AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"For retraining," Ursula assured me. "I'm not allowed to make lesson plans or take on any other responsibilities of the Word, but since there was a need for instructors, the High Priest made an exception for me."
"With a little pushing," Roek added. "After what happened last year, the council of educators was not about to take any risks. Making sure our guardians are trained to deal with both the threats of an unruly patron and their own wards getting out of hand forced the man to make the exception."
I glanced at the woman, trying to read her face. Ursula just smiled and shook her head, understanding exactly what I was thinking.
"No, I'm not a fan of our temple's current leader," she assured me. "The man is more interested in his own comforts than the security of his priests. I also was there when you were reimmersed. My desire was adamant that we needed to see if Zeal had returned." She glanced over at Talin. "And he spoke with a god's voice."
"He also carried me longer than most others, my friend being an exception," Zeal said. "Go stretch, Nari. I also expect you to be here at least one day a week."
"Yes, oh divine one," I teased, heading over to a quieter area where I could warm up.
But Ursula followed me. That meant Talin did as well. The woman paused, laughed once under her breath, then turned to him. "Do you ever let her out of your sight?"
"Not if I can help it," Talin promised. "If I do, it's because I know Wraythe or Anver are watching her."
"So, a strong bond," she realized.
Talin just chuckled and began pulling off his shirt. "Yeah, that's one way of looking at it."
His practice clothes were loose enough that his pants hung low. The lace that ran from his navel out of sight was hard to miss. Then there was the asymmetrical collar across his chest. Ursula sucked in a breath and nodded, immediately understanding what he'd been trying to say.
"Temptation," she breathed.
Talin turned the inside of his right arm so she could see the god-mark on it. "The snake has five heads. Zeal made sure we're all tied together, and we are not complaining."
"How strong is your bond, then?" she asked.
"I can feel her general mood when she's out of sight. In class, usually," he explained. "I can also feel Eladehl and Wraythe. Every day, I sense more about Anver. Sounds like they can do the same. Wraythe is fully attuned to Ela; he's overly sensitive to Nari, but not quite as much as me, and I'm not sure where he is on Anver yet."
"So, still maturing," she said.
I'd just lowered myself to the floor, sitting on one of the soft mats so I could stretch. It had been far too long, so I leaned over, giving my back a chance to relax after the weekend's ordeal. A moment later, a large hand ran down my spine, encouraging the muscles to soften. It was a touch I was familiar with.
Turning behind me, I saw Grath smiling as he helped me stretch. "Hey," I greeted him. "How's life as a real priest?"
"Exhausting," he admitted. "Val's schedule is usually filled up, but she doesn't have regular patrons yet, so I'm always on high alert."
"But how are the two of you doing?" I asked.
He pointed back at my feet. "You stretch, I'll talk." Once I reached for my toes again, he did. "We're good, Nari. She refused to declare a partner, saying I'm all she wants, so we live on the far wing with the other singles. It's nice, though. I get to fall asleep beside her every night, and she gets to wear herself out on all the men dying to see if her dark skin means she's somehow different from any other woman."
I grunted at the foolishness of that. "But nothing too bad, right? No abusive patrons or anything?"
"We've had a couple try," he admitted. "Usually the high-born who think they're above us. I make sure they learn quickly that no means no. The worst she's had are a few bruises, so I'm counting that as a win." Then he leaned closer and lowered his voice. "How's Anver doing?"
"Zeal broke his bond with Tish. He spends most of his time with us now."
Grath nodded. "Good."
"And Talin thinks he's bonded to us," I added.
That made Grath smile. "I do too. Just make sure Zeal doesn't abuse him? I have no idea why he's forcing that man to stay with that bitch of a ward, but - "
"Because he has plans," I broke in. "Grath, Anver gets it. Tishlie's an excuse. We all know that. Otherwise, Kinen won't let Anver train as a guardian, and Zeal demanded that Anver work with Ela and me on our last session. What does that make you think?"
"He's giving you an extra guardian?" He sounded surprised, but not as if he didn't approve.
"We don't know," I admitted. "He's just said that he can't tell Anver his plans because then Anver will do what Zeal wants rather than discovering himself and where he excels."
