The Fourth Ceremony: The Sacrifice Trilogy (9 page)

“
This way
,”
Alessa noticed that his voice was slightly deeper and raspier
,“
There is one more ride you have
n’
t tried
.
”

Alessa knew that he was guiding her to the giant wheel that seemed to disappear at the top of the sky. Camden had said the whole day that you must go on this ride after the sun had set and promised her that it would be worth the wait.

They stood silently in line. Camden never dropped her hand, and he occasionally rubbed circles on the back of it with his thumb. Every time he did, Alessa swore she stopped breathing. She no longer cared about her appearance or proving her dominance over Camden. She wanted only to remain this close to him.  The rapid shift in her feelings towards him gave her pause, but she reminded herself that she was safe with him tonight. Crowds of people surrounded them and Khi was expecting a full report. She would relax and worry about repercussions and interpretations in the morning.

After what seemed to be the shortest wait in the park, although she knew the line was the longest, Alessa climbed into the seat next to Camden. The metal was warm and the contraption swung even as they sat at the bottom of the giant wheel. Alessa caught her breath in surprise as the wheel ascended quickly, and grabbed for the sole bar across their laps that locked them in place.

“
Hey, i
t’
s okay. Look out over the carnival
.”
Camden said as he unhooked one of her hands from its death grip on the bar in front of them and held it tightly in both of his own.

Alessa finally obliged and gasped in awe. Someone had obviously planned out where they would place the giant wheel. All the lights of the Carnival were laid out in front of her along with the lights of the city. She could swear, if she looked hard enough, she could see the whole Empire. All too soon, they were on the descent, and the lights were no longer visible.

“
Is that all
?”
She asked, unable to keep the disappointment from her voice.

“
No, of course i
t’
s not. We will go around almost a dozen times, and if you want to we will ride it again and again
.”
He blazed a brilliant smile at her. She gave him her best smile back.

True to his word, the ride continued for minutes going around and around. Each time, the spin and view simultaneously took her breath away. Then, suddenly, the ride slowed and halted with Alessa and Camden at the very front of the ascension.

“
Oh, no! Is it broken
?”
Aless
a’
s voice was thick with disappointment.

“
No, no, they are letting people on and off
.”
Camden said with a laugh
.“
In a moment, we will stop at the top and will get to look around for real while they let the people off directly opposite us
.
”

“
Oh, okay
!”
Alessa said with exuberance. She knew that she sounded like an overexcited child and she did not care. This was the most amazing time she had ever had, and she would likely never experience it again. The thought sent a shiver down her spine.

“
Are you cold
?”
Camden asked, this time he seemed genuinely concerned
,“
The Carnival can get chilly at the top of the wheel
.”
And he pulled her close to him with an arm around her shoulders.

Alessa was certainly not cold, but she was
n’
t going to say that now. She glanced up at him
,“I’
m fine now
.”
She threw him a sweet smile as she congratulated herself on her flirtation skill.

They stared at each other for a moment. Alessa felt that all the air had been sucked out of the area and they had been left in a vacuum. She could scarcely breathe. Camden brought his other hand to her face, barely skimming her cheek with the tips of his fingers. His face came closer to hers as she caught what little breath her lungs would take in. She closed her eyes as his lips found hers in the softest press she had ever known. It was over almost before it began, but where he had touched her lips with his a blaze burned on her skin. Instead of pulling away, he dropped his hand to her neck and pressed his forehead against hers as if to maintain the connection between their bodies longer. Quicker than she would have liked, he pulled away. She started to protest, but he began to speak.

“
Look, w
e’
re stopped at the top
.”
He pointed out over the air and turned his face from hers. He did, however, reach for her hand and begin to draw small circles on the back of it again.

Alessa looked out over the Carnival in awe. She had never seen such a sight. All of the people milling about, the lights, the sounds, it was all so beautiful and fleeting. Alessa knew that she would not live to see another Carnival come through, whether she was allowed to go to it or not. She felt a single tear slide down her cheek before she could try to stop it. She wiped at her face and glanced quickly at Camden to see if he had noticed it. Sure enough, he had. His face darkened with concern, but when she turned away from him to hide her emotion he closed his mouth from whatever he had been about to say and simply pulled her back into his chest. They sat that way for the rest of the ride down to the ground. When the attendant moved to let them out of the seat at the bottom, Camden moved her only far enough to pull his wallet out of his pocket. After passing a bill to the attendant without a word, they began the journey to the top of the wheel again. They spent the remainder of that ride in the silent tangle of each othe
r’
s arms.

The journey back to the Manor was a blur for Alessa. She stayed connected to Camden the whole time, whether by holding hands or under the circle of his arm. When they arrived at her bedroom door, Alessa was surprised by the amount of space between them. She moved to close it, but Camden put his hands on her arms and pressed her softly away.

“
None of this was supposed to happen
.”
He said, shaking his head.

