Moon Goddess

Lysa begins her ruse as the Hutcaiah Moon Goddess to save Aaron from being sacrificed.

15.

Moon Goddess

 

As soon as Lysa reappeared, on top of the step pyramid, she was surprised by a huge clap of thunder and a flash of blue light all around her.    Even though she knew that both events were effects cast by her friends to make her appearance more wondrous, she was startled by their effectiveness.   She also noticed a silvery glow around her and knew that was the Faerie Fire spell that they had discussed.    They were trying to make her seem as divine in appearance as they could.

 

Recovering quickly, Lysa forced herself into the role that she had practiced for what seemed to have been years.     She held her chin up and stretched her arms wide, looking down from the platform as if a queen surveying her people.  The full moon was directly above the pyramid and it gave a bright silver glow to the scene below.

She wanted to race down the stairs, but she remembered her instructions.     Speaking loudly, in a proud voice, she spoke the strange words that Kuyomi-Chia was said to speak upon appearing.

 

“Yilu Anck, Iah-Xian, Nuw Anck, Mei Ta ae Te!” the words rolled off her tongue, surprising her on how perfect they sounded and how her voice, amplified by the Bard spell, rolled down off the pyramid then reverberated off the very buildings and walls of the Temple of the Moon.    Both of the spells cast upon her were working perfectly.

She began to descend the stairs, careful to not misstep or appear too hurried.     Glancing below, she found all those assembled bowing prostrate before her.   Every one of them had their heads flat against the stones of the courtyard in reverence, except for one.

Emperor Saret-Buyue-Serdi was standing, glancing up the pyramid toward her, and then back down to where the Mesen-gongzu-Yu were bowing.  

He was counting them!    He suspected that she was one of the priestesses, portraying Kuyomi-Chia.   Even from atop of the Stairway of the Moon, Lysa could see that he was unsure of whom she was, but still more than a little scared that she could be the actual goddess.

Remembering what Reverend Zeatt had told her about appearing confident and proud; Lysa decided she had to act just as she would if she was the goddess.

“Does not the Emperor of the Hutcaiah honor the Queen of the Moon?”   She called out, and the translation spell made her words come out as Hutcaiah.     They rumbled down and the seeming power of her voice shook the walls.    One of the spell casters on the roof cast another thunder spell which shook the walls even more.

To Lysa’s delight, the Emperor immediately went down on his face in reverence to her.

It was a maddeningly slow descent toward the altar below.   Though it seemed that all of those at the temple had their foreheads touching the stone of the courtyard, she didn’t dare speed up.

Her heart raced as she drew closer to the altar of sacrifice.   Lysa could see that Aaron was alive, for his head moved slightly, though he kept his eyes closed.     Perhaps he was only semi-conscious after days of torture.   Thick white ropes had been tightly wound around him and she knew that she would not have time to work with any knots.    She had to cut them, but still make it look as if the Moon Goddess was doing it instead of a scared girl.

 

As she stepped off the last stair, she spoke again, her words leaving her mouth in perfect Hutcaiah, “I have decided to grace you with my presence, as I am curious of this Banxian wretch that you have presented to me.    Bring me a sword so I can examine him and determine his worthiness.”

For a moment she held her breath, hoping the command did not sound suspicious.    But the arrival of one of the trembling Mesen-gongzu-Yu with an unsheathed sword, kneeling before her relieved her worry.

She snatched the ceremonial sword out of the priestess’ hand without any thanks or acknowledgment.    With some degree of swagger in her step, Lysa approached the altar with her nose aloofly in the air.

All around the courtyard, everyone still bowed down before her, but many of them had lifted their heads slightly to see what she would do.

She approached Aaron and was surprised to see that there were no physical signs of torture upon him.    But still she sensed that he had been terribly abused.   Controlling her anger, she slid the sword between the gap between his feet and easily sliced through the rope around his legs.    Then she did the same with the ropes around his arms and chest.     There was a blue gem necklace around his neck, and since she could not be sure of it’s purpose (such as an enchanted gem that kept him passive),  she cut it off with the sword and let it slide off the altar.   Lysa worried that he would simply bolt away in panic as soon as he realized that he was free of his bonds.

 

But Aaron seemed only half-way aware of her presence.   His eyes opened only a slit, a few times, but he had a dreamy, distant look in them and she knew that he probably didn’t even realize what was happening.

For appearance’s sake, she held the sword close to his neck, as if guarding against some movement from him.    

‘Almost there.’ She told herself, ‘I have to move slowly and appear to be examining his worthiness.’

She used this opportunity to get a good look at his condition.   He was much thinner than usual and his skin had a very pale pallor.   His arms and legs twitched and jerked slightly, from time to time, but he did not look at her or seem aware that she was even there.

He began to curl up into a fetal position.    The terrible thought that perhaps his mind was gone, came to her.     She fought down the emotion and instead just tried to look mildly interested as she surveyed his body like she was buying a used horse.

Lysa doubted that Aaron would be able to walk on his own in this state.    Would she be able to carry him, or would her friends magically pull the two of them (and Bruce as well, wherever he might be) out of there soon?    She remembered Aaron’s Autocaster ring, but she didn’t dare try to put it on his finger now.

She wondered what she should do, and was peering close to Aaron’s face when he opened his eyes and looked at her.   She feared he would scream or panic, but he just stared at her for a long moment, wide-eyed, then cringed like a beaten dog and curled back into a ball, his eyes shutting tightly.

He didn’t recognize her, instead, thinking that she was either the goddess or one of the priestesses.

Lysa was frantically trying to think of something to say that might explain her delay looking at ‘her offering’, when she heard someone walking toward her.

It was Saret-Buyue-Serdi, coming in close to her, with a slightly terrified, yet determined expression on his face.    Lysa glared at him, and had opened her mouth to chastise him for his irreverence to her, when he stopped a few feet away from her.   Stunned recognition shone on his face and he stepped back gasping.

“Seba-Yinhu!   It is you!   This is Princess Seba-Yinhu, not our goddess!    Impostor!  Impostor!   Blasphemy!   Guards!   Guards!”

 

Lysa’s blood ran cold.    The Emperor thought she was his daughter-in-law, Seba-Yinhu!    But surely he knew that she too had died!    Perhaps he was confused, yet could not doubt his eyes.     For she had the appearance of the dead Hutcaiah Princess.

 

“Impostor!   You shall die for such blasphemy!” Saret-Buyue-Serdi rushed forward, drawing out a curved sword from his belt. 

 

Her mind racing for something that would disarm the situation, Lysa backed against the stone altar.    She did not see Aaron open his eyes wide, and then turn his head to look at the advancing Hutcaiah Emperor.