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Now that was interesting, and I was a little surprised that Amerlee had never mentioned it before, but she also preferred to use the technical terms for things. She said it made her duties less taboo. In truth, she was right.
Wraythe moved behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist to cage me against his chest. "Nowthatis a term that fits you, Nari. You are definitely a desire. We just have to figure out whose."
"Not yours?" I asked, glancing back.
His face froze for a moment, the smile slowly began to slip, and his eyes jumped over to Eladehl. "Uh... I mean... I can't have two."
"Then she can bemydesire," Eladehl decided. "And come on. I wanna see where we're supposed to be at dawn."
Dawn. That meant one more day of things staying like they were. One more day with my friends without anything holding us back. Tomorrow morning, we would report to our rooms, get locked inside, and bathe ourselves in a pool of Zeal's tears until the sun rose again. Our mentors would seal the door behind us, our instructor would make sure they were all secure, and then we'd wait.
But when we walked out afterwards, we would no longer be acolytes. We would be Initiate Priests of Temptation, set upon our destined Path. Paths that would all lead in different directions. Paths that could very easily pull me away from the people I cared about most.
We weren't the only ones headed toward the Choosing Rooms, though. Pretty much everyone from our class was walking the same way. When we reached the stairs, the line turned single file, because they were narrow. Granted, this place was also used only once a year.
Then we walked down. Not just to the basement, but even below that. The lower we got, the more I started hearing something. Dripping, I finally realized. The walls began to seep, streaks of minerals proving it had been going on for a very long time. When we finally reached the area, it was dark.
Candles stood in puddles of wax in the alcoves along the halls, but there were no gas lamps down here. The air was a little stale, the flames making it a bit sooty as well, but it wasn't hard to see the rooms. They looked like they'd formed naturally over an underground pool. Each one was little more than a bubble of rock. Probably mineral deposits, actually, considering the damp floor around us and the spikes hanging down at the edges of the walls.
Together, we went to find our specific rooms. Eladehl's was in the middle of a row. Wraythe's was closer to the far end. Mine was the very last, the furthest from where we'd come in. It was also the darkest.
"That's not creepy or anything," I joked, trying to ignore the anxiety growing in my gut.
"It's just one day," Eladehl assured me. "One night apart so we can finally be accepted as something more than just kids."
"Zeal won't let us down," Wraythe added. "There's no way he'd give you up to Obligation."
I wasn't quite so sure about that. All the comments from my teachers, all of Wraythe's desperation, and Anver's genuine surprise that I wouldn't claim him as my guardian had been piling up slowly, and standing in this dark corner was only making it worse. Because what if he sent me to Obligation? What if Anver talking to me had been a sign from Zeal, and I'd missed it? Could I have failed some kind of test?
"Ok," I said, feeling the panic setting in. "I've seen the room. You two ready to go back up?"
"Yeah," Eladehl agreed. "It's nothing like I expected, and there's really not that much to look at."
Wraythe just grabbed my hand, walking with me back the way we'd come. Thankfully, the stairs were mostly clear for our trip back up. A few people were above us, but not close enough to see. The moment we stepped out into the marble halls of the temple again, I felt like a weight had lifted from my chest. I had one more day. One more blissful day to pack all my things, spend time with my guys, and try as hard as I could not to dwell on what tomorrow would bring.
Chapter 29
Nariana
Iwas too nervous to keep down breakfast, so I began throwing my things into boxes. We'd been told that our stuff would be moved to our new rooms for us. So long as we had it all together, the Priests of Obligation would make sure it got where it belonged. It was the closest thing to a celebration we'd get. I'd acquired a lot in the time I'd been here, though.
My clothes were all pulled out of the wardrobe and folded in a heap. The books were stacked together in a box. Most of them were mine, but a few belonged to Amerlee. I wanted to make sure they didn't get messed up. As the shelves began to empty, I saw the two pouches of coins I'd earned at the beginning of the year. Those went with my bunny, but that brought me to the next thing. I still had the stuffed dog.
When all my other things had been bundled together, I decided to grab Puppy and make sure he got back to Wraythe. Hugging the toy for what might be the last time, I was a bit surprised to find Wraythe's door open, and my large friend was throwing his things into a box with a vengeance. Timidly, I tapped at the frame.
"You ok?" I asked.
He turned, and his eyes immediately found the stuffed dog. "What are you doing?" he asked.
"I got everything else packed, and I figured you'd want him back. I mean, he's spent more time with me than you lately, but I know he's special."
"Yeah," he mumbled. "Um, just put him in one of the boxes. I'm not really organizing."
"Want some help?"
He grabbed one of his books from his shelf, but paused. With a sigh, he shifted, bracing himself against the wood, his back to me. Slowly, his head dropped.
"I want you to pick the Path of the Body, Nari. I don't even care if I like your guardian. I'lldealwith it if it means I get to keep you, but I feel like you're already slipping away." When he turned to look at me, his eyes were brimming. "I can't lose you."
