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Chapter 6
Eladehl
"Zeal?" the Priest of Obligation asked, looking at Nari as if she'd give him the answer.
I didn't know the guy, but it seemed he knew Nari well enough, and I got the impression that Talin knew about him. Not a lover, I could already tell that. Probably a friend from her cooking class last year or something. He didn't seem to be a threat, since neither Wraythe nor Talin were tense, but not all threats were physical. Clearly, this was a problem none of us had even thought about.
"So..." I drawled, "I guess this means we need to be more careful about who we let into our room?"
"Or not," Nari assured me. "Since anyone who can see Zeal must believe in him." Then she turned back to the guy. "Drandir, you can just set the plates wherever. I'll get you a tithe."
But it was Zeal who held up a gold coin, doing it before she could even move. "That's why you help her, isn't it? Because you believe in my plan?"
"And because I hoped you were real," Drandir admitted, ignoring the fact that Anver and Wraythe were offloading his cart. "I just... You don't look like the statues."
"White isn't really my color," Zeal agreed, hooking an arm around Drandir's shoulders to move him out of the way. "Tell me, what does Obligation think about my priestess?"
"Nariana?" Drandir asked. "She's our hero. She stood up for Polst, and no one can tolerate that idiot. In the basement, people whisper that we can bring our problems to her because she respects us."
"I do," Nari promised. "You keep this temple running."
Drandir nodded to show he heard, but the guy couldn't pull his eyes away from Zeal. "Why did I get Obligation?"
"Because you were chasing fame, not faith," Zeal told him. "I wanted you to learn that the hard parts have rewards too. I also hope that one day you can move up, but the High Priest does not believe in me. He prefers to keep the temple orderly, but he uses his definition of that instead of mine."
"Shit," Drandir breathed. "Priest Kinen makesallthe decisions for rules inside the temple."
"For now," Zeal said. "The temple did not get to this state quickly. That means it won't be fixed in an instant. It's going to take work, and Obligation works the hardest." He looked over at the table. "I think we've cleared off your tray, and I certainly don't want to be the reason anyone else is upset with you."
"Right. Yeah," Drandir breathed. "Did you need a meal? I can get one."
"I'm fine," Zeal assured him. "And Nari's fine. I watch over her, so that worry can fade from your mind too."
"Busted," Drandir said around a chuckle. "Yeah. I should, um..." He took a step toward his cart. "Go, or something. This looks important."
"I do hear your prayers," Zeal assured him.
The guy looked overwhelmed, so I nudged his cart back toward the door, helping him a bit. "Now that you recognize him, you'll see him in the halls more often. He also likes to chat about inconsequential things, and he's an amazing god."
"He's beautiful," Drandir breathed, looking awestruck.
"That he is." I opened the door and the guy pushed his cart out. "So you know, I'm not kicking you out, but it looks like you have more to deliver. I know it's a shock to see him."
"No, you're right," Drandir agreed once he was in the hall. "I just... I thought..."
"That it was all a myth," I realized. "It's not, and there's nothing wrong with telling others. Just know that they won't believe you."
"I think more will than you'd expect," Drandir said. "Have a good evening, Priest Eladehl. Thank you for being understanding. I know I'm supposed to be invisible, but - "
"You don't have to be invisible around us," I assured him.
Because that was a stupid rule. It was meant to make the lower levels of the priesthood feel like servants, and thus make the higher ones feel like the masters. From what I already knew about Zeal's plan, that had never been in it. No, it was yet another result of powerful priests wanting to be treated like they were the gods instead of being willing toservetheir gods.
Drandir turned his cart up the hall and kept walking, but something about the set of his shoulders seemed less worn down than most Priests of Obligation. It was like that one glimpse had given him his purpose back. In all honesty, it made me feel like the trouble we went through for Zeal was worth something.
"Well, that was unexpected," I said when I returned to the table.
"It's been growing for a while," Anver assured me. "The more obvious Nari is, the more people wonder if she's a sign. She is, and the small miracles following her around seem to prove that. Things like Oryll being demoted after harassing her, Maela becoming a presence in the temple, and such. The big miracles are assumed to be set up, but the little ones are what catch people's attention."
