The Fourth Ceremony: The Sacrifice Trilogy Read online

  “Alessa, as you know, in the year before the Fourth Ceremony, the government likes to beef up the Sacrifice’s security, simply as a precautionary measure.”Khilyn was using his official voice, which meant he did not trust one, or both, of the men standing beside him. It made Alessa uneasy.

  “So, I would like to introduce you to your new guards. This is Alec.”Khi gestured to the smaller of the two men. He was actually more of a boy. She guessed he was around fourteen, but he had a boyish demeanor that made him appear even younger. His face was childish, but alluded to a strong and attractive person that would emerge once he settled into himself. He was barely taller than her 5’6”height and had bright red hair atop a freckle kissed face. She smiled politely at him.

  “And this is Camden.”Khi swept his arm back to include the last of their trio. Camden was the opposite of Alec in almost every way. He was tall and broad, at least 6’2”and every bit as muscled as Khi. He had piercing green eyes and a purposeful mess of dark blonde hair. His skin was tanned and taut. Alessa could feel herself getting more and more distracted by his shocking attractiveness.

  “Hello.”He said with a secret smile playing across his face. He seemed to be sizing her up, and that made her immediately uncomfortable in her close fitting training clothes.

  “Camden, a pleasure.”She said stiffly. That seemed to amuse him.

  “Forgive us for interrupting your workout. We’ll just play get-to-know-you later.”Camden purred with the same bemused expression playing across his full, soft-looking mouth. Alessa shook herself mentally.

  “Yes, I need to clean up. We can talk more at lunch.”She said politely. She had no idea what had gotten into her. She was not the type to notice sensual lips, even as sensual as his may have been. She breezed past them and, as best she could, mimicked Evan’s cool saunter out of the room. Unfortunately, she was sure that she simply looked like a newborn colt on wobbly feet. She sighed to herself as she heard the training room door close behind her.

  “Oh Jayna, I’m so glad to see you,”Alessa reached out for the woman’s arm as she left Alessa’s room.“Will you please let the kitchen staff know that I will have lunch in the courtyard with Khilyn and the two new guards?”

  “Of course I will, ma’am. Thank you for your-“Alessa interrupted Jayna’s response before she could utter those gut wrenching words.

  “Jayna, you’ve worked with me for a long time, right?”Alessa asked carefully, worried that she was about to cross a line she could not return from.

  “Yes ma’am.”She replied simply.

  Alessa drew a breath. Jayna was middle aged and had strong, kind eyes.“When we are alone, please don’t worry about pretense. Call me Less, everyone else does. All of this‘Sacrifice’stuff is just unnecessary.”

  Jayna studied Alessa for a moment, her eyes holding an expression that was just beyond Alessa’s ability to read. It was still and kind and it seemed to hold more knowledge than Alessa expected a simple staff person to have. Alessa had a stabbing thought that she could trust Jayna, that she was reliable. But that was silly she reminded herself. Jayna was practically a stranger. Alessa drew herself up and pasted the politically polite smile that she used with strangers on her face.

  “That is, if you want to you may.”Alessa began to back track,“Of course, if you would rather stick with propriety I have no objections.”Alessa was not used to feeling self-conscious and she did not like it one bit.

  “I’d like that, Less,”Jayna smiled warmly at Alessa,“and if you’d like to call me Jay, feel free.”Alessa wasn’t sure, but she could have sworn she say Jayna wink at her.

  “I will let the staff know about your lunch plans, Less.”Jayna began to walk away.

  “Jayna, er, I mean, Jay,”Alessa stammered,“thanks. I mean, I’m glad we talked. It was silly how much time we spend around each other and us not being friendly. I mean, I think you’re a kind person. I mean-“Alessa was fumbling for words. If her time in the public eye had taught her nothing else she knew that when she began to fumble, it was best to just stop talking. She sighed and smiled brightly.

  “No worries, Less, I know what you mean.”Alessa wasn’t sure if Jay winked again or if her eyes simply twinkled with light and understanding all the time. She never had the opportunity to ponder further as Jayna hurried down the hall.

