Total pages in book: 210
Estimated words: 200837 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1004(@200wpm)___ 803(@250wpm)___ 669(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 200837 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1004(@200wpm)___ 803(@250wpm)___ 669(@300wpm)
Being number nine in the Spark Maiden line-up comes with a whole lot of peace of mind because one is supposed to be the limit. The other nine are Maidens-in-Waiting. We get celebrity status. We live in the Maiden Tower surrounded by luxury. We wear the best dresses, attend the best parties, and have a whole staff of maids and helpers. It’s a fantasy life that every little girl dreams about as she grows up.
If you’re one of the nine Maidens-in-Waiting in normal years there is no need to worry about being called up for Extraction. There have only been a handful of times, in over a thousand years of history, where two Spark Maidens were Extracted in the same decade.
But this has not been a normal Extraction period. As Finn pointed out, we are on Maiden number seven now. Those bells have rung seven times in the last ten years. And each time one of my friends walked into the tower, never to be seen again.
They don’t return, you see. They don’t come back.
Still, there are only three months left. I’m safe. I know I’m safe.
And this feeling of safety is elevated because of what’s been happening outside while Finn and I took this opportunity to reunite after months of not seeing each other. Because today marks the first official pre-Extraction Choosing.
This morning there were three hundred and twenty-seven young women between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four on the tower stage. All of whom were calmly, but anxiously, awaiting the calling of names. All of whom were desperate to be Chosen.
After the ceremony was over there were only seventy-five Chosen left.
But over the course of the next three months that number will dwindle to ten. Then, finally, on Extraction Day itself, number one will be sent into the tower and my duty to the god will end.
The remaining nine Spark Maidens, in a normal Extraction period, do not enter the tower. They move into the Maiden Tower, get all the celebrity perks, and are generally just emissaries for the Extraction process itself.
I have spent the last decade speaking to young girls who dream of being Chosen, occasionally presiding over their spark training, supporting various political agendas, going to elite parties, and accepting gifts, and coin, and the attention of up-and-coming young men.
When the decade is over and the Maidens-in-Waiting leave their service, they are rich. We pay no coin for anything while we live in the tower. In fact, all our appearances and services come with a price. The coin is collected by the Matrons in our name and held in accounts until our duty has ended.
My time as a Spark Maiden came with all those luxuries. My accounts are overflowing with coin. Even with all the extra-stressful bell ringing, it was mostly good. And if the bells weren’t ringing, it was mostly fun.
But my heart belongs to Finn Scott. My heart has always belonged to Finn Scott. And our happy ending is so close, I can taste it. In three months, when the new Maidens are sworn in on Extraction Day, my status of Spark Maiden will finally be nullified, I will be free to take what the god has given me in exchange for being one of the Chosen, and I will start a brand-new life with the man I love.
I’ve been planning our wedding for over a year now. Nothing has been set up but as soon as I am free, those plans will be put into motion.
Finn leans in and kisses me again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I know you’re safe. I know you are.” He touches my cheek as he says this, giving the words a little more weight.
He knows I’m safe.
Well, that must mean that Aldo—his father, who is the Extraction Master and in charge of this whole thing—must’ve said something to him.
I open my mouth to start asking questions about this, but Finn doesn’t give me a chance. He gets out of bed and holds his hand out to me. “Come on. Let’s get back. There is no way they’re not missing you and I don’t want to risk the wrath of the god, not to mention my father. This could be considered cheating, after all. I don’t wanna tarnish your record.”
I feel relieved that he gave me this assurance that I am safe. Normally, he does not talk about his father’s work. It’s forbidden. But his last point is a little ridiculous, so I scoff as well.
Spark Maidens are not permitted to have a committed relationship during our service time, but we are allowed to date. There is no rule about sex in the Extraction manual, but we are expected to represent the god, so all our actions are judged. If you’re sleeping around and people start talking, demerits are added to your Maiden record and the day we are set free from our obligations, these demerits are read aloud in public for all to hear.