When they reached the top of the tower, the room glowed with the light from the many Leerings that covered its walls. The stone buttresses were meticulously sculpted and inlaid with gold filigree patterns. There were stained-glass windows on each of the four walls, but the main source of light was the Leerings. There were no chairs in the chamber. Maia saw the other guests were all wearing maston robes, except for the Aldermastons present—Sabine, Wyrich, Richard, Joanna, as well as the Aldermaston of Lisyeux, a man whom she had met earlier that day. Suzenne and Dodd were also there with them, and both smiled at her with tenderness. Maia was so grateful to see him healthy. Collier’s mother, the Queen Dowager of Dahomey, was also present. She was a stately woman with striking looks and silver streaks in her black hair. Maia was a little in awe of her, but she had enjoyed meeting her before the ceremony. The deep love she felt for her son was apparent, and that same affection had been readily shared with the girl who had tamed him.
As Maia and Collier approached the five Aldermastons, the row of people stepped aside, revealing a glistering Leering carved from an enormous white marble block. Unlike the normal Leerings Maia had seen in gardens and corridors, which had been carved from boulders, this Leering contained more than just faces. It reminded her most of the Leerings connected with the Apse Veil. She felt power emanating from it and understood that it was a marriage Leering, for an entire scene was depicted on it rather than a single face. Her Gift of Invocation told her the Leering’s power was to invoke a Gifting on the married couple. The workmanship was exquisite and highly detailed.
Sabine motioned for them to approach and stand before the Leering, which they did.
“In every abbey, there is a special chamber,” Sabine explained, “where marriages are performed. While this Leering is relatively new, it is modeled after the one that was originally in Muirwood, which I have seen in a vision.” Sabine began to motion toward the scene. Now that she stood closer to it, Maia could see it showed a man and a woman standing next to each other, gripping each other by the hand. A woman stood between and behind them, one arm draped around either of their shoulders. Behind the man stood another man, as if looking over his shoulder and witnessing the marriage. All four figures were carved from the same block and formed an integrated image.
“It is so beautiful,” Maia said, staring at it in awe. There were many details that caught her eye, making her wonder at the meaning. The man grasping the woman’s hand had small scars on his face, claw marks like a beast had ravaged him. It made her think, momentarily, of the kishion, but she banished the thought, not wanting such a twisted memory to intrude upon such a sacred moment. The smiling woman behind the couple looked like an Aldermaston. There was a scarf and veil wrapped around the head and shoulders of the bride in the statue. While her groom’s free hand held a cylinder, hers clutched part of her robes, bunching them up and exposing her lower leg, where Maia saw an ankle bracelet fashioned like a serpent.
“Before you are married,” Sabine said, noticing Maia’s look, “I will explain the Leering. This sculpture represents the First Parents’ marriage in the Garden of Leerings at the beginning of the world. They were immortal beings who chose to eat a certain fruit and take on a mortal state. This you know from maston lore. It is said the First Parents came from a different world, a world ruled by the Essaios. They were made stewards, caretakers of this realm.”
Sabine motioned to the couple’s linked hands. “The marriage ceremony is ancient, and we do not understand all of the symbolism behind it. But we do know much of it. The joined hands is called the dextrarum coniunctio, or the joining of the right hands. In his left hand, he holds what appears to be a capped scroll. It is called the Tay Ard scroll. The abbey contains one like it and your names will be written on it, joining you as husband and wife. The bride’s free hand raises the hem of her robes. We do not know why, but it shows a bracelet around her ankle. The jewelry is called the Idock. Maia, you will wear one for the ceremony as well. You will notice the man has a belt and key. Gideon, you will wear that. It is called the vacuata inanis, or Voided Key. There must be at least one witness and, of course, the Aldermaston who performs the irrevocare sigil. Only an Aldermaston has the authority to perform this rite or the sigil. Now, come forward and emulate the Leering.”
With assistance from the others, Maia was given a long white shawl to cover her head and wrap around her front and her shoulders. Collier was belted with the key. Both of their slippers were removed so that they stood barefoot, as if in the luscious garden of their ancestors. The ankle bracelet was wound around Maia’s left ankle, and an ornate capped scroll was handed to Collier, which he held in his left hand.
Once they were both prepared for the ceremony, Maia stood by Collier, clasped his hand in hers, and stared into his piercing blue eyes. He was trembling slightly, his eyes fixed on hers. She felt the Medium so strongly it brought tears to her eyes.
Sabine stood behind them and wrapped her arms around each of their shoulders, her face peering between theirs. Richard Syon, the witness, stood by Collier’s side where he could observe.
“I invoke this Leering,” Sabine said in a soft voice, “to marry Queen Marciana of Comoros and King Gideon of Dahomey. Do you, Queen Maia, accept this man to be your lawful lord and husband, married and joined by the Medium in all holiness?”
Maia’s heart burned inside her as she gazed at Collier and squeezed his hand. “Yes,” she whispered, her throat tight.