The Gods Were Crying, Preface and CH1

The Gods Were Crying

By J.E. Harshman

Preface

The Council of the Gods was assembled. Rivalries laid aside for one brief moment of peace, they conferred. Their fifteen thrones stood in a vast circle, the head-throne more magnificent than all the rest. In it sat Lord Aarnox, King of the Gods. His double-crown glittered with gems as he turned his head to face Shyèath, his only son and heir.

“You think it wise to fight for possession of Eylasia?”

“Yes, Father. It would be an asset to the Godspirits. A jewel added to your crown.”

“But is it worth it? Eylasia is, after all, only another realm. There are many others.”

“But none are so vast and grand as Eylasia,” Firya, Lord Aarnox’s consort, added. She gestured around her, her bell-laden bracelets jingling. “Look around you, my Lord! You are surrounded in beautiful things. Let us add one more.”

“We do not need it.”

“But I want it,” she said, her pretty mouth turned down as she pouted.

Enria, Shadowgoddess of Chaos, cut in. “We will not give up the realm so easily, Lord Aarnox.”

“If my queen wants it...”

“No!” growled another of the Shadowgods. “It will not be so! The realm and its people have been ours for millennia!”

Lord Aarnox tapped his finger against his strong chin, thinking. All was silent for a long moment. When he spoke again, his voice was quiet. All heads turned to him to hear him say, “I see we will come to no peaceful conclusion. So be it. We will fight for possession of Eylasia.”

“How will we go about this?” Shyèath asked.

“Through use of our people, as we always have. Convince them, manipulate them, Mark them as yours. The outcome will rely on the victor of the war they will soon wage. Whoever he pledges his allegiance to will gain permanent control of Eylasia and its people. Are we all in accordance?”

The chamber was silent as the Godspirits and Shadowgods mulled over their King’s words. One by one, they stretched out their hands, palms raised, and said “Aye.”

It was decided. Eylasia would go to war. Its people would be the puppets of the Gods, mere pawns in their own struggle for power. The people stood no chance against such power-lust. Someone must win, but all would lose.

Chapter One

The Beginning of the End

“Do not speak of what you are going to do. Merely do it, and let your deeds speak for themselves.”

Tanna-di stepped forward, her graying hair moving with her as she walked. As she clasped her daughter’s hand, their identical slanted eyes met; sorrow and fear shone in each woman’s gaze.

“I understand,” N’via whispered, her husky voice thick with unshed tears. “I will not fail you.”

“Be cautious, and return safely to me when your duties are done.”

N’via shook her head, vulnerability reflected in her features. “How will I know what it is I must do?”

Tanna-di’s expression softened as she stretched forth her hand to clasp her daughter’s shoulder. “You will understand in time. Look to the Gods for guidance, and you will find your destiny.”

N’via embraced her mother, her slender body trembling. Burying her face in Tanna-di’s graying hair, she whispered, “Farewell. I will return to you.”

“Be cautious in who you trust. So many have been taken…”

N’via nodded, murmuring, “take care, mother.”

“May the Gods watch over you,” The creases of age on her face deepened in the firelight as her tears began to fall.

N’via turned slowly away, shrugging her shoulders to adjust the weight of the leather pack against her spine. Gesturing to their ratty broom, which stood sentinel in the corner by the door, she added, “And take care of that back of yours. I don’t want you sweeping. I’ve paid Allenia to come around while I’m…away.” Her shoulder’s shook with her silent tears.

Ducking through the house’s low doorway, she whispered, “I love you.” Her mother’s response was lost in her sobs as her daughter slipped onto the shadowy streets of Luthàmeer.

She headed for the city’s temple, slipping off her shoes, loosening her hair, and entering the peaceful quiet in her bare feet. It smelled of incense, and was lit by a thousand ever-burning candles. The soft singing of the Priestesses reached her weary ears. Her feet padded along the cool marble floor until she reached the central chamber. There she bowed, kneeling down.

A trio of priestesses danced into the room, bare-breasted and glistening with sweet-smelling oil. They chanted and sang as they entered, burning incense in their open, upturned palms. Their shoulders shook as they danced, twisting and bending their torsos back and forth. Their belled skirts tinkled and sang as they danced, their steps light on the marble.

Closing her eyes and letting the smells and sounds flow into her body, N’via began to pray. She rocked back and forth on her knees, bowing again and again to the statues of the Gods which stood solemnly before her. Her forehead touched the floor, her long hair flowing around her.

Throwing back her head, back arched and arms outstretched, she cried out her prayer to the Gods in the tongue of the Ancients. The strange, melodic words ricocheted and echoed off the unyielding walls. Chest heaving, she sang her praise, cried her fears, and shouted her pleas.

Suddenly, N’via dropped down to the marble, her torso pressed flat against its cold embrace. All was silent except for the soft jingling of the Priestesses’ bells as they stepped back and forth from foot to foot in a sensual, swaying dance.

The fire brightened in its hearth. The priestesses chanted, offering up their praise. Louder and louder they chanted. And then, in a great crackling of flame and a rush of wind tunneling through the temple, all was silent. Her prayers had been heard.

Outside, the townspeople clustered around the towering city gates in wait of N’via. Stepping into their torchlight from the cover of the night’s shadows, she proceeded slowly through the somber crowd. The fear of over five hundred of her neighbors and friends shone in their eyes. A sob reached her ears as her gaze fell upon the face of her closest friend. “Allenia,” she whispered, opening her arms.

Her friend threw herself into N’via’s arms, clasping her to her chest. “You cannot leave! Not alone, N’via!”

“I must. You know I must.”

“Why can’t I come with you?” Allenia wept.

“You have a family to look after now…and I must go alone. I can’t risk putting anyone else in danger.”

Allenia’s eyes flickered to her husband and two small children before turning back to her friend. “I will miss you,” she murmured- a breath of sorrow.

“And I you,” N’via whispered, wiping the tears from Allenia’s cheeks. “Look after mother for me.”

Allenia nodded. “Of course.” Stepping back from the gate, she took her place among the townspeople once again, her eyes never leaving N’via’s face. “Godspeed.”

N’via could only nod, her gaze sweeping the ranks of her neighbors and friends. Her voice shook as she whispered, “Farewell, my friends,” and stepped through the heavy stone gate. The darkness of the night was fading as she turned away from her home, facing the world outside Luthàmeer’s towering walls for the first time. One step after another she took, the steady thud of her leather sandals the only sound disturbing the peace of the night. She followed the narrow road as it wound higher and higher into the mountains, stopping only once to look back at her home.

Nestled deep in a forest valley, N’via could just make out the soaring towers of Luthàmeer, the white stone stained violet with the light of early dawn. The city blossomed with life, the tiny figures of townspeople hustling about their morning business. The trumpets signaling the start of the business day drifted on the wind to N’via’s ears.

Lifting her chin in determination, N’via turned away from the Hidden City and stepped off of the road. Her tears were hot on her cheeks as she made her way into Daer-Han Wood, the dense shadow of the trees swallowing her up.