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Lines flared across the side of Talin's neck. Short ones from my soul, but the swirling, complex scrolls of Zeal's reached further up Talin's throat, across his jaw, and down his chest. The clothes hid most of it, but I could feel them. I could sense them in a way I'd never imagined. I pushed. No,wepushed, and Zeal stopped worrying about me. He gave Talin everything he had left.
I felt it when Talin's body tensed, then his eyes opened and he sucked in a breath. The blood slowed. The skin began to heal. His body was slowly coming back together, the thing so delicate and fragile, but I knew the man's will was as strong as my own. As both of ours. I loved him more for that. He'd been a good choice. He was everything she needed, and he'd been willing to sacrifice himself for her. For our Chosen.
"Nari?" Zeal asked again.
"I'll be fine," she promised.
"I'm getting the ropes off of her," Jamik said. "She's hurt, Zeal, but not fatally."
"Just help him?" Nari begged. "I love him, Zeal. Please? I've already given you everything. Save my guardian?"
Then Ela knelt down beside us. "Don't fight him, Talin. We got you."
He was wearing pants that were barely on his body. His feet were bare. His shirt was gone. Ela didn't care, but Talin's eyes jumped to him and hung there. I could see the love between them. I could also hear the question even though Talin didn't speak.
"He wants to know about Nari," I said, my voice once again mine. "I think Zeal does too, but he's busy."
"She's bruised, possibly has a broken rib," Wraythe said. "Someone ran for Priests of Action."
"I'll be ok," Nari said. "Jamik, my legs?"
But her voice was weak. She hurt. She'd been hurt because a priest hadn't been trained. She could've been killed because someone wanted power instead of responsibility. Zeal's rage began to grow inside me even as Talin's wounds healed, but there wasn't enough power. I could feel the shock and disbelief of the watchers, making it even harder, yet Zeal refused to give up. He pushed harder, tried more, and it was working. Not perfectly, but enough to close the life-threatening wound.
Then Zeal heaved us to our feet and his head turned to Wobem. "You were supposed to stop him. You say you love him, but love is not without boundaries. Love sometimes means hurting them to help them more. For a guardian, love is the strongest thing of all because it drives you, but youfailedhim! You cost me that priest. If you'd just stopped him when he felt the rush that comes with causing pain, he would still be here."
Reaching past Harlin, Zeal pressed my hand to Wobem's face. "You are not a guardian. You are too weak to make decisions, and too blind to know what is the right decision. I gave you a chance, and my priest paid for it, so you will serve. You will learn the power of Obligation, and nothing more."
Then we turned to Nariana. She was still on the floor, with Wraythe clinging to her shoulders even as Jamik cut the ropes from her body. One leg was free. Her chest and arms were free. All that was left were a few more knots, and Jamik sawed at them with determination.
"I did not mean for this to happen," Zeal told her. "Oh, my Chosen, you are not meant to be abused. You should be worshipped. That is why I gave them all to you."
I knelt by her side, and Wraythe shifted to give me room. "You're riding Anver," he said. "Please don't hurt him?"
"My friend is strong," he promised. "His soul rivals only hers. He feels, he cares, and he loves with all he has, but he hasn't yet learned what to do with that. He can carry me. That's why I picked this skin." Then he turned to her. "My love..."
"I'm fine, Zeal," she promised. "It's a price I'll pay for Talin."
So I palmed the back of Jamik's neck. "You did right, my priest. His death is not on your shoulders."
Jamik looked up, meeting my eyes but not looking atme. From the look on his face, he saw only Zeal. "I honestly don't care. I will kill anyone that tries to hurt my girls."
"I will hold you to that." Zeal used my hand to caress the side of Nari's arm, and then stood again.
Our eyes landed on the dead man. Jamik had stabbed him only once, but the thrust had been true. Straight into the heart. I could feel Zeal's pride for the skill, but also the anguish of that life cut short. A flawed, beautiful life that could've had potential if used properly. One that had been too broken too young, and who had needed his god to give him a chance.
And we'd failed him. We were too powerless to heal both Nari and Talin. We were too weak! They didn't believe. They didn't even care when we walked among them. The ones who'd been left in charge bickered over the scraps that didn't matter, wasting the things that did.
Rage was growing inside me, a fury that burned hotter than anything I'd encountered before. With one last sigh, Zeal turned and stormed toward the open door. Righteous anger consumed us. It poured off of us in waves. I could feel the strain on my body, but I didn't care. I would carry my god for as long as he needed me. I could do this, and I would, even if it left me destroyed. This was my duty. This was why I'd been chosen. This was my place, right here with my god.
"Who did this?" Zeal roared from my throat. "Who turned apunisherloose without proper training?Whoset him up to fail? Who costmypriest his life?"
"Let me through," a woman begged, and bodies moved to reveal Saval, Nari's other mentor. "Zeal, he'd shown no signs of it."
"And who's fault is that?" we demanded. "Initiation is when you should find their desires, and thennurturethem. Train them to be more. Show them how to maintain control! My priests are not whores! They are my tools. My hands. My..." I felt my voice crack as emotion surged through the god.
That was grief. Anguish, even. He truly mourned the man who'd died. He hated that this had happened, and his concern about Nari was almost suffocating.
"Look at me!" Zeal roared, his words booming once again. "Not at the priest I ride -mypriest. Not at the woman I have chosen as my own and covered with lace. Not at the ones I have tasked with watching over her. Look. At.Me!"
