Enheduanna
Welcome to Solaris, traveller! This is a slower-than-light science fantasy set in our own solar system.
About Solaris | Guide to Solaris | Prologue
About Solaris | Guide to Solaris | Prologue
The power invested into the protection of Enheduanna still drums in the air. The High Temple stands untouched among the rubble, an abandoned tent city sprawled out in the shade of her wings. Enheduanna has long been the religious capital of Mercury. As the home of the Keystone of Mercury, it has always been a site of pilgrimage and reverence. It was also a great draw for tourists who wanted to see the splendors of the Mercurian faith.
During the Scorching of Mercury, Enheduanna provided refuge for all who sought it. Not only did Mzia the Martyr, the last known keystone of Mercury, open the High Temple, the people of the city followed suit and opened their homes to refugees. When those were filled, the people of Enheduanna raised tents. Expensive drapery was cut into blankets for the cold, palatial jugs were used to carry water out into the tent city, and poor and rich alike slept on marble floors under the watchful gaze of saints.
As the dawn season of 220013 began, the Scourge drew closer. Mzia raised a force field above the city. At the height of the diurnal phase, under the blazing eye of the Sun, Mzia was forced to remain awake for days to maintain the defense against an seemingly endless siege.
When the siege broke, Mzia gathered her most faithful in a hundred day vigil. Only her closest followers knew that she was preparing for her own martyrdom. As the sun again dawned in the horizon, the force field fell, and Mzia took off towards the sun. With her sacrifice, she put an end to the first Solar Invasion. Even to this day, after the Solar Invasion has again resumed, no Scourge has ever stepped foot in Enheduanna.
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The author's notes made this article even more beautiful. I love the image of expensive draperies turned into blankets.
Thank you! I want to get in the habit of using the authors notes more.