The Valley of Lies (Lightkeepers #1)

Chapter THREE: Liss

Long shadows crept across the valley, chasing a rare golden sunset. The decorated scene in front of the sacral tent was like something out of the old stories, where two people in love performed a ritual of handfasting. But the reality was something very different.

Dev held her hand as they passed through the flowered archway. The tent was a relic of the past, with a carved beam at the center holding up dozens of thick fabric panels in deep jewel tones. Candles burned on tall candelabras set away from the walls on posts buried in the ground. Their waxy scent mixed with incense, a familiar aroma that grated on Liss' nerves.

Most of the clan was present, dressed in ceremonial clothing like Dev. The seven members of the Council—four men and three women—observed her entrance from their seats atop a low dais. They wore matching pale robes and gold-embroidered stoles across their shoulders, the golden threads winking in the candlelight.

Liss fought to keep her expression neutral and her hand firmly in Dev's as murmurs about her choice to wear her grays reached them.

She supposed Mell was here somewhere, but decided against looking around.

Elder Fex—the oldest and highest ranking councilman—stood as Liss approached. Dev gave her hand a final squeeze before stepping back into the shadows.

"Liss of the Year of the Moon," the old elf announced without preamble. His knobby fingers punctuated his words. "We are here tonight to celebrate the anniversary of your birth. Do you acknowledge you were born on this day sixteen years ago?"

Liss bowed her head in agreement. There was no point in challenging him. Fex had been the clan's leader for decades, like his predecessors before him, all of them using the same name. The Council kept the birth records, and besides, every child born sixteen years ago was of the Year of the Moon. Liss had known that to be her designation from the time she could speak, just as it was Dev's and Rana's.

"Please step forward to be granted Hona's blessing."

Liss counted her breaths and concentrated on the feeling of her toes wrapped safely inside her boots. This was certainly no blessing.

"Liss of the Year of the Moon, upon completion of this rite, you will become a woman in the eyes of the clan, and as such, additional responsibilities and allowances will be bestowed unto you. The greatest of these responsibilities shall be adherence to the truth at every juncture, the Darkbane's most noble virtue.

"We know that centuries ago our people ravaged the land and angered the Goddess Hona, whose spirit presides over and protects us. As punishment for our sins, Hona cast her judgment and forbade us from intentionally deceiving one another." Fex sipped from a fluted glass on the altar and cleared his throat, his voice slightly less of a growl as he continued. "Hona, in her infinite wisdom, decreed that only children under the age of majority were exempt from this rule.

"Hence, from this night forward, if you fail to uphold this tenet of our people, you would court death and devastation for us all. And most notably, for yourself. Do you understand?"

Liss nodded. "Yes, Elder Fex." He reached forward with both hands, the gaping sleeves of his robe hanging toward the ground. His palms were dry and warm on either side of her head.

"Tonight, Hona blesses you as a truthteller sworn to enrich Cradelow, the last living land. From this night until you expire, it will be so."

Liss raised her trembling chin as Fex's fingers slipped off her face. Her own hands were balled in sweaty fists at her sides, her fingernails digging half-moon welts into her skin. At least it was over. The Council hadn't commented on her wardrobe or asked her to give a speech, and she was more or less unchanged. All in all, it hadn't gone as poorly as she'd expected. She stepped away from the dais as the clan cast her polite smiles of encouragement, finding the empty space beside Dev.