The Shadow of the Moon-Lydia's Tale

Chapter Ten

They led Lydia through into the mass of tents, the children vying with each other to hold her hand, Tekinon providing a brisk commentary on the ins and outs of their arrival. Instantly a cacophony of noise rose up around them, the high shrieks of children running in and out of the narrow alleys between the canvas shelters, scolding women, gruff voices arguing about the placement of tents and campfires. As they pushed their way through the masses people turned and stared at her as they had done with Faulke a few days earlier in Kar'rak. Instinctively she found herself shrinking closer to the bulky figure of Tekinon, afraid of becoming detached from him in the bewildering maze of tents 

'Where are they all from?' she shouted over the noise. 

'From Kar'ark , Sho'ronz and Lev'vel on the ridge and the towns further up the valley. All around. Many are waiting for you by the Temple.' 

'I don't understand, how did they all get here so quickly? There must be thousands of people here?'  

'There is always a festival at the birth of the new moon, it is today. Traditionally our people come to the craters rim to watch, but when they heard of your request for help they came here instead. It is an auspicious day Lydia, your call for the rebuilding could not have been timed better. More will come to help rebuild the Nergalrhod's home as the message spreads further into the Plains of the Dead and to the inhabitants of Mountains of the Sky beyond.'  

On the edge on the main encampment the ranks of tents dissipated. A temporary market had been set up, fruit and vegetables were strewn over the ground on large cloths and carcasses of animals hissed and sizzled as they slowly rotated on spits over the ruby embers of huge glowing fires. Everywhere robust silver haired men escorted women wearing long plaids and glittering makeup that caught the weak rays of the sun. In spaces between the stalls spectators gathered to watch tumblers and sweating wrestlers covered in the ashen sand. The air rung with music, shouting, jeering. She paused and watched a pair of hooded men barter over the price of a two headed hawk before being gently led away by Tekinon. A gaggle of giggling women, draped in thick robes, protection against the all-consuming dust fell silent as they passed, turning their strange pearl covered faces and jet eyes toward her. Some of the women drew their hands together and tipped their fingers at her as she passed. 

'What does that mean?' She made the sign she had seen. 'This?' 

'It's a sign of respect, usually given to women of high status.' 

Outside the heaving market they came upon temporary corrals packed full of the sturdy hexapedes she'd seen around Kar'rak. Every few minutes the trembling of the ground announced the arrival of more and more horsemen. The riders, long haired, wild eyed, attired in bright breastplates carrying short metal lances pounded at alarming speed out of the desert in groups of ten or twenty on steeds with coats laden thick with dust.  

They made their way around the animals to the temples entrance archway. Helped by Tekinon Lydia scrambled up on large tumbled stone promontory. Placing her hands over her eyes to shield her eyes from the radiance of the sun Lydia gasped. From her vantage point she realised the crowd was much, much larger then she'd imagined, and was expanding all the time. Many had followed her through the encampment and now spilled out on to the cracked flagstones in between the colonnade of pillars in front of the temples entrance. A wide sea of expectant silver heads rippled and dipped in front of them. 

'You need to take your helmet off Lydia so they know it's you. That's why they have come -to see you.' Tekinon held up his hands and shouted. 'The Arkha is here, listen to her words. See what I have told you is true. She is here now .The circle begins to close.'  

Reluctantly Lydia removed her helmet and waited for the sting in her lungs. It didn't come. Tasting the warm air again and the bitter ash on her tongue she dropped her helmet to the ground. She took a deep breath. She had done this before, she could do it again. 'Thank you all for coming. Your god, the Nergalrhod has asked you to rebuild her temple. For her you must rebuild the temple. Please this is what she has asked me to tell you.' 

She looked round to Tekinon for reassurance. Her voice had been shaking as she spoke. He nodded, lifted his hand and pointed out across the desert. 

As they watched the edge of the new moon appeared over the far side of the crater, a vivid disc of rose gold that captured the sun's rays and threw them back illuminating the temple in a soft ruddy scarlet hue of light. As the moon gently lifted itself from the horizon Lydia watched entranced as the reflected light of the sun's rays off the moon flooded the temple. The ethereal light chased away the noise over the camp, slowly extinguishing it until nothing but an eerie silence remained. She sensed a change in the air, a strange almost supernatural coldness fell over her. She shivered and looked enquiring at Tekinon. 

Then slowly, as one, almost as if the move had been rehearsed the crowd in front of the temple went down on one knee and bowed their heads. 

'What's happening?' stammered Lydia 

'They think you are the Arkha.' 

'The Arkha?' She looked bewildered across the sea of bowed heads. 

'Look the moon rises,' Tekinon pointed to the horizon. 'It is the time of rebirth, soon the Nergalrhod will walk amongst us again.' 

'The Arkha? What does it mean?' 

'It means prophet.' 

'No, no listen to me I'm not the Arkha,' she turned and waved her hands. 'Please get up.' 

'It is foretold that the Arkha would arrive from the skies and prophesise the coming of the Nergalrhod. We will rebuild the temple and the Nergalrhod will be reborn.'  

'I'm not the prophet. You need to tell them that.' 

'They believe you are Lydia, if you wish the temple to be rebuilt you must accept that.' 

A dark shadow flashed over them. Looking up Lydia caught the movement of a silhouette shooting across the electric pink sky high above them. The silence shattered as a sonic boom hit them, the noise elevated by the surrounding temple walls. Faulke! Lydia watched his ship tracked around again before slowly descended into an open area of ground beyond the corrals. As the wail of the engines died the tall figure of Faulke jumped from the cockpit and looked about him. Seeing Lydia standing on the rocky outcrop of fallen stones he made his way quickly toward her. 

In one bound Faulke had jumped up on the stones and looked around them. 'By the ...... !' Faulke faltered. 'Put your helmet ... Oh never mind. Get you gear Lydia and tell the others to get theirs. You're coming back with me to The Revenge where you can do less damage.'

As they threw their kit bags into the small cabin in Faulke's ship Nape glared at her with 'I told you so' look on his face but looking warily at Faulke said nothing.  

'You lot in the cabin area. Lydia you're behind me.' Faulke ordered before unceremoniously bundling Lydia into the jockey seat behind him. 

The ship's engines roared into life pushing out a sea of black sand into the watching crowd. Clothes flapping wildly in the down thrust they turned away covering their faces against the blast. The ship jolted heavily making Lydia grasp the edge of her seat as an angry Faulke pushed the ship straight up into the lightening sky.  

Speeding away from the planet's surface, Lydia looked down at the open expanse of the dark crater below them. Long trails of brightly coloured caravans, beasts laden with packs, tied nose to tail to each other poured over the ridge from the towns crowning the craters edge. Large groups of horseman, breastplates gleaming in the moonlight swept over the blackened earth throwing up towers of whirling dust high into the air high above them. Lumbering beasts hauling wagons shaped like beetle shells with riders perched precariously on their shoulders cracking long thin whips over their heads drifted slowly across the plain. The mass of movement ran like a giant spiders web across the crater drawing the hordes toward the temple in an ever increasing dark mass of people and animals.  

Faulke twisted in his seat and looked back at her, 'You've started something here Lydia, I hope to god you know what you're doing.'