WE REACH EGYPLOSIS.
When I recovered my every-day senses the revolving motion of the
_Aeropher_ had ceased and our flight was confined to an undulating
movement. I was holding the hand of the goddess, who had been in a
hyperaesthetic condition herself during the gyrations of the ship, and
when feeling her senses leaving her she had involuntarily grasped my
hand. Our souls had been the recipients of the same rapturous joy.
When we were once more ourselves, Lyone was anxious to know something
of the character of the women of the outer world. I talked to her
about such women as resembled herself in spiritual fervor.
I described the Egyptian legend of Isis, the goddess of love, of life,
of nature. I told her of St. Theresa, that blessed visionary, whose
soul frequently experienced those voluptuous sensations, such as might
be experienced when expiring in raptures on the bosom of God. I spoke
also of pearly Eve, to whom, ere she had eaten of the fatal fruit,
every moment was a delight, every blossom a wilderness of sweets. I
spoke of Cleopatra, the haughty daughter of the Nile, the fervor of
whose passion thickened into lust and death.
My story was interrupted by the arrival of the captain, who said:
"Your holiness, we will reach Egyplosis in an hour."
"So soon," murmured the goddess.
"Is it the pleasure of your holiness that we alight at the private
sanctuary or at the grand gate?" inquired the captain.
"At the grand gate, of course," said the goddess; "we must give our
friends a royal welcome."
The captain bowed in obedience and disappeared.
The charms of our journey grew more and more interesting. In addition
to the delights of discovery, I felt the rising ambition of a great
joy in connection with Lyone. It was a daring thought, that I might
possibly partake of a glorious _camaraderie_ with the goddess, but
when I thought that no stranger could possibly share a heart that
belonged only to her own people, only to Atvatabar, I felt that Lyone
was very far off indeed.
In a land where spiritual love was the prerogative of the priestly
caste, strictly limited to the members of that caste, any priestly
condescension or favor given to those outside the pale of the
priesthood could have no meaning and was forbidden under penalty of
death. Of course human nature is liable to err always, and it came to
pass that the records of the legal tribunals of Atvatabar proved that
many departures in soul fellowship took place between the most loyal
inmates of Egyplosis and the outer inhabitants. The punishment for
such offence to the most sacred law of Atvatabar, although terrible,
was powerless to prevent such _mesalliances_ of souls.
I knew that a spark of what might prove a mighty conflagration was
already kindled in the bosom of the goddess. It thrilled me to know
it, but only as the laws and customs of this strange country became
known to me did I realize the tremendous risk in Lyone allowing her
heart to betray any kinship, however remote, with mine. The greater
the dignity, the greater the offence. The crime was sacrilege, and the
punishment was death by the magnic fluid.
The goddess already belonged to her faith. She was love's
_religieuse_. It was a cruel thing to seek her love when I knew it
would perhaps bring her to an untimely end and stamp her name with
everlasting disgrace. On the other hand, if the goddess, knowing much
better than I the result of loving one not only outside of the sacred
caste, but an "outer barbarian" as well, was brave enough to incur
even the risk of death on behalf of her love, would I be so cowardly
as not to follow her supreme soul even to martyrdom itself? And it
might be that we might even raise a following large enough to defeat
our enemies, and end in a greater triumph than either of us ever yet
experienced.
Such were the thoughts that filled me when the aerial ship suddenly
shot out of the chasm in which we had so long travelled and emerged
upon the wide circular basin of the mountains about one hundred miles
in diameter. In the centre of the high valley lay an immense lake, in
whose centre stood a large island, everywhere visible from the shores,
whereon stood the sacred palace of Egyplosis, the many-templed college
of souls. We saw its pale green, gleaming walls rising from a tropical
forest of dark green trees. Its gold and crystal domes reflected the
sunlight dazzlingly, making the palace plainly visible all over that
wide valley.
Egyplosis was a little city composed of an immense quadrangle, the
supernal palace together with the subterranean infernal palace. The
supernal palace was of enormous dimensions, being a square mile in
extent, and was composed of over a hundred temples and palaces rising
high in the air, the chief seat of soul worship in Atvatabar, and the
home of twice ten thousand priests and priestesses.
The infernal palace consisted of one hundred subterranean temples and
labyrinths, all sculptured, like the supernal palace, out of the
living rock, and situated directly underneath it.
Our course lay in a direct line across the noble valley. It was the
most diversified part of the country we had yet crossed, being broken
up into hills and valleys, glens and precipices, fields and forests,
lakes, islands and gardens, all composing a region of bewildering
beauty.
The emotions awakened by my near approach to this strange place were
keen and exciting. Now for the first time in history its mystery was
about to be disclosed to alien eyes from the outer world.
Soon after entering the park we saw, some fifty miles to the north,
the ship containing the sailors rapidly approaching Egyplosis. It had
also escaped destruction by the cyclone, having doubtless followed us
down the canyon we sought refuge in.
It was a new sensation to float bird-like over the enchanted fields in
this most mysterious of worlds, toward a spot that has no prototype on
earth.
A multitude of domes and crenelated walls grew into immense
proportions beneath the boundless light. Egyplosis possessed in its
palaces the enchanted calm of Hindoo and Greek architecture, together
with the thrilling ecstasy of Gothic shrines. Blended with these
precious qualities there was a poetic generalization of the mighty
activities of modern civilization. It was the home of spiritual and
physical empire.
I wondered greatly what Eleusinian mysteries its courts contained. I
was indeed another Hercules visiting the realms of Pluto and the
garden of Proserpine in quest of the immortal fruits of knowledge.
Would I be successful in my quest, and bear back to the outer world
some magical secret its nations would be glad to know?
Finally, we saw the clear and marvellous palace close at hand.
[Illustration: LYONE WAS BORNE ON A LITTER FROM THE AERIAL SHIP TO THE
PALACE.]
A hundred banners floated from its walls, and music from an army of
neophytes on its towers saluted us.
The _Aeropher_ swept over the lake, and, reaching the island, alighted
on a marble causeway leading to the grand entrance of the palace. A
thousand wayleals stood ranged on either side as a guard of honor. We
had left the forest that largely covers the island, and on either hand
stretched gardens of rainbow-colored flowers, and here and there
fountains sparkled in the sunny air.
Lyone seemed the impersonation of divine loveliness as she was borne
in a litter from the aerial ship to the palace. On her head sparkled
the bird of yearning, typical of hopeless love.
The high priest Hushnoly and the priestess Zooly-Soase of the supernal
palace and the grand sorcerer Charka and the grand sorceress Thoubool
of the infernal palace, surrounded by the chief priests and
priestesses, magicians, sorcerers, wizards, theosophists,
spiritualists, etc., gave us a royal welcome, and were jubilant at the
return of the supreme goddess to Egyplosis.