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Amerlee shook her head. "She was told that if she came here, her father would get her something to eat."
Jamik grumbled under his breath, his voice the deepest I'd ever heard. "Well, your partner is out for the night, so do you want me to set up a bath in your room? I can tell Saval that we'll ease her transition."
"You don't mind?" Amerlee asked.
He smiled at her warmly, nothing but love in his eyes. It was the kind I'd only heard about, but I knew it the moment I saw it. This was how brothers were supposed to look at sisters. The way parents should smile at their children. It made me want to trust them more than anything else, and deep in my chest, something relaxed a little.
"Once," Jamik said, "I was the barefoot child wondering why I was here, so no. Love her, Amerlee. Someone has to."
"Ok," she decided. "Can you get me another pillow? I'll share the bed with her so she won't need to be alone."
He chuckled. "Should I tell Saval that you've finally found your acolyte?"
Amerlee turned her pretty painted eyes on me. "I think so. I have a feeling this one's going to be special. She's meek because she was told to be, not because she's scared of making a scene." She caressed my filthy and knotted hair. "I want to make sure she knows there will always be someone to care for her. That sometimes, it's ok to break."
Jamik leaned down to kiss the top of her head. "I'll have the papers in your room as well. Get her fed. I should be back before she's done eating, and we'll take her over to the temple and get her settled in. She can meet her class tomorrow."
"Am I going to school?" I asked.
"You are," Amerlee told me. "That's why your papa brought you to us. Now try that soup before it gets cold, ok?"
That was the permission I needed to dig in. The first spoonful was little more than broth and rice, but it tasted better than anything I'd ever had before. I sucked that back, making quiet slurping noises, and then another. Before I knew it, I'd forgotten all about Amerlee and Jamik. My only concern was how good this tasted and how my belly had finally stopped complaining.
When my eating became less frantic and more appreciative, Amerlee leaned onto the table beside me, turned so she could watch me. "Do you know what a priestess is, Nari?"
"Not really," I admitted.
"Ok, then that's a good place to start. There are six gods. Each one focuses on an aspect of humanity. There's the Goddess of Perception. Her followers pride themselves on their awareness and intellect. They're the smart ones who figure things out. Then there's the Goddess of Inspiration. Her followers make things better. A lot of them are singers or dancers. They bring beauty to the world. Let's see… There's also the Goddess of Compassion. The ones who follow her ease the suffering of others. We have the God of Intuition, who encourages his people to stay a step ahead. There's the God of Ambition, who teaches people to work for more. And then there's our god. His name is Zeal, and he's the God of Temptation."
"What do his followers do?" I asked.
"We embrace the basic instincts of humanity. Rage, fear, pride, and most of all, love."
I looked down at my hands. "The stains mean I'm helping Zeal?"
She gestured for me to keep eating. "Kind of. See, the pool of water you touched? It's made of the gods' tears. All of them combined. Anything that slips below the surface is an offering to them, and one of them accepted. Different gods choose different people, and Zeal chose you."
I used my spoon to point at her hands. "Did you dip your whole arms in there?"
Amerlee laughed, the sound beautiful and relaxing at the same time. "Not the first time. When I was your age, I only had the marks to my wrists."
"Mine's just my fingers. Is that bad?"
Something crossed her face, but she quickly shook her head before the expression could settle. "No. We'll have to examine the markings, though. Everyone's are different, and the highest priests say that what the gods leave on our skin is a sign of our destiny. Like a story, but one in their own language. When you're a little older, you'll touch the tears again, and when you're grown, you'll bathe in the water of Zeal's tears." She paused. "But you'll learn all about that in school."
I took one more bite of the bread, and then set it back on the cloth. The butter on it was so good that I didn't want to stop, but another bite would make me puke. Hoping it wasn't rude, I pushed the half full bowl away as well.
"Done?" she asked.
"I'm full."
She leaned closer. "Good. You're also not shivering anymore. How are your feet?"
I scrunched up my face. "Still a little cold, but better. Thank you for letting me have this."
"This isn't me. This is from Zeal. His way of showing that he's going to take care of you. Nari, you're going to be a priestess."
"Like you?" I guessed.
