PROLOGUE
-SIX MOONS AGO –
Music filtered out of the hall into the night air.
It was a happy day – the coming-of-age festival was finally here and youths from all over the city filled the walls of the Celestial palace.
"You brought your Mark Measurer, Thonda?" Her father asked as they stepped down from the hovercraft.
Thonda rolled her pale grey eyes but her mother spoke first.
"That measurer has been by her side since she was but 17 moons. She is not likely to forget it now."
"Thank you, mother." Thonda gave a slight nod.
She was dressed in a flowing white robe with gold trimmings. A circlet adorned the complex braids of her long white hair and she wore countless gold jewelry on her hands, neck and feet. Her shoes, also white, were made from the material peculiar to her people – soft but able to withstand several moons of use.
Her father let out a dignified huff. "It would be a shame if she were to forget hers, nevertheless, since we invented the thing."
"That wouldn't happen." Muri replied. "Now, remember to smile. This is a very important day for our daughter."
Thonda glanced at her mother long enough to see the biggest smile that had ever graced the woman's face, it made her realize the gravity of the situation and she immediately wished she hadn't seen it. Only child of her parents, and the great-great-and a dozen other greats granddaughter of Mak Kareese who invented the Mark Measurer. If Thonda failed tonight, she wouldn't just be disappointing her parents, she'd be disappointing her entire generation.
And to think she had been confident when she walked out of that hovercraft.
They reached the doors of the palace and they swung open revealing the inside.
The sound of revelers hit them like a wave but the hall soon fell silent at the same time the doors shut behind them.
The awkward silence made Thonda feel even more nervous. All around her she could see youths her age, their eyes filled with anticipation. They were all sure of their fate.
Why wasn't she?
Slowly, the family made their way to the throne where the Celestials sat godlike. The sea of revelers parted for them, a few bowing here and there, others staring in awe.
"Don't worry." Muri assured. "It'll be over by the end of the night."
They now stood before the Celestials, L'ar bowing deeply and Muri and Thonda making a delicate curtsy.
"Rise." The King commanded with a voice that reverberated throughout the hall, and with that one word, the revelers came alive again as though they had never stopped.
Thonda turned around to look at the people and swallowed the lump in her throat. Where was she to start? Her whole life led to this one moment and yet, she had no idea what to do.
She felt a strong hand on her shoulder for the briefest of seconds and then it was gone. Out the corner of her eye, she could see her father walking away to join a small gathering of nobles.
"It is but a dance." Came her mother's voice from behind her.
"What do I do?"
"My dear, there is only one thing TO do. Dance."
With a gentle shove, Muri pushed her to join the crowd where she was immediately picked up by a stranger. It was a group dance that Thonda was familiar with and she soon became comfortable, her feet moving and her body making the right movements.
She was passed from hand to hand and from stranger to stranger. One dance had barely ended before another one began and before she knew it, she was too preoccupied to worry about the outcome of the night.
…Until the musicians blew the shwartis.
Everyone stopped dancing as the King stood from his throne. Then in that powerful voice that could be heard for miles, he spoke.
"Children of Reeth, it is with joy that we celebrate here today, because this season will bring you a soulmate.
"However, some of you may not match today, but don't despair, there will surely be a chance for you in the next moon or perhaps even outside these walls."
That was true. It was a requirement for all Reethian youths to gather in the Celestial palace for the coming-of-age ceremony, but every season there were a few people who simply ignored the summons. Thonda hated them, they made their soulmate put in extra effort to find them and delayed the whole process. The point of a ceremony in the palace was to make sure that you didn't have to go far to find your soulmate.
'I would never give my partner the satisfaction of looking for him beyond these walls.' Thonda muttered. But a small nagging at the back of her mind made her wonder if in fact her soulmate was in the palace.
Her eyes collided with a blue-haired boy she had danced with earlier. He smiled and winked at her before returning his attention to the King.
Thonda did the same, assuring herself that the fates would never pair her with an idiot too pompous to attend the ceremony.
The King continued.
"One thing is sure, each of you has a mate somewhere. The fates have blessed you with a mark so precious and sacred that only two people on the whole planet posses it – you and your beloved."
Thonda looked down at her hands. Her mark was shaped somewhat like a fish and was between her index and middle fingers. It was such an odd mark to have. People usually had marks shaped like a circle or a star, but a fish? Never.
When it appeared last moon, she was so worried that she cried to her mother.
"You should be happy." Her mother had said. "This means you are unique – you and your beloved." Thonda believed her.
"When our ancestors first came to this city, they had to go on a long journey to find their mates, but then Mak Kareese gave us a better way. A modern way. Fortunately, we have our very own Kareese to better explain the workings of the device that will decide your future."
On cue, L'ar stepped forward.
"The measurers you carry in your hands are equipped with a technology that scans your mark and checks for the closest match. It can only look so far, so best pray your special person is in here tonight."
That made some of them giggle. Thonda was not amused. "You were each of you gifted by your parents with a Measurer when the new moon appeared along with your mark. Now it's time to bring them out and match!"
There was a buzz of excitement as the King sat down again and the sound of powered measurers filled the air.
A beep sounded once and everyone turned their heads just in time to see a young orange-haired girl match with a beautiful dark boy. There was applause as they linked hands and walked out of the hall together.
Another beep sounded and another couple matched. Then another. And another.
Thonda scanned her mark again, just to be sure. The room was still filled with people but she couldn't get rid of the panic welling up inside of her. Her measurer was still searching for a match. She looked at the small device that was hundreds of years old and began to question it's reliability. It was so small. Barely the size of her palm. How was it to decide her future?
She looked up again at the sound of another beep. This time, it was the blue-haired boy she danced with. He didn't even look back at her as he linked arms with another girl and walked out of the palace.
Thonda couldn't breathe. The hall was almost empty. She looked around frantically for her parents and soon spotted them in a corner. They were holding hands and looking at her, but it wasn't just them, all the other nobles were too. She could see some of them whispering an she didn't even need to guess what they were saying, it was obvious.
"The Kareese girl hasn't matched.'
"How ironic."
"Must be a punishment from the gods."
"Can you imagine what her parents must be going through?"
Thonda looked back at her parents. They were trying to be strong for her. Standing there, dressed as elegantly as royals - her mother in a red robe to match her fiery hair hanging all the way to her waist, and her father in a pale blue suit that matched his hair and complemented his dark skin.
They were beautiful.
They were stunning.
They were ashamed.
Thonda couldn't bear it any longer, she tossed her measurer aside and ran out of the hall, ignoring the gasps and stares.
She should have been the first to match, it only made sense. Yet the hall was already half empty and she still stood unpaired.
The fates be damned.