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Amerlee just laughed. "Pants and more close-fitting dresses are rather common inside the temple. Our clothes are intended to be seductive, inspire the imagination, but not be too revealing." She waved Maela and me to a set of chairs, then leaned her rump against her own desk. "Tell me, are you completely scandalized now?"
"Surprisingly, no," Maela admitted, "My father's the Baron of Compassion, you see. I was never allowed to venture near the Temple of Temptation, and my husband made it sound like..."
"A whorehouse," Amerlee finished for her. "I prefer to think of us as women in charge of our own decisions. In Zeal's home, the sexes are equal."
"So are the preferences," I pointed out.
Maela groaned softly. "Thiemo. That man is making things difficult for Tath. Last weekend, just after you left, hedancedwith a young man at one of the balls!"
"Send him here," Amerlee suggested.
"He comes!" Maela insisted. "From the sounds of it, he has a preferredpriestess."
"Shalsa," I explained. "Although, I'm not sure he's considered asking for a man."
"I'll tell her to arrange it," Amerlee assured me. "Do we have any idea of what type he prefers?"
"I think Talin knows which young man his brother was with. He could have suggestions," I said.
She nodded, flicking her eyes to Maela pointedly. I simply nodded my head once, making it clear that Talin's sister-in-law knew about his sexual preferences. From the twist on Amerlee's mouth, she seemed surprised.
"I'll ask him, then," Amerlee said before turning her attention to Maela again. "So, is there anything in the temple that you'd like to see?"
Maela's cheeks began to flush. "All of it," she admitted. "My husband has no idea where I am. I simply left a note saying I was going to have tea with a friend. I..." She glanced up at me. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about what happened that night, or the things you said. That if the Ranndors don't resume their place as Zeal's representative then we could be replaced. And Yamina - "
"Talin's youngest sister," I told Amerlee.
Maela nodded to show I was right. "She says that he's been avoiding his duties to Zeal because I'm nervous about it. Nari made it clear that I have the same rightsandresponsibilities. I was also raised in a family where we took our responsibilities to our god very seriously. I never wanted to be the reason my husband avoids the temple, but lately, he's been the one trying to discourage me from coming."
"The Darkest Night might be a bit of a shock," Amerlee explained. "So, since you're here for tea, how about we make that lie into truth?" She looked up. "Jamik, my love? Would you find the boys, Shalsa, and Irila? I think Lady Ranndor should get the experience of Zeal's dining hall."
"Which one?" he asked.
Amerlee just smiled. "Ours. Nari can serve as my guardian while we make our way there."
"Don't like it," Jamik told her. "I'd rather walk you three there myself, then I can go find the boys."
But a tap on the door solved the problem. Jamik opened it to reveal Irila's smiling face. "I was told that we had a date for tea?"
Jamik just laughed. "Thank you for helping, Zeal," he breathed even as he opened the door wide enough to show Shalsa with her. "Ladies. It seems they're all in your care, Irila. I'm supposed to find Nari's boys."
"The guardians should be headed to Strength Training right about now," Shalsa said. "Get them excused for the rest of the class, if you would? And I'm pretty sure one of them would know where Eladehl is. I think my guardian can handle this." And with a smile, she looked over at Lady Ranndor. "You are absolutely stunning, aren't you?"
The woman blushed brightly this time. "Um, thank you."
"And she's a bit overwhelmed," Amerlee warned. "Maela, this is my own partner, the infamous Shalsa. The paler woman is her guardian, Irila. Now, let's go have some pastries and possibly a few dashes of something in our tea."
Maela's face was still bright, but a smile had taken over her lips as she pushed to her feet. "I think I'm finally starting to understand the concept of temptation after all. Do you think we can take the long way so I can gawk with only a little shame?"
"Make that no shame," Shalsa said, "and it's a deal." Then she offered her arm.
Surprisingly, Maela took it. Naturally, I offered mine to Amerlee. My mentor and almost-mother smiled up at me like that simple gesture meant the world to her.
Chapter 8
Nariana
Shalsa and Amerlee were much better at showing off the temple than I was. Shalsa made quite the production of it, showing Maela the statues, the offices, and making sure to walk through areas where priests were usually present. Maela looked at all of it with her head swiveling from side to side. Thankfully, she was also smiling.
