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"But I love him!" Ghale told the statue.
"And you still deserve more," Zeal said. "But that debt is the only reason your lace stays. Test me again, and I'll strip it as easily as I took his."
"What?" Oryll asked, looking down at his chest to find his collar bare. "No! No... it's..."
Ghale grabbed his lover and shoved the man back toward the door. "Go, Oryll. Just go. The first thing you're going to do is step down as an instructor. Both of us will." As he got further away, his words echoed back in the massive hall. "They can find someone else to train the initiates. We are going to pray - a lot. Give this up, or I will do exactly as Zeal says."
Then the lights went back down and their voices turned to little more than murmured sounds. The group of us all waited. I wasn't sure what for, but my intoxicated mind couldn't quite keep up with what had just happened. Then Wraythe, of all people, pointed up at the statue still leaning over us, and a snorted laugh broke out.
"Gonna put him back?" he asked Zeal.
"Right," Zeal said, flicking his hand. "They never reset the same, but I doubt anyone will notice."
And the statue slowly sank back into almost the same pose it had been when we arrived. The only difference was that the smile on its lips was a lot closer to a smirk now. It matched the one on the god's lips beneath it.
Chapter 69
Nariana
In the dim light they'd left us with, the guys all examined their new lace. Anver lifted his legs from the water to examine the new marks of Action. Wraythe bent to see the lines that ran down his pelvis and all the way to the tip of his dick. A deep laugh burst from his mouth.
"Really?"
Zeal was grinning at him. "You said it'd be hot. I figure you get to appreciate the look on Ela, so he can see what it's like on you."
"Oh, and I bet those lines taste like candy," Ela groaned, tilting the bottle up to take another swallow.
"You'll have to ask Nari," Zeal told him.
Talin turned to show off a swirling line that ran from his belly button down to the base of his dick. Other swirls accented his pelvis, but that one certainly drew the eye. So I turned to Anver. His were different, following those creases of his V, but set lower, like a complementary shadow. They stayed at the edges, which made sense in a strange sort of way.
Then they all twisted to look at their legs. The marks on their arms were the same, and the lace for the Path of Action was subtle, but the whole thing was gorgeous. Each man's style suited him. Talin's was in the pattern of Intuition, but it worked on his chiseled form. Anver's was bold but curling. Wraythe's was more pointed and less intricate, but it fit him better. Ela's was elaborate, like some kind of glorious adornment that only made him more beautiful.
Zeal had done very, very well. There was just one problem. Soon enough, someone would realize they had it. My lace had caused enough of a stir. The fact that we hadn't been formally immersed would be questioned. And yet, I dared the High Priest to complain. We'd already been through that once, and with five of us?
"Each of your main Paths is larger," Zeal explained, "which makes it clear what Path you should follow. I have not changed any of your match-marks to Nari. It's just..." He looked over at me. "You can't do this alone, my dearest. You would, and I can see that, but it's not fair for me to ask. The Path of Temptation is yours, but since you share everything with them, I decided to do the same."
"And me?" Anver asked.
"And you," Zeal said, smiling at me. "Was I wrong, Nari?"
"No," I promised. "Is he still matched to Tishlie?"
"He is," Zeal said, and then he sighed. "It's the only way I can be sure he'll get the training he needs."
"Do you care if I'm loyal to her?" Anver asked.
"Not at all," Zeal promised. "Once, I thought that if my priests could hear me, then I could fix this, but I've realized I was wrong. They don't want me. They want the luxury of this life, the comforts of their Paths, and the privileges we've given them. My temple is broken, and I can't fix it on my own. It also means you all are bound by the rules I never thought to change."
"The system is broken," I said. "In so many ways, Zeal, the whole thing has been warped, but I think we can fix it."
"I think you need to learn first," he told me. "I have lived for centuries. A few more years won't change anything."
"And your siblings?" I asked. "How weak have they become?"
"A few years will changenothing," he said again.
"A few years is the start of something," I countered. "Look at how many priests can see you now. Look at the guardians! Look at the ones who stepped up to help me this year. They are the reason I wasn't failed from my Path or forced to declare one like the temple wanted."
