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Unlike in the Temple of Temptation, here the door opened almost immediately. On the other side, all I could see was blue. Light blue, dark blue, and vivid shades of it. Everyone inside was wearing the color of their goddess, which was appropriate on her holiday. It was just enough to distract me from the face of the man who'd answered the door.
"Jeerad?" I asked, recognizing my other brother.
"Come in, Nari." He stepped away to indicate a tall, lanky man partway across the room. "And let me introduce you to our High Priest. Priest Viyan? This is my middle sister, Nariana, Priestess of Temptation and the Chosen of Zeal."
My eyes landed on the High Priest of Compassion first. He was tall - nearly as tall as Wraythe. However, Viyan wasn't as broad. The man was lean and lanky, looking like most of his body was made of his limbs. His eyes were large in his dark face, and his lips were full and plump, but that made the smile he turned on me impossible to miss.
"Priestess Nariana," he beamed.
And the woman beside him turned. Her iridescent eyes landed on me as her lips curled politely. Beside Viyan, the goddess looked so small and delicate. Next to her was another woman with almost the same coloration - dark, golden skin that reminded me of wet sand, making it obvious they were siblings. Beside them was another woman, and on the other side were three men. All six of them wore blue tonight, in various shades; it was the gods' way of respecting their sister's holiday.
"Happy Fresh Start," I said to Merci, responding to her before the mere human in the room.
She dipped her head, accepting that. "I hope the same for you, Nari."
It looked like she was about to say more, but the moment Zeal saw me, he closed the distance, wrapping me in a tight embrace. His arms nearly crushed the wind from my lungs, and it took me a moment before I could even think to hug back. My god was holding me like he'd been worried. I could feel it in every muscle he pressed against me.
"You should have let me help," he breathed beside my ear. "I wouldneverlet you be hurt."
I pulled back just enough to see his face. "Zeal, I cannot be your Chosen if I can't fight my own battles," I explained. "I knew I could handle that. I don't want to be your toy. I want to be your partner, and that means I need to do more than look pretty, right?"
The colors in his eyes were distracting, and when our gazes met, I wanted to fall into them. The relieved tilt of his mouth was enough to keep that from happening, and then Zeal leaned in, pressing his lips to my brow. The kiss lasted just a little too long, but in my arms, I felt his body relax.
"I would've asked if I couldn't do it," I promised him. "We want to help you, Zeal, not just be spoiled by you."
"I know," he breathed. "I simply dislike being a useless god." But then he turned me toward the rest.
Merci and Viyan were standing there, waiting. The High Priest of Compassion had a puzzled expression on his face, but it only took a moment to realize that it was because he couldn't see Zeal. When he glanced over at his own goddess, I could tell that seeing Merci was not a problem for him.
"My brother," Merci explained to Viyan. "He's rather fond of his Chosen."
"Well," Viyan said, pausing to clear his throat as if he wasn't quite as comfortable as he was trying to appear. "I've been told that you can see Merci. Correct?"
"I can see all of them," I assured him, looking over at Charisma, Savi, Bode, and Will to make the point. "Evidently, it's a benefit of my ancestry."
"Well, Merci has informed me that she and her siblings need to use my office." He looked at his goddess again, nothing but adoration on his face, then back to me. "We will wait in the nave. If you need anything..."
"We'll be fine," Merci assured him.
Confused, I looked back at Talin, hoping he had some idea what was going on. A subtle shake of his head assured me that he was just as confused as me. Ela was watching the Priests of Compassion leave the office. Wraythe was scanning the area around Zeal as if trying to find some hint of the gods. Anver was simply watching Zeal - because most of my guys could only see him.
As soon as the door closed behind the last priest, I couldn't keep quiet anymore. "What's going on? Is there a problem?"
"No," Charisma assured me, lifting a hand in a sign that I should be patient.
Will simply scrubbed at his lips and dropped his eyes to the ground. Beside him, Bode chuckled, reaching up to rub Will's shoulder. Talin's head twitched at that, which reminded me that he could also see Bode. But Merci wasn't done yet.
"This is my holiday, Nari," she said. "It is a chance to learn from our mistakes and do things better. I have spoken to my siblings, and we all agree. Time and time again, you have done more than we could have hoped for. The hardest part is that your protectors, no matter how much they believe you, cannot help enough if we cannot talk to them."
"Because the more I am seen," Zeal said, taking over, "the more I am expected to do. Priests pray to me again, Nari. Not just to a vague god, but tome. That means I cannot handle both my faithful and my siblings."
So Savi stepped forward. "Bode and I suggested that we offer you more. Your own god gave you four men to walk this Path with you. There are five segments in a temple, so five priests to carry the words of their gods seems fitting. Since we are still so powerless in our own houses, you are our last hope."
"More for some of us than others," Charisma pointed out. "A handful of faithful priests is enough to stabilize Merci and Savi. Bode, Will, and I are still powerless. We're fading, Nariana, and without you..."
"Them," Will corrected. "We need all of them."
Bode's eyes shifted over to hang on Talin. "I gave you up because you were promised. That doesn't mean I let go, Priest Talin."
