“Leela,” the High Priestess said, gazing down from her impressive height with a mixture of confusion and horror. “What in the name of Mother Sun do you think you are doing here?”

8

LEELA’S HEART POUNDED IN HER EARS, HER FEET GROWN into the ground like roots.

“It is forbidden to cross the sacred circle once the birthing season has begun,” the High Priestess said, and Leela nodded mutely. Had the High Priestess overheard any of her conversation with Kandra?

She folded her hands together and fixed Leela with a hard stare. “Please explain yourself.”

“I wished to see how Plenna was doing,” Leela said quickly. “My purple mother brought me along with her to deliver food and made me promise to wait at the path. But I . . . I did not listen. I thought if I could see Plenna happy, it would help heal some of the pain of Sera’s loss.” She looked down in case the High Priestess could read the lie in her eyes. “My heart still grieves for her.”

“Of course it does, my child. But grief is no excuse for breaking such an important rule.” The High Priestess placed a hand on Leela’s shoulder, her skin hot through Leela’s cloudspun dress. She’d never been touched by the High Priestess before, and Leela felt her magic jerk inside her, as if she had just touched a burning stove with bare fingers. “I am afraid a conclave must be called. And a penance must be decided.”

Leela could only vaguely remember the last conclave, when she was just a little girl, called to deal with a Cerulean who had refused to aid in preparations for the Festival of Light, one of the three major Cerulean holidays. The woman had been old, Leela recalled, and lonely. She had lost both her wives and had retreated from Cerulean life. Leela remembered feeling both sad for her and frightened of her, as her penance was announced in front of the entire temple. She was tasked with preparing for the festival all on her own. And she had done it, to the City’s great surprise.

She had died a month later. Leela felt ashamed that she could no longer remember the woman’s name.

“Come,” the High Priestess said. “We must tell your purple mother what has happened.”

The look on her mother’s face when she was told that Leela had disobeyed her made Leela want to slink under a rock. The other purple mothers and midwives had gathered in shock, listening to the High Priestess recount Leela’s breach of faith and announce the conclave. Leela felt she could see her own purple mother’s heart breaking at the thought of her daughter receiving the harshest Cerulean reprimand possible.

There was only one face missing among the crowd—Kandra’s.