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"What the fuck are you doing?" I snapped.
He pointed right at Zeal. "I want to know what's going on."
"You are not one of my chosen," Zeal told him. "Your duty is to be faithful, not make demands."
"Well, when I'm the one that's supposed to be mentoring both Anver and Nariana, I think making demands becomes a part of being faithful." He squared up and crossed his arms. "What are you doing, Zeal?"
Zeal just turned his attention back to me. "So Grath can see me, and he was there when I healed Nari's shoulder." That was the conclusion to the story he'd been telling earlier, even if it did leave a lot out.
"Ok," I said, still watching Grath. "You can see a god. What are you going to do with it?"
"I was told to go to the Salle, but I've been thinking about that all day. Why? To start with, why is this being hidden? After that, why is Nari learning to fight from guardians instead of the god who seems as devoted to her as she is to him? Then we can get to why Wraythe reacts like he has a strong bond with her, but he doesn't do the same with Eladehl."
"Oh, he does," Zeal assured him, picking that last bit only. "Wraythe's feelings for Eladehl are different, though. They're friends, nothing romantic at all. Wraythe isn't blinded by lust when he works with his ward, so he can see every mistake Eladehl makes before it becomes a problem. They're bound, and tightly. More tightly than Wraythe is bound to Nari, if I'm honest."
"And Anver?" Grath asked.
Zeal sat up, swinging his legs off the bed to face the pair of us. "Anver's bond is too weak to cause him problems."
"Why?" I asked before Grath could get the chance.
Zeal just sighed. "I wanted you on this Path, but she was the only desire you even came close to having a match with. It's not much of one, but your guilt was enough. Right now, it's an excuse for you to get the training you need."
"What training?" Grath demanded.
"That is not for you to worry about," Zeal told him.
"I'm his mentor," Grath shot back. "The Path of Protection is about a lot more than simply keeping men from abusing my desire. Valira's also not involved in the dangerous stuff. She's a beautiful and erotic temptation, but her most interesting quality for most patrons is the color of her skin. It's not that she's willing to be slapped to the floor. And that's why I do this. I watch over the others on my path because I have the luxury of that."
"Like you watch over Nariana?" Zeal taunted.
Grath pulled in a long, deep breath, braced up before his god, but the man wasn't backing down. "She's a good kid. Our instructors are trying to drive her down to Action, and she's studying hard to prevent that. I'm trying to be a good priest, Zeal. I'm trying withall I have,but you're not making it easy. None of this adds up."
"What?" I gasped, because that was not at all what I'd expected.
Grath just thrust a hand toward Zeal. "He's a god. Our god. I watched him heal Nari's shoulder today, but not all the way. I've seen you struggling with your ward, and he's done nothing to change that. He performs some miracles and ignores others. I want to know why before I commit to helping him."
"If you don't," Zeal warned, "your marks will fade, and you will be cast from the temple."
"I'd rather do that with my head held high than wearing a blindfold," Grath told him.
"And Valira will stay."
"No," Grath assured him, "she won't. I have the skills to work as a guard. She'd make a very happy wife. One with a husband willing to ignore her latest lover. We've already discussed this, long ago, back before we took our marks. My desire is a part of my soul, and we've been tied together long enough for that to become a habit. Don't threaten me, god."
"Don't push me, priest," Zeal countered, anger seeping into his voice.
"Then just answer the fucking questions!" Grath huffed in frustration. "If Anver is your chosen, then why are you intentionally making him suffer? Why couldn't he thrive on the Path of Action? Why didn't you put him on the Path of the Word?"
Zeal's eyes jumped over to me. "I need you to be a guardian, and a strong one."
"That's what I'm trying to do," I assured him.
He nodded once. "I do know that. I also need you to listen." Then he looked back to Grath. "I can't hear the thoughts of those who don't believe. I can't be seen by them. I have no power without faith, and Anver is strong enough to do this."
"And?" Grath asked.
"And?" Zeal repeated.
