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Anver was nodding. "Look, watching is my thing, and all semester, it's seemed like the course work is designed to push her. Just her. The rest of us are almost ignored. Oryll's the worst, but even Ciella was whining about it a few months ago. If Nari has a project, that means all the rest of their classes will get additional homework."
"It's to push her out," Ela grumbled. "Fuck! It's like every time we get ahead, there's another layer of bullshit out there waiting to drag her down, you know?"
"That's the game," I realized, lifting a hand so the guys would give me a chance to explain. "At Maela's lunch, a Priest of Perception said she needs to change the games they're playing.Thisis their game: drown her in stupid crap. Wear her out. There are only so many hours in a day, and if she can't do it, she'll fail down to a lower Path by default, but Nariwantsthis Path. Sure, she has a backup plan, but her dream has always been to be a good Priestess of Temptation."
"So we help her," Ela decided.
Anver was nodding. "Look, Nari knows this stuff. It's not like she isn't learning. She understands her Path better than most priests. Why does she need to do all ofthisherself?" He gestured to the books. "What kind of guardians are we if we aren't lightening her load?"
I turned to him, feeling my eyebrow lifting because I hadn't expected that from him. "Saying you're one of her guardians now?" I teased.
"Uh..." He looked up and swallowed. "I meant guardians in general."
"No," Ela said softly, "you didn't."
"I'm just trying to help," Anver insisted.
Wraythe's voice came from behind the couch, heading our way. "The right answer is yes, Anver. Are you one of her guardians now? Yes. Don't let them push you around. Don't feel bad for it. You've always been tied to her, so make it clear you're not backing down."
Anver's eyes hit mine and his chin lifted slightly. "She needs help, and I'm going to give it whether you like that or not. If it's doing her homework, then I've got the time. Get used to it."
"Good," I said, pushing a stack of blank paper toward him. "Print. It'll look more like her handwriting."
He accepted the paper and got to work, but a few seconds later, I caught him glancing up at me again. For the second time in as many minutes, our eyes met, but this time I gave him a smile and an approving nod. The snake had five heads. Zeal said Anver was the fifth. If he called himself her guardian without thinking, then who was I to say he was wrong?
"What am I doing?" Wraythe asked, moving to stand behind Ela and rub the man's shoulders.
Ela just looked up at him. "Go through her things and see if you can find a list of her assignments for the week? I have a feeling there are a few she's behind on. Anver's right. There's no reason for Nari to do all of this, and if it's done for her tomorrow, then she can rest and be ready for this session."
"Not worried about your session?" I asked.
"Nope."
"And when Oryll makes you the receiver and not the initiator?" I pressed.
A smile curled Ela's lips. "Still not worried. I'm either going to beat someone or get beaten. We all know it'll be the second. We also know that no one in that class is going to be brave enough to do real harm to me except Ciella. Which means I'll probably be paired with her, she'll try, and I'll destroy her."
"And fail," Anver added.
"Don't care," Ela said. "I can fail every assignment left in this class and still pass. The only fear I have is that I'll be assigned to Nari."
Wraythe dropped another book on the table and took the chair beside Ela. "Then what?" he asked.
"I'll do it," I offered. "We'll be in a session room, the door will be closed and locked. I can put enough bruises on her to make it convincing enough to keep Oryll from failing her."
"Or I can." The voice appeared in the room before Zeal did.
As a group, we all turned to the sound to find him waiting in the entrance to the bedroom. The god glanced back to look at Nari, then eased the door closed before making his way over. Just like the rest of us, he dropped into a chair - the last one - and then he sighed.
"This wasn't what I intended for her," he grumbled.
Anver huffed a dry laugh. "How about you just tempt Oryll to pick someone else? I'm getting the impression that would be easier."
Zeal lifted both hands to rub across his mouth and cheeks. "I can't. Ghale, I’m trying, but Oryll has no belief in me at all. I can't nudge his mind. I can't influence him. I..." He dropped his arms, letting them hit the wood as if he didn't care. "I'm useless!"
"You're gaining strength," I reminded him.
"Not fucking fast enough to help her!" Zeal snarled, the frustration like a whip in his voice. "I'm trying to teach her how to tempt. I'm showing her things no human has handled before. I..." His mouth snapped shut and those strange eyes jumped up.
