**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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Duncan sits in a leather chair, his fingers coiled into taut fists. His sash and necklace lie spread across the wood of a grand desk.
Councilor Lein leans on the desk, her hair as light and wispy as threads of a spider's web. Her twiggy index fingers form a knobbed steeple beneath her gracefully pointed nose. "Creating life outside of Gale's command is strictly forbidden."
"Gale allowed us to have our child."
"Duncan." Silvia glares at him from a chair next to his. Her eyes are piercing like needles. She cradles a shivering Emily in her arms.
"I'm afraid there's nothing the Light Within can do to fend off corruption," Councilor Lein says.
"Gale can't heal it?" Duncan gestures to Emily.
"It isn't a disease," Lein says. "It is an outward manifestation of sin. It is a moral failing." She cranes her swanlike neck. "We are born in sin, but given how young Emily is, and given the information you've just told me, I believe it to be caused by your moral failing, not hers. You are the only ones capable of healing it."
"Why am I not corrupted?" Duncan says, his low voice dipping into a venomous drawl. "What about Silvia? This is our sin. It should be us punished, not our baby."
"'Thy sins shall not only condemn thyself but shall afflict thy family and shall be a corruption upon all who associate with thee'." Lein pulls her satiny hair behind her ears. "This existence is to be a probationary period for all of us. The sins we committed in the life we once shared with Gale, the Life Before, were so heinous that we could not stand to be in His magnificent presence a moment longer. Despite our rebellion, He in His mercy has given us a way to prove ourselves and return to Him. He induced a godly sleep upon us, from which he formed this world in our dreams. This life, the Life After, is the platform by which we may prove Him our obedience and contrition or carry on in our rebellious ways." She looks between them. "Do you understand?"
"The Chapters of Origin," Duncan says. "Of course I understand. I know every word in the Book of Gale. I have it memorized, cover to cover, down to the punctuation."
Lein slides Duncan's sash and necklace into her lap. "Then perhaps you should have put it into greater practice." She opens a desk drawer, folding the necklace and sash inside. "Both of you will be on probation for one year, at which time you will be required to spend an hour a day in the prostration room paying penance and praying for Gale's forgiveness. Your progress will be evaluated by a Light Within every week.
"Brother Ora, your duties will be severely limited. You will not be permitted to use your blessing, and you will be removed from consideration of Light Within. If, however, you achieve forgiveness before a year is up, your full position will be restored to you."
Silvia bows her head. "Thank you, Councilor Lein." She settles Emily in the baby carrier. "Will we begin prostration tomorrow?"
Lein nods. "One hour a day. Have a good night, you two. May Gale grant you forgiveness and spare you from dragons."