  Alessa watched her until she disappeared around the bend in the hall. Then, she turned and entered her bedroom. Alessa padded across her room to the bathroom where she gratefully stripped off her workout clothes and stepped into a warm, relaxing shower.

  Alessa was pleasantly surprised by the warm afternoon. She had always loved the feeling of the sun warming her skin. It was particularly alluring when it was shining through sun-heated water while she swam. Alessa held down the skirt of her flowing, knee-length sundress as a brisk breeze threatened to pick it up. She pulled her sweater closer around her after the wind eased up. The bite was still present in the breeze, and she was glad that she thought to throw on the sweater. She often became so excited when the days started to warm up that she dressed for far warmer weather than actually existed.

  Alessa made her way to the round table where Khi, Alec, and Camden sat waiting for her. The courtyard was brilliant in the sunshine, the grass a bright green, and the space open and airy. The table sat almost exactly in the middle of the courtyard with the manor just behind her and the Sacred Ocean out in the distance. Alessa had to moderate her face when she walked up to the table. The only open seat was across from Khi, right between Alec and Camden. She groaned inwardly.

  “Guys,”She said as they rose to greet her,“thank you for waiting on me, I hope you haven’t been here long.”She nodded at them as they all took their seats.

  “Ahh, I could have sat out here all day. It is gorgeous.”Camden answered with an easy smile on his face.

  And his face was beautiful. It was the stuff Greek Gods were made of, and it made her terribly uneasy. Every feature seemed chiseled into stone, purposeful and perfect. However, that did not appear to distract from the simple ease that everything he did possessed. It was maddening. How could one person simultaneously be as hard as a sculpture and as easy half-molded clay?

  Alessa smiled politely at Camden. Before she had to respond to him the staff arrived carrying their salads. Alessa had requested a simple mixed green salad with chicken for lunch and, as per the standard, the guards would enjoy the same.

  “So Alec,”Alessa started,“tell me about yourself.”

  Alec shot a pleased smile at Alessa. He looked like an eager little boy. Alessa had a difficult time imagining that he would be able to protect her from much. Alessa chanced a glance at Camden and immediately regretted it. She and Khi were looking at Alec, but Camden was looking at her. He seemed to be studying her, as if he needed to memorize her every feature. It was extremely unsettling. The most unnerving part of the whole experience was that, even when she looked at him and arched her eyebrow in a silent question, he took a few extra seconds to look away.

  “Well, I grew up here, in the Capital District. I completed training at the top of my class and now I am here to prepare to be the next Sacrifice’s sole guard after…”He paused, looking uncomfortable,“I mean, umm, err…”

  “It’s alright Alec,”she decided to save him from this uncomfortable moment, as much for herself as for him. People often didn’t know how to talk to her about the way things would be after she was sacrificed. In truth, she was so uncomfortable with the idea as of late that she preferred to pretend that the world would simply stop spinning on the day of the Fourth Ceremony.

  “Nice one, Alec!”Camden said teasingly. But his eyes didn’t look like they were teasing. They looked like an angry fire burned behind them. Alessa shook the thought. Of course Camden wasn’t angry for the simple, yet unfortunate, comment. She must have been projecting her own discomfort onto others to assume such a ridiculous fact. And she was agitated with Camden for adding to Alec’s shame. He should be able to tell that Al
ec was embarrassed and should have the courtesy to leave him alone.

  “How about you Camden, how did you come to grace us with your presence?”Alessa used the barely masked sarcasm that she often reserved for conversations with her mother. Camden didn’t miss a beat.

  “Oh, I come from a little bit of everywhere. All that really matters is where I am now. I’m here, with you, and charged with keeping you absolutely and completely safe.”He breezed through his speech as though the words were barely worth the effort it took to speak them.

  “Well that might prove to be a little difficult.”Alessa responded, hoping that her subtle reference was not wasted on him. If he was going to embarrass Alec for his comment about her Sacrifice she would return the favor to him. She was pleased to see that it was not wasted. His eyes darkened slightly and Alessa was sure that she saw the hint of a frown edge around the corners of his typically amused mouth.

