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"Ah." Maela offered him her hand. "It's a pleasure, Priest Grath."
"The pleasure is all mine, Lady Ranndor. It's nice to see the baron's family in the temple again. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll leave you two ladies in peace."
He bowed over her hand politely, released it, and then stepped back. What Grath didn't do was leave. Instead, he moved to the far wall to busy himself with looking at one of the massive paintings. I noticed, but it seemed that Maela didn't.
"He's very handsome," she whispered.
"And a guardian," I reminded her, "which means he's completely harmless unless someone tries to hurt us. So what made you decide to make the trip?"
"I..." She paused, looking at the statue again. "That face. It's so amazingly familiar that I feel like I know him. Sorry." She shook her head as if trying to push that away. "I ended up with the afternoon off. Pia is watching Haryth; the others are working on a quilt for Abril. It's supposed to be a secret, but we all know she's pregnant. Since she isn't ready for her brother to know, that means I'm not supposed to. In other words, I have a free afternoon and have nothing to do. Tath's being a grump, so I decided I'd take you up on your offer instead of risk him having another tantrum."
"Still scared of the temple?" I asked, but my smile made it clear that was ok.
She wobbled her head daintily. "Intimidated is a better word. The foyer is beautiful, though."
"And perfectly safe," I assured her. "There are no liaisons here, no unexpected displays of skin, nothing that a child shouldn't see. We keep the debauchery in the back." And I gestured that way, inviting her to walk with me.
"Is it really scandalous?" she asked.
"Not at all." On impulse, I decided to take her toward the student wing, aware of Grath casually following behind us. "I came here when I was nine years old, just a bit younger than so many other children."
"I can't even imagine," she admitted.
So I kept going. "I was given a small room with a soft bed, fresh clothing, and three full meals a day. It was the first time in my life I'd ever experienced those things. For the next ten years, you know what I did?"
"No..."
"I learned to read, write, eat with manners, dance, and how to properly worship our god. When I was twelve, my mentor explained the changes in my body. I was encouraged to ask questions about things like kissing and holding hands. We were also prohibited from going too far. Primary students, those in the first ten years of their education, are not allowed to participate in much."
That made her feet stutter. "Really?"
"Honestly," I said, just as we reached the children's wing. "This is where the kids live. Notice the markings on the thresholds? They limit what areas the students can enter. First-years are kept from anything shocking, while tenth year students can see everything but the center of the temple, where sessions are conducted behind closed doors. They didn't even want us tohearwhat happens in there without an instructor or mentor present to explain it. In the temple, sex is not something to be ashamed of, but it is something to take seriously. We spent years learning enough so we'd be prepared instead of surprised when we were ready for it to happen."
I led her up a hall, but didn't turn toward that wing, instead aiming for the nave. Maela gawked, making no attempt to hide it.
"Am I allowed to be back here?" she finally asked.
"In the presence of a priest or priestess, yes. With that said, you can also ask any priest at the front to bring you to my suite, and they'll escort you back. It's simply because most people would get lost. The temple covers the space of two city blocks, and there are quite a few twists, turns, and levels. I've never even been on the second floor."
"Wow," she breathed. "What's up there?"
"A library, spaces for making clothes, and other functional areas. Mostly, the Paths of Word and Action work there." Then I turned again. "And since you said you were interested in meeting some people, I thought I could introduce you to my mentor."
I stopped just outside Amerlee's door, but the sound of my voice had Jamik pulling it open to see what was going on before I could actually knock. Immediately, his eyes landed on Grath, but then he noticed Maela. A smile took over his face.
"Lady Ranndor, what a pleasure. Come in. Amerlee, dearest? We have a special guest." He stepped aside to allow us in, and looked over to Grath. "I got them now. Thank you, Priest."
"Just helping out a friend, Priest Jamik," Grath assured him. "Enjoy the weekend, Nari."
"You too, Grath."
Maela looked back, finally realizing he was there. "Did that young man follow us the whole way?"
"Guardian's job," Jamik assured her. Then, "Let me introduce you to my own ward, Priestess Amerlee, on the Path of the Body. I'm Priest Jamik, Path of Protection. Please, come in, be comfortable, and feel free to sit if you want."
Amerlee stepped around her desk and smiled at the woman. "I heard stories about Nari's vacation. It's so nice to have a face to put with the name."
But Maela's eyes had dropped to Amerlee's clothes. "Your outfit is amazing!"
