AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Ok?" I asked.
"I recently treated a Priestess you had a session with."
I groaned. "Yeah. That's only slightly awkward."
"It's also normal," he said. "But, would you like to explain to the class just how much of a mess the typical pain session can make?"
"A lot," I said. "The pain rooms have dark tile and walls painted to match. Even the bedding is black, and not just because it's Zeal's color. It's because bloodstains don't come out of white. Obligation has a lot of tricks for that, but a lash cuts the skin. A cane can break bones. I had my ribs broken last year by one. The average punisher's kit includes a knife, and blood play is a thing. I had to destroy the clothes I wore for the session Priest Farik is talking about, and I was mostly observing."
"That priestess," Farik went on, "had lacerations that covered her back from just beneath her scapula to right above her knees. There were lacerations on her chest and below her shoulder joint. I had to suture a few because all the layers of skin were penetrated. My recommendation was for her to lie on her stomach for five days, and then we'd be able to bandage her wounds. Salve until then. Today, she's fine."
"How long ago was the session?" someone asked.
"Yesterday afternoon," I mumbled.
"What?" the student asked, unable to hear me.
"Yesterday afternoon," Farik said for me. "Less than a day after her session, she's completely healed, and yet my effort was not wasted. The Priestess - and we do not use names without permission - did not suffer in pain, because I was able to administer first aid. That is what we will be learning here. How to stabilize the big things, and comfort the small ones. Each of you, by the time this class is over, will have a basic understanding of medicine, and be capable of helping others. Hopefully, a few of you will decide that medicine is the speciality you want to follow on our Path, because we always need medics and physicians in this Temple."
"What about treating patrons?" I asked.
Farik just pointed at me. "That is what we work up to. How did you know, Priestess?"
"I heard that Lady Ranndor had multiple priests in attendance during her son's birth. The Baron of Temptation wanted to make sure things went fine. I guessed that meant some were physicians."
"Most, actually," he agreed. "Granted, childbirth is something Compassion is better with than Temptation. All of our priests or priestesses are sterile. That isn't necessarily true in other temples. As an example, some priestesses in the Temple of Compassion will serve as a surrogate for families that are unable to have their own children."
"So we're going to learn how to deliver children?" someone asked.
"No," Farik assured us. "Not in here. This is just your introduction class. My goal, however, is to convince at least a few of you to keep going, learn more, and hopefully replace me one day. You see, the Path of Action, in my opinion, is the best in the temple. Word might be the highest, but those priests are under the constant stress of expectations. Regardless of which aspect of management they're involved in, they're all bound to spend their days responsible for the actions of other priests. Body and Protection are the most obvious priests seen outside our temple, but their duties are harder than most realize. We get to do the things we're passionate about, make a name for ourselves in small ways, and be satisfied that we are still important. I mean, a lot of you asked for this Path, correct?"
I looked around as dozens of heads nodded in agreement. Even the ones who didn't weren't looking upset that they'd ended up here. Then again, I'd actually considered Action for myself, and strongly. A few noticed me watching and smiled back. That was nice. It wasn't something I'd expected. In truth, it felt like these people just accepted me in here.
Sure, maybe the Priests of the Word had been kind, but these people took that a step further. No one had done anything, and yet I could feel it: they didn't hate me. They weren't blaming me, looking down on me, or feeling threatened by me. As far as they cared, I was nothing more than another student in one of their many classes.
It was nice in a way I hadn't expected. I couldn't actually imagine a better way to end my days this year.
