The two full moons hang high in the starry, cloudless sky. Luhnylla's Great Moon casts down a blue moonlight, bright enough to paint the balcony-courtyard entirely in blue tones, subjugating the natural colors of the plants, stones, and people.

  Eue-Lysae Gyrshe Seliani stands in the center of the ornate marble paver medallion. Patiently, solemnly, she watches her Tri-Lunar Dial as the small moonstone representations of the three moons move across the inlaid sapphire sky—25:55. The cover of the hunter-case snaps shut with a click; and she carefully places the large silver time-piece at rest at the end of its chain.

  She motions for Gekaryna to exit the hall.

  ?nnywella Gekaryna Herst obliges and steps out into the night. The three priestesses are to her right, and her staff is on the left; all standing off the stone pathways, in the grass.

  The cobblestones are cold beneath her feet as she walks out onto the balcony-courtyard. The white ritual robe she wears flows with the chilly night air. More ornate than the gown from the rites, the silver embroidery on the hems catches the moonlight. Her long, layered auburn hair is tied into a high bun, and the curled side bangs—too short to be pulled back—flutter in the wind.

  ?nnywella walks towards Gyrshke. The two moons cast a long shadow of the High Priestess across the stones. The Gown of Our Pale Lady, shows its true beauty in the blue moonlight. Thick silver embroidery, depicting the creation myth of the moons, lines the hem of the deep V neckline. Both sleeves descend from ruffled shoulders, falling into four tucks stitched in place with metallic silver thread before narrowing at the cuffs. The gown emits a gentle, light-blue pearlescent hue, which seems to radiate from her silhouette—something which ?nnywella has not noticed until now and assumes is an effect of the full moon. Gyrshke's ceremonial sash is now looped behind her back, around her upper arms, and she holds the ends in her hands.

  Eue-Lysae brushes stray long black hairs, blown loose from the fringes of her braid by the wind, back up across her head, carefully avoiding the chain linshkh. She looks over to Franheska, the apothecary, who seems distracted. Eue-Lysae clears her throat. "The potion."

  Floryana, who was fidgeting with her feet in annoyance with the texture of the grass, snapped to attention.

  She hurriedly hands a tall, thin, corked, hexagonal glass bottle filled with a murky, dark blue liquid to Gekaryna.

  Bowing again, Floryana's silver-rimmed glasses fall from her nose, pulling taut the matching glasses chain.

  ?nnywella uncorks the bottle and drinks the contents. The dark blue liquid tastes bitter and earthy, similar to raw beets; disgusted by the taste, she promptly swallows it. Re-corking the empty bottle, she places it at Franheska’s feet and continues to the High Priestess.

  Eue-Lysae helps Gekaryna to her knees and smiles. "You will be feeling the effects any moment."

  The High Priestess is correct; the potion starts to take effect shortly after Gyrshke lets go of ?nnywella’s hand. Looking up at the two moons, she watches the occultation of Luhnylla’s Great Moon [1] by the Pale Maiden [2]. The moons are nearly centered above the spire of her bedchamber, their colors more vibrant than she has ever seen before, pockmarks breathe in time with her.

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  The High Priestess's hands appear in front of her eyes, obscuring the moons—this disappoints ?nnywella greatly.

  Eue-Lysae fully opens Gekaryna’s eyelids, looking at her pupils, watching as they dilate. She nods and backs away.

  ?nnywella watches pearlescent after-images follow Gyrshke as she steps away.

  Eue-Lysae motions to her priestesses.

  Faey, Enngel, and Gilg leave their spot on the grass and approach ?nnywella. Faey holds a small clutch of matches; Enngel and Gilg both hold a single cream-colored, scented, ceremonial candle [3].

  Gently, Faey takes ?nnywella’s arms, moving them so ?nnywella's palms are facing up and level with her head.

  Enngel and Gilg place the candles in ?nnywella’s palms and return to the grass.

  Faey begins striking matches on the pathway. After three matches, she successfully lights one. She covers it with her hand, guarding it from the chilly night winds. Lighting the candles, she returns to the others. The scent of chamomile slowly infuses the night air.

  ?nnywella watches Gyrshke as she turns around to face the moons. ?nnywella stares at her black, braided hair; the small pieces of silver jewelry and blue gems woven into it fascinate her with their flowing, new colors.

  Eue-Lysae lifts the Tri-Lunar Dial from around her neck. Clicking open the case, she looks at the reading, then to the moons, double-checking their reading—they have aligned.

  "Luhnylla, guide this lost soul before me to K?spyra, grant her knowledge of what will come to pass." Eue-Lysae's voice is quiet. She backs up to the far end of the balcony, leaning against cold stone balustrades.

  ?nnywella watches as Luhnylla steps out from the streams of moonlight. She is similarly dressed to the rest of the women, barefoot and in a white robe—though her robe is less ornate, to the point where it could be thought of as a white silk bedsheet. Standing slightly taller than Floryana, her skin is a perfect alabaster, radiating a barely noticeable pale-blue hue, similar to Eue-Lysae’s gown. Straight, layered black hair runs down to the small of her back. Her robe and hair were perfectly still, unaffected by the wind.

  Luhnylla looms above Gekaryna, gazing upon the new queen with starry black pupils. Slowly, with grace, she folds her dress behind her legs and descends to her knees. In unison, she moves her hands above the burning candles. Pressing her forehead against Gekaryna’s, her fingers snap shut, and smoke dissipates from the snuffed wicks.

  It still seems funny to Luhnylla that after all these centuries, the Ianyans have yet to change their rituals. If Gyrshke were to simply ask nicely, she would take part without the offerings—but just for the Hersts; she has, of course, told her this, on multiple occasions, but Gyrshke, as always declines, telling Luhnylla the rituals are sacrosanct, or that she finds solace in the austerity.

  Gekaryna loses consciousness and collapses face-first into Luhnylla's lap; gently, she strokes the new queen's head.

  The candles in ?nnywella's palms fall off, rolling away.

  The priestesses hurriedly run over; Enngel and Gilg pick up ?nnywella; Faey gathers the candles. The rest of the group falls in around the goddess; before they have a chance to speak to her, Luhnylla vanishes with a smile.

  Footnotes

  [1] Ianyan ceremonial candles are made of a one-to-one mixture of tallow and beeswax. They can be scented, usually with the oils of plants associated with the chosen deity. Here—where one wishes to commune with Luhnylla on a full-moon(s)—mugwort and chamomile are used.

  [2] Luhnylla’s Great Moon is the largest of the three moons, to such a degree that it dominates the night sky. On nights when it is full, it provides a similar level of visibility as a day with a heavy overcast. Luhnylla’s Great Moon has an orbit of 252 days.

  [3] The Pale Maiden is the second smallest of the three moons. The Ianyan Calender of 13 maidens and 28 days per maiden is based on its orbit.