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Then he looked at Amerlee. "And you? I chose you for your faith. I did not expect you to do quite so well, though. You have trained her to accept her fears, and to overcome. To never shy away from her emotions. You made my Chosen feel safe. I owe you both for that, and I have heard your prayers, Amerlee."
"What prayers?" Jamik asked.
Zeal smiled. "That is a talk you should both have alone. Just know that if you ask, I will fix the ring. I'm finally strong enough to do that again."
"Strong enough?" Amerlee asked.
"Short version," Talin said. "Zeal's power is based on those who believe in him. Once, everyone could see the gods, but they're too relatable, he says. Too easy to assume they aren't special. He kinda has a point. But people lost faith, belief waned, and then it was only his priests, and now it's only a handful of us."
"And," Zeal added, "when no one believes anymore, we die. My goal is to avoid that part."
Amerlee shook her head. "But people still worship!"
Zeal leaned back to drape his arm across the couch just behind my head. "They want the benefits. The problem is that they believe in the priests, not the gods. I promise the situation is just as bad for my siblings."
"So what does Nari have to do with all of this?" Amerlee asked.
"She is going to remind people that we're real."
But that was a very vague statement. "How?" I asked him. "Zeal, I can't make people believe. If I stand up and say you're real, they will just think that I'm insane. It doesn't help you."
"You are my tie to reality, Nariana," he said. "The safest way to start is always small. First, you convinced your family that I exist. And now I have six - well, seven - people to work with, not just one. You were tested by the temple and found to be a true miracle. You stepped into the pool of my tears and walked out with more lace than any priest has worn before. Beautiful lace, on a beautiful body. It is the sort of thing people remember."
"But we all have lace," Wraythe said, holding up his black-lined hands. "I'm not sure they think that's a miracle so much as a mistake."
"They stillthink," Zeal told him. "They whisper my name when they wonder about it. They're reminded that directing all of this is a god. It primes them for what will come next."
"And what's that?" I asked.
"Changes," Zeal explained. "I want to start small, but work my way higher. Sadly, I do not control my own temple. The High Priest does, and he doesn't believe in me."
"He has to," I said. "You stood over him and made him say it."
"Ah, but now he's trying to explain that away," Zeal assured me. "He hit his head when he fell. He didn't expect Talin to be so strong. The man is grasping at straws in an attempt to cling to his disbelief. With that said, he also knows that it's easier to say I was there. It makes him sound more powerful to have walked in the presence of his god. All I care about is that his inner conflict gets him out of our way."
Amerlee was nodding her head. "And going after Nari would only raise more questions. He'd either get caught lying about her immersion or his reason for losing his marks, or make people realize that he's losing the power of his position, thus making himself a bigger target."
"Exactly," Zeal said, praise dripping from the word. "You will make a glorious Priestess of the Word."
"I can't change my Path for a couple more years," she reminded him. "Not until Nari has graduated to a disciple."
"What about me?" Jamik asked Zeal. "When she moves into the Path of the Word, where do you want me?"
Zeal smiled. "With her. Do not fear, guardian. I will not separate the pair of you. That would be a bad way to reward you for helping."
"But there's always a price," Jamik reminded him. "Will it be one I can pay?"
"I charge my faithful a lot less than everyone else," Zeal promised. "Most of your price is being paid now, by protecting the thing I treasure most." His eyes shifted to me, making it clear what - or rather who - he meant.
"So, what am I supposed to be doing?" I asked him. "All of my instructors hate me. Most of them want to fail me down to another Path. I don't know what you want from me, Zeal. Oryll made me try to deep-throat that dildo in class, and I couldn't. I'm not some amazing student to wow everyone - "
"Which will make it even more clear that you're divinely inspired when you do," he assured me. "You must walk through darkness before you can see the light. Walk proudly, my Chosen. You said you didn't want any of the Paths offered, so I made you one of your own. Make it what you want. Do not ask others if that is ok. Show them that a god told you to do this! Stop asking for permission and start telling them that they can't stop you. You. Are. My. Chosen. Walk the Path that is right for you."
"Show off the lace," Wraythe said.
"That's not a bad idea," Amerlee agreed. "Nari, you're no longer a little girl. Stop dressing like it. Your clothes are beautiful, but sedate. Mine aren't. I want everyone who looks at me to see beauty and pride. To feel intimidated, and recognize the power of a real priestess."
"It's a weapon," Jamik added. "Her confidence is disarming, her beauty is distracting, and her pride makes her patrons wonder what will happen if they cross a line. Amerlee never looks like a woman who needs my sword to keep her safe. She can do it on her own."
