Jeera just nodded her head slowly. "Okay, well, it's not like that here," she assured me as we turned onto yet another street. "If someone is sick, they are given a pill, or a liquid, or something to make them better. If their body has a problem, we do a thing called surgery, where we can put them to sleep and fix what's inside without them feeling it."
"Really?" I asked.
She nodded. "Yep. And I trained to be a nurse, but I didn't like it as much as I thought. My mother is a doctor, as you know. She makes people better, so I wanted to grow up and help her, but I didn't know it was more about the boring parts than the exciting stuff. So, while I'm trained as a nurse, I only do that for emergencies, like when the Moles attack. Mostly, I gather herbs and supplies from the forest like my father taught me."
"Like Zasen?" I asked.
"He finds meat," she explained, "and I find everything else. Mostly plants, sometimes funguses or flowers. Occasionally, it's insects. I can hunt too, but I'm nowhere near as good of a shot with a hunting bow as my brother. I am better with a longbow, though." And she winked at me.
"I just want to learn how to be good," I told her.
Jeera flashed me a smile, and then gestured to a very large building at the side. "I'm sure you will be, but we made it."
"We did?"
"Mhm," she assured me. "Ayla, this is the church. Zasen said you still believe in God, right?"
"Yes, very much," I assured her.
So she guided me towards the beautiful, white building. "Would you be willing to see what a priest is like in Lorsa?"
"Okay..."
But what if he accused me of breaking the rules? What if he knew about what I'd done to Reynold Saunders? What if he wanted to send me back? With each step, my feet moved a little slower and my muscles clenched in fear. I knew I should go in. I wanted to believe this would be okay, but what if God was really angry with me for coming here?
"It's okay," Jeera assured me. "If you don't like what the priest has to say, we can leave. I promise."
"But - "
"No," she said, cutting me off. "No buts. If you want to leave, we will leave. I just want you to give our priest a chance, because I don't think God is as cruel as the Moles say He is."
"Oh," I breathed, relaxing just enough to take the handful of steps down towards the door.
Jeera opened it and let me in first, but she never left my side. The darkness of the interior was gentle on my eyes. After a few seconds, I could make out the long section of seating on either side of an aisle that ran down the middle. And there, at the far end, was a large cross with a pair of people standing before it. One was a human man wearing a white robe. The other was the dark blue Dragon woman with orange hair and a matching band in the middle of her tail: Brielle.
"Jeera!" the woman called out. "You made it."
One should not yell in the temple, or so I'd been taught. And yet, the man was smiling at me, waving us forward. I wanted to go, but my feet ignored my mind, refusing to work. Thankfully, Jeera caught my wrist and towed me forward, placing herself before me like she was some kind of impenetrable shield.
"Father," she said, lifting her voice so it would carry, "I would like you to know that if you terrorize my friend, I will haul her out of here."
"And I would expect nothing less," he promised, turning his eyes on me. "Ayla, right?"
"Yes, sir," I mumbled just as we finally reached their side.
He held out his hand. "I'm Father Dayne. I'm so happy you came to visit us today."
I nodded, not sure what else to do. The man's brow creased for only a split second, and then he gestured to the closest bench. "Would you like to sit? I'm sure everything in Lorsa has been overwhelming for you."
"I'm trying to learn everything as fast as I can," I assured him.
"Wait, wait, wait," Brielle said, hurrying over. "Dayne, I just realized that you're a tailless man, and she's probably terrified of you."
The priest gave me a disappointed look. "No..." His shoulders slumped. "Ayla, I give you my word under God that you are safe with me. I have a feeling your friends will make sure of it."
"I already explained to him all about you coming here," Brielle assured me.
The priest gestured to the bench again, encouraging me to sit. This time I did, and he claimed the place beside me, leaving a rather large gap. Jeera and Brielle hovered before us, but both women stayed standing. Still, their presence helped make me feel a little more confident. Almost like it would be okay for me to make a mistake, because they were here to help me get out of it if I did.
"Now, Ayla," Father Dayne said, his tone kind and gentle, "I was told that before you left the..." He paused to look at Brielle.
"The compound," Jeera answered instead.
Father Dayne nodded. "Right. Before you left the compound, you were forced to participate in a wedding? One you didn't agree to?"
I licked my lips and looked to Jeera, who nodded in support. I could feel my fingers starting to tremble, so I clasped my hands together to hide it. That put my left hand over my right, and the priest's eyes dropped.
"Is that your wedding ring?" he asked gently. "Do Moles wear it on the pinky finger?"
"No!" I gasped, switching my hands so it was hidden. "My mother gave it to me!"
"Ah..." He nodded sagely. "So, are you married then?"
I was sure I'd just made a horrible mistake. My tone must've offended him! But a comforting look from Zasen's sister reminded me she would get me out of here if I needed her to. Before this man could throw me out, or force me to go back, Jeera would save me, and I truly believed she could.
After swallowing to make sure my throat would work, I explained, "I said I didn't want to marry Peter Morgan, so they made me marry Reynold Saunders. When I told them I would say no, they said they simply wouldn't ask me. When it came to that point, they asked him but not me."
"I see," Father Dayne said softly. "And you have no interest in being married to this man? Not then and not now?"
