wouldn’t matter much if I were dead.
Dead?
I opened my mouth to scream in protest, only to gag on the aforementioned water. Light surrounded me, blue to one side, pink
from the other. Which direction was up? I kicked reflexively, propelling myself toward the pink, away from the blue.
I broke through a salmon-tinted glass ceiling, gasping for air, swallowing huge lungfuls of it. All around I saw rosy water,
ruddy sky. What on earth? Then I felt it, throbbing through my bones and blood: recognition.
There are few places one knows instinctively; this was one of mine. I had played in these waters on almost every coast: Turkey,
Greece, Italy, Israel, Lebanon, Morocco. The colors were unmistakable, the taste unforgettable.
I was in the Mediterranean. Sunrise was embracing the now blue black sea with fingers of rose, gold, and lavender.
I wasn’t drowning.
Nor was I comforted to find myself in the middle of the Med, with neither land nor ship from horizon to horizon. My legs hadn’t
stopped moving, keeping me afloat. Shivering, I moved through the water, looking for a warm current. I passed through one,
then turned around to return to it.
“Dagon be exalted!”
I saw them at the same time I heard them. Before I could kick away, a wide, flat thing flew at me, covering my head, my arms,
imprisoning my movements. I flailed, tried to get free, but I was caught. I cursed as I went under, able to use only my legs
to surface again. In the back of my consciousness I heard a chant,
“Dagon, Lord of the Sea, we bow to thee.”
My brain was refiring the image I’d seen: a canoe carrying four bearded men in dresses. The thing tightened around me, slipping
lower, stopping my legs from paddling.
I really was going to drown.
“Dagon, Lord Dagon, we bring—”
The rest of it was submerged with my ears. Water burned in my nostrils, familiar briny Mediterranean seawater. How could
I have ever known it would be my last—my thought was interrupted as someone yanked my head above water, his hands in my hair,
half ripping it from the roots.