The Chronicles of Heaven's War: Burning Phoenix by Ava D. Dohn Page B

of
Krystolenia’.”
    “Anna was dressed much the way you are this day.
Why, even the bells that dance upon your breasts are closely
fashioned after the ones she wore at that time. Well! I must tell
you, for centuries my child had secretly practiced the rhythmic,
erotic moves she flawlessly preformed that day. Men and women alike
swooned and passed out in a faint from the intoxicatingly
mesmerizing dance and crying prose presented by my daughter.
Chrusion was so smitten by her performance that he found his
thoughts taken up by only her enchanting memory, so much so that he
was unable to consummate the final love dance with Tolohe, his
ardor refusing to rise to the woman’s sensuous advances.”
    Lowenah frowned. “I thought little of it at the
time, just how devastated my darling Tolohe must have been to be so
publicly humiliated for failing to raise the ardor of her lover for
the consummating dance at the end of the festival. She finally,
most graciously, called out for her younger sister to gather her
charms to the Host of the Festival in order to complete the ritual.
Never again was she invited by Chrusion to conclude the
consummating dance in front of his brothers and sisters. And never
a word in revolt did she utter, but silently she stepped aside,
giving that honor to her younger sister.”
    Shaking her head Lowenah lamented, “Not a word did I
speak about this matter either, I not wishing to see the real
trouble brewing between Chrusion and Tolohe. Tolohe was a woman
in question in Chrusion’s mind, he not even desiring a
dream-share with her any longer. On the other hand, Anna was new
and fresh, open to his suggestive reasoning, willing to perform
every act of emotional, mental and physical desire that Chrusion’s
heart could imagine.”
    “One of the many things I refused to see at that
time was Chrusion’s growing selfishness, although the signs of it
were so evident. One was his refusal to allow Anna to ever publicly
perform that deliciously provocative dance again. Even her
accompanying music and sensual lyrics were forbidden at the
festivals, he saving all of those things for his private viewing.
It finally reached the point where Anna would seek out her lord’s approval before she surrendered to the request from
another of her brothers for a dream-share. I said nothing, did
nothing, living in my looking-glass world of make believe ,
seeing only what I wanted to see.”
    She sat back quickly, patting Darla’s leg. “Well, I
may have paid no attention to my little girl’s torments, but other eyes were watching. They looked with disapproval upon
my wanton acts of parsimonious desires, but said naught to me at
the time, tired, I suppose, of the unhearing ear that had greeted
their many whispers so often in the past.”
    “They are also the Protectors of my heart’s carefree
abandon, always seeking ways to relieve my soul of troubling
thoughts. So, again, those Whispering Voices rose to the occasion
and gave to my heart the very things it wanted, they realizing the
price must one day be paid for such foolishness. But, until that
day came, I would be allowed the happy fool’s dance - the only
thing I wanted at the time.”
    “Still, a warning they shouted out to the universe,
to me. A chill swept through my heart the day that Lagandow
exploded in fire and rage. I knew, deep inside, those voices were
angry - angry because they saw the dream I was living might ruin me
and destroy everything I had created, and angry because they knew
my heart must break before I would listen to their pleas concerning
the growing discord in my perfect universe. To regain Heaven, I
must cast all my children into Hell, and then follow them in. All
good things must burn to nothing if we were to see good things
again. This is why they became angry.”
    “So the sands of forgetful sleepiness they cast upon
my world, giving to me the blissful, innocent existence I desired.
But, alas, to bring that they placed a shadowy pall