Chapter 8
The DanceThe dance Queen Nya-an had chosen for the funeral of her son was a spiral dance associated since ancient times with the goddess of the sacred groves and mountains. The slow coiling and uncoiling of the line of dancers to the centre and out again was reminiscent of the type of maze used by the votaries of the Goddess.
That this dance should be done now as part of the Bull Cult was unusual enough, but the Queen had changed the music, so that although the same thread of rhythm was there, it had a dark and sombre sound. The joy that was so much a part of the old dance was gone.
The guests, already uneasy after Ierii’s outburst, were further depressed by the tone of the music.
Round and round went the dancers, linked together by their arms upon each other’s shoulders, coi
