Whispered Rites of Sacrifice Ch. 01

Part one: The Floryynias Begins

Leaves stirred in a dervish of orange and brown, hissing softly over the marble tiles of the courtyard. A pair of cloaks billowed in the breeze, the ends of the rich jewel toned fabric draping and whipping over the steps as the figures confidently ascended. The larger of the two glanced over at his charge, his large watery grey eyes regarding her with uncertainty. "You aren't Actovan. No one will think less of you for not participating."

A lock of ravenesque hair floated out from under the hood upon the autumn breeze as the woman replied, though she did not turn to look at her companion. "The Actovan's have been gracious enough to give me political sanctum. The least I can do is participate in the most important celebration of the Florynias."

The man licked at his lips then nodded with a weary sigh. "Very well, My Lady. I am still sworn to protect you, so I shall watch over you...if at any time you want to leave--"

"Eulos, enough. I am not a child anymore." The olive skinned woman's face peeked from under her hood, large green eyes sparkling at him as she smiled. "I am well aware of what the Florynias Festival is...what tonight's celebration entails. We Castacean's are not so aloof as to believe that it is merely a wanton, hedonistic perpetuation of a barbaric tradition."

"You aren't, perhaps." The man's tone was salty as he lifted his grey eyes to the Actovan Temple again. A large marble archway marked their entrance, deeply engraved with the ancient language of Actova. The words translated easily for him, well educated in his life-long enemies' ways.

'Florynia holds all to her bosom to suckle freely of eternal bliss.'

Everything about the Actovans seemed to revolve around sexuality. They dressed scandalously. They copulated openly and freely. Although they had marital arrangements, many were mostly legal and financial in nature as it was quite common for either spouse to still engage in rampant fornication. Eulos found it disgusting. Actovans were no better than animals and it repulsed him that his charge had sought out the protection of the Actovan people when her father, King Orentoah Whitespear had been assassinated by the mutual enemy of Actova and Castacea. Isana had always been headstrong, however, and far too accepting of others. Even now as an adult, when she should know far better, the girl would waste her time in the presence of the lesser castes, behave as if with the deliberate intention of shocking her elders. Eulos was not her mentor, however, and was in no position to scold her or refuse her wishes. He was merely a legionnaire charged with her safety.

Once at the doors to the temple, Eulos stopped the young woman and turned her to face him. "Isana, we can still leave. What will your people think when you return to them if the Actovans should lack discretion?"

Isana smiled and pat Eulos' face, rough with stubble and the scars of a soldier's life. His black hair was peppering with hints of grey to match his eyes though he was younger than he looked at only thirty-six. "My people will respect the sacrifices I make in the name of peace. If Castacea is to hold off the invading Sibilines, then we will need the Actovan army at our back. By showing that we have respect for their culture and beliefs, that we Castaceans do not think ourselves their better then we are far more likely to secure Actovan support."

"Already a Queen...you are your father's daughter," Eulos sighed.

Gesturing to the door open wide and inviting as the heavy scent of spices and incense wafted out to them, Isana fixed her emerald eyes on Eulos. "The Actovan King and Queen are waiting, as is their son. Arao is five years my elder and knowing his parents King Tellam and Queen Raine they will attempt to negotiate a marriage into their offer of support."

"You can't accept an Actovan husband," Eulos was reviled by the thought.

Isana lifted her brows at him and stated firmly, "I'll do what is necessary to secure the safety of my people. Arao...if I recall has little or no political aspirations. His elder sister is already named as Heiress to Actova and she has already born two heirs. YOU will keep your mouth shut and not do anything to jeopardize whatever political treaties I must make. Understood?"

"Aye, my lady," the man grimaced and looked away. Marry an Actovan. Her father was likely turning in his grave. Perhaps with luck no such proposition would be laid upon the table.

Smoothing her cloak and silky black locks once inside, Isana looked to see that Eulos was with her then proceeded down the lengthy Hall of Titans to the main Temple hall where they would be received. As they drew nearer there were little pockets of people gathered in alcoves whispering, in shadows kissing, and Actovan guard positioned amidst the frighteningly realistic life size statues of the Titan Gods of Actova. As they reached the large doors, brutishly muscled men drew on silk wrapped ropes thicker than Isana's wrists which caused the massive wooden doors to slide open. The sight within was breathtaking.