Alessa felt it like a punch in the gut. He had gotten caught up in the magic of the Carnival just as she had. Now that they were back at home he had his wits about him. Likewise, so did she. Alessa made a point to remind herself that she did not trust Camden, that she was uneasy around him and unsure of his true intentions for her.

“
I understand
.”
She said softly, mustering up her dignity.

“
No, you do
n’
t, but I promise you will
.”
Camden said his voice thick with regret. He pulled her close, wrapping her in his strong arms once more. Alessa was powerless to stop herself from melting into his body. He pulled her back and looked into her eyes, both of them silent for what seemed like the shortest eternity. Finally, all too quickly, he pressed his lips against her forehead
.“I’
m sorry that I have complicated things
.
”

Alessa was confused by the sweetness of his touch coupled with the regret in his voice
.“
Cam, tonight was wonderful. I honestly had a very great time
.”
Although she was
n’
t sure what the problem was, she was certain that she could let him know that much. Some masochistic part of her wanted him to know that he was under her skin. 

Camden rewarded her with his heart-stopping smile
.“
I had the best time as well, Alessa
.”
He said seriously. Alessa could
n’
t help but notice that the intensity remained in her name. Only it did
n’
t offend her as much as stir her heart now. She was reveling in how quickly things could change when Camden lowered his mouth to hers once more.

The chaste kiss was even shorter than the one they shared on the giant wheel, but it was no less sweet. Alessa thought of the kiss long after she watched Camden walk away and she had shut the door behind herself. She lulled herself to sleep with thoughts of the look on his face at the top of the wheel, the feel of his arms when he pulled her back to nestle against him on the ride, and especially the leap in her heart when he stopped at the end of the hall to turn and look at her once more before disappearing around the corner. She allowed the wary thoughts to exit her mind and focused only on the thoughts that would bring her the sweetest of dreams.

Chapter 4-

Alessa woke to a beautiful stream of sunshine on her face and in her heart. She spent a moment in bed reliving the finer moments of the night before. Then, she realized that Khi would probably be waiting to hear about her evening. She sorted through her thoughts and decided which events she would share and which she would keep to herself as she readied herself for the day. She could
n’
t pinpoint why, but she knew that she wanted to keep the romantic moments to herself. She was sure that Khi would
n’
t be jealous, they simply did not have that sort of relationship, but she decided that she wanted some parts of the night to be all hers and Camde
n’
s.

She rushed into the breakfast room to find Khi sitting at his usual spot waiting for her.

“
Hello, sleepyhead
.”
Khi said with a smile. For an instant Alessa wondered if he knew. Then she reminded herself of the thick regret on Camde
n’
s voice as he left her and knew that he would not be the one to share about their evening.

“I’
m sorry. I was especially exhausted after the Carnival
.”
Alessa offered Khi a sweet smile.

Khi rewarded her with a laugh
,“
And how was the Carnival that I risked my neck to let you attend
?
”

Alessa retorted
,“
Well worth your neck, thank you very much
.
”

“
Ah, well thank you for putting so little importance on my neck
.
”

“
Not little importance. Oh, Khi it was the most wonderful time. I have never had an experience like it
!”
She flew through the speech with exuberance.

“
Well, I am sad I missed it. Did Camden behave himself
?
”

Alessa felt a slight blush creep into her cheeks and started into her plate as she answered
,“
He was a gentlemen and a fun companion. I may have judged him too quickly. He is
n’
t too bad
.
”

She heard Khi laugh, but did not risk looking up to see his reaction
.“
As long as you had a good time, tha
t’
s all that matters to me. I must go. I have things to do. Sacrifices to protect
.
”

“
You know, for someone charged with keeping me safe you sure do spend a lot of time away from me lately
.”
Alessa pouted with mock petulance.

“I’
ll always be there when it matters, Less, promise
.”
Khi said seriously. Alessa was taken aback by his sudden turn.

“
I know that Khi and I love you for it
.”
She looked into his face now. He gave her half of his best smile and kissed her on top of the head. She saw him shaking his head as he left the room.

Kh
i’
s behavior at breakfast confused her, but she wrote if off. As the Fourth Ceremony drew nearer, she suspected that everyon
e’
s behavior would become more and more odd. She briefly wondered if Camden would distance himself from her or cling to her as the event came upon them. She then shook the thought from her mind. She was
n’
t even sure what Camden felt towards her. The regret she heard in his voice after the close of the evening made her wonder if he wished he had
n’
t been so romantic towards her. Perhaps he was always flirtatious and did not mean for her to become so enamored with him. He could
n’
t possibly know that she had never been romantically involved with anyone before. She laughed at the thought. Too many people expected far too much of a romantic relationship. The Sacrifice was ordered to be a virgin on the day of her Fourth Ceremony. She also believed that romance took work she was not willing to put forth for such a limited amount of time. She had watched how much work her parent
s’
relationship took and was convinced the fruit was not worth the labor. She briefly allowed herself to wonder if she would still feel the same way if she were presented the opportunity with Camden.