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"Shit."
The fact that Amerlee cussed so blatantly made my gut clench. Evidently, this was going to be a bigger problem than any of us thought. I just had no idea why.
"Can he do that if she doesn't request it?" Amerlee wanted to know.
"Yes," Yana said. "If at least six Priests of the Word file complaints that her marks appear to be suspicious, he can demand a witnessed immersion in the tears. He already has four."
"There haven't been four people to see them," Amerlee countered.
"That," Yana pointed out, "isn't a requirement for filing a complaint. Simply the knowledge that the girl shows more than one Path has given them the excuse. They believe she needs to be immersed again because the marks always change. Even if they do not grow or shrink, they will change. That, Amerlee, is why I was sent to document every line, because afterward, I will do it again, and then they will be compared. If there is no change, she will be stripped and cast out. And yes, it will be witnessed by the High Priest himself."
"So it's going to happen?" Amerlee asked.
"I think it should. And so you know, I am one of the priests who filed a complaint to have her retested. From what you have told me, I think she needs it. I think your student was so indecisive that she somehow made a mess of her Choosing, but now that she has some experience, she should end up with marks of the Body. Besides, what's the worst that happens?"
"He finds a reason to remove the only person in the temple with more lace than himself," Amerlee pointed out. "But I'll warn her."
"That's pretty much all you can do," Yana admitted. "For all of your sakes, I hope those marks are as real as they seem."
Chapter 55
Talin
While Amerlee, Saval, and Nariana discussed how this upcoming immersion might work, Jamik, Eladehl, and Wraythe returned. Nariana said she wasn't in the mood to eat, but I was starving. I told Wraythe to keep an eye on her and excused myself to snag something. Mainly because I couldn't help with this.
Like Nari, I'd heard what that priestess had said. Unlike her, I knew it wasn't that innocent. Yana had been fishing. The woman was sly, friendly, and could lie with a straight face. She'd been trying to get Amerlee to give up something to prove the High Priest's suspicion. Instead, Amerlee had made Nari sound like a naive and confused little girl. Not the type of person to be a threat to Kinen's position.
I just wasn't convinced that Yana believed her. Granted, the two times I'd met her before, she'd been at the High Priest's side. Both of them, she'd seemed rather impressed with her own powers of persuasion, so maybe Amerlee's mixture of truth and near-maternal concern had actually worked?
Either way, most of the day was gone. We'd been at this for more than six hours now, all things combined, and our other responsibilities would not simply vanish because of it. After inhaling a cold meal, I headed to our initiate-year instructor's office. Oryll's was on the right, so I aimed for the door on the left. Ghale's. Knocking softly, I waited for him to respond before entering.
"Priest Ghale?" I asked, scanning the room to make sure we were alone.
Oryll reclined in a chair in the corner, but otherwise, we were. Ghale, seated behind his desk, grunted in acknowledgment. "What do you need, Initiate?"
"I was supposed to get a list of this year's Protection courses and the times they're each held."
Slowly, his eyes looked up at me. "Why?"
"For my ward."
The tension in the room quickly increased. Oryll sat up to lean against the arm of his chair, watching me intently. Ghale's jaw clenched, but he began to rummage through a stack of papers in the corner. Evidently, they were not fans of Nariana.
"Do you know which class she wanted?" Oryll asked, a hint of snideness underlying his words.
"I didn't ask," I told him. "She is currently with her mentors, and I hoped to have a few suggestions when she plans her schedule."
"Such as?" Ghale asked.
"Eluding holds, defensive tactics, or even escaping bondage."
The guardian before me chuckled. "Yes, I could see how those would be useful to a Priestess of the Body. Do you think she will listen?"
"I think," I told him, "that it is my job to protect her regardless.”
"Just be aware, young man, that accidents do happen in class. Sometimes tragic ones." Then he finally met my eyes. "Pretty little girls could get hurt. There's a reason we have Paths, and she cannot be good at everything."
"It's my impression that she simply wants to understand it, Priest Ghale." I'd naturally fallen into the same pose I'd taken beside the wall earlier in the day, perfectly still.
