“Speak,” Rafe commands.
“We... we engaged in an Eclipse Kiss,” the grey-skinned one stammers. “We defiled our bodies in service to pleasure ourselves rather than please the goddesses. We beg for forgiveness.”
“And blood penance,” Lorian adds, producing a small, ornate blade. “Open your veins to prove your sincerity.”
Sister Agnes's voice echoes in my memory:The body is a temple, child. Do not defile it with base desires.
Lorian returns to his seat, and I watch in horror as the accused each make shallow cuts along their forearms, crimson drops falling down their limbs as they grimace with pain.
The Sovereigns don't move from their elevated position, but their attention is absolute, lending the proceedings a ceremonial gravity that makes me frightened about how my time will be spent with such men.
What will they do to me when I get something wrong?
When sufficient blood has been shed, the guards activate their devices. The tips flare with brilliant light, and they begin beating the guilty couple. Han and Sera scream so loudly their voices hurt my ears as their naked and bloody bodies convulse—energy crackling along their skin, racing through what must be their nervous systems in patterns that hurt to look at.
It might be my imagination, but I think I can smell burnt flesh. I want to avert my eyes, but I remember Lira’s warning about looking away.
The process lasts maybe ten seconds, but it feels like an eternity. When it ends, they collapse forward, their punished bodies making a slapping sound on the floor as they fall, gasping for breath.
“You have satisfied the goddesses,” Lorian says.
“Return to your duties tomorrow with a clear understanding of your place,” Rafe adds.
The guilty couple nod mechanically and retrieve their clothing, dressing with painful and measured movements before walking back to their tables.
I reach for my wine glass with a shaky hand, draining it despite Lira's sharp look.
“Eve, that alcohol is strong. Perhaps?—”
But I'm already pouring another glass. The medieval sci-fi brutality I just witnessed makes my head spin. “I need to dull my mind from what I just saw.”
Lira tries to explain under her breath, “The Sovereigns believe in public punishments. They want the damage to be visible. But, those who have been punished are always allowed to visit Dr. Veil the next day.”
Before I can reply, Sovereign Lorian addresses everyone.“Now then, let us celebrate another successful day in paradise.”
Paradise.That word again. My reaction must show on my face because I catch both the Sovereigns looking at me from across the hall.
“They're already protective of you,” Lira murmurs, and I can hear something like envy in her voice.
I take another gulp of wine, and the world tilts slightly. The floating lights overhead blur into streaks of gold and amber.
“Eve,” Lira warns. “You should stopdrinking wine now.”
“I need to numb myself to this,” I tell her and then drink more.
As the evening finally ends with the Sovereigns having formally released us and staff beginning to file out, I try to stand and nearly stumble. The wine has hit me harder than I expected. But before I can take a step, two guards in midnight blue uniforms appear beside me. Members of the Umbral Cohort. I freeze.
Will I be punished for being drunk?
“Madame Eve,” one of them says politely. “We'll escort you to your room. A precaution, given how much you've had to drink tonight.”
“That's not necessary?—”
“Orders from the Sovereigns themselves,” the other guard interrupts. “For your safety.”
Lira gives me a sympathetic look. “I'll see you tomorrow morning, Eve.”
The guards flank me as we leave the hall, their presence both protective and imprisoning. “Will you be standing outside my door all night?”
