Сергей Соловьев - Son of the Star, born of the Mountain Alexander the Great

“Light pleases the gods of light, she said, they don’t need blood,” the priestess said in a solemn voice.

We will drink in honor of the gods of the twins, and they all followed her and drank the wine from the bowls poured from the common vessel, as a sign of community. The cups were not simple, such a young man saw only in the images, in the form of a swan – the head and neck were the handle of the vessel, and the cup was also oblong in shape, imitating the body of a bird. Then various foods were served, but some, mostly fruits, cheeses, and biscuits, drank to the health of Nearh and his mentors, the main priestess. Soon the dinner was over, and the hero of the occasion went to a cave, and it was a young man, and his teachers in a small house nearby, the priestesses and the servants of the temple in carts left for Lato. The day was uneasy, it was already dusk, the sun was setting, the sky was darkening from dazzling blue, a slight breeze arose, and it was a little cold, the young man lit a clay lamp, hurriedly threw off the donated chiton with beautiful embroidery, dressed in a simple one, churned up his pile of fresh hay and laid the old one cloak and prepared a new one to cover himself, undressed again, but suddenly he heard upstairs, on the stairs, a creak, as if someone was going down the stairs, hearing this, Nearh hurriedly pulled out a hidden dagger (just in case) and went to see who then at nightfall brought? After walking a few steps, and standing around the corner, he looked closer and in the gathering twilight he saw the light Kallifen figure wrapped in a raincoat, so that only her pretty face was visible.

“Did anyone get ready to attack you, brave warrior,” she asked with a laugh, “I decided to visit you, check how you feel after initiation, whether you have a soft bed,” she said, going up to the young man, taking him hand, and looked into his eyes carefully and with warmth.

“You have beautiful eyes, gray, you are a very beautiful boy,” the priestess said warmly.

– Let’s go to. she said with a deep breathing, leading him to the bed, he noticed that there was a small suma in her hand. She sat down on his bed, and invited her to sit beside her. Nearh carefully, without looking up, looked at the beauty who came to visit him, on her beautiful face, on the curls of hair that fell on her shoulders. She gently laid her hand on his shoulder, touching the scar, and said

“And the goddess did not notice me, she did not deserve to know,” she said in a hurt voice, “but then I met you.” – and put her hand on his thigh, so that the heat engulfed the young man, and then putting her hand on the back of his head, kissed him, and did not come off for a long time, and with her other hand threw off her raincoat, remaining naked. Nearh studied her in love with small eyes, with beautiful, long curly hair, reaching her buttocks, slightly stocky, with beautiful, strong hips and small legs and a round chest, was just charming. Kallifen took out a small amphora from the bag, and a sheet that she had put on the old Nearhs raincoat and a small pillow for herself, and raised her eyes to the initiate:

“Come here, my little one,” she said, drawing to herself, and the world was gone for Nearh. The night passed, as Nearh would say later, being a wise experience, in orgiastic vigils, but in the morning they fell asleep. The young man woke up first, and the lady who had devoted him all night to the mysteries of love, was still sleeping on her pillow, with her hair scattered, wrapped in a blanket, he carefully crawled out from under her raincoat, and ran off to wash, and dressed, she heard his actions and became waking up the priestess, first yawned, then stretching opened her eyes,

“Good morning,” Nearh said, and kissed her on the lips, she wrapped her arms around him, kissed her back, touching his body with her bare breasts.

“I have to go,” she smiled at him, said the girl, “I think so, you passed the next test, she laughed, patting his hair.

– What kind? I thought you liked

– Love is pleasing to Elicia, and you are pleasing to her, reproachfully shaking her finger and putting on her chiton, told Kallifens, – And I like you, but I had to instruct you in love, so that your life would be complete, what would be for live. Remember, the spiritual path is the path of Apollo, and the path of Dionysus is sensual.

– And Elicia?

“Also sacrificial, that’s how it is, my glorious one,” she sat down, stretching her legs and putting on sandals. “I have to go, we’ll meet in the afternoon,” she said, and standing on tiptoes, kissed him.

He ate, and soon his mentor came, and how it was nothing, she began to teach him, showing the techniques of writing, and the next day appointed tests.

“You will guess riddles, and only three,” she said,

– Difficult? – asked the young man

– For whom, as with a shrug, the priestess answered,

– You can handle it. Probably, – she said, taking his hand and looked with love in his eyes. For Nearh the night before the ordeals was difficult, he tried to search for possible riddles with Homer and Herodotus, trying to gain the wisdom of the ancients, everything was useless, but in the middle of the night a beneficent dream overcame him. The next morning, waking up, he quickly washed and dressed in an old outfit, then thought that the day was solemn, put on a chiton with a meander, not forgetting the bracelet on his hand. Wearing sandals, saw Kallifena on the slope, waving his hand invitingly to him, and he went, almost ran to meet his fate, and almost, yes, almost, did not worry. The young man entered the house, divided into several partitions, stood in the middle of the table, and behind him in the chairs decorated with rich carvings sat Kallifena and Diokles, an unknown priestess, a woman of thirty, with dark curled hair, in a beautiful dark green dress and a raincoat, with a hairpin in the form of a lioness of pure gold, and on its slender neck hung a golden necklace, in the form of wings of birds, which are closed together.

– What do they call you, young man? she asked

“I am called Nearh,” he answered, “at the behest of the priestess Leto, our city.”

“You have passed the cleansing, now you have to initiate, but first, you have to guess three riddles, according to the order of Ulla. So, let’s begin.

She put a difficult wooden table three figurines of silver: Aphrodite, Artemis and Athens. Aphrodite was depicted naked, emerging from a pearl, Artemis with a bow behind her back and with a bear next to her, Athena with a shield in her hand.

“Tell me, neophyte, what these figurines mean, their meaning and meaning,” she said triumphantly and leaned back in her chair,

Nearh began to think, his choice was almost like that of Paris with a golden apple, and there are three goddesses before him, and the choice is true, not so cruel, he recalled the dream of Elicia and the Champs-Elysées, recalled the lessons of Kallifeny, Artemis of Ephesus, and spoke:

– This is all one goddess, the twin of Apollo-Ull, the great Elicia. All one in one person, and this is only its embodiment, rather emanations.

“You answered wisely, and your answer is correct,” said the priestess in a stern voice. “Next question: What is the meaning of the Path of Dionysus and the Path of Apollo?”

– It is simple, Nearh answered, and unwittingly smiled, remembering the night of love with a beautiful girl and her teachings, -The path of Dionysus is the knowledge of the world through feelings, and the path of Apollo is the knowledge of the world through the mind, the spiritual path. The symbol of Apollo is Meander, and Dionysus is a bunch of grapes and curly ivy.

– And Elissia, what are her symbols? – asked another question

“The greatest one, at every Hellenic temple, is, Palmetta, crowning the frieze, as the hope of resurrection,” Nearh readily answered.