Page 37 of The Prayers We Pray (The Path of Temptation 5)

"This is where her guardian becomes a problem," Farik warned. "Nari and Wen? Would you two please hold her arm on that side?"

"Hard," Jola added. "I will try to pull away from it."

"Not your first time, huh?" I asked.

"Sadly, no," she admitted.

Wen reached over to press a hand in the center of Jola's chest. I held down both her arm and her shoulder. Using both hands, Farik braced himself against her, and then told her to take a breath. The moment Jola's lungs were full, Farik flexed her body, forcing the edges of the bone together.

The woman screamed.

Her guardian roared even louder.

When Jola tried to buck against the pain, I pushed her down into the bed. Wen leaned over her, but I could see the other students flinch and turn to the sound of Harlin's reaction. I could feel Talin struggling, a sensation I wasn't used to, but I inherently understood. It was as if his determination was coursing in the pit of my stomach, solidifying in a way that meant he had to be winning.

Then it was done. Jola panted against the pain, nodding to show she was ok. "Let him come," she begged.

"He's fine!" Farik called to Talin.

Two seconds later, Harlin pushed between me and Wen, clasping Jola's hand as he palmed the side of her face with his other. "You're going to be fine now," he promised her.

Jola just smiled. "Big baby," she teased.

He chuckled. "Hard-ass."

"Mhm," she agreed, letting her eyes close as if the pain had worn her out.

So I pressed my hand to her brow. "Zeal, let her heal quickly?"

"No," Jola said. "He has more important things to - "

But the gasp from multiple students interrupted her. A deep, beautiful laugh told me why. Zeal was here, and it seemed that quite a few of the students from the Path of Action could see him. I looked up just as he nodded at Farik and moved to Jola's injured side.

"I still need prayers to know when I'm needed - or wanted," Zeal told her. "I also ask for less from my priests."

Then he pressed his palm over her broken collar bone, leaned in, and kissed her brow. Lace burst from where his lips touched, and Jola exhaled as if in relief. Harlin's head snapped up, looking at our god. Just as Zeal leaned back, he turned and met the guardian's eyes.

"You care for my Chosen and I will care for your desire. That is our deal. You just need to pray, my friend."

Harlin jiggled his head in a nod. "I promise. Thank you, Zeal."

Then Zeal turned to Farik. "Did I just disrupt your class?"

Farik had to blink a few times, and his head moved in something that was both a nod and a shake at the same time, looking more like a wobbling circle than anything else. "I think you have, and I am not about to complain."

"Well, her shoulder will take a day to heal," Zeal warned. "She will be exhausted, but if you can wake her to eat, it will only help the process. Let Harlin stay at her side. Their contact will help more than you can imagine."

"Done," Farik promised.

Then Zeal looked over at the students. "And no, that doesn't negate what he did to help her. Because Priest Farik aligned the wound, I spent less power to heal her. That means I can heal more, and faster." He glanced over at me. "And I think you have more to learn. I will get out of your way. Talin?"

"There are chairs out here," Talin told him, gesturing to the door where we'd come in. "Just don't ruin Nari's class? She'd never let either of us live it down."

Zeal headed that way, but we all heard him chuckling. It seemed this semester was going to be even more interesting than the last.

Chapter 19

Talin

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