The Hallowed Covenant
Be careful what you wish for! An eight-hour orgasm? What should be divine becomes an exquisitely agonizing ordeal for Tessia, who makes the ultimate quivering sacrifice to the god called the Blesser; but for Avia, who takes Tessia' s place when she' s unable to live up to her commitment to the god, it' s a revelation as well as an act of devotion. For Sayi, leader of the Confessory, her lot is to accept the erotic penalties due for others' transgressions and offer them a path to atonement; while Yaeris, whose impulsive decision to participate in the Dance of Sacrifice to the Lady of Arts, faces sensual consequences she couldn’t possibly have anticipated.
Welcome to the City, a post-scarcity society without war or disease, ruled by benevolent AIs who are worshipped through rituals of sex and connection. How can a society function with no law, no police, and no hierarchy? When anything you could ever need is available from a Provider whenever you want, how do you find meaning or purpose? When a woman of the City breaks a promise to one of the gods, her decision has profound effects on other people, and she must find a way to atone for her transgression.
The lives of four women wrap intimately around each other, in a complex story of transgression, atonement, forgiveness, and creation.
Buy it in paperback or eBook on Amazon (US | UK | Canada)
Or get a signed paperback, Kindle, or ePub from the publisher.
“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.”
Sex in the world of the Passionate Pantheon is a ritual of worship and connection. The residents of the City have sex to honor their gods and each other. The sex you’ll find within these pages is unusual, and includes themes of:
