Priestess

She stepped into the temple’s inner circle, where a seven sided star laid in the marble floor. In her hands, she carried a great bowl filled with five large gems. Tonight was the night between the Sun’s day and the Moon’s day, and this was an offering to the goddess honouring her role and sacrifice in creating this world.

First, the priestess placed a red gem into a bowl at one of the short sides of the seven sided star. As soon as she placed the gem, the moonlight, coming in through the glass roof, hit it and fantastical images came to life on the walls. Images of a great manticore beast playing, frolicking, and wreaking havoc all around. The priestess then walked to the next point and placed a green gem in the bowl. Again, images appeared on the walls. This time they were images of a basilisk searching with its toad eyes, digging with its clawed legs, dancing with its feathered wings on a scaled body. And so it was with each gem. Each was placed on its own point on the star and each showed its own beast in its own celebration of life. 

After all the gems were placed, two of the longest sides of the star remained empty. They were for the gods, the Sun and the Moon. The priestess laid the empty bowl at her feet in the middle of the star and sat patiently in meditation. 

The door creaked and she opened her eyes. Boberly returned. He was dressed just as ridiculously as the last time she saw him. A mismatch of plate and leather armour, apparently gathered from different sets, with an open face helmet that revealed a rather handsome man.

“Priestess!” He yelled all the way from the door “I got those gems for you.”

The priestess rose to her feet and waited until the man approached. Only then she spoke.

“Boberly, what a pleasure to see you so soon.”

Boberly reached out a hand with five blue gems “I got those gems for you.”

She graciously received the gems and thanked him by bestowing a blessing of the goddess upon him. She wanted to ask him to bring her some of the black gems, but she knew he wasn’t quite up to the task. Maybe if she’d send him to bring her the red ones, he will eventually learn enough and will actually return when she sends him for the black ones. So few had ever returned with the black ones.

She gave him his task and he went on his way. The priestess went back to her meditation. While she was in her trance, it was as though hundreds more visited the temple, each with a unique name and odd garb, but each with a clutch of gems.

Just before the sunrise, the priestess opened her eyes and looked up at the glass ceiling, waiting. When the Sun peaked out behind the horizon, its rays reached the gems and they shutter into a thousand pieces. The room filled with sparks and wondrous colours, the Sun’s rays cutting through each shard to split it into a thousand more. Then, against all laws, the tiny fragments fell up onto the glass ceiling and illuminated the temple in magnificent colours.