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The Temple of Temptation was even more beautiful than the Temple of All Gods. We didn't stop to look, although Jamik did put me down when we got inside. Amerlee didn't make me take off the robe, either. It was too long so I held up the ends, bundling it all with sleeves that dangled well past my hands. Trotting along beside them, we made our way deeper into the building.
The path was a winding one, but eventually we came to a long stone hall with dozens of doors set inside it. Amerlee headed for one in particular and opened it without knocking. I paused, but Jamik ushered me in behind her, following us only to close the door when we were all inside. I stalled out two steps in.
This place looked like a princess’s home. There were thick rugs on the floor. The kind that I could sink my toes into if I wasn't too scared to step on them. The walls were covered with paintings, and the chairs were the soft kind, not like the ones at my house. Reaching out her hand, Amerlee encouraged me to follow her a little further.
"This is my home," she explained. "My partner lives here as well, but she's out tonight. That means it's just the two of us, so how about a bath first?"
"Ok," I agreed, but in truth I wasn't looking forward to it.
Baths meant cold water and the stiff brush. This year was the first time I'd had to haul my own water, and I really didn't want to go outside again, get cold, and then soak myself in even colder water. I also didn't want to get Amerlee's stuff dirty. She'd been so nice to me, and didn't deserve that.
But Jamik pushed open another door. "I already filled it up," he said. "Took a guess as to how hot, but added rose water and some of your salts. Hope that's ok?"
"It's perfect," Amerlee told him. "Now go relax."
He hesitated. "You needanythingelse?"
"Just her papers, and I'm pretty sure that's what I saw on my desk. Relax, my dear. You've got at least an hour, but if you want, you can come back."
"I, uh..." He paused to clear his throat. "She needs something of her own. I thought I'd..."
Amerlee grabbed his hand. "You are the sweetest man I've ever met. Just give me an hour, ok?"
"An hour," he agreed, squeezing her fingers gently before he turned and just... left.
I stared in confusion, trying to make sense of all the new things that had happened. Still, I was sure of one thing. "Sohe'syour husband?" I asked, convinced the answer was yes.
But Amerlee just laughed. "Priests and priestesses don't marry, Nari. He's my guardian. Jamik has dedicated his entire life to keeping me safe. Not just my body, but all of me. My heart, my mind, and even my soul. He's my best friend, but he's not my husband. He's also your brother, just like I'm now your sister."
"He's not my brother. I have lots of those."
"Oh yeah?" She steered me into the room Jamik had opened. "How many?"
"I have one oldest brother. He's going to grow up and help Papa with the farm. I used to have two more brothers, but they went away and I'm not supposed to talk about them anymore. Then there's my sister. She's a year younger than me, and my little brother is a year younger than her, and now we have the baby."
Amerlee was helping me out of the black robe. "Is the baby a brother or a sister?"
"A sister. Mama said she was good for nothing, and she cries all the time, but I think it's because she's hungry."
"Probably," she agreed, turning her attention to the rope knotted around my waist. "Now let's get you out of this shirt, ok? The tub is right over there, but touch the water first."
"So I can get more lace on my hands?" I asked excitedly.
She chuckled but shook her head. "So we can see if it's too hot."
"Hot?" I looked at the water she was talking about. "It's hot? How does it get hot?"
"Because the water comes up from the basement, and there's a place to make it warmer. I'm not actually sure how it works, but there's a tap for hot and one for cold. Ok, out of the shirt, little sister."
Instead of opening it, I pulled the whole thing over my head and dropped it on the floor. Belatedly, I realized that I probably shouldn't have done that, so turned to grab it, but Amerlee had beat me to it. With a smile to show I wasn't in trouble, she pitched it in a basket at the side, then pointed to the tub again.
I didn't care that I was naked and she wasn't. Mama was always dressed when she made us take baths. Instead, I wanted to get this over with, so I hurried over and pressed my darkened fingers to the water, surprised to find it really was warm. Wonderfully so, like sitting in front of the fire had been. Even more surprising than that was how the markings on my hands didn't change at all.
If it was dirt or soot, some should've faded away. If it had been paint, it would've swirled into the water. Instead, the markings were fine. The lines were just as crisp, the swirls just as beautiful. I found myself smiling when I realized I wouldn't be washing them away.
Then I climbed in. The side was higher than I was used to, but Mama made us bathe in part of a barrel. This was a tub - the kind I'd only ever heard about. The sides were made of something that looked like stone but wasn't, and the water came all the way up, stopping a hand span from the edge. As I lowered my body into it, the level swayed dangerously close to spilling over.
"Now tip your head back," Amerlee told me. "Get your hair all good and wet."
