AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Then convince her that she doesn't need to. If Zeal won't pick a Path for her, then she needs to declare one herself. This Path of Temptation shit is nonsense. How long have you known this brat?"
The insult made me want to snap at him. Instead, I forced myself to stay calm. "Since Choosing, actually. I was rather surprised, since I had declared the Path of the Body myself."
"Huh." Ghale looked over at Oryll. "How are you dealing with her?"
"Same way as every other student," Oryll told him. "I won't grade her differently because her course load is harder. If she wants to take on the responsibilities that come with our Path, then she'll have to figure out how to manage them regardless of what else she has going on."
"I've never had a guardian and his desire in my class together. She's going to be a distraction," Ghale told him.
"She has had some weapons training at least," Oryll pointed out. "Seems both her and her partner were interested in it. Most likely to maintain their physique."
"Ah." Ghale nodded, looking back to me. "If that's her interest, then put her in the strength training courses. Otherwise, just know that I willnottolerate you interrupting my class because your ring starts to get tight. You hear me, boy?"
"I'm sure I'll manage, Priest Ghale," I promised him.
"Right up until she gets hurt," he sneered. "Because arrogant little girls who get above themselvesalwaysget knocked back down. When a guardian puts them there, they usuallystaydown. We won't have a problem with her if she's gone, will we?"
The look in his eyes convinced me that wasn't hyperbolic. It was an honest threat. "I don't understand why it matters," I said. "I'm new to all of this, and I didn't ask for this assignment, so forgive me if that's rude, Priest Ghale, but I'm honestly confused."
His hand slammed down on the desk. "Because we all stay on our Paths! She does not deserve to be rewarded for not making a decision. We do not need every child for the next decade announcing thattheyare going to follow the Path of Temptation! Don't you see? That girl's stunt - however she managed it - is going to disrupt everything we do. Never mind that I cannot deal with her sexual distraction. My class is filled with men and women in various states of undress, sweating, and grappling with each other. The rings are the only thing that keeps it from becoming an orgy, andshe is not ringed!"
"I will make sure she restrains herself, sir," I promised him.
"You do that, or I'll make sure she cannot ruin everything this temple has stood on since its inception."
Dropping my eyes, I accepted the paper he thrust at me, and then left, apologizing for interrupting him. Scanning it on my way back, I found a few classes that would work around her main schedule with the Path of the Body. One of them stood out: grappling and short weapons. It was everything she'd need to know, since Priestesses of the Body rarely got to carry swords, and black powder weapons were still hard to get our hands on. Then again...
I smiled, deciding I would call in a favor from my sister. She'd told me she would do anything I asked if I'd just go back to the temple. Well, here I was, and a pistol would certainly be useful if even thepriestsaround me were threatening my girl. I had a feeling Nari would even be able to use it. Granted, we didn't have any classes on them, because the things were priced well out of most people's range, but not my family's.
It was something, but not enough. That evening, I told Nariana about the priests not being excited about having someone without a ring in such physical classes. Wraythe caught my eye, understanding that I was putting that rather mildly, then he said he'd love to be in a class with both of us. I suggested grappling and short weapons, Nari honestly looked excited about it, and Wraythe said he'd make sure she could take down even him.
But the anxiety didn't go away. I had a plan. I had people to rely on, and yet I couldn't stop thinking that this felt like it was about to blow up. It was all happening too fast, and too many people felt like there was nothing wrong with voicing their skepticism. In other words, the court of public opinion was not on her side.
That night, I lay in my own bed, staring at the ceiling. I couldn't sleep. Closing my eyes only made the worries scream inside my head. The clock on my wall ticked loudly, proving that time was creeping along, so I gave up. Fretting wasn't getting me anywhere, so it was time to try something new. Something I had never done before in my life.
Pulling on a pair of pants and a loose shirt, I didn't try to make a good impression. I simply headed toward the back of the temple. My bare feet slapped on the marble floors, but I was too tired to care about shoes. I just needed to find some peace so I could sleep before this all started again tomorrow.
Finally, I reached the nave. This late at night, only a single candle lit the small basin by the altar. The benches were all empty, and the room around me was so quiet I could hear the stones creak as they settled. I found a place in the middle, near the outside, and sat.
"Zeal," I breathed, "help me protect her? You told me I would find my heart's desire in sunlight and shadows. You said that if I was strong enough, I could change it all. You told me to become the blade that protects the shadowed beauty, and to make sure that your chosen didn't stumble. I'mtrying, but I feel like we're outnumbered and waiting to be overrun. If the entire temple is already against her, then what am I supposed to do?"
"What do you think you should do?" a man's voice asked softly behind me.
I jumped in surprise, twisting to see a darker-skinned priest wearing his robe with the hood pulled up. "Sorry, I thought I was alone."
The priest smiled, looking almost relieved. "You were, until you weren't. What does your gut say you should do, priest?"
"It's complicated," I told him.
He moved around to squat in the aisle beside my bench, his eyes now a bit lower than mine, and much closer. They were odd, though. Paler than I'd expect with his skin color, which made them memorable.
"No one can see the future," he told me. "Not even the gods. They can make guesses and predictions based off history, statistics, and their knowledge of the players, but that is very different fromknowingthe future."
"Ok?" I asked, not quite sure where he was going with this.
"But the best defense is always to plan for as many obstacles as you can imagine, and train to handle the rest. Lucky for you, you have a god on your side.Theydo not."
Those words made me look at his eyes again, this time a little closer. Flecks of blue, grey, green, and pale amber were the easiest to see, but dark brown, hazel, and more were there as well. For the first time, I understood the reference to a kaleidoscope. I swore the colors were in different places each time I looked.