At the fore of the Temple reclined a mountainous statue of Florynia back arched in ecstasy. Firelight flickered over the gold-inlay designs that twisted over the Goddess' body like vines, curling around the erect marble nipples and seeming to sprout from the exquisitely forged Tree of Life that the Goddess straddled. The branches reaching out over her hips and between Florynia's upraised knees. The Temple itself had a ceiling as high as the Cathedrals of Castacea, a round dome at its apex with an open circle of sky. Directly below was a small circular garden the center of which was the very Tree of Life depicted in the Temple Homage. Unlike the trees outside the temple this one was still vibrantly green, still bore plump crimson fruits and showed no sign of the season.

Isana's eyes traveled around the room. Chaises and cushioned alcoves broke up the space, low lying walls radiating from the center garden in wavy lines that led to small rooms positioned around the outer walls of the temple. One room was built into the base of the altar upon which Florynia reclined. A vast room cordoned off by sheer curtains of burgundy and gold, the colors of Florynia and Actova. It was within this room that Isana was certain she would find King Tellam and Queen Raine.

As she and Eulos stepped into the great hall, a small flock of nubile girls surrounded them, their state of undress causing the older legionnaire to blush. They offered up baskets filed with fruits and candies. The eldest of the girls leaning forward to whisper, "you must accept a fruit of the Tree and eat a Pearl of Florynia's Tears."

"Do as they say," Isana instructed Eulos as she accepted one of the swollen fruits and a pearl-drop candy. The Actovans believed that their Goddess wept for the dying and lonely. The 'candies' however, were in fact the seeds dropped by the Tree of Life and they had the strange quality of rendering one voiceless for a time. Castaceans, being science minded and intellectual, knew that the seeds merely contained a mildly paralytic toxin that weakened the vocal cords thereby making the eater unable to do anything more than whisper. However, because of this aspect of the Actovan faith, the activities of the Florynian Festival were conducted in silence.

The seed had a citrus flavor with a hint of almond and Isana smiled at the pleasant taste and the slight tingle she felt in her throat. The girls watched them ingest the seeds with delight before swarming around them to greet the next arriving guests. Leaning closer to Eulos, Isana pointed toward the altar. "The royal celebration party is there," she whispered, her voice already having left her. "Come."

As they drifted through the Temple to the far side, Isana and Eulos let their eyes wander. It seemed that while many people were embracing, most were doing little more than talking and occasionally kissing. Eulos leaned toward her and hissed, "I'm amazed they aren't rutting like dogs in heat."

"Behave," Isana jabbed a finger toward his face.

"Lady Isana Whitespear...we are so honored that you chose to join us." A man adorned in a draping of burgundy fabric bowed before her, his shaved head tattooed with the vine-like markings of the Goddess. Although he spoke low, his voice was clear and obviously unaffected by the seeds. The priest straightened and smiled. He was an old man, but his eyes were bright and lucid with the clarity of an astute scholar. "I imagine it is Queen Isana now, however?" His question was polite.

"Lady Isana, until my people accept my leadership," she smiled magnanimously. She gestured to Eulos, "this is my personal guard, Eulos Estimus." Both men inclined their heads with respect.

"King Tellam has been awaiting your arrival before beginning the festivities. He wished you to be present for the Selection." The priest folded his hands and politely added, "Although I do not think he expects you to participate--"

"Of course I will. I am here as a friend of Actova and I would not dishonor your Goddess by neglecting her most honored celebration." Isana smiled widely and ignored Eulos' stern grip on her arm.

"Excellent," the priest beamed a smile. "I shall inform him at once. Please, this way..."

Isana jerked her arm out of Eulos' grip as the legionnaire growled, "do you have any idea what you just agreed to?"

"Not really, but does it matter?— you know my purpose here." Isana lifted her chin slightly and strode boldly along behind the priest as he slipped between the sheer drapes and guided them to a dais upon which the King and Queen were seated in their thrones.

