**BOOK 1 IN THE TALES FROM DROMISSE SERIES**
Silvia considers herself the luckiest woman in all Dromisse. Her soon-to-be fiancé, Duncan Ora, is a candidate for Light Within, the greatest gift that the Almighty Gale can bestow upon someone. Then a ra...
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Day 296, Year 995
Silvia knows priests are eccentric, and Duncan is no exception.
He keeps his dark hair long, contrary to popular fashion. It closely follows his bearded jaw like loose strands of silky thread and barely dusts his shoulders in the back. If it was not for the holy color that blesses his eyes, Silvia would notice his hairstyle first. Duncan's eyes hold a power in them that leaves her tingly from her head to her toes. Still, that unorthodox haircut. It commands attention all on its own.
Silvia's head spins with infatuation, her thoughts muddled by the haze of the wine shared between them. She leans into Duncan's chest, her pumping heart sending a rush of rose color to her cheeks. The red tinge cuts through the monochrome air. A radio crackles on a coffee table lined with planters bearing wiry, little flowers.
"Betty walked down the street and rounded a bend," says a lively radio host, with an ominous orchestra striking jarring chords in the background. "Little did she know that a criminal awaited her arrival just beyond it. There was a scream in the stormy night! A spatter of red coated the sidewalks! She was found the next day in an abandoned building, murdered and mutilated in a crime most foul!"
Silvia cranes her neck to peer at Duncan in the murky lighting. "We can turn this off if you're not supposed to be listening to stuff like this."
Duncan's thumb grazes his beard. "It's okay. It isn't real. I wouldn't play it at the church, but I'm not at the church." A slow smile crawls over his lips. He gazes at Silvia, and his powerful eyes send bursts of electrical sensations jittering through her bones.
Silvia's body turns into a coppery, zapping conduit. Her skin quivers, leaping and sizzling and lurching. Ah! Those scintillating sparks, that warm, lightning comfort! Her veins bubble with aroused bliss. She cradles her head in the nook between his chest and collarbone and closes her eyes.
"Now, dear listeners, this is not where the story ends," the radio says. "The dastardly deed that this criminal committed did not go unnoticed. Despite how he tried to hide, Gale answered the prayers of the police, and he was apprehended! The man was brought to stand before Prophet Astraya and the devoted Council of Gale, where his unrepentant heart was scrutinized. Because of his unwillingness to make penance, he was tragically sentenced to Da—"
Click. Duncan leans forward and switches the radio off. "Actually, I think I'll cut it short there. No need for us to be hearing about that." He draws his hair behind his ears and settles next to Silvia. He lays his head against hers.
Silvia's diaphragm flutters, her heart stumbling like the drunken patron of a bar. She knows it's late, and that information sours her otherwise giddy mood. She tilts her chin and presses a kiss to his scratchy jaw. "You'll have to leave soon."
Duncan opens his mouth— Dong. A sober bell tower begins letting out grim tones. He heaves a deep breath and shifts on the couch. "There's never enough time between us." He kisses her temple.
