The Goddess of Atvatabar: Being the history of the discovery of the interior world and conquest of AtvatabarBradshaw, William Richard
Science
The Goddess of Atvatabar: Being the history of the discovery of the interior world and conquest of Atvatabar
Bradshaw, William Richard
Science fiction
Above all rose the dome whose lights were fadeless. The pavement of
the temple had been chiselled in the form of a longitudinal hollow
basin, containing a series of wide terraces of polished stone, whereon
were placed divans of the richest upholstery. In each divan sat a
winged twin-soul, priest and priestess, the devotees of hopeless love.
On the throne itself sat Lyone, the supreme goddess, in the semi-nude
splendor of the pantheon, arranged with tiara and jewelled belt and
flowing skirt of sea-green aquelium lace. She made a picture divinely
entrancing and noble. Supporting the throne was an immense pedestal of
polished marble, fully one hundred feet in diameter and twenty feet in
height, which stood upon a wide and elevated pavement of solid silver,
whereon the priests and priestesses officiated in the services to the
goddess. On crimson couches sat their majesties the king and queen of
Atvatabar, together with the great officers of the realm. Next to the
royal group myself and the officers and seamen of the _Polar King_
occupied seats of honor. Behind, around and above us, filling the
immense temple, rose the concave mass of twin-souls numbering ten
thousand individuals, each seated with counterpart soul.
As I gazed on those happy terraces of life, youth, love and beauty, I
felt exhilarated with the sensations the scene gave rise to.
The garments of both priests and priestesses were fashioned in a style
somewhat resembling the decorative dresses seen on Greek and Japanese
vases, yet wholly original in design. In many cases the priestesses
were swathed in transparent tissues that revealed figures like pale
olive gold within.
The grand sorcerer Charka and the grand sorceress Thoubool occupied a
conspicuous divan upholstered with cloth of gold. The sorceress was a
grand beauty, neither blond nor brunette, but her complexion would,
chameleon-like, change from a rosy white to a clear golden hue. Her
hair was bright copper, gleaming like strands of metal. Her eyes
changed color incessantly, being successively blue and black.
Her robe was a pale green silk, bound at the waist with a heavy
cincture of gold. She wore a necklace of many-colored gems.
The grand sorcerer wore a robe of moss-green velvet embroidered with
appliqued white silk lace, resembling lotus bloom. Both wore diadems
of emeralds. Other twin-souls were arrayed in equally splendid attire,
and seated on couches whose upholstery accentuated or harmonized with
their fair occupants. Whatever the color selected, I observed that
each twin-soul priest and priestess wore robes of a consanguineous
hue, however the individual stuffs might vary in texture or quality. I
also observed that in no case were the laws of taste in color
violated, and unerring instinct had guided every priest and priestess
in achieving the most piquant harmonies of color. With garments in
simultaneous contrast each twin-soul sat on a couch upholstered in
fabrics in pure contrast of color.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account