“Lanette?” he supplied.
“Yes, Lanette, and some others. Their mouths...” I faltered, unsure of exactly how to ask what I needed to ask without offending him. “Are they... alright?”
To my relief, he chuckled softly, then coughed and cleared his throat again. “Yes, they are just fine. Their decoration is a form of voluntary asceticism. The piercings are given if they choose to walk the path to priesthood. The lock is added when they choose to forgo food and speaking in a show of dedication and trust to their High Priestess and Lord Enos himself.”
“Trust?” I asked.
“The High Priestess Zisorah holds the keys to their locks, keeps them safe.” The air of pride and reverence in his voice increased as he spoke. “The anchorites choose for how long they will fast at any given time, and relinquish their key to her. When their requested time has passed, she unlocks their chains and feeds them their first meal with her own hands.Ahem. It is a beautiful rite.”
“And it’s voluntary?” El followed up.
“An entirely voluntary practice. The asceticism brings them closer to Enos and their High Priestess,” Vidament answered.
“Well, then we wish them the best on their chosen path,” El said with a smile. Her sharp teeth flashed.
“You can tell her yourself. She’ll be happy to escort you out. Or to give you a tour of the Temple grounds, if you wish,” Vidament said, standing and gesturing toward the door.
El stood and stretched her hand across the desk to shake his. “Thank you for your time, Herald.”
To his credit, he shook it.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The weak spring sun was warm on our faces as we wound our way down through the streets of the Temple district.
“A bit useless, that guy,” El observed.
“Intentionally so, I think,” Byrgir said.
El’s hood now hung loosely across her shoulders, her fae features on full display. Her appearance garnered stares and whispers as we passed people. One man across the street yelled out at us.
“Fae trash!” he called, and spat on the ground. “Go back to the abyss you crawled out of, demon woman!”
El didn’t miss a beat. She whirled and flashed him a seductive smile. “I’d love to take you with me, big boy. Why don’t you come over here and sate that burning curiosity?” She coaxed him mockingly.
I stifled a laugh, but Byrgir grabbed her shoulder. “Are you trying to get us all arrested, El?” he hissed at her. “Put your gods damned hood up and shut your mouth.”
As if on cue, three armored guards fell into step behind us. They wore the coat of arms of King Evander, an ash tree with a red rose on either side on a green field. We walked faster, and they picked up their pace.
“Hey! You three!” one of them called.
Byrgir’s hand rested on the hilt of one of his daggers as we turned. “Need something?” he growled. The guards stopped, but did not step back.
“Fae-touched aren’t allowed in the Temple district,” one of the guards barked, eying first El and then me.
“Aren’t allowed?” Byrgir asked. “According to who?”
“By decree of King Evander,” he announced. “What business do you have here?”
“Our business here is none of yours,” El snapped.
“The business of any fae-touched most certainly is,” the guard replied. “Since you’re clearly trespassing where you shouldn’t be, we can either arrest you or escort you from the city gates.”
“We have a meeting with the High Priestess of Enos tomorrow,” I interjected with far more confidence than I felt. “I think she would be disappointed to hear that her meeting was canceled because those she intended to host are in jail.”
The guard gave me a long, hard look. I let my awareness slip around him, reading his emotions, although I didn’t need to. Everything he felt was scrawled across his face: Deep hatred, far more than I expected. Anger, and fear too. He truly believed we were dangerous.
“Fine,” he said at last. “Return to your lodgings and go to your meeting, then leave. And if there are any reports of you harassing citizens, I personally will make sure your exit from my city is swift and painful. Now go.”