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“The First Disciple!” they exclaim.
A senior priestess turns to Juron and frowns. “What happened? Has she been injured?”
Juron shakes his head, but it’s Caya who answers.
“The First Disciple over exerted herself while carrying out the Mother’s will,” she says. The priestess narrows her eyes at this, so Caya adds: “There’s no need for alarm. It was only a healing spell.”
The priestess peers at Taria more closely and then nods. “We shall find her somewhere to rest.” She orders three priestesses to help Juron escort Taria into the temple, and once they’re gone, she turns to Natharius and me. “Did the First Disciple give instructions for what we should do with our . . . guests?”
“Bathe and feed them,” Caya replies. “Though apparently the demon requires neither.”
Still under the command of silence, Natharius can only glare at her.
“Right this way then, witc-” She coughs and eyes the indigo fabric of my robes beneath the layers of rotten food. “Mage.” The priestess extends her arm and gestures to the many steps leading up to the temple’s enormous doors.
“What of my faerie dragon?” I ask the priestess as I hurry up the steps after her.
“Faerie dragon?” she says, glancing back at me. “Oh, of course. You mean the small creature which accompanied you here? Forgive me, I’ve never heard the name before.”
“Yes, that’s who I mean. Do you know where he is?”
“He’s with the temple’s doves. I’ll send a girl over with him while you’re in the baths.”
I give her a nod. “And my staff? Do you know what happened to it after I was locked in my cell?”
“It’s safe in our vaults. I’ll have it sent to you with your pet.”
We reach the top of the steps and slip beneath the large, arched doors. The temple’s courtyard stretches out before us, bustling with maids and priestesses.
“Natharius,” I say, turning to the Void Prince. “I permit you to speak once more.”
The demon scowls at me.
“I assume you aren’t planning to come to the baths?” At least, I hope he wasn’t planning to do so. I’m not sure what the temple’s bathing facilities are like, but if there’s only one communal bath then I certainly have no desire to strip off before the Void Prince. Nor do I have any desire to see him naked—
I decide it best to stop that ridiculous chain of thoughts before they start conjuring images of the Void Prince I would very much rather not see.
Natharius scowl doesn’t relent.
“I’ll take that as a no then.” He doesn’t correct me, so I continue: “I won’t be too long, though there’s little we can do until Taria is awake. Try not to stray too far.”
Natharius wrinkles his nose and turns on his heel. The ends of his long, silvery hair flash out like a fan of swords with the sharp motion.
“Actually, let’s make that an order!” I call after him. “Natharius, you are not to leave this temple.”
Though I’m certain his keen elven ears won’t have missed a single word, he offers no indication of hearing me.
“Shall we?” The priestess gestures to the left of the courtyard.
The baths are in the eastern wing, and when we reach them, the priestess utters the spell-wordnesimtito conjure a golden breeze and blow open the heavy wooden doors.
Steps lead down to a rectangular pool with water trickling from the various tiled pipes situated around its perimeter. White petals float across the rippling surface, and an aroma of heavy perfume greets me. Jasmine and lychee, I think. Not that I’ve ever been exceptional at identifying key notes in perfume. That was one of Eliya’s particular skills. Her heart-shaped face and crimson locks flash through my mind, and a sudden stabbing pain shoots through my chest.
I mask my expression as best I can, and if the priestess notices the fleeting shadow of anguish across my face, she says nothing of it.
“You may help yourself to our facilities,” the priestess says. “I’ll send a maid in with a towel and fresh robes for you to change into. If you leave your clothes to one side, she can collect them and take them to be washed.”
“Thank you,” I reply. “I appreciate it.”
