Endymion followed the crowd of people as they made their way down the manor steps, through the courtyard and into the gardens. Twilight had bathed the garden in a silvery glow, making the flowers appear as if they had been dipped in silver. While certainly impressive during the day, the gardens in the moonlight were other worldly, both alien and ethereal in the shimmering light. The lords and ladies of the manor were joined by the staff, who followed behind the main party. It seemed that everyone was eager to be a part of this ritual.
Endymion could feel the excitement and anticipation emanating from the crowd as they made their way through the garden paths, though no one spoke a word. After a few minutes, the lush gardens gave way to a large, round clearing, surrounded by fragrant rose bushes and cherry trees. In the middle of the clearing lay marble paving stones, set in the grass in a perfect circle. The moon light bounced off the polished marble, illuminating the faces of the people filling the clearing who began to form their own circle around the stones. Endymion followed suit, finding a place to stand next to Nephrite, who was leaning casually against the trunk of a cherry tree, arms crossed and posture relaxed. He gave Endymion a small grin as he stopped next to him and nodded his head toward the clearing entrance. "They'll be along any minute now," he whispered, amusement in his voice as his eyes wandered to the faces of the crowd. "You've never seen anything like them."
Endymion slid his hands in his pockets and turned his gaze toward the entrance. Though his stance was relaxed, he could feel his heart beat begin to pick up as the sense of anticipation grew within the crowd. The feeling was electric in the air, the excitement over what was to come creating a near buzz in the silent garden. Long moments passed before Endymion heard it, the soft rustling of clothing as someone moved toward the clearing. Every head in the crowd swung toward the break in the gardens to watch as the Sisters of the Moon came into view. Their cloaks were of the purest white Endymion had ever seen, the fabric seemed to glow as it was hit with the full light from the moon. Each woman had her hood pulled low over her face, making it impossible to see their features as they slowly walked into the clearing in a single file line. The buzzing in the air grew as each new Sister made her way to one of the marble stones, creating a circle of haunting, white cloaked figures, the only sound coming from their cloaks brushing against the grass. Endymion counted eleven figures standing on the marble stones, his gaze moving over each of the silent women, unable to tell them apart as they stood motionless on their marks. He furrowed his brow as he realized that there was one stone left unoccupied. Where was number twelve? He felt a soft nudge on his arm and looked to Nephrite whose smile had grown slightly larger as the Sisters had entered. He looked pointedly back to the entrance and Endymion followed suite. His eyes widened as the last Sister made her entrance into the clearing. She was cloaked and hooded in white as the others but what stood out was the golden staff she held in her hands. Nearly the same height as she was herself, the staff was mesmerizing. Intricate carvings made their way down the entire length of the body and perched delicately on the top was a golden crescent moon. Endymion had never seen anything like it. He watched in awe as the twelfth Sister took her place on the final marble stone. It felt in that moment as if time had stopped completely, as if the entire world was holding its breath, waiting for what would happen next. The silence was shattered when, as one, the Sisters began to pray. Their voices blending together as they spoke in perfect unison. The language was foreign to Endymion, he had never heard it before and so had no guess as to what they were saying.
Nephrite leaned in closer, "They're offering up their prayers to the Goddess of the Moon," his whisper was nearly lost to Endymion as he felt the prayers of the Sisters wrap around him. Their voices both haunting and ethereal. "They pray for our good health, peace and bounty."
The Sisters' prayers continued, their strange language filling Endymion's ears, making him feel almost light headed. Looking around the crowd he could see that many of the onlookers had their eyes closed and heads bowed, their expressions peaceful as if the words spoken were a warm blanket that had been wrapped around their shoulders.
When the prayers stopped, Endymion felt strangely chilled, as if he had just stepped out of a warm embrace. The clearing fell silent once again and Endymion wondered if the ritual was over but no one moved to leave. He glanced back at Nephrite for a clue as to what would happen next but the man was staring intently at the Sisters, his focus on the woman holding the golden staff. Looking around, Endymion realized that everyone in the clearing was watching her, their faces bright as they waited for something to happen. As he turned to watch her too, the twelfth sister raised one hand to her hood and pulled it down. Endymion felt his heart stop in his chest. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Large, doe eyes of the brightest blue framed with long, dark eyelashes. Golden blond hair that shone in the night light, intricately braided down her back. A heart shaped face set with a delicate nose and full, pink lips, her expression serene and peaceful. Endymion couldn't take his eyes off of her. He was frozen in place; his heart had resumed beating and was now pounding, frantically in his chest. What was happening to him? His mind thought frantically for an explanation, he had never before felt so awe struck by the mere sight of a woman. He felt as if his body was no longer under his control, he was under some kind of spell and he had no desire to fight it.
As he watched, the Sister raised her face toward the sky and held her arms out at her sides, the staff held firmly in one hand. He watched entranced as her chest rose with a breath and her lips parted. Her voice hit him like a punch to the gut. His breath was lost as she began to sing. The words were in the same foreign tongue but her voice flowed through him like water, filling his very soul with warmth. He hardly registered that the other Sisters had joined her in the song, her voice stood alone in his mind, caressing him, embracing him, consuming him. Her song began to climb, reaching higher notes and his eyes widened in amazement as he realized that the golden moon on the top of the staff had begun to glow. As the song swelled toward its peak, the carved moon became brighter and brighter as if it were collecting the moon light and the Sister's voices. The song reached its crescendo and suddenly, the light burst from the staff, illuminating the clearing and bathing it in warmth. When the light hit him, Endymion felt the warmth cut through his body, a feeling of elation consuming him and making him gasp. All too quickly, the light from the staff faded, and once again twilight filled the clearing. His breaths coming out in rasps, Endymion clutched at his chest, his heart slowly beginning to return to its normal rhythm. The other people in the crowd seemed to be returning to their normal states as well. He watched as each person made a gesture over their hearts, the shape of the crescent moon he realized, before they began making their way out of the clearing. The Sisters were now kneeling on the stones in their circle, hoods back in place and hands laid demurely on their laps.
Endymion stared at the form of the twelfth sister, the golden staff now lay gently across her knees as she knelt motionless in the circle. He felt his body pulling him toward her, needing to be closer, to see her face again. He began to take a step forward but stopped when he felt Nephrite's hand close over his shoulder. "It is time for us to take our leave," he pulled gently, guiding Endymion away from the circle of women. "They will stay in the garden until dawn, praying to the Goddess."
Endymion let himself be led away, still unable to tear his gaze away from the Sister who had captivated him. It was not until he and Nephrite had reached the stone steps of the manor that he was able to regain enough sense to speak. "Who was that?" was all he could think to say.