**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 290, Year 996
Silvia knows priests are eccentric, and Evan is no exception.
By way of looks, he's a little on the plain side. His baby face is speckled with smooth freckles, his jaw shaved at the same time every day; he has it written down in his planner, which details every event in his life, down to the second. The most distinguishing feature he has is the rightward crook in his nose, a defect he was born with, and would suffer for if he one day needed glasses. But Silvia tells him not to worry about that. A Light Within can always heal him if it comes down to it.
Silvia spritzes herself with perfume, staring at herself in her bathroom mirror. Wavy grey hair curls behind her ears, dancing about on her dressy shoulders. Her mercury gaze meets her thin, glossy lips, moves to her pointed nose, and then she makes eye contact with her reflection. She feels a little off this morning, like perhaps she slept too hard the night before. What had she been dreaming about? She tries to remember—
A bell tower chimes. There's a knock on her door. Ah, there he is. Punctual as always. She fluffs her hair one last time in the mirror, then steps into the living room. She rushes to the door, but—slowly, now. Don't want to seem overly eager. She opens the door, a smile revealing her flashing, pearly teeth. "Evan Warner, just on time." She glances at her nearby clock. "Could it be ... are you half a second off?"
"Huh?" Evan grasps his watch. "Spinach—am I actually?! I-I-I wasn't trying to be! Oh, peas, do I need to reset my clocks? I thought I got them just right." He smacks his head. "Well, we need to get to the church! But ..." He tugs at his collar. "It sounds horrible. I don't know if I can bring myself to go." He palms his face. "Not since the selection ceremony."
Silvia allows Evan to pull her outside. "Remind me. What are we going to the church for?" There it is again. The feeling that she's forgetting something. It's on the tip of her tongue, like she had just woken up from a dream mid-perfume spritz in front of her vanity. "Why don't you want to go?"
Evan stares at her like she's sprouted a third eye. "We are going to church ... for church," he says. "You look ready to go." He gestures her up and down. "Radiant, by the way. Stunning. If any seraph saw you, it would worship you in jealousy. If—If they could commit sins like envy, and if that wasn't heresy." A delicate smile graces his lips. "And the reason I don't want to go to church is because of, well, Duncan." He licks his teeth. "No. I'm going to be happy for him. Even if it kills me."
"Oh!" Silvia taps her forehead. "You're right." She coils her hands around his arm. "You do know how to compliment a woman, I must say." She leans her head against his shoulder. "I'm sure you'll have your chance next time. Perhaps there's a reason you weren't chosen."
"Probably because I'm mundane," Evan says as he walks down the early morning city streets. "Of course, someone with red eyes like his would attract the attention of the Council. He gets attention everywhere." He clears his throat. "But we're not being covetous, not on this blessed morning."
