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"Yes, Priest Kinen," I said. "As the eighty-fourth room, it took a bit of time before she reached me. I'm not sure how long, because there are no clocks and no windows."
"And your mentor, Priestess Amerlee, was there?"
"She was." I paused to swallow, my nerves causing my mouth to go dry. "So was her guardian, Priest Jamik."
"Can you explain the process to me in your own words?" he asked.
"Priestess Amerlee and Jamik greeted me before my room when I arrived, along with my partner and the man who is now his guardian. Close friends from school. We wished each other the best, and they headed to their own assigned rooms. At that point, Priestess Amerlee escorted me into the Choosing Room and helped me remove my robe. Priestess Saval, as the instructor for our class, came in just as I was removing the robe. She explained that the water was safe to drink, told me about the candles and the striker, and then inspected my body. I was asked to turn so she could see all of my skin. After that, they both left, and I heard the door catch, a bolt put in place, and a lock secured a moment later."
The High Priest sighed, easing himself back to his chair as if preparing for this to take a while. "And when they opened the door again?"
My eyes darted to the faces around me, hoping for some hint of how I was doing. Unfortunately, the only thing I found was interest, and the kind that wasn't yet swayed to my side. Until I sawhim.At the very back, leaning casually against the wall, Zeal stood out.
The moment my eyes landed on him, he smiled, mouthing, "Tell him."
I pulled in a deep breath and let my eyes close. "I don't know how long I was in the water." Looking up, I found the High Priest again. "I do know that I had only collapsed on the floor moments before the door was opened, and I was still struggling to breathe. I heard the door open, but I wasn't paying attention before then, so I can't describe the bars or locks. At that time, Priestess Amerlee, Priestess Saval, and Priest Jamik walked in. Priest Jamik had to help me to my feet because I was so unsteady - "
"Why?" the High Priest asked, interrupting me.
"Because I had spent half the night with my god. He asked me which Path I wanted, but I told him I couldn't decide. I said I would take what he gave me. He asked what was holding me back, so I explained my fears about all of them, along with my excitement for them. In the end, he led me to the pool - "
"But you were alone!" Kinen snapped.
"At first, that was true. Zeal himself lit my second candle, and I foolishly mistook him for a priest, asking why he was in my Choosing Room. He told me he was allowed."
Kinen grunted, unimpressed. "And how can you be sure it wasn't a priest?"
"Because he took off his robe. All of us are marked with our Path. He was not. The God of Temptationisthe Path. His lace covers him completely. His pattern is more detailed than anything I've ever seen, and also more beautiful. His features are impossibly perfect, and the sculpture outside is a weak replica." I quickly glanced over to Zeal. "He led me to the pool and agreed to give me a Path that would suit me, but the price was to submit to him completely. Then he made me prove it."
"How?" Kinen demanded.
"He held me by the throat, beneath the surface, until I took him in completely." I clasped my hands before me, aware they were trembling. "For a moment, I was sure I would drown, but when I finally did what he'd said and surrendered, I could breathe."
"You breathed water?" he scoffed.
"No, Priest Kinen. I breathed in his tears. They burn. He held me there for an eternity, until even my mind stopped fighting, and then he carried me to the space between the table and the pool. I coughed up the water, then was struggling to breathe when Amerlee, Saval, and Jamik walked in."
Kinen leaned over his desk, his eyes boring into mine. "Where did this man go?"
"I don't know. He eased me to the floor, my body collapsed, he caressed the back of my head, and then they arrived. I'm afraid my eyes were closed and I was focused on breathing."
"You admit you were not alone, your body is now covered in marks of all the Paths, and you expect us to believe you? If what you say is true, then it exonerates Priestesses Amerlee and Saval, as well as Priest Jamik from any tampering." He made a mark on the papers before him. "That still leaves me the question of what to do with you. Since you haven't been assigned to a specific Path, how should we train you, Priestess Nariana? Your grades show interests that span across Paths, and yet none of them are remarkable. But if what you claim is true, shouldn't I simply put you in the Path of the Word, the highest Path for a Priest of Temptation?"
"Priest Kinen?" Talin asked, speaking up.
The High Priest closed his eyes in a long blink. "You were not addressed, Mr. Ranndor."
"Priest Talin," he corrected. "I gave up my surname when I was surrendered to the temple, just like everyone else in my class. I'm just curious, if you assign her to the Path of the Word, then what would my duties be?"
"Excuse me?" Kinen asked.
"My marks were identified to be a match to Priestess Nariana's. My Path is clear, that of Protection. Priests of the Word do not have guardians assigned to them, so how would that affect me? A guardian who is not allowed to work with his ward? I would assume that by matching me to her, Zeal has made it clear which Path she will walk, at least in part?"
"High Priest?" Saval asked, stepping closer. "Nariana refused to declare a Path before her Choosing. When she filled out her forms, she declared the Path of Temptation, and I'm afraid that I have no better term to use to describe her current situation. She already has a mentor of the Body, Priestess Amerlee, who wants to continue with her education. She has a declared partner, which is rare for an initiate as young as her, but the council of her educators agreed that their history proves they are serious. Priestess Nariana isalreadyon the Path of the Body. Still, I think it would be a mistake to ignore the sign Zeal has given us. She should be assigned the core curriculum for the Body, but supplemental courses from the other Paths as well."
"She would need a mentor in each Path," the High Priest pointed out.
"Or to share one," Saval said. "Priest Jamik has been heavily involved with her since she was a child. He has guided her in ways that Priestess Amerlee couldn't. While he has a student of his own, it is her partner's guardian. There is no reason he can't mentor her as well, since it would only be part-time. I would be more than happy to become her mentor of the Word, and as an instructor, I'm well versed on both the Path of Action and Obligation. I could guide her in those as well."
