CHAPTER LIV.
REINCARNATION.
The grand sorcerer Charka and his guard had with reverend flight bornethe body of their goddess Lyone to the palace of souls, mourning thedeath of their adored, who had been so precious, so beautiful, soholy.
The high priestess and the grand sorceress, together with the priestsand priestesses of Egyplosis, on hearing of the death of Lyone,departed at once for Egyplosis, to mourn the death of their goddess.
Lyone was dead!
Ah me! what was triumph then, without my soul of souls to share itsdelights? The blessed cup of joy, quivering to the brim, was about totouch my yearning lips when it was dashed aside by a treacherous hand.Well might the crownless Bhoolmakar laugh in whatever damnable retreathe had retired to! His revenge was complete.
Oh, the pity of it! The young, the adorable, the divine soul who wasjust about to remount her throne to receive a purer adoration from herpeople; she who was to be queen of Atvatabar, slain treacherously,within sight of the Bormidophia, wherein she had so long beenworshipped.
It was impossible for me to remain longer on the field of battle. Iwanted to fling myself on that once happy form and kiss her death-coldlips!
I left Coltonobory and his surrendered army in the hands of thesupreme general Hushnoly, and started at once for Egyplosis. As mywings devoured the leagues of air I thought, was this the climax forwhich I fought? I flew along with none to share my torture. My heartwas rent wide open, and in my agony I rolled upon the air as I flew,for brain and soul seemed an ocean of fire.
I arrived at Egyplosis full of anguish. With quivering lips andburning tears I staggered into the portal that led to the subterraneanpalace where I knew my loved one was laid. I silently entered themagnificent abode of the sorcerer, horror-stricken with despair.
Suddenly, beyond the labyrinth I heard a golden sound, the sound ofthat blessed bell that once before rolled its waves of delight over myspirit. I stood leaning against a pillar, dissolved in its bewitchingmoans, luxuriating in the Agapamone of music breathed from thedelirious bronze. I heard wafted from the mysterious temple therefrain of thousands of voices chanting a ritual of love and peace.The multitudinous sound seemed so soft and so thrilling, so powerfuland so holy, that I was eager to know if such burden of love was thesorrowing passion of the twin-souls in honor of their dead goddess.
I saw through the open doors of the temple a moving throng oftwin-souls, swaying in masses hither and thither, with naked feet onthe aquelium floor. On every forehead burned an electric star, givinga spectral flush to the scene. That was the singing multitude I hadheard, the hierophants of the holy soul.
As my eyes grew accustomed to the objects before me, I saw theinterior of the temple, on whose sculptured walls and roof roses wovenof smouldering electric fires revealed their burning bloom. Wires ofplatinum, terrelium, and aquelium had been woven into a filagree ofroses, with leaves and stems made red hot by the electric current.High above the sculptured dado rose strange windows of illuminatedglass, in colors sad and brilliant, made visible by thousands ofelectric lights hidden in the sculptured recesses behind each window.The subject of each jewelled pane was a tableau of reincarnation, inwhich the figures of sorcerers and magicians, robed in splendidattire, gave life to beings that had died.
The frieze was one continual blaze of color, formed also of enamelledglass emblazoned with life-sized processional figures and illuminatedwith incandescent lights.
In a distant part of the temple, on a terrelium pedestal, I again sawa monster of gold, with a terrible head and outstretched wings.
As I surveyed this stupendous figure, I discovered that it held inits fore paws an immense helix of terrelium wire, ten feet in lengthand nine feet in diameter. One end of the wire was joined to tenthousand wires, whose extremities, terminating in terrelium wands,were held by the twin-souls. Each priest held a wand in his righthand, and each priestess a wand in her left, and their disengaged armswere wound around one another's waists.
The other end of the voluminous wire forming the helix terminated inthe rivet of an enormous spring that held a circular rheotome close tothe circular mouth of the helix.
On a pedestal level with the upheld battery, reached by a spiralstairway, stood the grand sorcerer Charka, robed in tissues of whitesilk and golden embroidery. An assistant priest turned a wheel thatmoved a screw point toward the spring of the rheotome. The moment thescrew point touched the spring, the circular plate over the heart ofthe helix began to vibrate audibly. Another turn of the screw, and avital thrill filled the temple with its sonorous music.
I then knew that all that mysterious structure with its terreliumwires was an immense spiritual battery, charged with the life and loveof ten thousand souls. The vital fluid, generated in the yearnings ofideal love, flooded the helix with its vitality and induced amagnetism of life that made the rheotome vibrate with emotion, untilthe whole temple shook with the thrilling sound.
The priests and priestesses sang their ritournels of passion and love,and the grand sorcerer waved his wand over the monster's head. It wasthen the thought of Lyone filled my soul with a terrible yearning.
Where was her hapless body? Was this feast of passion that I beheldher obsequies, or could it be some occult incantation to raise herfrom the dead?
The thought fired my brain with madness! Oh, that it might be possiblefor her to live again, if only for one hour, that she might hear ofvictory! All at once I seemed to know that Lyone was laid in the heartof the helix held by the hehorrent. I knew, oh, I knew that thespectacle I beheld was the ceremony of reincarnation. I knew that thegoddess was being swathed with currents of life from her votaries. HowI blessed those living batteries, so faithful in their glorious work!How I blessed the adorable sorcerer who conducted this preciousministry of life, who focussed the love of thrilling souls upon theperson of their goddess!
I stood transfixed to the floor, watching with straining eyes thoseflamens of life perform their ritual of reincarnation. The air of thetemple grew warm as blood, and infinitely holy. Soft and piercingmusic rose from unseen chambers of the temple, which, mingling withthe blessed storm of life that beat upon the mouth of the helix,seemed to whirl away my senses.
The first circle of souls around the dragon comprised the votaries ofBishano, or Sorcery; Hielano, or Magic; Nidialano, or Astrology;Padamano, or Soothsaying.
The second circle embraced the adepts of Niano, or Witchcraft;Redohano, or Wizardry; Biccano, or the Oracle; Kielano, or Augury;Tocderano, or Prophecy; Jiracano, or Geomancy; Jocdilano, orNecromancy.
The third circle embraced the hierophants of Orphitano, orConjuration; Orielano, or Divination; Pridano, or Clairvoyance;Ecthyano, or Mesmerism; Cideshano, or Electro-Biology; Omdolophano, orTheosophy; Bishanamano, or Spiritualism.
How shall I describe the spell of that hour? Glimmering figures, cladin robes of finest gossamer of the rarest colors, powderings andembroiderings, sang the songs of pained and enraptured sensibility.
They loved, they wept, they supplicated Harikar!
I saw twin-souls embrace in infinite tenderness, and again withecstatic enthusiasm. It was a sea of supernatural emotion. It was anabyss of affection, filled with a whirlwind of bold, delicate,enormous love.
A _religieuse_ of Tocderano shouted, "She will live again!"
A priest of Biccano sang, "She will be born again of mystical,chivalrous love!"
As the enraptured host sang of life and love, I felt a millionexaggerations of the delicacies of emotion. I felt as though fannedwith warm winds blowing over wildernesses of flowers. I heard themultiplied splendor of bells, roaring like the soft vociferations offar-off tropic seas. I heard music ineffably tender and sublime,wailing its intoxicating melodies. I saw strange illuminationsdissolve in never-ceasing explosions of color on the glorifiedwindows. I saw upon the floor endless arabesques of twin-souls,fantastically entangled and unrolled.
Suddenly the temple shook with an explosion of sound that seemed theconcentrated ma
dness of drums and organs and bells; the roaring of therheotome grew deafeningly louder, mingling with a strange shiveringsound, such as is produced by the suddenly transfixed wheels of aflying locomotive, tearing the metals into a hissing blaze. From themouth of the hehorrent streamed a blaze of fire. I looked where thesorcerer stood----
Heavens and earth! He was holding Lyone in his arms, alive from theliving battery! Lyone, the peerless soul of souls, alive once more andtriumphant over death!
The temple whirled around me rapid as fire, and I fell to the groundinsensible with joy!