The four-horse carriage slows to a stop at the shut gates of the north entrance of the College of the Third Moon, the tall, spiked iron bars are polished to a mirror sheen, and a depiction of the phases of Luhnylla’s Great Moon holds the bars together.

  Two men, Watchmen of Our Lady [1], step out from the large stone guard booth and make their way to the center of the gates. Their dark blue capes, embroidered with a lunar design similar to that of the gate, ripple in the wind blowing off the caldera lake, the fabric flowing behind the black armor.

  Pulling from the full moon, which doubles as the handles, the gates swing smoothly open. With the gates fully open, the Watchmen slam the talons of their halberds against the stone path, the sign to Anten W?cther, the Herst’s coachman, to proceed through.

  The horses pull the carriage through the gates and towards the large stone stables. Anten pulls on the reigns, stopping the horses, and the ostlers quickly detach the horses and lead them into stalls.

  Dyder jumps down from the driver’s box, opening the coach doors for the three women inside. Ede and Enlynn step out first, holding the makeup trunks. ?nnywella, stopping first to grind her cigarette out in the ashtray, follows shortly behind them. Dyder steps into the carriage and takes the box containing the crown from the back seat.

  The group hurriedly crosses the stone path and walks across the grass to a small building attached to, but not interiorly connected to, the museum. Dyder grasps the brass handle of the old door, its iron bindings rusted over. Twisting and pushing, it opens with a creak. He takes the lead, descending the old stone steps first.

  The tunnels beneath the College of the Third Moon smell of earthy, damp stone, and are dimly lit by wall sconces. The poor lighting does little to help with visibility, instead casting long, flickering shadows around the many corners and against the lichen-covered gray stone.

  A soft splash comes from around the corner, followed by another, the sound of Eue-Lysae's bare feet stepping in small puddles echoing off the walls.

  Dyder's hand goes to his sword as he watches the figure round the corner, its shadow being thrown every which way.

  With a wooden clack, the sigil lantern held in the High Priestess’s calloused hands ignites, casting an orange glow across her light green eyes, fading olive tan, and bottomless glower.

  High Priestess Eue-Lysae Gyrshke Seliani is a tall, burly woman, who—like most Ianyans—towers over ?nnywella.

  She wears little jewelry: a long, silver linshkh going between a hoop in her right nostril to the bar pierced through the helix of her right ear, and a large Tri-Lunar Dial [2], which hangs from her neck, dangling down to her navel.

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  Clad in the Gown of Our Pale Lady [3], she has it cinched tightly around her waist with a simple black leather belt. The millennium-old wedding gown’s deep v-neck—which caused nearly all the high priestesses before her to refuse to wear the gown outside of rituals—strains under the breadth of her shoulders.

  Even though the courtship between her and Dyder had ended nearly a decade prior, she still kept some hobbies and habits she had picked up from the Captain of the Queen’s Guard.

  “11:00—excellent timing; follow me.” Eue-Lysae motions to Dyder’s hand. “We have no need of that, Dyder.”

  Dyder's hand returns to rest at his side. “Apologies, High Priestess Seliani.”

  Eue-Lysae does not respond to Dyder, but the formal nature of his reply irritates her. Turning, she leads the group through the tunnels. “Gekaryna, I’m sure you are aware of the order of the rites?”

  “Yes, I am.” ?nnywella watches the silhouette of the High Priestess’s legs cast against the silk skirt of the gown. The bole-like nature of Gyrshke’s upper legs never fails to baffle ?nnywella—she is certain they are larger than her waist.

  “Excellent.”

  “I’ve got a question.” Enlynn says.

  “And what might that be?” Eue-Lysae gives Konst?nze a brief glance over her shoulder.

  “What was the point of the processional gown and the make-up if you’re just going to throw her in a white robe, drown her, and then bleed her for all to see?”

  “The heir apparent must look presentable on her way to the coronation.”

  “The shutters of the coach were closed.” Enlynn raps her knuckles against the damp air of the tunnel as if the wooden shutters were next to her.

  “We’re also in a tunnel.” Ede adds meekly.

  “Silence, Konst?nze; would you rather work as a barmaid in the Commoners' District?” ?nnywella sighs, raising her eyebrows and side-eyeing the lady-in-waiting.

  “Sometimes.” Enlynn says wryly. The thought of being the center of attention appeals to her greatly.

  ?nnywella doesn’t respond; instead, she sucks her teeth, knowing exactly what the woman is thinking.

  Eue-Lysae scoffs at Enlynn’s response.

  The group ascends a grand set of stone stairs. Frequent foot traffic wore down the fronts, and the brass railings had long since lost their luster.

  Eue-Lysae turns the lantern off. Pulling the half-used wooden disk free from the sigil, she hangs both from their respective hooks on the wall. She pulls the iron-bound door open, leading the group into the halls of the college's main building.

  Footnotes

  [1] The private guards of The City of the First Moon, The Temple of the Second Moon, and The College of the Third Moon. Typically orphaned boys who are trained to be elite soldiers from a very young age.

  [2] A Tri-Lunar Dial is a moon phase watch that shows the phase of all three moons (The Pale Maiden, Luhnylla’s Great Moon, and The Crone's Glass Eye). It consists of three apertures, three sub-dials, and a single, shared astronomical sky disk (depending on how much one is willing to pay, constellations can be painted on the sky disk). Tri-Lunar Dials are rarely seen in the hands of anyone besides ordained high priestesses of Luhnylla because of the cost (the price to have one made usually falls between five hundred and seven hundred full-gold coins). In most cases, these Tri-Lunar Dials are passed down by inheritance; if one were to be commissioned, the price would usually be paid by a noble family, and the Tri-Lunar Dial would be donated to a temple or college. Here, the one owned by the High Priestess of the College of the Three Moons Eue-Lysae Gyrshke Seliani was built in 0247EotG by master watchmaker Saen Suhnyl (b. 27/13/0186 EotG, d. 18/07/0255 EotG) and was donated by Els Gekaryna Herst III (b. 01/01/0220 EotG, d. 26/07/0264 EotG) as a gift to the college.

  [3] The enchanted gown of Gyselle ?nnywella Fyan (b. 06/11/4967 EotTS, d. 05/09/4999 EotTS). Typically worn as ceremonial wear of the High Priestess of Luhnylla.