Sinless (Deadly Omen Book 1)

by Jenica Saren

  "Bride into position! One turn until departure!" The spirit sister, Anadee, called out. It was customary to have a sister of the faith accompany brides while brothers of the faith, shadow brothers, accompanied grooms. The moment I heard her announcement, I turned and bolted for my position back by the door, where I had originally began - and forgot about my poor handmaiden, who wasn't nearly as fast.

  "Oh goddess, Jed! Are you hurt?" I gasped. I turned to offer her a hand, belatedly in my nervousness, but she hadn't a hand to grab anyway. She was flat on her back and holding my train high above her head, and also the ground.

  "I saved it." Jed said with a proud grin on her adorable face. As a handmaiden, she was technically required to wear a veil, but I had convinced my mother, the queen of Blank Town, that I was much more at ease when I could see her face. Jedadiah and I had been close before then, but after that we became inseparable.

  I chuckled at my dearest friend and stretched my hand out once more, trying to snag an elbow or dress sleeve - anything, really. "Yes you did. My hero." I praised, pulling her to her feet and giving her a loving peck on the cheek.

  Jed swatted me away and returned to her place, gesturing for me to do the same. No one had held up a wedding in nearly five centuries due to the dedication and fine attention that was paid by the spirit sister. I wasn't about to be the one to change that.

  Anadee shouted once more for the procession to get in line and I could feel the nervousness turn rock solid in my gut, weighing me down like an anchor. I understood now why my mother and sister always said it was the most terrifying day of their lives. I knew I had a bright and beautiful future ahead of me. I knew there was so much love beyond those huge doors. I knew there was so much waiting for me. But the feeling I had right then made me want to turn and flee the hall, the maze, the garden, all of it.

  While I stood in place and went to war with the sickening feeling of foreboding, my time had run out and a dark scrap of silk was being tied over my eyes. Panic rose up in me and I could feel those previous emotions threatening to crack my chest in two. But, I was being rushed out the double doors, a pair of virtue maidens - royal protectors of women across the vast, vast world - on either side of me, holding the inside of my elbow to steer me straight to my starting location. Straight to the maze.

  Once near the towering flower hedges, I knew we were there without being told. I could feel the Seer's magic all over the area, drawing me in and pushing me away at the same time. It was overwhelming and tangible, smelling like overripe fruit and cloves. The virtue maidens released their grips on my arms and I could feel them slowly shift away from me, allowing the magic to work its way around and inside me without interruption.

  No one said a word, but I knew it was time when a soft humming sound took up residence in my eardrums. I began walking forward, guided by the tug and push of the humming that would increase or decrease, depending on whether I was going in the correct direction. The softer the humming noise got, the closer I knew I was to the end, and the closer to the end I got, the worse the painful knot in my belly got. It was almost to the point of doubling over, it was so bad, but I wasn't about to stop my own wedding. Not even for myself.

  All of a sudden, the pain completely disappeared, leaving me feeling better than I've ever felt in my life. Or, at least, it felt that way at the moment. I had no idea why and wasn't really questioning it as I rounded another blind corner, searching for that humming noise that would lead me where I needed to be. It was no longer there and seemed odd to me, so I stopped walking, thinking the pain threw off my sense of magic.

  It was at that moment that the pain came slamming back into me, tearing through my body and making my knees struggle to hold me up. I reached for the hedge to support myself. I could hear Jed calling my name, but couldn't seem to focus past the feeling that something was very, very wrong.

  I felt rather than heard something dark, slimy, and loud swish overhead and the hairs on the back of my neck stood at attention. I yanked off my ritual blindfold and took off running.

  "Princess, wait!" Jed was chasing after me. I almost felt bad because my beautiful dress was about to be in the dirt. Despite all her many years of doing hard, menial labour, Jed just wasn't that in shape - at least, not as in shape as a princess who liked to fight with the virtue maidens for fun.

  I found a hedge with some strong-looking branches and started my ascension to the top of the maze - something I'm sure Anadee would have an absolute fit about when she found out. Or if she found out.

  "Chesca! Don't you dare leave me behind, you infuriating bitch of a woman!" Jed screamed almost hysterically behind me.

  I looked down at her, still holding the train of my gown, bless her soul. "Something bad is happening, Jed! I need to know!" I didn't even wait for her reply as I continued my climb.

  What I saw when I reached the top made my ears ring and my vision blur with what must have been tears, but I was numb to the sensation.

  There was thick, black smoke as far as the eye could see, which was not very far at all thanks to the disgusting stuff. It almost seemed like it was alive. Women could be heard screaming and seen running for their lives, some with small children in tow, and others trying to drag away family members that it was far too late to save.

  I could feel my heart in my throat as my eyes darted around, searching for one sight that could make or break me at a single glance. I spotted my mother some distance off, fighting with something that blended in with the horrible smoke. The queen would never back down when her people needed her, and that is what I always aspired to be.

  I finally found what I was looking for.

  My four husbands-to-be were standing back to back, looking as handsome as the sun felt hot. Well, they were definitely hot, too, but that would be far too odd a thing to be thinking at the moment.

  As if they sensed my eyes on them, they turned as one, their own eyes finding mine. I saw their mouths move, but I could not think or make sense of the situation around me. All I saw was them, the loves of my life, and they were in danger.

  I felt a tug from behind me and almost fell backwards over the hedge, causing me to turn and glare down at my best friend. "Chesca, get down here!" Jed shouted up at me, eyes burning. "It's not safe, damn it all!"

  I loved my best friend, and I loved my husbands-to-be, but did I really have to choose?

  I turned back to lay my eyes on the men I loved once again, just in time to watch Daven crumple to the ground, a sharp stalactite-looking object protruding from his chest.

  He turned to look at me and I felt my heart freeze in my chest, and a shrill, high-pitched noise was echoing around me. As his eyes slowly glazed over with the life leaving them, I realized that the sound was my own scream.

  And one of my future husbands had just died.