Filed to story: The Chosen Saga Novel PDF Free
The Elder looked her up and down and gave a curt nod. “Well, Araiya, it’s pretty simple. You write down your name on this parchment and on the back; you cut off a lock of your hair, braid it and loop it through the hole.” She quickly let down her hair, separating a small section from the back. She pulled the rest of her hair back into a ponytail and then braided the remaining hair. She took a knife, cut off the braid, and wrote her name on a piece of parchment, looping the braid through the back so the hair would not come off, and passed it back to the Elder. “Well, Araiya, that’s everything. I will add yours with the others.”
“Excuse me, Elder Tobias. How will we know if we’re selected? This is going to be the first ritual that I have been able to attend. I don’t know how it works.”
“Well, the Elders go through the basic prayers, and then we light the bonfire. A previous Chosen from the Earth province comes to the dais when the bonfire is lit. Once the Chosen has completed her ritual prayer and sprinkled the herbs needed to complete the ritual, all the names are thrown into the fire. After the names have been thrown into the fire, it will flare. The Chosen presiding over the ritual will reveal the names of all the candidates selected for this year. When the name has been revealed, the fire will flare one of the provinces’ colors and a depiction of the person will be in the flames.”
“What do the colors mean? Once you are chosen, can someone say no? Is there any way to back out of it?” She vomited her questions, not able to stop herself.
“No one but the Chosen knows what the colors mean in respect to the Chosen. Even the Elders are in the dark. Once someone is Chosen, they cannot back out of it. That’s why we prefer having you come in beforehand instead of making a last-minute decision. No one has the right to say someone cannot put themselves forth as a candidate for the Choosing like your stepfather has. You are of the right age to choose for yourself. I will say that I hope that you have at least your mother’s permission…”
With that, the Elder walked away, and Araiya turned around and left. She hoped that tonight would go as she had planned. She begged the? Goddess or her Consort that she would be chosen. She could not stand one more day in that house, this town, this damn province. There was also no way in Hell that she would want to be sent to the Fire province to be married off to a mean old man. Araiya walked out of the temple, and as she turned to head back home, she noticed that Jack was waiting for her.
“Araiya, I called after you. Why didn’t you stop?” Jack asked. “Araiya, we need to talk…”
“No, Jack, we don’t have to talk.” She started walking back to her house as Jack followed. “Do not follow me.” She quickly turned around to face him. “What do you want now?”
“I just want you to listen. I don’t understand why you’re so upset with me. We were never going to be anything. We were just kids having fun. Why you won’t you be my friend anymore?”
“Really, Jack? Kids having fun? You told me you loved me. You told me that you would choose me over everything else. You broke my heart for what? Money? My sister? What kind of man does that?”
Jack smirked. “Korine puts out.” He laughed. “Araiya, I honestly don’t understand why you would ever believe that a man of my position would date you. Your father is dead. You have no standing. The only reason you’re even around is that Korine’s father married your mother out of pity.”
“Wow.” Araiya spun and started running. She turned around the side and darted down a small alley between the temple and their stables. Jack ran past, looking for her, while she stayed in the shadows. She went deeper into the alley and heard voices coming from a back room
“Sonya, what are you doing here? You know we can’t be seen together.”
“Jon has paid another Elder to remove both Araiya’s and Korine’s names from the selection today. I don’t care about his spoiled princess, but I need you to ensure that Araiya’s name is entered today. Tobias, please. You have helped me these past twenty-one years. I need you this one last time. You understand what is at stake.” Sonya carried on in a panic.
“Sonya, calm. I already know Jon paid off Sanza.”
“What the fuck?” Araiya whispered as she inched closer to the door.
“I just saw Araiya. I have her actual entry in my robe. Sanza removed the entry I faked for Araiya as soon as she left the temple. Just like we planned as soon as you told me that Jon barred the kids from entering.”
“Tobias, this is so much worse than we thought. He is trying to sell her off to the Fire magistrate.”
“What?”
“When he barred the girls from entering, I assumed he didn’t want Korine to enter and made a decree, but that wasn’t it. He was already selling her. He gave her a letter today as a gift. She doesn’t have to take the stables job with the temple because she is to become the bride of the old Fire magistrate. Something is going on. I just haven’t figured out what.”
“That won’t happen. We have the plan in place. If she isn’t Chosen, then we will smuggle her out. All will be well. He won’t win.”
“I am so worried, Tobias. We have been so careful these years, but somehow, he seems to always know our plans.”
“Listen, Sonya. You have done well raising her. Her life would have never been easy, and it will probably get worse, unfortunately. All we can do is prepare her for the next step as best as we can. Did you give her the letter? Did you give her the necklace?”
“Of course, I gave her the necklace. It is hers. I was keeping it safe. I also gave her the letter. I just hope she forgives us.”
“What is going on, Mom? What are you guys talking about?” Araiya whispered to herself. Darkness started to eat away at her vision. Breathing became difficult as she stared at the faces of her mother and the only man outside of her brother who treated her well. Two of her closest had been lying to her about something, and the betrayal stung.
Araiya slowly crept away while her mother and the Elder continued their conversation. She had just left the alley when her mother came out of the back room. She hurried away, trying to go the long way home. She looked over her shoulder to see if her mother had noticed her when she ran into someone.
“Oh, I am so sorry I wasn’t paying attention.” She looked at the person she had bumped into, and her stomach dropped. Jack was holding onto her arm.
“Oh, it’s no bother, but since you’re here, we can finish our conversation. Why don’t we go somewhere quiet?” Jack started to pull her down another alleyway as she attempted to pull free.
“How ’bout you fucking go and die. I have absolutely nothing I want to talk to you about.” She continued to struggle, finally just planting her feet and wrenching away. She quickly returned to the busy town center and headed toward her home. Jack was dogging her heels the entire way. “Fuck off. You are a liar, cheating dirty rat bastard Jack. You are with Korine, so leave me the fuck out of it.”
“That’s what you’re so worked up about. You wanted to save yourself, which is noble and shit, but it doesn’t help me any.”
“WOW, Jack, just wow. Sex, that’s all this is about, she’s a whore, so it was worth ruining our friendship. It was worth throwing away EVERYTHING.” Araiya chuckled. “I want nothing to do with you. You are pathetic. I want to pretend that everything between us never happened, and I am so glad I was not stupid enough to sleep with you.” She spun around and started running back to her house.
Jack called after her. “Come on, Araiya. Don’t you want to have a good time with a guy your own age? As of tonight, you will be engaged to an old man from the Fire province. You should give me a shot. It’s your last chance.” Jack laughed as he turned away. Araiya jogged back towards her house as tears started to run down her face. She gave everything to that boy, and all it took was one conversation with Jon, and it was over. It showed exactly what she had meant to Jack, and she was glad for it. At least she did not waste anything else on him other than her time.
“Araiya, baby, are you okay?” Her mother came out of nowhere and wrapped her in a hug.
“Everyone is lying to me, and I just want one person to tell me the damn truth. Jack lied to me, Korine and Jon lie all the time, even you won’t answer me truthfully anymore.” She pushed her mother away.