CHAPTER XXVII.
WE REACH EGYPLOSIS.
When I recovered my every-day senses the revolving motion of the_Aeropher_ had ceased and our flight was confined to an undulatingmovement. I was holding the hand of the goddess, who had been in ahyperaesthetic condition herself during the gyrations of the ship, andwhen feeling her senses leaving her she had involuntarily grasped myhand. Our souls had been the recipients of the same rapturous joy.
When we were once more ourselves, Lyone was anxious to know somethingof the character of the women of the outer world. I talked to herabout such women as resembled herself in spiritual fervor.
I described the Egyptian legend of Isis, the goddess of love, of life,of nature. I told her of St. Theresa, that blessed visionary, whosesoul frequently experienced those voluptuous sensations, such as mightbe experienced when expiring in raptures on the bosom of God. I spokealso of pearly Eve, to whom, ere she had eaten of the fatal fruit,every moment was a delight, every blossom a wilderness of sweets. Ispoke of Cleopatra, the haughty daughter of the Nile, the fervor ofwhose passion thickened into lust and death.
My story was interrupted by the arrival of the captain, who said:"Your holiness, we will reach Egyplosis in an hour."
"So soon," murmured the goddess.
"Is it the pleasure of your holiness that we alight at the privatesanctuary or at the grand gate?" inquired the captain.
"At the grand gate, of course," said the goddess; "we must give ourfriends a royal welcome."
The captain bowed in obedience and disappeared.
The charms of our journey grew more and more interesting. In additionto the delights of discovery, I felt the rising ambition of a greatjoy in connection with Lyone. It was a daring thought, that I mightpossibly partake of a glorious _camaraderie_ with the goddess, butwhen I thought that no stranger could possibly share a heart thatbelonged only to her own people, only to Atvatabar, I felt that Lyonewas very far off indeed.
In a land where spiritual love was the prerogative of the priestlycaste, strictly limited to the members of that caste, any priestlycondescension or favor given to those outside the pale of thepriesthood could have no meaning and was forbidden under penalty ofdeath. Of course human nature is liable to err always, and it came topass that the records of the legal tribunals of Atvatabar proved thatmany departures in soul fellowship took place between the most loyalinmates of Egyplosis and the outer inhabitants. The punishment forsuch offence to the most sacred law of Atvatabar, although terrible,was powerless to prevent such _mesalliances_ of souls.
I knew that a spark of what might prove a mighty conflagration wasalready kindled in the bosom of the goddess. It thrilled me to knowit, but only as the laws and customs of this strange country becameknown to me did I realize the tremendous risk in Lyone allowing herheart to betray any kinship, however remote, with mine. The greaterthe dignity, the greater the offence. The crime was sacrilege, and thepunishment was death by the magnic fluid.
The goddess already belonged to her faith. She was love's_religieuse_. It was a cruel thing to seek her love when I knew itwould perhaps bring her to an untimely end and stamp her name witheverlasting disgrace. On the other hand, if the goddess, knowing muchbetter than I the result of loving one not only outside of the sacredcaste, but an "outer barbarian" as well, was brave enough to incureven the risk of death on behalf of her love, would I be so cowardlyas not to follow her supreme soul even to martyrdom itself? And itmight be that we might even raise a following large enough to defeatour enemies, and end in a greater triumph than either of us ever yetexperienced.
Such were the thoughts that filled me when the aerial ship suddenlyshot out of the chasm in which we had so long travelled and emergedupon the wide circular basin of the mountains about one hundred milesin diameter. In the centre of the high valley lay an immense lake, inwhose centre stood a large island, everywhere visible from the shores,whereon stood the sacred palace of Egyplosis, the many-templed collegeof souls. We saw its pale green, gleaming walls rising from a tropicalforest of dark green trees. Its gold and crystal domes reflected thesunlight dazzlingly, making the palace plainly visible all over thatwide valley.
Egyplosis was a little city composed of an immense quadrangle, thesupernal palace together with the subterranean infernal palace. Thesupernal palace was of enormous dimensions, being a square mile inextent, and was composed of over a hundred temples and palaces risinghigh in the air, the chief seat of soul worship in Atvatabar, and thehome of twice ten thousand priests and priestesses.
The infernal palace consisted of one hundred subterranean temples andlabyrinths, all sculptured, like the supernal palace, out of theliving rock, and situated directly underneath it.
Our course lay in a direct line across the noble valley. It was themost diversified part of the country we had yet crossed, being brokenup into hills and valleys, glens and precipices, fields and forests,lakes, islands and gardens, all composing a region of bewilderingbeauty.
The emotions awakened by my near approach to this strange place werekeen and exciting. Now for the first time in history its mystery wasabout to be disclosed to alien eyes from the outer world.
Soon after entering the park we saw, some fifty miles to the north,the ship containing the sailors rapidly approaching Egyplosis. It hadalso escaped destruction by the cyclone, having doubtless followed usdown the canyon we sought refuge in.
It was a new sensation to float bird-like over the enchanted fields inthis most mysterious of worlds, toward a spot that has no prototype onearth.
A multitude of domes and crenelated walls grew into immenseproportions beneath the boundless light. Egyplosis possessed in itspalaces the enchanted calm of Hindoo and Greek architecture, togetherwith the thrilling ecstasy of Gothic shrines. Blended with theseprecious qualities there was a poetic generalization of the mightyactivities of modern civilization. It was the home of spiritual andphysical empire.
I wondered greatly what Eleusinian mysteries its courts contained. Iwas indeed another Hercules visiting the realms of Pluto and thegarden of Proserpine in quest of the immortal fruits of knowledge.Would I be successful in my quest, and bear back to the outer worldsome magical secret its nations would be glad to know?
Finally, we saw the clear and marvellous palace close at hand.
LYONE WAS BORNE ON A LITTER FROM THE AERIAL SHIP TO THEPALACE.]
A hundred banners floated from its walls, and music from an army ofneophytes on its towers saluted us.
The _Aeropher_ swept over the lake, and, reaching the island, alightedon a marble causeway leading to the grand entrance of the palace. Athousand wayleals stood ranged on either side as a guard of honor. Wehad left the forest that largely covers the island, and on either handstretched gardens of rainbow-colored flowers, and here and therefountains sparkled in the sunny air.
Lyone seemed the impersonation of divine loveliness as she was bornein a litter from the aerial ship to the palace. On her head sparkledthe bird of yearning, typical of hopeless love.
The high priest Hushnoly and the priestess Zooly-Soase of the supernalpalace and the grand sorcerer Charka and the grand sorceress Thouboolof the infernal palace, surrounded by the chief priests andpriestesses, magicians, sorcerers, wizards, theosophists,spiritualists, etc., gave us a royal welcome, and were jubilant at thereturn of the supreme goddess to Egyplosis.