"Thank you for reminding me! Praise the Chief Divine!"
"Praise the Chief Divine!"
Both men bowed their heads and bid each other farewell with a salute as the procession continued on its way.
Xiuxoke walked briskly as the wind and soon arrived at the entrance to the Temple District, where a thousand-strong Eagle Warrior Battalion had already gathered, fully armed and standing in solemn wait for the two battalion leaders. He looked around, Stanley was not there yet; only the camp captains saluted him.
Xiuxoke returned the greetings with a gentle smile and then took his place at the front of the line. The towering Great Pyramid Temple loomed before him, the priests had already lit the roaring Sacred Fire, and the blue Sacrifices were being escorted out from the holding cells of the various temples. He gazed at the gradually brightening sky, at the endless line of Sacrifices, and thought of his aging father preparing for the Sacrificial Rite in the Great Temple, heaving a soft sigh.