3.36 The Ultimate Sacrifice

With a sweep of his hand, Malodon ushered the drummers to a stop and the crowds hushed, everyone waiting for a hint of the direction the show was headed.

         "Lunies and Gentlemen…" Atalon gestured towards the Lunie camp. "Look! Our nautical neighbors have gone to great lengths to wish us the very best for the New Empire!"

         Whistles and flags exploded from the crowd, joy was restored! Hats flew high above the sea of cheers once again.

         "But I regret to inform you that in spite of their honest intentions, laws were broken in terrible ways!"

         Cheering hushed once more as the fear returned. Which way was this thing really heading?

         "I was completely benevolent by allowing these filthy Serpents in our midst!" Atalon barked. "So tell me THIS!" He focused his laser beams on as many individuals as possible. "WHO was the show on the royal stage REALLY for?"

         The crowd was motionless, no one dared guess.

         "LOOK!" He gestured towards the great idol of Medel watching over them from above, as if scripted, the hollowed eye sockets lit up with flames. "This is the stage of the Mighty Creator Medel, IS IT NOT? Did any single one of you ever even stop to THINK how PAINFUL it must have been for HIM to SUFFER through those HIDEOUS THEATRICS without the SLIGHTEST COURTESY of a SIMPLE SACRIFICIAL RABBIT?"

         Guilt mushroomed instantly, every aribu heart ached as they realized, it was true, they had sacrificed nothing in the name of Medel, yet they had used His stage all day! Hopes crashed as they realized their huge mistake, Atalon said it himself, even a rabbit would have sufficed!

         "We must now BEG Medel for His forgiveness lest He punish us with his WRATH! LOOK AT THIS MESS!" He stooped down to pick up some of the feathers and glitter and threw it at the crowd but most of it stuck to his sweaty hand, which only irritated him more. "THIS COULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED AT A MORE CRITICAL TIME IN THE HISTORY OF THE ATLAN EMPIRE!"

         The aribu felt so stupid, they hadn't even considered the consequences of skipping the sacrifice, it would have been so easy...

         "EXTRA SACRIFICES MUST BE MADE NOW BECAUSE OF THIS! CRIME AGAINST MEDEL COMES AT THE HIGHEST PRICE" he boomed, wagging his finger at them all. "FOR THIS BLASPHEMOUS ACT WE MUST OFFER HIM MY PERSONAL VERY BEST BECAUSE OF YOUR STUPID, FOOLISH AND HORRENDOUS BEHAVIOR TODAY!!!! The ENTIRE FUTURE of the New Empire is now IN JEOPARDY BECAUSE OF YOUR SELFISH, STUPID, IDIOCY!!!!"

         The Lemurians and a handful of rebel aribu were the only ones moving, they hurried as discreetly as they could behind the tents toward the exit, reassured they were doing the right thing.

         "HAIL MEDEL!" Atalon bellowed, his voice bouncing off the walls demanded support.

         "HAIL MEDEL!" The crowds echoed on cue, waving their flags if they had them.

         Malodon raised his arm again, a roll of the drums drew their attention back to the Dog Show.

         Slipping away discreetly was a joke, the Lemurians could feel Atalon's eyes upon them, it was the moment of reckoning and everyone was riding an adrenaline rush, even the Unicorn. Fraught with unease, he was snorting and sweating, his alarm system wasn't something they could to turn off.

         Dena hid behind Nepheus as they crept behind the tents, she dared not even look at the stage.

         "What's that smell?" She whispered, catching a waft of the toxic vapors coming from the wall.

         "I think it's fuel" Nepheus replied, conscious himself of the nasty development unfolding.

         "Do you think it's for the Fireworks?" She wondered.
         "Fireworks?"

         "Yes. Didn't you hear Atalon announce the Grand Finale? Officer Bell told me it would be a Fireworks Show, and he pretty well knows everything going on around here."

         In the background, Atalon continued to blow the aribu's hopes from the royal stage.

         "It is therefore with a bleeding heart that I must offer Him our very own, most precious, Mel, my goddess of Atlan!"

         "What?" Had they heard right? KING ATALON WAS SACRIFICING MEL? BECAUSE OF WHAT THEY HADN’T DONE?

         "MEL?" Dena froze for a moment before losing it. "OH MY GOD! NOOOO-OO-OO-OO-o-oo-oo!"

         "Come” Nepheus pulled her up just as her knees began to buckle. "There's nothing you can do, Dena. We've got to keep moving, we need to get onto the ship."

         "MEL?" Bella and Bria sat up in shock. Atalon was going to sacrifice MEL? It couldn't be true! They exchanged terrified glances and huddled closer, refusing to believe it. It couldn't be! It wasn't right!

         "That blows!" Bella felt the dam bursting. "I was like, THIS close to being her apprentice!" Suddenly she noticed the herd of Lemurians weaving through the tents below, a healthy flock of Aribu now dotted amongst them... Some of them were actually going?

         "You know... I hate to say this but maybe we should go check out the party in Lemuria?"

         "SILENCE!" Bellowed the king from stage. "It is therefore with my most HUMBLE privilege, that I present the New Dog Show, starring our very best, one and only MAGICAL MEL, my FINEST OFFERING to the MIGHTY MEDEL! Let the Sacrificial Ceremony BEGIN!"

         Lost in the crowd, Mika wondered now what she had missed, she had no idea what was going on. To her relief, she spotted two goddesses whom she knew from the Vine Club, sitting together up on the bleachers.
         "Bria, Bella…" she panted, exhausted from the slight climb, taking a seat beside them. "Please tell me what's going on? Why is Atalon sacrificing Mel?"

         On stage, Malodon continued with his strange choreography, and the drummers began to march around the presentation of carts.

         Nolan and Dion, now emerged out of the maintenance door in the courtyard wall, dressed in black shiny suits leading Mel. She was almost naked, wearing only a golden body harness, a golden crown and her hair had been brushed out, allowed to fall loose around her body.

         "Why?" She begged as her friends led her into the courtyard. But it was as if her friends were now people she didn't even know. They were deaf. They showed no compassion, they wouldn’t even respond.

         She tried to remain calm and walked proudly, reciting the old affirmations once taught to her in school, she was going to the Promised Land, and that was good. Although she realized her fate, she was terrified, terrified of the new and unknown sacrifice she had been selected for.

         "Oh. My. God!" Bella gasped as the performers appeared, dragging Mel onto the dance floor. "Is that, like, Dion?"

         It wasn't just the goddesses on the bleachers, everyone was shocked to see Nolan and Dion in such disturbing looking skin tight outfits leading the distraught Mel into the centre of the stage, almost naked. 

         Determined to look her best Mel held back the tears as best she could. But when she saw the dogons in the carts, panic struck. She tried to struggle free, but the gods gripped her tighter. No matter how hard she fought to resist her fate it was futile and she didn't want to look badly for her final role.

         Six sets of beady eyes followed her into the center of the star formation, growling and hissing, desperate for a meal. One by one they barred their fangs, salivating from the aromas of her delicious, warm vanilla scent.

         "Noooo. Pleeeease! Let me go!" She whimpered as the nature of the gig became apparent, she was losing control. She wiggled and kicked, squirmed and screamed, scared sick of the scary role she was about to play. 

         The gods led her into the center of the star and began fastening the ends of the chains to her harness.

         "PLE-E-E-EASE" she begged now, grasping at another angle. "He's just MAD, you HAVE to believe me! He's making a HUGE MISTAKE and when he REALIZES that, he’ll blame YOU!!!"