The Rings of Poseidon by Mike Crowson

damage to her beyond a bruise on the side
of her head. Not even a cut. When I looked up I saw that Nerfin was
amongst those standing round.
    "There is a strange but consistent logic in
what the Goddess has seen fit to do." she said. "Gaïn was conceived
at the start of the temple and died at its completion."
    Nobody could argue with that. She gave
instruction that Gaïn was to be buried within the boundaries of the
temple itself and there was no further talk of a sacrifice.
    As the Goddess willed, so it might have been,
but that did not prevent the tears when I was eventually alone.
Gaïn's death had been so quick and sudden that she could have known
nothing about it. I grieved for her as her mother, will of the
Goddess or not.
    The weather that first winter in the new
temple was not cold but I have never seen it wetter, before or
since. Every day from autumn solstice to spring solstice it rained
some part of the day, usually all of it. It rained at Midwinter, so
we burned the log in the hearth and celebrated inside. The ground
in the centre of the temple drained reasonably well but it was
still sodden most of the time and we didn't even dare step on it
for fear of making it uneven when the ground eventually dried.
    In March there were high winds and storms,
with rain clouds driving before the wind like sheep before wolves.
We were not unduly disturbed by the storms but some of the low
lying and coastal areas were badly hit. Some places fared so badly
that they sent to us for help, thinking that perhaps the Goddess
herself was angry with them for some reason. Nerfin decided that
she would undertake the journey in person, taking me with her.
    We wore hide cloaks that had been smeared
with beeswax and animal fat to make them as weatherproof as
possible but we were still soon cold and wet. Low lying land was
either covered completely in water with trees and bushes poking up
from the stricken areas or wet and marshy with pools of water lying
everywhere. By keeping to higher ground we made reasonable
progress, but crossing rivers was sometimes an almost impossible
problem, and we had to make frequent detours as we made our way
south-west.
    We arrived at a cluster of tents and lean-to
shelters with one or two boats pulled up. Below and beyond an
expanse of water marked a river estuary where a fishing village had
flourished. It transpired that the tents indicated the survivors,
but the weather prevented fishing, water prevented planting crops
and most of the animals had drowned. Unless there was a change
quickly life could be very desperate for the remainder.
    Nerfin felt that drastic steps were called
for, and ruled that three sacrifices should be made to the Goddess
on the next three mornings. Lots were drawn from among the young
men who went out fishing and three more-or-less willing victims
were chosen. On the day before the sacrifice the victim was given
his choice of whatever the community could offer, then, at supper,
he was given a potion of herbs to make him sleep - a sleep from
which he did not waken!
    The first chose a meal and the people went to
great trouble to provide his pleasure. The second chose music when
it was his turn and singers were found among the people. The third
young man shocked and surprised everyone by choosing me. Or rather
he chose to spend his last hours making love to me. I knew well
enough that I had grown very beautiful but I was still flattered,
though I did not admit that.
    Nerfin was angry with him. She said that was
hardly what was meant by his choice in the spending of his last
hours. Still, a promise was a promise so she kept her word and as
custom demanded I went to him.
    The shelter was well placed and heated by a
fire in the entrance. I went in and looked at him carefully. He was
tall, perhaps as much as five feet, and his hard, outdoor life had
made him hard and sinewy. I had already made up my mind to give him
a night to remember - though, it must be said, his memory of it
would be short