The outer edges of the room were lined with wide cushioned seats and hundreds of pillows spilling onto the floor where many people were seated and talking over goblets of wine and trays of rich finger foods. Isana gracefully maneuvered around them and came to a graceful curtsey before the Royals. "Majesties," she spoke as loudly as her silenced voice would allow. She watched as the priest whispered in the King's ear causing the man, an exceptionally fit man in his fifties, to lift his brows with pleasant surprise. He conveyed his approval to the Queen who also smiled with delight then waved a hand toward a wisp of a boy carrying a water urn.

The priest returned to Isana's side with a tray covered in tiles. Each small tile bore a marking, the same at both ends with a score in the center. Picking a tile, Isana lifted it and snapped it in half, giving one half to the priest who nodded in gratitude then dropped it into the water urn held by the nearly nude boy.

The King gestured at a seat of privilege to the right of the dais where Isana moved and lowered herself to the cushions. Tellam stood and rapped his staff on the marble floor. What little whispering there had been hushed as all eyes turned toward him. Unhindered yet by the Tree's seeds, his voice was a rich deep tenor as he spoke, a sultry sound that Isana blushed to imagine hearing in the dark.

"Every year upon the solstice of Our Lady, Florynia we pay homage to her beauty, to her power and to her blessings of Life. It was her blood that spilled out on this very spot as she sacrificed herself at the hands of the Mangor to spare the lives of her children, we, the Actova. It is by her teachings that we live and in her honor that we celebrate that which she sacrificed for our freedoms. As she gave birth to the Titans, and they, in turn, honored her in creating us...so we shall revel in this blessing of life and open ourselves to her whim that the next generation can be bestowed upon us." The man smiled widely as a roar of applause echoed throughout the great chamber.

Isana looked from him to Eulos who begrudgingly clapped, then she looked out over the faces of the people. She knew very little of the Actovan Lore and decided that she must know more about this woman/goddess Florynia who had sacrificed herself at the hands of the Mangor, a notoriously brutal, cannibalistic society that had once ruled much of the Eastern lands.

Her eyes returned to the King as he raised an ornate bowl, the bottom of which was carved out with richly detailed designs. The young boy approached carrying the water urn and with him an equally young, nubile girl carrying another urn, although hers seemed empty. The King held the sieve out before him as the boy raised the water urn. "Let the Goddess chose her vessel," he announced as the boy began to pour the water through the bowl.

Isana watched as the water sloshed through the sieve into the girl's urn below, the small wooden tiles clunking and tapping as they were filtered through the bowl. The Castacean princess stared with interest and anticipation to see whose tile would be selected, even as she wondered what happened if there were more than one or none. The last of the water dribbled through and the children bowed their heads in wait. The King reached into the bowl and raised aloft a single tile.

"The Goddess is most specific this year. Priest," he called the man forward and showed him the tile. The priest replied with a name and the King's eyes moved to Isana. Eulos' eyes also shifted to Isana as did everyone else's.

"What have you done...?" Eulos hissed with worry. "What if these barbaric people are going to sacrifice you now?!"

His whispering reached no one but Isana, but the young woman laughed and looked at him. "They celebrate LIFE, Eulos...not death. I can assure you, I am not to be sacrificed." Standing she strode to the King and extended her palm to show him her half of the tile.

"By great providence," Tellam announced to his people, "Florynia has selected only one...and only a woman. No men have been chosen. Florynia has called upon the Princess Isana Whitespear of Castacea to be her vessel. Your mate, he is willing?"

"You know well that Eulos is not my mate, he is my bodyguard," Isana replied wryly.

The King nodded and whispered to her, "formality My Lady, I must ask." Raising his voice again he gestured to the Priest, "then it is to fall to Auction."

An excited whisper rose up throughout the Temple. Isana arched a brow and looked to Tellam for explanation as the people around them and throughout the hall began to bustle about. Resting a hand on her shoulder he guided her aside and spoke softly. "The worshipers pay homage to the goddess, an anonymous tithe given freely which the priest shall tally, the idea being that the man most blessed by the goddess in the past year and most willing to show gratitude shall be the one most deserving of the privilege."

Isana was an astute enough young woman, quite highly educated even for a mere twenty years. She easily deduced, "and this man earns the honor of laying with me—the chosen vessel."

"Yes," Tellam smiled warmly. "Unless you grant the Goddess the Rite of Sacrifice."

"Which is..?"

