Offering

Oriko is a Clan Chief’s daughter who has dedicated her life to books and scrolls. Yet she is plagued by visions of a war triggered by the impending Offering Ceremony where her sister will be given to a stranger as wife. Rehen is a Clan Chief’s son who is giving up his right to choose his own wife for the sake of his people, however much he dreads the union. Unknown to each other, she and Rehen travel to the same sacred place for an Offering Ceremony that will be nothing either of them expects.

Rosette
23 Pages Sweet

Excerpt:

Oriko got up from her seat at the long table, lifted the grey dress and stepped over the bench. Searching for comfort, her eyes fell on the familiar patterns the sunbeams made on the floor, colored red, green and blue by the stained-glass windows high in the stone walls. She breathed in the breakfast smell of oat porridge and wooden floors, then looked past her fellow Sisters eating at the three long tables which ran the length of the hall, to where the Elder Sisters sat.

Their smaller table was positioned at a right angle to the long ones, their occasional glances doused every whispered conversation. Snatching at elusive shreds of courage, she strode to their table, disturbing dust motes floating in the colored light. Here and there a fellow junior Sister’s head lifted to peer at her before their attention returned to the morning meal. They had no idea what she was about to do, or they would have stared longer.

Did any of them sense the tinted sunbeams carry the gaze of the Founding Sisters to them? Did their marrow vibrate from the connection between the scrolls and lessons they heard every day and the women from long ago pictured within bits of glass? Oriko sometimes thought she was the only one aware of this connection.

She looked back to the group of Elder Sisters and her nerve nearly failed. She was on the verge of diverting her course to the kitchen door. Her name was on the list for kitchen duty today, the excuse would hold up. Mother’s eyes met hers, though, and Oriko saw a small encouraging nod. She swallowed and resumed the seemingly endless walk to the Elder Sisters’ table, resisted the urge to see if the eyes of the women in the windows followed her.

“Good morning, child.” Mother greeted her as if they hadn’t spoken for an hour in her chamber that morning.