Chapter 27: Ceremony of The Mark
Weeks passed by in a blur of activity: The entire Furyan society was reverting back to its roots. The priesthood was gathering once more under the High Priestess Shirah, and the remaining Elders were finally beginning to work for the people as their governing body. Though they were allowed to remain in government, they were under the close and constant watch of the citizens of Furya who refused to let the Elders begin again the tyrannical reign that the Riddick had ended. The planet was once again in the hands of the people.
Riddick spent much of his time with Shirah, learning about Furyan history, the way the government was run by the people and how the priesthood served the people. He spent all of his free time with Kyra, rebuilding the army: Men and women from all across the planet had gathered at the capitol city volunteering once more to fight. All the volunteers were busy for the time being, repairing and rebuilding the training facility for themselves and the warriors yet to come. Many old men and women came forward offering to train the new, younger generation of warriors. Both Riddick and Kyra felt more at ease with the warriors and so they spent much of their time with them, helping with the rebuilding or watching as the teachers gave pointers to the inexperienced fighters in their unprompted sparring matches.
Farmers were busy replanting the fields some of the Elders und Declan had long ago blocked off from them and used as their own personal farms. Soon food would not be a problem for anyone and everyone would be able to eat their own produce as well as buy and sell it in the newly rebuilt marketplace.
Slowly, but steadily, Furya was becoming whole again.
One of the most important things that still needed to be done was the empowering of the priesthood. Thirty years ago the priesthood had fallen apart after their High Priestess, Shirah, had left the planet with the Necromongers and afterwards the Elders made sure that they had squashed all remaining vestiges of it, believing it to be a threat to their new order.
As Shirah had told Riddick, the High Priest or Priestess held within their grasp the heart, the power, of the Furyan world. This energy glowed on the chest of Furyan adults, when it was needed, as their mark. It was a reminder of who they were, who they belonged to and offered a way to recognize each other in battle. The priesthood was the protector of that energy. Now that the High Priestess was back, Furya would once again be in possession of its own power; it would once again be in control of its own destiny.
The evening fell soft and warm upon the city. A sense of excitement filled the air. Men, women, and children crowded around the temple; filling the courtyard and overflowing into the streets. The Ceremony of the Mark was about to take place.
Shirah walked forward out of the temple to the marble pillar standing tall in front of the wide, sweeping stairs. She looked out over the thousands of faces raised towards her. She waited, standing regally in her blood red robes. Finally, as the night began to fall and darkness covered the people, the second moon rose over the horizon. She looked towards the East and there a large, yellow moon hung heavily over the horizon, making its slow descent. Towards the West she saw a sharp, white crescent moon that was just beginning its dance through the sky. It was time.
She began chanting softly, both hands resting against her chest, tenderly lying upon her mark. Silence fell on the crowd; even the wild animals in the forest beyond the city walls seemed to have hushed in honor of the moment.
Shirah's chanting grew louder, creating a primal rhythm. The moon sunk lower on the Eastern horizon; slowly it dipped behind the mountains; now it was only a thin yellow slice. Then it fell below the horizon.
As soon as the moon dipped out of sight, Shirah stepped forward and placed her hands on the smooth, white pillar. A blue light traced over her body like electricity, emanating from her mark. It traveled down her arms and through her hands into the pillar. The crowd watched as the light arched and danced over its surface.
Suddenly it seemed to explode upward! With the sound of a rushing wind, the lights danced straight up into the sky. Fields of energy pulsed from Shirah and the pillar and slowly arched out from the pillar of light, creating a web of bright blue energy that spread and rippled along the atmospheric layers, covering the planet in its embrace.
After several minutes the web brightened and swirled as it completed its casing over the planet, masking the stars from sight. The pillar of light gently disappeared and the canopy slowly faded, leaving only the marble pillar glowing with energy.
Shirah stepped back, exhausted, and looked back over the people. Their marks were glowing, lightly illuminating their faces. Taking a deep breath, she spoke. "As the old moon has disappeared over the horizon, a new moon has risen. So let the past thirty years fall away and be replaced with the new. We are once again a strong people with strong leaders, and we are united under the mark. Together we will rebuild. Together we will fight. Together we will be strong. Together we are Furya."
The crowd roared its approval, and music erupted from all around as a celebration began that would last well into the night.
Riddick and Kyra stood out of sight, just inside the temple walls. Neither of them spoke. Words were unnecessary. They weren't the type to be stirred by a speech. They weren't the kind of people to be a part of a crowd. Too much had happened to them throughout their lives to be able to join in easily with other people. Trust didn't grow quickly for either of them. Though they had accepted leading these people, and though they had pledged to fight for them, they hadn't given up their independence. They held onto that as hard as they held onto each other.
Together they stood alone, silent, but content, watching as their people celebrated.