Sacrifice

Chapter 1 - The Stargazer

From her seat at the makeup table, Kalli watched the stars.

They appeared one by one in the heavens, pale and flickering in the dusk sky. She searched out each one and welcomed it by name.

"What are you looking at my lady?"

Kalli glanced up at the lady's maid who had appeared at her side.

"The stars," she looked back at the objects of her affection, "with the amount of light pollution in the city, it's a wonder that we see any at all."

"Thinking about pollution, light or otherwise, is hardly the most noble pastime." Feylanna tucked one of Kalli's stray hairs back into place. "Besides, you'll have guests arriving at any minute, and we've not thought about your jewellery."

"I'll wear my string of small diamonds."

Feylanna bustled over to the stone alcove which held Kalli's most precious gems.

"Surely not these." Feylanna held up the necklace. "They're much too small. Didn't you read that this season small stones are only fashionable in the hair?"

She selected a pendant set with a large topaz that Kalli had inherited from her mother.

"And the Empress, herself, said that the impact of a gem is first measured by the size of the stone. Here, try this and see if it sits well with your scalloped bodice."

Kalli accepted her maid's suggestion and listened to Feylanna coo over the piece. It stood out against Kalli's pale skin; more importantly, however, the dictates of fashion had been followed.

"Leave those windows open for the evening," Kalli said, as Feylanna approached the large arched panes.

"Open my Lady? You'll be robbed in your sleep."

Kalli glanced at her jewellery alcove; the soft blue light told her that the security crystals were active. "Feylanna the neural pulse on my alcove is strong enough to put someone out for an hour. Overkill, considering it would take less than five minutes for guards to arrive."

"It's not just thieves you need to worry about my Lady; it's the Cirts." Her eyes were wide and solemn. "They'll steal your soul."

Kalli couldn't help but stare. "The Cirts?"

Faylanna nodded.

"The anti-technology fanatics that live in a cloister?"

"My cousin saw one a couple weeks ago. The Cirt looked right at him, like he was measuring the worth of his soul."

Kalli decided to skip over the scientific impossibility of stealing a soul. "Why would they want my soul?"

"While we've been developing technology for the glory of the Empire, they've been developing," the maid's voice became hushed and she glanced about as if the shadows held a Cirt bent on their destruction, "black magic."

Kalli felt a tingle of fear race down her spine at the maid's sincerity.

"It's a soul like yours, untouched by love for common men, that fuels their darkest spells."

Feylanna was trembling with horror, and Kalli suppressed a tremble of laughter. Feylanna's words reminded her why she wanted the window left open.

"Well, if a Cirt comes to steal my soul, I'll just tell him to take my jewellery first. Don't the stories also say they'd sell their own children's skin for the right price? They'll get knocked out and all will be well."

Feylanna shot a doubtful glance at the security system in question. "Your soul-"

"Is at considerably less risk than my mind, considering the company I'm meant to keep tonight." Kalli rose from her seat and crossed to the crystal computer console embedded in the wall above her hearth.