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"And I was with Zeal," Nari said.
But the pitch of their voices was just a little different. I could hear the hint of worry in it. I also noticed how Talin kept glancing over to Wraythe. Come to think of it, I had felt the big guy longing for a little more as the mists of the god's world surrounded us. I'd also felt him push that away, reminding himself that he was completely fulfilled with what he already had.
"Evidently," I said, "I'm feeling a little more perceptive. It's like all of the little details are just a bit more obvious than they've ever been before."
Wraythe grunted. "I'm pretty sure that Will tried to push me to chase glory, then."
"Is that what that was?" Talin asked.
"Has to be," Wraythe replied. "I promise that I don't give a shit if anyone knows how good of a guardian I am. All I care about is keeping us safe. All of us."
"And getting Nari in bed," Ela added for him.
But Wraythe was still watching Talin. "What about you? You pissed about what happened to Tath?"
Talin shook his head. "I'm pissed that it had to happen. I did not try to stop any of you. That? It was exactly why I wanted you with us."
"And yet you still feel guilty," Nari pointed out.
Talin just sighed. "I do. I also know that this is something we can talk about later, when we're back at home. Right now, I just want to make sure that Maela really is as okay with this as she seemed earlier. I want to know how my brother terrorized the house after we left. I feel like I left my entire family in the lurch, vulnerable to my brother's rage, and I really need to know if they're all okay."
He said that just as we reached the stairs to go to the second floor. Without anyone needing to say anything, the five of us jogged up them. Nari's shoes clacked with a sharp staccato, sounding much louder than any of our boots. Strangely, we fell into a natural pattern around her. Talin was on her left side. Ela was on her right. Wraythe was right behind Ela, and I had moved behind Talin without even thinking about it.
It worked. Like this, we kept all sides of the gods' most valuable priestess protected from anyone who might want to hurt her. We hadn't been trained for this. It was almost like a new instinct had bloomed in our minds in the middle of whatever divine ritual the six gods had just performed on us. It was one thing I was not going to complain about.
Yet when we reached the top of the stairs, all five of us paused to take in the beauty of the Temple of Compassion on its most blessed night. Everywhere, gas-fueled lights were burning as bright as possible, giving off an elegant golden glow. Blue was the color of the night, but not the only one. Most men wore black with blue accents. Those would be the guests from high society. The women on their arms all wore blue, but red, white, green, yellow, and black were also popular colors.
Every priest and priestess tended to prefer the color of their gods for social functions like this. While Nari's dress wasn't truly black, it was dark enough to trick the eye, making it clear which temple she belonged to. Then again, so did the extensive lace on her hands and chest. Our black-on-black suits had the same effect. Combined, the declarations of color turned the room before us into a sea of swirling and dancing jewels.
It was beautiful.
This was everything my ward wanted to be a part of, and I could finally see the appeal. The irony was that Tishlie hadn't been invited here tonight. I also didn't care. The little brat might be my responsibility in name, but the truth was that I no longer cared if she lived or died. The bond we'd once had was now broken, and I couldn't be happier.
"Nari!" Maela's voice broke through the crowd.
All of us turned to the sound, and then Nari let out a peal of laughter. The Baroness of Temptation stood at the side of the room with her son on her hip, talking to a young and attractive woman with sleek, straight, black hair. From the smile on the young lady's face, she recognized Nari too. From the blue robe she was wearing, that woman was clearly a Priestess of Compassion.
"I see you've met my sister," Nari said as she led us all over to that side of the room. "I didn't expect to see you here, Kyns."
"Well, when your sister is a special priestess, you get a few extra benefits." The girl stepped in to give Nari a hug. "After you came to visit for lunch that day, Jeerad went to talk to the High Priest and told him about our ties to you. Ever since, Jeerad has been spending a lot of time in that office. Then there's the fact that Cesyr has this blue flower on his wrist, and now all of us seem to get a little more leeway. I promise I'm not complaining, Nari."
Nari moved to hold the girl in a side hug and turned her towards the rest of us. "Guys, this is my younger sister, Kynsana. I call her Kyns for short. She's a first-year initiate on the Path of the Heart."
"Oh, yeah," Ela said. "Looks definitely run in the family. I love your eyes."
Kynsana immediately blushed. Her eyes were different from Nari's and her brothers. Kynsana's had a unique fold to her eyelids, and the overall shape was tilted upward more at the outer edges. Paired with her straight, ebony hair, button nose, and girlish smile, it was hard to see any resemblance between her and Nari - except the easy way they acted around others.
"They're proof that we don't share a father," Kyns said. "No one believed I was really related to Jeerad and Cesyr. Nor our little brother, when he showed up."
"Regardless," Ela told her, "it's working for you. Nari, all of your siblings are wonderfully distracting. It's almost like your family is an array of everything I like in humanity."
Maela huffed out a laugh. "Why am I not surprised that you have to point it out, Ela?"
"Because I like beauty in all its forms," he joked, flashing another smile at Kynsana. And again, Nari's sister blushed.
Then Nari introduced each of us to her sister. The girl nodded with each name she was given, smiling in greeting. The whole time, Talin seemed a little distracted, and his eyes kept jumping back to Maela.
"Is Yamina here?" he asked, completely avoiding the sensitive subject.
