AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I turned to Tyla, whose eyes were on the window, her face paler than usual.
"You okay?" I whispered.
She blinked as though surprised to have anyone speak to her.
"I suppose so," she agreed. "Just…"
"It's a big deal," I said softly. I ignored a huff of annoyance from the other side of the carriage. Speaking in whispers, it was the first time in years we could communicate in front of other people and not have them know what we were saying. I'd have to remind myself to talk more often. Whatever was said between Tyla and I should stay between us. It was no business of anyone else.
"The temple was home for ten years."
"And now it's not," Tyla said.
"No it's not, and it can't be. They need to make room for more maidens." That much was made clear to us from the beginning. The temple existed for the training of the Silent Maidens. To ready us for further training as priestesses. Someday, maybe, we'd be sent back, but not today. Today, it wasn't our home anymore.
"I know," Tyla said sadly. "Like you said this morning, this is bullshit. But we'll be all right."
I smiled at her choice of words. "Yes we will, because we're going together."
"With me," Zared said. Evidently he'd been listening in, but now felt left out of the conversation.
"Whyareyou coming?" Hycanthe asked him.
He raised an eyebrow at her turn of phrase, but she simply looked back at him as though expecting a sensible answer. She clearly didn't know him very well if that was her expectation. Sometimes he gave sensible answers, often not. He liked to remind everyone his favourite god was the god of jokesters.
"I'mcoming," he said, deliberately emphasising the word, "because I don't want Khala tocomewithout me. After all, where's the fun in that?"
Hycanthe looked disgusted.
I smiled sweetly and signed, "It's lots of fun. And a good way to stop being uptight." That last was clearly for Hycanthe.
She gave me a condescending look. "You know, you have to learn to talk properly. In Havenmoor, no one will understand your hand talk."
"Except all the priestesses and priestesses in training who were Silent Maidens before us," I signed. Out loud, I said, "I'm reasonably sure most people understand this." I made a rude gesture at her with two fingers.
"You're so revolting," she snarled. “There's no way you'll ever be a priestess. If they could have kicked you out of the temple before today, they would have. Do you think the priestesses didn't notice you sneaking around, spreading your legs for all the priests and guards you could find?"
"Not all of them," Zared said, his good humour gone.
Hycanthe rolled her eyes at him. "I would suggest you're the only discerning man left, but I've seen your calf eyes at her. No doubt your turn will come soon enough." She clearly meant that as an insult.
In typical Zared fashion, he chose not to take it that way. He let out a gusty sigh. "A man can hope."
If the look she gave him a moment earlier was disgusted, it was nothing to the one she gave him now. This was nothing short of revolted. With an unhealthy dose of disappointment and a dash of horror.
I steepled my fingers and put them to my lips. "I liked her better when she couldn't talk."
Both Zared and Tyla choked on laughs. Even Jezalyn looked amused, maybe even apologetic for her friend.
As for Hycanthe, she looked like she was ready to scratch my eyes out. For someone who seemed to think slut shaming was acceptable, she had thin skin. If she kept that up, she wasn't going to make herself any friends in Havenmoor.
I leaned forward towards her. "I don't know what your problem with me is exactly, and honestly, I don't care. There's nothing wrong with what I choose to do in my private time. I suggest you use yours to do something other than gossip or spy on me."
I narrowed my eyes at her. The inability to talk meant we’d had to create a new arsenal to communicate with. That included a whole lot of meaningful, cold or irritated facial expressions. She got the full brunt of all three right now.
She spluttered at the suggestion she might have watched me with any of the men I'd fucked, but she fell quiet. That was fortunate, because I was about done with talking out loud for a while. My throat was dry after only a bit of it. How people talked all day, I didn't know.
I lowered my hands to my lap. Tyla placed one of hers over them and squeezed lightly.
