Wysper-The Sacrifice

This is the morning I am to be sacrificed to the god of the harvest.

We stand in a group on top of the pyramid dedicated to the twin gods Yun-Kax, the matronly priestess Thalia on my right side, and the priestess Myra, the prettiest of us three, on my left. Surrounding us are priests from Tesiphon, the capitol city of the Sasnayam empire, while surrounding them are priests of the local temple we are standing upon, in a city-state named Bukhara. All the priests wear robes the golden color of sun-ripened corn, while Myra and Thalia have on robes the color of blood.

I am dressed in robes of white, the color of death. A eunuch of the great temple in Tesiphon stands behind me while the High Priest, his dark yellow robes decorated with bands of orange-red designed to resemble flames, stands in front of the altar: a block of stone stained reddish-brown from the blood of old sacrifices.

The morning sky is stained with narrow bands of crimson, heralding the dawn as it casts the sun god's light upon the crowds who have come to watch, spilling out beyond the edges of the large plaza. Only the nobles and people of the higher castes sit upon the stairs and ledges of the other three, smaller pyramids in the quadrangle, the temples of lesser deities. Their priests are sitting atop their own pyramids, watching with the rest.

The sun peeks its head above the mountains far to the east, and the High Priest puts the golden horn he holds to his lips. Then he begins to blow. A blast of sound echoes among the pyramids, the sound begins to fade, and the crowd chants, 'Yun-Kax, Yun-Kax'. He blows a second time, and a second time the crowd chants, 'Yun-Kax, Yun-Kax'. He blows a third time. The crowd is silent. The blast of the horn echoes across the city, as if the ghosts of ancient priests are blowing in answer. The sound fades and grows still. The crowd remains silent as the High Priest hands the ancient instrument to his assistant for the day, the head-priest of the local temple in Bukhara. They bow to each other and then the head-priest carries the golden horn back inside the small, square structure at the center of the pyramid, with stairs leading down to the chambers below, while the High Priest steps in front of the altar. He raises his hands to the crowd.

In his ear is fitted a holy Artifact, a black device inset with a glowing blue mana stone, that lets his words project out as if he was speaking from only a few yard-lengths away. The crowd murmurs in surprise as his voice echoes among them. "Good people of Bukhara, loyal satrapy of the Sasnayam empire, our god-king Yazdegar blesses you and your families with abundance on this most important of days."

With a sweeping gesture, he motions towards the blood-stained stone block before him. "In years past, on this day several of your daughters would have been chosen to be sacrificed upon this altar, their hearts torn from their fragile breasts, hearts which your priests would give to the god as tribute. Sometimes Yun-Kax would be pleased with your offerings, and your prayers would be answered. Sometimes the twin gods would find fault and remain silent. However, on this most important of days, your humble servant will show you the wisdom of Bukhara remaining within the Sasnayam alliance, by having Yun-Kax come down from the heavens and enchant corn, before your very eyes, which the noble priests of this city-state will distribute to strengthen its people."

A murmur sweeps through the crowd as the High Priest motions for the three of us to move forward enough so the people can see us. "You wonder why three barbarian women, two with hair like spun gold, and one the color of dark blood, are standing with me upon this temple. They are here because they have magic in their hearts, fertility magic, magic which Yun-Kax now controls. Once, they were druid priestesses of the heathen god named Pan, in the Isle of Britannia, hundreds upon hundreds of leagues away from us in the north and west. Do you see the red haired girl in the center, with braids of golden hair at her temples? Her slave name is Blood-Wysper, and she will be sacrificed today so that your daughters may live to bear children and not die upon this altar, as so many have done before."

A great murmur goes up, shock and relief clear in the mostly female voices, which dies down as the High Priest raises his arms. "And even Blood-Wysper may be spared if Yun-Kax sees fit to do so." Turning towards the small, square building as he lowers his arms, he motions with a hand at the ones inside. The head-priest walks out holding an eight-foot tall effigy of the twin gods, its face a human mask with empty eyes and mouth and the rest of it a twin figured, man-like creation made out of corn husks.

Following the head-priest are acolytes in light yellow robes carrying sack after sack of rock corn. The High Priest moves out of the way so the head-priest can set the effigy down at the foot of the altar, while the acolytes arrange the enormous sacks of corn in a semi-circle behind the corn husk statue. The statue's raised arms are together with the hands forming a cup.

The High Priest waits until the acolytes return to the building, and the head-priest returns to his place with the other priests of the local temple, before he addresses the crowd once more. "The golden-haired priestesses will invoke Yun-Kax, and when he is with us, Blood-Wysper will be sacrificed. Her life-magic will then be given to the twin gods, who will transfer it to the rock corn, transforming it into blood corn before your very eyes."

Now the murmurs are male and female both, their voices excited, but the High Priest's echoing voice quiets the crowd. "The rumors you have heard about blood corn are true. Its seed yields three times the crop as normal corn, and often far more. Give a few seeds to your livestock, and they will strengthen and become more fertile. Give a few seeds to your children, and they will thrive. Give a few seeds to yourselves, and your women will have more healthy children, while your men will become stronger."

The High Priest raises his hand above his head and makes a fist. "But there is a price. Yun-Kax will take this girl's life in exchange for this gift, but if they decide not to restore her, there will be no more blood corn. Ever." I hear startled gasps as the High Priest raises his other hand, his palm open. "Everything depends upon you. Yun-Kax will be among us, and if you implore them, then they might, just might, return the life that Blood-Wysper will shed for you, and for your children."

For a few moments he stops speaking as he lowers his hands, surveying the crowd that has gone silent. "Remember my words after you watch the miracles performed atop this holy pyramid, on this most important of days."

