Bellica Agate has been ordered to travel to Southland to negotiate with the army of Gypsies and their Queen that have laid siege to the province. She decides to pray at the temple before leaving.
Ixchel had no temples, no buildings of stone or wood; She did not even have a place in the services offered at the Temple. Agate doubted any of the priestesses even knew of Her.
In fact, no one in Athering knew of the Rainbow-Moon Goddess. Agate had learned that well as a child. So she’d kept her worship hidden, a secret – even let her wedding ceremony be a Paixemortienne one, as Damien had wished. It was best no one thought her crazy, or worse – a traitor.
At the end of her prayer she felt the faint flutter of butterfly wings against her forehead, and she looked up to see the insect that had greeted her. There was nothing but empty air. She smiled, knowing her Goddess spoke to her once again after many years of silence, and felt her spirits lifted slightly at the thought of going home.
Home, after all, was closer to Ixchel than Atherton or Harbourtown had ever been.
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Lovely snippet. :-)
ReplyDeleteSmiled at the butterfly...it's nice when the Goddess sends one of beautiful creatures to say hello.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I like the idea of animals as divine messengers, too. :)
DeleteFun little snippet...definitely gives a sense of the character.
ReplyDeleteOh, good. :) I'm finding Agate is very tightly woven, and the farther I get in her story, the more she comes unraveled and the more I learn about her.
DeleteCool touch with the butterfly. Looking forward to seeing more from this work :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you! And I'm hoping to get Jade Star published this year, so more should be seen in the coming months. :)
DeleteNeat snippet. You get a feel for the character and her world. Like the butterfly touch.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad! Thank you.
DeleteInteresting snippet, you've made me want to read more. It's good when Goddesses send messages... :)
ReplyDeleteYay! This is what I love to hear. :)
DeleteI like the subtle touch with the butterfly. But now I'm wondering what happened to cause Ixchel's worship to be kept a secret in the first place. Intriguing!
ReplyDeleteAh, well, Ixchel is not an Atherian Goddess, and while Agate has lived most of her life within Athering's borders, she's not fully Atherian either...and Athering is not entirely up to speed with neighboring nations' religious practices. ;)
DeleteBeautiful way to evoke a mood in this piece, moving us through the character's eyes from loneliness to hope. Loved the symbolism of the butterfly--very appropriate for Ixchel.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I try to keep true to the spirit of the Goddesses I write about, even if I do take liberties with Their myths and characters. I feel I have to -- a new world may have the deities of Old Earth, but They will change necessarily from the move, and new beings will come to be worshiped as well. It's a delicate balance to walk.
DeleteYes, I see foreshadowing here. Contacted by the Goddess once again, her purpose for being will be realized. (Can’t hide that light forever, girl.)
ReplyDeleteOoooh, right on! :)
DeleteOoh! Very nice. I concur - love the touch with the butterfly..
ReplyDeleteThank you. :)
DeleteTo everyone: thank you! Your comments have been so lovely that they've galvanized me to start work on this WIP again and hopefully get it done and published this year.
ReplyDelete