"The greatest honor you could offer to the Temple— and one that only royalty may give." The King eyed her in silence a moment. It was a test, Isana knew, to see just how willing she was to earn his favor in exchange for his kingdom's help.

"I shall do that then," Isana replied with conviction, still certain that it would not involve her death.

Tellam beamed a toothy smile, his dark eyes glittering like onyx. "I shall inform the priest." He left without explaining to her further. Turning around she watched as the room was prepared for the ceremony. The center of the room was cleared save for an ornate chaise upholstered in deep burgundy fabric and in a loop on the floor one of the Temple acolytes had secured an ornate gold cuff attached to a long gold-toned chain.

"Ah, the Rite of Sacrifice," a female voice whispered at her shoulder. Isana turned to see the Queen observing her with approval. "You do us a great honor, Isana of Castacea. I thought your kind rejected our ways as primitive and hedonistic?"

"Many do...but many also believe in executing criminals, is that not primitive?" Isana knew that the Actovan's found great contention with the Castacean judicial methods as they had long ago stopped practicing such punishments. As she had hoped, the Queen smiled approvingly. "Your husband," Isana said casually, "did not finish explaining the ceremony to me. Since I am a stranger to your ways..."

Raine reached out and raked her fingers through Isana's silky black hair, her own an ashy blonde. "You mustn't be afraid. I know in your culture Sacrifice generally indicates suffering or pain. This is quite the opposite I assure you. You need only have trust in the Goddess and she shall ensure that your offering to her is not misspent. As those who come to auction place their tithe with the priest, he shall have them draw a stick from that cup...you see." She gestured toward where the priest stood over a desk, a cup of flat-sided sticks beside his pen. "Upon that stick is a marking, a rune, which will tell him of the Goddess' wishes. Each man shall draw one stick. Then with the Goddess' guidance he shall compile...a dance card, if you will...a list of proprietary offerings. Only a handful of men are usually selected."

Isana was a little nervous now but did her best to school her expressions toward neutrality. "And I am to lay with each of them...and this is the Rite of Sacrifice?"

Touching the side of Isana's face lightly, then lifting her chin with one finger, Raine smiled lovingly as Isana imagined that her mother may have, had she not died in child birth. "This is a great honor, especially if you are as yet...untouched."

A deep blush rose in Isana's cheeks as she whispered in reply, "no...I have been with someone. Sex is not unknown to me."

"Still, the Goddess chose well and you shall do her a great honor." Raine bent forward and to Isana's surprise kissed her on the mouth. Delicate and lingering, the touch was far more intimate than that of mother to daughter. As the woman straightened her warm brown eyes shifted to look at someone across the room, but when Isana turned she saw no one that appeared to be of interest.

Suddenly the priest lifted his paper, passing it to the King who nodded. "We shall begin," his voice boomed throughout the room.

Raine guided Isana to the center of the room to stand beside the chaise. Her long slender fingers worked the clasp of the princess' cloak letting it fall in a slump to the ground. Beneath the cloak, Isana wore the traditional Actovan gown she had been given. The airy sheer fabric did little to hide the swirl of black curls at the cusp of her thighs, or the deep berry pink nipples which stood erect with nervous excitement. She hadn't thought she would be doing this right here in front of everyone, and though the idea of giving herself into the hands of a stranger had been exhilarating to a young woman who so often loved to test the boundaries of propriety, she was now to be taken by many strangers before the eyes of many, many more.

Her green eyes darted over to Eulos as the Queen's fingers deftly unfurled the draped gown as if Isana were a gift to be unwrapped. The legionnaire was standing, fists clenched and ready to charge forward. Isana shook her head ever so slightly and he lowered his eyes, jaw taut with anger. Suddenly Isana's view was obscured as a delicately made leather mask was placed over her eyes. The mask had no holes through which to see and with a gasp Isana brought her fingers up to touch the embossed surface of it as Raine secured it beneath her ebony hair.

"Trust and faith, child," Raine insisted. "To blind yourself disables judgment, giving such over to only Florynia."

Mask on, the next thing she felt was the cuff clicking shut about her ankle. She began to tremble then felt Raine's breath on her ear. "Do not think of it as a shackle. It is a symbolic show of your commitment just as the mask symbolizes your willingness and your trust in the Goddess. Do you understand?"