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"What do you mean?" I asked, not quite keeping up.
It was Talin who answered. "Usually, when a woman's close friend sleeps with her husband, they're no longer friends. When a man takes a mistress, the wife is devastated. When a husband realizes his marriage is crumbling, he's often - but not always - destroyed. The birds are you and Maela, Nari. Kinen's plan was to make you both less of a problem by tearing you apart."
But I could see where this was going. "Separate us from each other, and Maela loses power as the Primary Patron. Piss off Tath, and he'll step up just enough to keep his wife in line, but not enough to get in Kinen's way."
"Mhm," Ela agreed. "And Kinen still hasn't given Maela the reports she asked for. He's blocking her, trying to make her look inept, unaware he's only hurting himself in the long run."
I groaned. "Because Tath let our High Priest have too much power for too long."
"And my father was ill for a couple of years," Talin added. "Lina and I tried to clean up what he hadn't been able to get to, but it was mostly the house and other immediate accounts. If the gas bill for Sandrest was nearly six months past due, then I'm sure the temple records weren't on the man's mind."
"Did we just make things worse?" I asked. "Now that the heat of the moment is gone, was that really the smartest thing we could've done?"
"Yes," Wraythe said. "Nari, the other option was killing him. He tried toforce you!He was willing to hurt you. What we did in there was a kindness, and maybe that fool will learn from it. Maybe, just maybe, he'll figure out what it's like to be the one without power."
"But Kinen will hear about it," I reminded them. "He'll try to fail both Ela and me out of the Path of the Body. Fuck!"
"We'll deal with that when it happens," Talin said. "The Temple of All Gods is still waiting, and Rebexa offered us sanctuary if we need it."
"What?" Ela asked.
Talin smiled. "The High Priestess of Perception. She saw Savi and made it clear she will help if we're in need. We have fallback plans."
"Never mind that we have three gods growing stronger," Wraythe pointed out. "Zeal, Merci, and Savi."
"And I can see Bode," Talin said. "I think I count, even if I'm just one person. That's better than no one, right?"
"Will and Charisma will encourage the others, because they still need me," I realized.
"Like I said," Ela pointed out. "Playing with priests who hold the power of gods is a bad idea. Well, paraphrased."
That was enough to lighten the mood. Never mind that all we'd ingested so far today was tea in the morning. I'd been on my way to share a meal with the ladies when Tath had stopped me. My stomach was growling, I wasn't actually dressed for this cold, and the bouncy carriage ride was reminding me of how many muscles I'd used trying to get Tath off me.
Thankfully, the carriage pulled up in front of the Temple of Temptation not long after. When the door opened before Talin could even reach for it, I was a little surprised, but the footman was there to help us out. Talin went first, turning to lift me out by my waist. Ela came next, and Wraythe followed, digging in his pocket for a tip.
The footman just waved him off. "Sandrest House is sorry for the inconvenience," the man said. "Happy Fresh Start, priests. Lord Talin."
"Priest Talin," he corrected out of habit.
The man smiled. "Yes, sir. Take care of your wards, sir. Don't let the scandals at the residence worry you. The Baroness will handle things. She always does."
Then he climbed onto the back of the carriage and patted the side. They left, so we made our way up the stairs. I was sure I looked like a mess, but I was honestly too tired to worry about it. I just wanted a hot bath, a change of clothes, and a meal before I had to be social again.
Inside, the Temple of Temptation was calm and sedate. There wouldn't be a lot of sessions booked for today. Some would ask for dates to events, but not enough to cause a general commotion. We made it all the way to our room without anyone trying to stop us. Wraythe pulled out his keys and unlocked the door, pushing it open to let us in first.
"Shower," he told Ela. "You and Nari first. I'll make tea."
But something was different. It took me a moment to figure it out. The cabinets in the kitchen, and the whole wall, were just a little cleaner. There was a fresh stack of wood beside our fireplace, and the hearth had been lit. The room was warm, not closed off and shut up as if it had been empty for nearly two weeks.
"What..." I mumbled, heading into the bedroom.
The light was the first thing I noticed. A wall sconce burned with gas-light right over my dressing table. The man reclined in a chair where my bed should have been was the second, and this time it wasn't Zeal. Third, my entire bedroom had been rearranged to look more like Nalph's fitting area, with a bench, mirrors, and the dressing screen from the bathroom in the corner. The gaping archway on the wall across from our bathroom was the fourth. I couldn't even process all of it.
"But..."
Anver chuckled and stood up. "Zeal said you were coming back. He said you'd had a very bad morning - and yes, I got the update. Sorry, Talin, but fuck your brother." Then he raised his voice. "Wraythe!"
"Anver!" Wraythe called back, heading this way - but he stopped hard, the same way the rest of us had.
