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"He's going to make you the victim," Ela grumbled.
I nodded, agreeing completely. "Oh, yeah. He wants to see me hurt." But I was looking around him, waiting for Harlin's eyes to make it to us.
The man was scanning the rows, clearly looking at all the students. When his eyes made it to me, he paused for a second, tipped his head, and then continued on. Ela looked over, murmured as if unimpressed, and then turned his attention on Harlin's ward. Oryll had called her Jola.
She was a pretty woman, younger than Amerlee but older than me. Her skin was brown and her hair was barely a shade darker. She had beautiful pale streaks in it, as if the sun had sucked away the color. She also wasn't a tiny woman. Too many of the priestesses were little, but Jola was at least as tall as me. Her legs were muscular but not distractingly so. The rest of her looked fit, but in a sensual way. Frail was not a word that fit her at all.
She was exactly what I imagined as Harlin's partner. Someone just brazen enough to deal with him, but beautiful enough to steal his heart away. Side by side, they made a very pretty picture, but her complete attention was on what Oryll was saying. Halfway through, she lifted her hand, requesting his attention.
"Priest Oryll?" she finally said when he didn't seem to notice her. "Did you want to explain to them why we do this?"
"Do you honestly think that's important?" he asked.
"Yes." She paused, making it clear there was no debating that. "You see, when I have a man beating the shit out of me, that one little piece of information keeps me from signaling for Harlin to stop him." She turned her eyes to the class as a whole. "Zeal uses us as his tools to reach the baser instincts. Rage, fear, and lust are the most common. Rage is first. Always first. Our patrons live hard lives, regardless of why. We, however, do not. We're pampered in the temple, given the best food, clothes, and luxuries that most people could only dream of. Thus, when Zeal needs a way to burn out a person's temper, we owe it to our god and temple to take the abuse."
"Why?" a girl asked. "I mean, can't they just deal?"
Jola walked down the aisle so she could see the girl easier. "You see, the base emotions can build much too easily. Say a man wants to beat me until I bleed. If I refused, he might turn that anger on a child, or a woman who doesn't know how to take the pain in a safer manner. Plus, our price is always less."
"What does that even mean?" a guy asked.
"We heal faster," she told him. "A bruise on my face will be gone in days. For most people, it could be more than a week. We have complete access to priests trained in medicine. It's a vital segment of the Path of Action. But the most important part is what Oryll will be teaching you in the next few weeks: how to take a hit. How to move so the impact is on a part of your body that is less likely to break. And then, how to recover once your body can't take any more."
"That's all in the book," Oryll told us, "and it's your assignment for tonight. Now, since I know most of you are waiting, I'll release you early so you can check your grades, and I will be in my office for anyone who has questions."
The man ended the class and turned for the back of the room almost like he was retreating. Around us, everyone was trying to put their things away quickly so they could see how they'd done. Ela and I picked up what we had and moved for the door, looking back to see Talin and Wraythe stuck behind a wall of bodies.
Harlin and Jola just fell in beside us, walking into the hall as if the timing was nothing more than coincidence. Once we were outside the room, however, Harlin gestured to the wall so we'd be out of the way. Ela wrapped his arm around my waist and moved me to his other side so he could shield me with his body.
"So," Harlin told his desire, "this is the Chosen and her partner. Nari and Eladehl."
"I've heard a lot about you," I told Jola. "Good things, I promise."
She laughed, the sound as beautiful as I expected. "Well, Irila told Harlin you'd had a bad session. We decided that talking about helping isn't going to do any good unless a few of us start. So, here we are." Then she lowered her voice. "How bad was it?"
"Not too bad," I promised. "Ela handled everything perfectly, but we learned why a dear friend had abandoned us. A lot of old memories were dredged up."
"Anver?" Harlin asked.
I nodded. "Yeah. Let's just say that it wasn't his fault. In all of this, he got the worst deal."
"And spends the most time with our mutual friend. Jola's waiting to see him." He meant Zeal.
"You have to believe," I told her. "Not 'want to believe,' not 'wonder what we're seeing.' You need to believe without a doubt because he is very real."
She nodded. "I'm trying. I heard about Harlin's nose. I just keep thinking that I'm not worthy."
"We're all worthy," I assured her. "This isn't a 'good enough' type of thing. It's about how much faith you have and nothing more. Think of it like this: your doubts obscure him. Your belief does nothing more than clear your eyes. It doesn't make you a better or worse priestess. It doesn't change anything else. It just allows you to see and hear your god."
She reached out and caught my hand in both of hers. "Harlin's right. You deserve this. When I first heard about your marks, I'd wondered if you'd pulled a fast one, but listening to you? I think you're exactly what this temple needs. You're the voice of our god, helping us take that last step."
"And there," Harlin said, lifting his head, "are their guardians."
Jola's breath rushed out at the sight of Wraythe. "You are definitely a guardian."
"Not mine," I told her.
"Oh no," she agreed. "He's the type that can stop a destroyer. The pretty one has to be yours."
