The Fourth Ceremony: The Sacrifice Trilogy (12 page)

              "Alright, sorry.
I’
m just making conversation." Alec said petulantly.

              "Yeah it's fine, I'm just not in the mood." Camden replied half-heartedly, not wanting to insult the younger guard.

              "Let's get started and get this day going. Breakfast is in half an hour in the courtyard with Alessa." Khi swept into the room and took charge with his presence. Camden had to admit that Khi was a born leader, regardless of Camden's own disdain for being ordered around by him.

              Camden barely listened to Khi's brief for the day. Instead focusing on preparing himself to see her and determining how he was going to behave when he did. He decided on teasing flirtation, his tactic of choice before his feelings started to get muddled around her.

              At the Carnival, he had won her over easily with small teases and gentle touches. Even after he had insulted her, he was able to recover fairly easily with a few sweet words. Alessa had clearly never had any practice with romance. It made Camden wonder, not for the first time, what exactly Khi was thinking about her. But Camden had almost buckled when he saw Alessa start to cry at the top of the wheel. It stirred a caring in him that he reminded himself that he could not afford. Of course he cared. He hated to see any life ended without just cause. Anyone could tell that she was battling with the idea of the Sacrifice. Camden just had to time himself perfectly and had to ensure that she was at her most vulnerable state when he did it.

              After the morning brief was complete, the three guards silently proceeded through the manor out to the courtyard to wait for Alessa. It was customary for them to wait for her no matter how long it took, a detail of his new station that grated on Camden's nerves. He wasn't sure if she truly had no concept of time or if she was chronically late on purpose because she knew that she could.

              When he spotted her walking into the courtyard, about ten minutes after the appointed time, he forced himself to look away and engage Alec in conversation. He hardly listened to Alec prattle on as Alessa approached the table, although he kept his eyes trained on Alec's face. Camden noticed out of his periphery that Alessa was dressed in the shorts and shirt that she went to bed in last night with a zip-up sweater thrown over it. If her goal was to remind him of the moments they shared in the dark of the night, she was successful. His mind flitted to the kiss they shared as he tucked her into bed. Camden shook his head and turned a flirtatious smile her way, ignoring that Alec was still babbling.

              "Why good morning ma'am," Camden's greeting dripped with sugar, "nice of you to join us finally." He allowed to sarcasm to slide between his words and was pleased to see her smile falter slightly.

              "Well, it's not as if you have anything better to be doing." She quipped, replacing her smile quickly. Camden admired her wit.

              "Oh I most certainly have much more interesting things to be attending."

              "Really? Do tell." Her voice was beginning to take on an edge and her smile was replaced by a grimace. Camden reminded himself that he was not picking a fight, but stoking her interest.

              "Dreaming of you, sweet cheeks." He said flippantly while simultaneously turning back to Alec. "What were you saying, man?" He pretended to be utterly interested in Alec's meaningless story about the minister and the direction of politics in the Empire. He also pretended not to notice Alessa's face fall as she looked down to her plate. Nor did he take heed of the look Khi gave him and he most certainly was not jealous of the squeeze Khi gave Alessa's hand or the way that she kept hold of Khi's hand long into their shared meal.

              Once the torture was finally over and Alessa excused herself to training, Camden allowed himself a deep breath. He reminded himself that he needed to keep his emotions in check if he was expecting to continue on the mission. Above all else the mission mattered most.

              "Who's in charge today, Khi?" Camden asked, glancing over at the other two guards who were looking at him curiously.

              "You were there during morning briefing, where was your head?" Khi asked suspiciously. Camden couldn't blame him. He never forgot details of their briefing.

              "Sorry, man" was all that Camden could respond with.

              "Well, thankfully it isn't you," Khi said disdainfully, "Alec is in charge, I have meetings to attend, and you are on your own."

              "Sounds good." Camden strode from the table without a backwards look. He didn't care that Khi and Alec were most certainly talking about him. Camden reminded himself what he was there for and recommitted to the task at hand. He proceeded to the track where Alessa was sure to be training with Evan, and where he could continue his breakfast tactic.

              Once he started a slow jog that would certainly have Alessa caught up with him quickly, Camden set a pace and waited. Alessa and Evan were by his side shortly.

              "What exactly are you doing here?" Alessa's voice was confused and slightly agitated. Camden thought carefully, wanting to keep her piqued but not make her completely angry.

              "I needed a bit of exercise and couldn't think of a more convenient place than a track. That is the point here, right?" He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. He heard her huff loudly as she started to run faster. Evan hung back to his pace.

              "What's going on, Cam?" Evan asked quietly.

              "Nothing to concern yourself with. I need thirty minutes." Camden's tone was clipped, but not rude. Evan knew the hierarchy and would understand that what Camden needed trumped all else. Eva
n’
s eye roll could
n’
t escape Camde
n’
s notice.

              "Alessa," Evan called out. She turned backwards to look at him and slowed her jog without stopping. "I have a quick meeting to attend. Thirty minutes on the track and by the time you get inside, I will be finished and ready to proceed. Camden will ensure that you continue your jog for the whole half hour." Evan left his instructions and jogged inside. Camden admired his quick explanation of both his own absence and Camden's presence. Camden hurried his pace to catch up with Alessa.

              "What are you doing here, Cam?" Alessa sounded tired so he decided to ease up on the teasing for a while.

              "I told you, exercise. Alec is on duty, Khi is in meetings, and I needed something to occupy my time. I thought it would be nice to spend it with you," Camden stated sincerely.