  “I only take on the best of challenges, Alessa.”The way he said her name caught her off guard slightly. It was as if, for a moment, he had dropped the arrogance and had been almost serious. The intensity in her name made her uneasy. Alessa reminded herself to be careful around him. She could see becoming so wrapped up in the study of this strange, beautiful guard that she may be distracted from her life. And in these months, her life was not something to be distracted from.

  “Alec, Camden, please call me Less. Alessa feels much too formal with all the time we will be spending together.”Alessa was only partially trying to be friendly. She was sure that Camden would be unable to instill the same kind of intensity into her nickname as he did her full name.

  “Sounds like a plan, Less.”Camden said, adding extra sarcastic emphasis on her nickname.

  Alessa groaned inwardly, there was nothing she could do. She gave up on the new guards and turned her attention to the person who never puzzled her or gave her pause.

  “Khi, how has your day been?”

  “Oh, it’s been great.”Khi replied, smiling at her familiarly.“I’ve been showing these two around the manor and explaining all of the ins and outs of babysitting you.”

  “Great Khi, thank you. I’m so glad to know you think I’m a child.”Alessa responded mockingly.

  “If the shoe fits…”Khi trailed off. Alessa looked at him in mock anger. She loved to banter with Khi, he was so easy to have fun with.

  “Have you heard the newest news about the SDL?”Alec piped up. Alessa supposed he was feeling left out, but she despised the topic he brought up. The Sacrifice Defense League was a group formed over sixty years ago who believed that the Sacrifice ritual should be stopped. They espoused that the Gods would not turn on the Empire if the Sacrifice ritual were to be abolished, that through prayer and respect alone they could be worshipped. There were even some rumors that the SDL didn’t believe in the Gods at all. That they thought it was all a ploy by the Empire to keep the sectors compliant.

  “What’s that?”Camden answered casually.

  “Well, rumor has it that they are trying to infiltrate the government so as to get people in close to Alessa so that they can kidnap her.”Alec looked proud of himself for being the one who had the gossip. Alessa felt slightly ill.

  “That’s absurd,”Khi retorted quickly, probably more in response to the look on Alessa’s face than anything else,“there is no way the SDL could get someone through the government’s defenses. Anyone who has anything to do directly with Less spends years of their life under the government’s watch before they get around her.”

  As usual, Khi knew what to say to make her feel better. Not that the thought of living past the Fourth Ceremony wasn’t appealing, but the SDL were crazy anarchists whose beliefs centered on creating chaos. Alessa also had a slight suspicion that their obsession with each Sacrifice had to do with some fanatical fascination with them. She remembered being told stories of the Sacrifice that they had successfully kidnapped. It was somewhere around thirty years ago, and they were able to actually abduct her from the Manor. She returned before her Fourth Ceremony and everything went on as planned, but for the weeks that she was gone it was said that the Empire was in complete turmoil. When the Sacrifice returned, she told everyone that she had been taken against her will and spent the entire time figuring out a way to escape their sadistic imprisonment. The SDL were abusive and cruel political activists that Alessa wanted nothing to do with.

  “Rumor has it that they’re pretty sly little devils,”Camden added, throwing a bemused grin at Alessa,“but no worries, we’ll keep our little Lessie safe.”He emphasized the last part with a mock punch on Alessa’s arm.

  Alessa rolled her eyes at Camden, the only retort that she could imagine that would not result in her embarrassment. In truth, his gentle banter irritated her beyond belief. Only Khi was allowed that much familiarity with her. And in the farthest reaches of her mind, in the places where she could pretend that things didn’t exist, she was faintly aware of the quickening of her heartbeat when Camden’s skin had grazed across hers. He certainly made her uncomfortable. She remembered back to when Khi introduced them all. He obviously didn’t trust at least one of the new guards. She was fairly sure she knew which it was.

  “Well, I am going to go. I have things to do.”Alessa couldn’t understand why she was flustered, but she suddenly wanted to be as far away from Camden and his easy confidence as she could get.