The High Priest turns towards Thalia and brusquely nods. Thalia inclines her head, then unties the white robes I wear, pulling them off me and casting them aside. I stand nude in the light of the rising sun. Thalia beckons, and I lay myself down upon the stone altar, shivering at the touch of cold stone against my bare flesh. Four priests of the High Temple in Tesiphon grasp my wrists and my ankles, holding me down.

As the priests arrange me to their satisfaction, Thalia and Myra approach the effigy. From beneath their robes they each bring out a small disc, both shaped like a dragon's scale, Thalia's disc as golden as the hair on their heads while Myra's disc is deeply red as the short hair barely covering my ears. Thalia reaches up and places the golden disc in the effigy's right eye as Myra places the red one in the effigy's left. Stepping back, both begin to sing a chant that was ancient when the mighty Etruscan empire was just a league of tribes fighting the kingdom of the Romans for mastery of Italia.

Flat on my back, I sing the descant by rote. Please, any god who can hear me, let my life end, let me shed this abused body and be set free. Please, I beg you, just let me die. The pair of them circle the altar and the effigy once, then a second time, and then a third, as we sing together the words of the ancient chant.

They move to circle a fourth... there, the discs inside the effigy's eyes have begun to glow. At once, my sisters take their accustomed positions, Thalia on the corn husk statue's right side while Myra moves to stand upon its left. Our chant changes to one of welcome, one of acceptance. I dread what is to come as the High Priest moves beside the altar with the black, Artifact knife in his hand. He raises it high above his head. Then plunges it down to make the first cut.

I scream as the knife pierces the skin below my ribcage, my arms straining against the strong hands of the priests as the High Priest cuts open my flesh, then severs the connections and lifts my glowing heart into the air for all to see. The crowd gasps as one.

The normal heart beneath my ribcage continues to beat. The four priests release me as Thalia and Myra rush over, putting their hands on the wound as the priests cover my body with a red shroud. I lay with my arms and legs dangling over the sides of the stone block as the familiar feeling of warmth spreads across my belly. I want to be strong, yet cannot stop the tears rolling down my cheeks.

Their magic stops the bleeding as my body begins healing itself once again. My eyes are closed almost to slits as the High Priest carries the uplifted heart to the effigy and places it within the cupped hands before stepping back. For a moment nothing happens.

It trembles... there, the effigy is coming to life, moving with a stiff, awkward gait to the first sack of seed corn as it bends slightly with its cupped hands over the opening. The heart within is glowing reddish-gold.

The statue remains in place a few moments, but now it straightens, turning and moving towards the next large sack as the familiar rustling sound begins inside the first, as if a hundred serpents have just woken from sleep and seek to escape. The sound subsides as the effigy finishes with the second sack and moves on to the third, the second sack beginning to rustle as the first had done.

The effigy reaches the last sack and I know its magic is almost spent, for the corn husk statue is making jerking movements. It sways, and now has stopped moving altogether. The High Priest turns and motions towards the head-priest, who rushes over at once and opens one of the sacks. "Blood corn," he yells, his voice carrying across the quadrangle without benefit of the High Priest's magical device. "We have blood corn."

"At what cost?" The High Priest's voice roars as it echoes off the pyramids, his massive eunuch pushing through the priests and picking me up so the crowd can see my limp form. "Blood-Wysper is dead!"

I am too spent to do anything but lay limp in the eunuch's arms as he carries me past the priests towards the square building. Thalia and Myra begin chanting an ancient dirge of our people, which the High Priest's device projects to the crowd for a few moments as the two priestesses follow the eunuch.

As their voices fade, the High Priest raises his arms above his head. "Pray for her, people of Bukhara. Pray for the return of Blood-Wysper's life, or you will never have blood corn again, never have the blessing of Yun-Kax upon this fertile land. How many of your children will be sacrificed upon this altar to regain their favor? Pray for her, people of Bukhara, pray to Yun-Kax for the return of Blood-Wysper!"

As the eunuch carries me inside the building, people are screaming, crying, men and women both calling out to Yun-Kax to restore me as Thalia and Myra place their hands upon me once more. They draw deep upon their power, their hair shining like polished gold as they sing softly. Pain stops, their magic restoring my torn flesh as my second heart begins the slow, slow process of growing back, as it has time and time again. Their magic cannot restore my blood loss, though, and Thalia gives me a worried look. "Can you stand?" I nod, and the eunuch sets me on my feet.

Still naked as the day of my birth, I walk out of the square building, Thalia and Myra close to me on either side. The crowd is still praying, though the screaming has stopped, but the moment those sitting on top of the closest pyramid catch sight of me, they begin screaming again. 'Wysper', they began to chant, and the rest of the crowd takes it up as the three of us move to the edge of the pyramid so I can be seen. 'Wysper, Wysper, Wysper!'

"A miracle," the High Priest shouts, dropping to his knees at the edge of the pyramid as he raises his hands to the sky. "Yun-Kax has blessed this city. Yun-Kax has blessed Bukhara."

I do as I am told and fall to my knees in front of the effigy, bowing to it, even though the god within is now gone. I rise to my feet... everything starts to spin and I am beginning to sway. I think the blood loss I have endured over the last several months is finally catching up with me.

The High Priest frowns as he looks at me, rising to his feet as he taps the device in his ear so his voice can no longer be heard. "Take her down to your chambers and feed her breakfast," he says to Thalia, "then let her sleep herself out."

Thalia bows to him. "By your will." Turning away, she supports me on her arm, Myra doing the same on my other side a few moments later, and they help me walk towards the square building as the priests collect the sacks of blood corn. All the while, the crowd continues chanting my name.