              "And Evan's convenient disappearing act?"

              "What can I say? I am unendingly lucky," Camden added a wink to punctuate his endearment.

              "Well I am here to run, to train, not to flirt or otherwise be bothered," Alessa's admonishment was half-hearted and he knew that he had won.

              "Me, too! Exercise only going on around here," he flashed her a winning smile.  He caught her eyes roll and was sure that he heard a soft laugh as she set off to a faster pace.

              Without trying to explain the warmth that flowed through his chest at her laugh, he matched her speed and settled into an easy trot with her by his side. He told himself he did not enjoy the occasional bump of their arms as they ran side by side around the track. He reminded himself that he allowed it to happen because it would continue to encourage her to be comfortable with him. And he was not disappointed when Evan reappeared at the door to the training gym since it gave him the chance to recollect himself and gave Alessa the chance to miss him. Camden turned without a word after they spotted Evan and ran off back to the courtyard.

              Throughout the next weeks, Camden played his cards much the same way. He made himself absent from Alessa, taunted her mercilessly until he was certain she was about to become angry, and then threw compliments her way until a smile lit up her face again. He was exhausted. Not only did he notice that she was beginning to avoid him, they had not had a meal together in days, but he also saw that it was getting harder and harder to replace the smile once he had taken it away. The guilt was starting to nag at him and Alessa was spending more and more time alone with Khi, which was working his patience as well. He eventually decided that he needed to get away, and he knew that it was time for him to make a trip along the route anyway. The Ceremony was looming closer and he needed at least two more trips to ensure that he knew it properly. He was dreading approaching Khi about his absence. His disapproval for Camden's behavior was becoming more and more evident.

              "Hey, Khi, I need to ask you something" Camden started as he approached Khi in the meeting room.

              "No, actually I need to ask
you
something," Khi started vehemently, "what do you think you're doing? You know that you are driving her crazy? I am about two seconds from having you removed from your position. I don't know what power trip you are on, but I will not let you make the last months of her life miserable because you think it's funny. She means more than that." Camden lowered his gaze to the floor. He didn't even have a sarcastic retort to Khi's rant. He felt guilty enough before Khi's words, but now his chest ached with his disdain for himself.

              "Look, we need to talk privately," Camden responded. He held Khi's eyes as he made his decision. He was going to read Khi in. Khi cared about Alessa deeply. He would agree with the plan, he had to agree with it. "Can you come with me to the Great Cliff?"

              "Excuse me? You want me to come out to the Great Cliff after I just insulted you? I think not." Khi's voice was incredulous.

              "Are you afraid of me?" Camden forced himself to laugh. He didn't want to taunt Khi, but he could think of no other quick way to get him out of the Manor.

              "Whatever, make it fast, I have a job to do." Khi brushed past him and walked to Alec, "You're in charge until I get back, I won't be long." He shot acid at Camden as he looked him over and stalked out of the room.

              Once they were both standing at the Great Cliff looking out into the Sacred Ocean, Camden couldn't help but take a moment to think about the magnitude of what he was going to do. He felt heavy with the weight of it all. He was happy to share his burden with Khi, regardless of how he took it.

              "Alright I'm here, what do you want?" Khi's tone was clipped.

              "Man, sit down. This is going to take a minute." Camden said wearily, and he began his tale.

              "You really think you can pull this off?" Khi was less suspicious than Camden thought he would be. It made Camden uneasy.

              "I do," Camden's voice was surer than his head was.

              "I guessed that you were involved with something like this. Look, just the fact that you're here means that you people have some pretty serious resources and you have serious courage, or a death wish, I'm really not sure which," Khi was pacing as he spoke through his thought process, "the truth of it is, I'm pretty desperate and this seems like the best idea there could be, but let me tell you something and I hope I make myself perfectly clear." Khi walked straight up to Camden with menace in his eyes.

              "Alright, what is it?" Camden was clearly being challenged and he refused to back up. The tension between the guards was palpable as the sun beat down on them from the summer sky.

              "If you do this, if she agrees to this and you convince her that this will work and it doesn't, I don't care whose fault it is or why it goes wrong, if this goes wrong, I will find you. I will find you and I will kill you. Understood?" Camden paused for a moment. There was no doubt in his mind that Khi meant his threat and Camden could not be sure that the plan would work.

              "You really care about her don't you?" Camden watched Khi run his hands over his face and through his hair in frustration.

              "She's special, Cam. She matters. And she doesn't deserve this." Khi turned to walk away. "Make this work. And stop being a jerk to her. I'll see you in a week."

              Camden arrived back in the Capital District six days later tired and dirty but with a clear head. He had spent the last six days in the woods deciding that it was time to get real with Alessa. Khi was right, she didn't deserve the way that he was treating her and it wasn't going to win her trust. When he examined his recent strategy, Camden really wasn't sure why he acted as he had been.

              Camden stood on the threshold of his apartment, located his key on a nail behind a loose piece of the door frame, and let himself in. He looked longingly at his couch, but knew that a shower was the first order of business.

              Later in the evening, after he had showered and eaten as much as his stomach could hold, Camden sat on his couch trying to read his book. He realized, however, that the words on the page became meaningless as his mind raced about. He threw the book down in frustration and decided to go for a walk.

              As he walked through the darkened streets, Camden decided that he needed to pay his contact and mentor a visit. Mars would know what to do and was always able to settle Camden's nerves when he was anxious.