  Alessa rose from the table. She nodded to the guards as they stood in deference. Then she turned quickly on her heels and began walking back towards the Manor. She heard footsteps behind her.

  “Less, you okay?”She let out a breath that she did not know that she was holding when she realized that Khi was behind her.

  “Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”Alessa looked at Khi. He was perceptive, but certainly he couldn’t already tell that she was wary of the new guard. She was undoubtedly intrigued. The same way that one is intrigued by a Venus Fly Trap.

  “You just got up and left in a hurry. I wanted to check on you.”Khi easily kept step with her fast pace. She slowed. She could talk to Khi. He would always be honest with her.

  “What do you think of them?”

  “Well, Alec is going to need some work, but he’ll be good one day.”He trailed off.

  “And Camden?”Alessa pressed him.

  “He’s actually a really good guy, Less. I can tell you don’t like him, but I want you to know that you have no need to be worried about him. He has been vetted through the training program and knows his duty, okay?”They had reached the Manor entrance. Khi had placed his hand on the door to open it and had stopped to look Alessa in the eye. His concern made her heart squeeze.

  “I believe he can do his job, Khi. I just don’t know what that means for me. Something about him is off. It’s different. He’s different.”

  “Give him a shot, Less. Just learn about him.”He didn’t know what he was asking. Certainly if he knew how Camden made her heart race with more than just mistrust he wouldn’t ask such things of her.

  “He’s here, right?”Alessa was becoming uncomfortable and wanted to inject some humor in the conversation,“We will make the best of it. And I have no doubt that he can and will do what’s asked of him adequately.”She smiled up at him.

  Khi looked as if he was going to continue, but sighed and opened the door for Alessa. She felt his eyes on her as she walked down the corridor, but she never turned to meet his eyes as she might usually have. She had too much on her mind. More specifically, a particular pair of piercing green eyes were filling every spare corner of her consciousness.

  Alessa wandered through the Manor aimlessly thinking more of Camden’s eyes and what Alec had said at lunch than where she was going. She stumbled to a stop when she heard harsh voices on the other side of a door. She realized quickly that she had wandered right into her parents’wing of the Manor and that their barely hushed voices were the ones she was hearing. Before she knew what she was doing, she found herself leaning against the heavy wood door to her parents�
��room.

  “But I don’t care what we agreed to, this is our daughter!”It was her mother, and she sounded like she might be crying. Her voice was breaking and Alessa heard a loud sniffle. She didn’t know what would have her mother so out of control.

  “I know, my love, I know, but there’s nothing we can do. I don’t know if there ever was anything we could do. The Government gets what they want and our daughter was born to be the Sacrifice.”Her father’s tone was almost defeated and he sounded exhausted.

  Alessa wondered for a moment if she should leave, but they were discussing her. This was the most passionate she had heard her mother in a very long time and Alessa was cemented to the floor with anticipation at hearing what exactly the disagreement was about.

  “We can do something! We can fight for her! You saw her face at the birthday dinner. Every day she gets farther and farther into depression. The staff said that she was shaking and ashen when she returned from swimming, and she typically loves to swim. She’s afraid, Ivan, and there has to be a way for us to help her.”

  Alessa thought that she had been doing a good job of putting on a good face, but now she realized that she was fooling no one. It made her feel slightly ill. Not only did Khi notice, but apparently her parents and even the staff were in on her secret.

  Alessa didn’t hear anything for a moment, and then she heard movement and soft whimpers. She guessed that her father was holding her mother while she cried quietly. He was very affectionate and her mother never shied from his attention. Alessa was in shock. She couldn’t have moved away from the door at that moment if she had to save her own life. Khi was right. She didn’t know why she was so surprised, Khi was always right, but she was so sure that her mother had turned off her ability to care. The discussion she was hearing was changing everything.

  “All we can do now is help her to accept what is coming and love her through all of her pain and resentment. That’s our job. We are the parents to the Sacrifice. We have to help her be satisfied in her place,”Alessa’s father said quietly.