Page 10 of Sinful

Her insistent curiosity made me wonder if she was telling the truth a moment ago, when she claimed she hadn’t lost her purity. Why else would she be so interested in the answer?

“Never,” I said firmly. “We all know how sacred our duty is.”

“I suppose so, yes.” Alice nodded slowly. Then her face and body perked up. “Thank you for talking to me about it. I should go and bathe. See you tonight!”

“Of course.” I watched her go, unease still stirring in the depths of my soul. It wasn’t just her I was concerned about. Sometimes, I worried about my own purity. Wondered if I truly deserved to claim that I’d thoroughly maintained it over the years.

Don’t be silly,I told myself, lifting my chin high again. Of course I was still pure.

I went home to bathe and prepare for the evening festivities. When the sun finally dipped below the horizon, casting long, shadowy fingers across Alderwood, I left my house and made my way toward the closest forest clearing.

The path was well-trodden and warm from the light of the flaming torches that lined it, but tonight, it also seemed to carry a sense of foreboding, as if the nearby trees were whispering secrets in the cool evening breeze. I pushed the strange feeling aside, along with a low-hanging branch, and stepped into the clearing.

It was an enormous space, marked by the history and reverence of countless Covenant rituals. Effigies hung from surrounding tree branches, crafted from twigs, straw, and fragments of old cloth. They represented the spirits of the forest; our protectors who watched over us every day and night. Scattered across the ground were piles of rocks, carefully stacked to form cairns, each a testament to the prayers of past generations.

A roaring bonfire lay at the center of the clearing. In front of that stood a great stone altar, adorned with antlers and animal bones. The bones had been bleached white by the elements long ago, forming intricate patterns on the altar border that spoke of life and death. The antlers framed it like a crown, and the ground beneath it was strewn with fresh, colorful flowers and sweet-smelling wild herbs plucked from the forest.

“Rose! You’re finally here!” A girl I’d grown up with took my arm and pulled me toward one of the tables that had been set up on the left side of the clearing. She’d obviously been here for a while already, judging by the deep purple stains on her lips and the giddiness emanating from her.

“Here you go,” she said, handing me a cup of wine. “Even the virgins are allowed to drink, aren’t they?”

I detected a barb beneath her seemingly innocuous words, but I ignored it and smiled. “Of course. Thank you, Anaïs.”

“I won’t be able to drink for much longer.” She pursed her lips. “Albert and I are taking part in the fertility ritual tonight, so I may very well be pregnant soon.”

“That’s wonderful.” I lifted my cup to clink it against hers. “I wish you the best of luck.”

“Thank you.” She tilted her head. The vaguest of smug expressions had appeared on her face. “I wonder… do you ever wish you could be like one of us?”

“No,” I said, forcing another smile. “I know my place. I must serve the Covenant in the manner that the Entity has laid out for me.”

“Hm. Well, good for you.” Anaïs was definitely drunk. The glazed look in her eyes made that clear beyond a shadow of a doubt. Not to mention the brazen, inappropriate way she was questioning me. “Anyway, I must eat something. You should too. You’re looking a little pale.”

Without waiting for a response, she made a beeline for one of the feast tables, which was practically groaning under the weight of all the food laden upon it. I turned and looked at the center of the clearing, slowly sipping at my sweet wine.

The air was buzzing with anticipation as villagers gathered in clusters, their excitement barely contained. Tonight was a momentous occasion. Alice’s proving ritual was happening soon, and it would be followed by the monthly fertility ritual that Anaïs had mentioned earlier.

I spotted my father standing by the altar, flanked by some of the other Alderwood elders. They were all dressed in the crimson hooded robes that were traditional for high-status men during ceremonial activities.

When Papa saw me looking, he smiled and waved before turning back to confer with the others. As the Alderwood governor, he was far too busy to spend the evening by my side. I understood that, just as I understood my place in society.

I took a seat on a log by the edge of the clearing, warming myself under one of the flaming torches that lined the space. The night was alive with laughter, music, and the shared joy of the villagers, but something still felt off.

I swallowed thickly and stared into my cup of wine, wondering what was wrong.

Alice.It was her. She’d really made me nervous earlier, with all her questions about the proving rituals and impurity. I’d passed every single one of my annual proving rituals, meaning my purity shouldn’t be in question at all, and yet, itwasin question. To me, anyway. The things I’d thought… the things I’d dreamed… the things I’d done…

Stop it.

I downed the rest of my drink and stood, deciding to join some of the other villagers in a dance. Anything to distract me from my wicked thoughts.

The warmth of the firelight danced along with us, casting flickering shadows all over the place. The wine was quickly working its way through my veins, a heady blend of berries and spices that made my cheeks flush and my steps feel lighter. The music changed, and the air filled with the rhythmic beat of drums, pulling me deeper into the euphoria of the dance.

I swayed and twirled, the forest clearing spinning around me. My head felt pleasantly light, my earlier worries dissolving into the cool night air. A fellow dancer reached out to grasp my hand, our fingers intertwining as we spun in a circle. The faces around me blurred into a tapestry of smiles and bright eyes, all sharing the same blissful abandon.

Until I saw him.

There, in the midst of the revelry, was a face that shouldn’t be there. Half-shrouded in the black and white of a skull, the other half breathtakingly handsome.

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