The buzz began before the sun appeared on the horizon.
Corinna Lestat extracted as much milk as possible from the lean cow she and her father raised in the backyard, being careful to leave something for the newborn calf struggling to survive from the day it was born. Not unlike Corinna herself.
The hovel where she lived was located in one of the city limits with the forest that surrounded all the borders of Fortuna and the other nine villages. The main road was the view that could be appreciated from the few windows present in the precarious structure.
Many of the inhabitants of Fortuna were obliged to pass by in order to reach the center of the settlement. Usually only the noises of carts and horses were heard at that time. However, on that day, it was possible to hear voices and noises of exasperation. It usually only happened at one time of year.
When the Sacrifice was approaching.
Corinna frowned to herself as she did the math and carried the half-full bottle of milk — it had not been possible to get another drop of the cow without it jeopardizing the puppy's feeding — into the hovel.
It had not even completed four months since the last Sacrifice was over. She could still hear clearly the Bayou family cry when news of the fourteen-year-old son's death in combat had arrived. She could hear clearly the laments of the Covencut family when the eldest daughter returned without the movements of her legs.
The sound of the whip as a threat, if families would not stop cursing the powerful ones, could also be heard with some effort.
The Sacrifice happened every year. Normally the choice of participants started on the Summer Solstice and the competition lasted until the end of the season.
A familiar horse-trot sounded as Corinna turned on the last worn-out step of the entrance to her hut.
Kallien Steros stepped down from the animal with a look, serious enough for something to stir the girl.
No, that was not an ordinary day.
"You know the news?" The boy said as a greeting as he adjusted his coarse linen shirt with one hand and balanced one brown packet in another.
"Good morning to you too, Kallien." Corinna took a deep breath as she faced her friend in front of her. She was impressed how he could look so lush before even the morning streaked. The boy rolled his eyes, but there was a playful smile on his lips.
"Good morning, Cori." He took the girl's face very carefully with the free hand and kissed her cheek. In fact, much closer to the lips than to the cheek itself. Corinna did not bother to scold him for the thousandth time. Kallien stepped back, holding out the brown package that smelled delicious. "They're the first batch. I came as fast as I could to get them here with a pleasant temperature.
It was her turn to kiss his cheek. His actual cheek.
"You know you don't have to keep doing this. My father and I managed to live a few weeks without the wheat for the bread." The small plantation in the back had been devastated after a storm so intense that it frightened Tabbris, the mare of Corinna, causing that it crushed with the hooves much of the wheat.
"I know, but I don't think it's a big deal to provide some for you as the plantation regenerates.
"I doubt that your uncle, the city baker, will think the same way," the girl finally replied, turning her back on her friend when he shrugged and opened the cottage door as quietly as possible. Her father was still sleeping on the tiny floor above. Kallien followed with his stride to the simple dinner table with room for two. He propped the brown package on the piece of furniture as he pulled the chair opposite Corinna's.
The simple smile still ran over the boy's face as he watched her every gesture carefully as he poured some milk into one of the glasses, offered him a mouthful and returned to the table after receiving a shake of his head. Her nimble fingers opened the package so quietly that Kallien was almost hypnotized.
Corinna took the first bite of the soft bread, almost wanting to do a worship service to any deity that allowed her to eat something of good quality from time to time.
"You know I can't thank you enough for this," she told the young man who was still staring at her in awe. His simple smile became malicious as he leaned across the table and whispered so that only she could hear:
"I have ideas of equally pleasant means for the both of us in which you can do this." Corinna rolled her eyes, but she smiled.
"I hope you're not putting off the novelty you brought with food and flirting," she said playfully, but apprehensive when Kallien's smile disappeared almost instantly.
He scratched the back of his neck in a way that Corinna knew that bad news were coming.
"The Square of the Announcements." Kallien said as if he could not formulate a coherent sentence. "They pinned new dates at dawn."
The girl raised her eyebrows as minutes passed in silence. She forced herself to ask, even though she already knew the answer. "New dates for what?"
Kallien took a deep breath.
"Dates for the Audition. In two days a new selection process for the Sacrifice will begin."
