The Fourth Ceremony: The Sacrifice Trilogy (5 page)

“
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 Sacrific
e’
s sole guard afte
r
…
”
He paused, looking uncomfortable
,“
I mean, umm, er
r
…”

“
I
t’
s alright Alec
,”
she decided to save him from this uncomfortable moment, as much for herself as for him. People often did
n’
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 did
n’
t look like they were teasing. They looked like an angry fire burned behind them. Alessa shook the thought. Of course Camden was
n’
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 Ale
c’
s shame. He should be able to tell that Alec 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 did
n’
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, i
t’
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 fit
s
…
”
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 did
n’
t believe in the Gods at all. That they thought it was all a ploy by the Empire to keep the sectors compliant.

“
Wha
t’
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.

“
Tha
t’
s absurd
,”
Khi retorted quickly, probably more in response to the look on Aless
a’
s face than anything else
,“
there is no way the SDL could get someone through the governmen
t’
s defenses. Anyone who has anything to do directly with Less spends years of their life under the governmen
t’
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 was
n’
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 the
y’
re pretty sly little devils
,”
Camden added, throwing a bemused grin at Alessa
,“
but no worries, w
e’
ll keep our little Lessie safe
.”
He emphasized the last part with a mock punch on Aless
a’
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 did
n’
t exist, she was faintly aware of the quickening of her heartbeat when Camde
n’
s skin had grazed across hers. He certainly made her uncomfortable. She remembered back to when Khi introduced them all. He obviously did
n’
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 could
n’
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 would
n’
t I be
?”
Alessa looked at Khi. He was perceptive, but certainly he could
n’
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 h
e’
ll be good one day
.”
He trailed off.

“
And Camden
?”
Alessa pressed him.

“
H
e’
s actually a really good guy, Less. I can tell you do
n’
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 do
n’
t know what that means for me. Something about him is off. I
t’
s different. H
e’
s different
.
”

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

“
H
e’
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 wha
t’
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 Camde
n’
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 parent
s’
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 parent
s’
room.

“
But I do
n’
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 did
n’
t know what would have her mother so out of control.

“
I know, my love, I know, but ther
e’
s nothing we can do. I do
n’
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 fathe
r’
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. Sh
e’
s afraid, Ivan, and there has to be a way for us to help her
.
”