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"Oh, that might be a bad idea," I told her.
She shook her head. "I disagree. I think that claiming you as my moral support will make that old man think of me as weaker than I am. He'll see you as a way to sway my opinions, most likely thinking that the fairer sex is too silly to have any plans of our own - or our god's. It lowers his defenses while giving us each other to see around what they're doing."
"I do like that idea," Zeal said. "I also like how it puts you right back in the middle, Nari."
"I'm with Zeal," Talin told me. "I think you need to stand up to Kinen as much as Maela does. More than that, I think that when the pair of you are together, you play off each other well. Kinen already knows you both spend time together, so let him think it's more proof that you aren't interested in his position. Show him that you can be submissive, Nari."
"You aren't meek because you have to be," Zeal reminded me. "You're meek because it serves you. Be meek, Chosen. Learn from Maela, because she's been learning from you. Together, the pair of you are amazing, and in a world where men like to think they have all the power, I need women who can show them they're wrong."
"Not what I'd expect to hear from a god," Maela pointed out.
Zeal murmured at that. "Because you think my own power makes me oblivious to the lack in others? Because I'm a god, not a goddess? Maela, I assure you that among us, our genitals have little to do with our strength. My sisters have always been my equals. I am the God of Temptation. My power lies in making people want more than they have now. My faith is about giving it to them. What is a temptation if not a dream for something you think is out of reach?"
"I wasn't made to be the leader of the Barony, though," Maela countered. "Zeal, I'm just a younger daughter who married well."
"No," he told her. "You were a brilliant girl who was suffocating in a household that tried to make you fit into a mold made for someone else. You longed for opportunities that you were never allowed. You dreamed of doing something, so I'm giving you the chance to try. You, Maela, were chosen for this household long before you met Tath."
"You said you couldn't predict the future!" I snapped at Zeal.
"I can't," he agreed. "I can look at possibilities and weigh more things than most humans can imagine. I can nudge people in the directions I want. I knew Maela would find Tath attractive. He is a very beautiful man on the outside. I also knew that her other marriage prospects would make her miserable."
"Tath is making me miserable," Maela told him.
"Tath is a miserable husband," Zeal agreed, "but your life is about more than a man. Your son makes you happy. Your sister-in-law makes you happy. Nari and Talin make you happy. Spending time in my temple makes you happy. Doing nothing but sewing, reading, and managing the household, however, would not make you happy. You want to change things, and I want to give you the chance to try. I want you to go ice skating and laugh until tears freeze on your face. I want you to ride your husband's horses astride and take priests to formal functions. I want you, Maela, to be scandalous."
A smile was slowly growing on her face. "Really? I've been trying so hard to be a good wife and a proper lady."
"Stop," he said. "Scream louder. When you gave Tath a piece of your mind, I rejoiced, and Merci cheered with me. That is the woman we hoped you'd become. Not some puppet on a leash. You are no man's possession, so don't try to act like it."
She nodded, the gesture filled with determination. "I will be the Baroness of Temptation. I will be the best friend of Zeal's Chosen, and the mother of the next Baron." She pushed out a heavy breath. "And I dare Kinen to call me hysterical!"
Zeal lifted his hand toward the rear door of his temple. "Thank you. I cannot influence those who have no faith. There has to be something in their minds for me to work with. Kinen is as far from my reach as Tath, but the two of you are hard to ignore. I'm counting on you both."
Maela tipped her head to show she'd try, then she and I headed up the stairs. Zeal didn't. When Talin passed him, the god clasped Talin's arm, making him pause.
"I'm sorry about the secrets," Zeal said softly.
"You're a god," Talin assured him. "We get that. Nari's glad to have her family back, even if the things her father said mean she's doing this alone."
"But she's not alone," Zeal pointed out. "That's why I gave her you, Ela, Wraythe, and Anver."
"Which means most of it's going to fall on me," Talin realized.
"A lot," Zeal admitted. "Most of this is going to fall on Nari. Plenty will be on Maela. Take care of them when I can't?" Zeal asked.
"Always," Talin said. "Just know that Nari's family is getting pretty big."
Zeal smiled. "Yeah. I don't mind at all." Then he was gone.
Talin just jogged to catch up, aware I'd heard all of that. He flashed me a devious little smirk and then gestured toward the far end of this wing. "So, should we schedule a meeting with the High Priest, Maela?"
"Going to walk me through this?" she asked.
"Nope," Talin said. "I'm going to show you the right door. You're going to knock on it and demand an appointment. They will try to put you off, but you're not going to let them. You will be everything Zeal just encouraged, and we'll be standing in the nave, waiting to hear how soon they can see you."
I caught Maela's arm and steered her in the right direction. "Treat him like you'd treat Tath."
She pulled in a breath as she walked with me, then nodded. "I am the Baroness of Temptation," she said, sounding like she was talking to herself. "I might be a lady, but I don't need to act like it. I'm going to treat him the way a man would, because I am his equal."
"You've got this," I told her. "Besides, what's the worst that happens? You do nothing? You try and aren't as strong as you hoped? You just have to try, Maela. Zeal needs to make sure his temple doesn't forget the people outside exist."
"I'm doing this for the people," she said, lifting her chin a little more. "Yeah, that's going to be my mantra. We're doing this for the people our god watches over, and Zeal is my god now. Merci said she didn't mind, so I'm claiming him. I will be the Principal Patron of the Temple of Temptation."
And while it sounded great, she was just a bit too tense. It didn't matter. I'd been terrified to see my siblings and that had worked out. One way or another, we'd make sure Maela could handle this. I just didn't want to tell her I was a little nervous too.
