The Hallowed Covenant

“If you serve as Confessor,” the High Confessor said, “you will take a Temple name. You will leave your old body and your old name behind, and during your service you will be known only by your Temple name.”

Inann raised her hand. “What is your Temple name?”

The Confessor laughed. “I don’t have one. I am simply the High Confessor. By tradition, the High Confessor gives up even her name.”

“I don’t understand,” Inann said.

“Most of the gods have sacrifices. The High Confessor is the Sacrifice to the Keeper. My term of sacrifice lasts ten years, and for those ten years, I have no name. I take on the gravest of transgressions, hear the confessions of other high priests and priestesses, and endure the harshest rituals of atonement.” She touched the filigreed choker around her neck. “We don’t even have any public symbols of office. I wear this during your training so you can recognize me, but never in the public side of the Confessory. Unlike every other Sacrifice to every other god, when my time as High Confessor is up, nobody will ever know the sacrifice I made. Nobody I serve or serve with will even know my name.”

Silence settled over the garden as the initiates digested what she’d said. Without warning, a small furry chittering bandovan darted from one of the openings in the wall surrounding the garden. It streaked through the group of initiates and bounded onto the High Confessor’s lap, where it looked up at her, front paws folded together. She burst out laughing. The tension shattered. “You will probably make friends with the local critters,” she said. “Sometimes it’s nice to have someone to talk to, isn’t that right?”

The bandovan chittered in agreement, then climbed onto her shoulder and draped itself around her neck. Its long, striped tail hung down nearly to her lap.

“Not all of you will become Confessors, and that’s okay,” she went on. “Of every ten people who volunteer, perhaps three will stay. The Keeper asks a lot of us, perhaps more than any of the other gods. You have earned our gratitude just by being here. If you discover that being a Confessor does not suit you, there is no shame. It is not for everyone, and you can’t know if it’s for you until you’ve started training. You are always free to leave at any time, without judgment.” She looked around the ring of faces. “I can tell you don’t believe me. That's okay. When I sat where you’re sitting, I didn’t believe it either. It’s true. Of the nine people who became initiates with me, only two of us took vows as Confessors. That’s normal. Don’t feel you have to stay from a sense of pride even if you don’t want to be here. It’s far better that a hundred people who might make good Confessors do not take their vows than one person who is poorly suited does.”

Jenniel raised her hand. “What makes someone suited to be a Confessor?”

“Hmm.” She stroked the bandovan. It nuzzled her ear with a wet black nose. “First of all, I think, compassion. You have to want to make the City a better place. We serve a vital function by providing the means for people to atone for transgressions, make things right, and release their guilt. This above all is why we do what we do, to help people come together instead of fly apart. We all hurt others at some point or another. We all collect our share of bumps and bruises on our journey through life. Confessors make other people’s journey a little easier. We smooth over the rough parts in the lives of others. Beyond that…” She shrugged. The bandovan chirped in reproach, then re-settled itself across her shoulders. “An ability to read and empathise with people. Skill at listening. Everyone knows us from grand confession and petite confession, but a lot of what we do is simply listen to people at group meals, or give people private advice. Ability to keep secrets, of course. Introspection. Empathy. Ability to separate ourselves from our egos—that’s a difficult thing, and not many can do it.”

Tessia raised her hand. The High Confessor nodded. “Yes?”

“Is it worth it? All the things you’ve given up. Would you do it again, if you knew then what you know now?”

She thought for a long moment. When she spoke, her voice was heavy and slow. “I don’t know. The person I am now would say yes. I am not now the person I was then. I do not regret what I’ve sacrificed, but I don’t know if I can answer for the person I used to be. I am grateful my life has taken the course it has, but I have given up so much.”

Tessia met her eyes. “Thank you, High Confessor.”

Video review by Tom Harrison

In a world where all need is well and truly met, desire becomes the most important currency. Where AIs are gods, Sacrifices are voluntary, and sex is but a lingering smile away, relationships unfold through enthusiastically consensual exploration.

The world, built by Hung and Veaux, asks us to imagine who we are without fear of scarcity. Would we be artists, knowledge seekers, decadent servants? Or would we retreat into our own thoughts and imaginations, giving ourselves time to actually understand our innermost ambitions?

The Brazen Altar is a gratifying example of what could happen if we allow technology to heal our deepest wounds, and shift our focus to more carnal aspirations. Kink happens, and it happens to be the main event, as we witness society delve into the realm of extreme pleasure in service to their deities.

The Brazen Altar is groundbreaking in the world of erotic romance. Brave and bold, this book takes no prisoners, demands our attention, and opens up an entirely new playground for fantasy and ecstasy.

—Melanie Nicholson

One of the biggest problems with fantasy and SciFi stories is that rarely are the consequences of the fantastical elements taken to their logical conclusions. Magic and technology serve as throwaways to drive the plot and are then forgotten about. As a result, I hold in high regard stories that add a fantastical element and then explore the implications such technology would have.

The Brazen Alter nails this aspect of the story and it was my overriding feeling throughout reading it. In a post scarcity world, where would humanity find their drive? We've seen how religion and tribalism shape our society today, but what would it look like in a world where the desperate need for survival and power were taken away as concerns completely?

This setting is one of the most intriguing and interesting parts of the book. As usual from these authors, the characterizations are well done, the erotic aspects are strong without taking away from the story and characters, and the reactions are realistic to the world that they grew up in, without imposing how modern people would react to such a world.

If you like erotic novels and/or SciFi that is well written and intriguing, give The Brazen Altar a try. I certainly am looking forward to the subsequent novels.

—Michael Vogel