'Send us a sign, Great Lord.'
Grimwald was starting to sound anxious.
Tom wondered how long the priest could hold the tribesmen's attention. It was only a matter of time before they realised that nothing was going to happen. Aaroen had unfurled his scroll and was getting ready for action. Then a shadow appeared at the edge of the moon and he rolled it back up again.
The Grandmaster was ecstatic.
'The Great Whore is dimmed.'
He raised his staff.
'Her foul radiance is extinguished.'
He raved on and was close to ecstasy when Adrina appeared on the hillside. She wore a gown of shimmering white. It glittered in the moonlight and a strange luminescence hung about her. All eyes turned towards her as she walked slowly towards the circle of stones and sang a hymn in praise of the goddess.
'Holy Mother. Let your radiance ever shine. Let its fullness never cease. Give us your bounty as we give you our devotion. Protect us, Great Mother.' Women in the crowd ran to greet her. Hands reached out to touch her. Her white cloak was embroidered with the chevron pattern of the House of Gorm. An image of the goddess hung about her neck.
The shadow on the moon began to fade. Tim guessed it had more to do with cloud than an eclipse. He returned his attention to the stone circle and saw that confusion had broken out in the ranks of the assembled priesthood.
Grimwald's attention was directed at Adrina.
'Foul creature of the Great She Whore.'
He raised his staff as she emerged from the crowd.
'You who is accursed in the eyes of Our Lord.'
Adrina arrived by his side and looked around like an innocent child who had stumbled on something she didn't understand.
'Grand Master. What is going on?'
'Foul creature. Do not mock me.'
'Grand Master. You said that Lady Moon's radiance is diminished. I see no change. She shines with all her glory.'
The priests of the Duideth started to chatter.
'Brethren.' A voice boomed out.
Tom saw Aaroen striding through their ranks. He carried a staff surmounted by two golden discs and wore a gown emblazoned with the face of a child. He reached the Grand Master and thrust out his staff.
'Grimwald, you are truly damned. You have transgressed the tetriach and usurped the authority of the holy septaggin ...'
It was some of the most highly developed gobbledegook Tom had ever heard. Yet it had the attention the priests. Murmurs spread amongst them. The Grand Master's failure to come up with a correct eclipse prediction weighed heavily against him. The way in which Adrina had intervened was doubly damning.