Torzeria, named by the great Ben DeVore, is where the turtles make their home. These beautiful reptiles with ornately carved shells speak Tortuli, the language of the ancients, one that has been long dead to other animal species. Torzeria's leader is a Seer named Elder Veil (Yero Skyezu in Tortuli), and he has an unsettling way of knowing things before they happen...and saying things that almost make sense...but not quite...
The High Field separates Evershade from Torzeria, and the land curves into a gentle bowl shape, slightly visible in this photo. The locations that inspired my book series are all located on private land, so I am not able to get as close as I would like to photograph them. I am standing approximately where the Lone Pine tree is located in "Season of Crows." It is where the Walnut Keepers gather sap for gluing cracked pots, securing bits of broken mirror to the walls of the King's Chamber, and gluing bits and bobs to the shells of King Obsidian and Queen Sapphire, the enormous snails who rule Evershade.
A stone river (paved farm road) runs along the southern edge of Torzeria, and we--in our "real" lives--often see box turtles crossing the road here. This made it a natural location for the home of the turtles. I miss the snow, but I do look forward to seeing these beautiful creatures again.
As the days get warmer, the fields will green, and the leaves will fill the canopy. The robins have returned to the Ozarks, and the spring peepers are singing to us. Perhaps I will be lucky enough to spot Elder Veil crossing the stone river near his home.
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