35

The door to the temple swung open before she reached it. On the other side, a woman wearing a cream-colored tunic with burgundy stitching and embroidery was waiting for her. Her hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, and she had a dusting of golden powder across her cheeks. She gave Lyra a once-over, and her politely blank expression shifted into one of sympathy.

"Oh, you poor thing. You look exhausted. Don't just stand there; come in. The Temple of Loreas welcomes you. I'm Oleander, one of Loreas' priestesses. How long were you on the road?"

Lyra stepped inside the temple, torn between paying attention to Oleander and staring at the ornate interior like the commoner she was. The floor and walls were white marble, and the ceiling was the same, but it was inlaid with gold and burgundy images, all of people involved in various recreational or relaxing activities. The air smelled like incense and flowers, though the scent was faint enough not to be overwhelming, and it was pleasantly cool compared to the air outside. The hall they were in was large, with small groups of people in soft white robes or comfortable clothing were gathered here and there in murmured conversations. She could hear quiet strains of relaxing music being played elsewhere in the temple. She felt like she had just entered a very fancy spa.

Oleander shut the door behind her, and Lyra realized she had been staring at the entrance hall for longer than was probably polite. She apologized, then said, "I'm Lyra Starling, and I've been traveling for about two weeks. I was told I could stay here, but I'm kind of new to all of this and—"

"You're from one of the small villages, aren't you?" Oleander asked, giving her a knowing smile. "You've never been in a temple this size before? Don't worry. I'll show you around. We have seven clergy here total, three priests and four priestesses. You'll see all of them over the next couple of days, if you stay that long. We don't get many wandering clergy through, so you're going to be quite popular here, but no one will bother you too much until you get a chance to settle in. . First things first, let me show you to your room. How long do you think you'll be staying?"

It was a little jarring to have someone know exactly what she was just from a glance at her clothes, but at least it saved her from explaining things further. She was wearing the green tunic of a traveling priestess. Apparently, Oleander needed no further information.

"I'm not sure," she admitted as she followed the other woman further into the hall. Opposite the door was a huge, ornate wooden counter. The man standing behind it was wearing a tunic the same color as Oleander’s. He glanced across the room and raised his eyebrows when he saw Lyra, but quickly turned his attention back to the person he was helping.

Oleander led her through a small doorway, and they left the large entranceway behind. This part of the temple was less grand, but only slightly, and from the little wooden plaques with names on them by the doors, she assumed they were passing personal rooms.

Oleander opened a door and gestured Lyra inside.

"This will be your room for as long as you need. This place is built for a lot more clergy than we have now, so we have plenty of space in the private quarters. You're welcome to leave your things here; no one will disturb them. We're expected to do our own cleaning, but that's about the only thing you have to do for yourself while you're here. There's an attached bath and the windows look out into the courtyard. If you'd rather look out into the street, I can move you, but I think the courtyard view is more relaxing."

Lyra stepped into the room and could only gape. It was an enormous room, with a four-poster bed against the wall to her right and a huge window covered by sheer curtains set into the wall opposite her. A plush loveseat sat in front of a coffee table, and across from it were two overstuffed chairs. Against the wall next to the window was a small table with two chairs, and there was an open closet next to the bed that held some of those white robes she had seen others wearing. To the left was a door that led into what she assumed was the attached bathroom. Even without seeing it, she knew it was going to be better than the outhouses and bushes she had been using for the past couple of weeks.

"I always love this reaction," Oleander said, grinning. "Whenever we get people in from the east or north, they wear the same expression as you. This is nothing. I spent a few months in Heliotheopoli to learn the art of massage, and their temples are really impressive. Don't be intimidated. Make yourself at home. Like I said, the only thing you're responsible for is cleaning your own room, but we have people who will take care of the laundry, so you don't have to wash that yourself; you just drop it off at the laundry room and pick it up later. I'll give you a tour later, but I suspect you'll want a chance to clean up first."

This is beautiful," Lyra said. "I don't have any money—"

Oleander wrinkled her nose. "I don't know what experiences you've had at other temples, but we'd never make a member of the clergy pay. Especially not one of the wandering clergy. You're welcome to stay here as long as you want; don't worry about paying for anything. Well, if you end up staying for more than a month or two, we might ask you to pitch in on the chores, but that's it. Settle in, take a bath, relax, and I'll add you to our register so the clergy and the other worshippers know you're here. I'll be back in about an hour. If you're done freshening up before then, feel free to explore without me. Anyone wearing a tunic of Loreas will be happy to help you if you need it."

Then she backed out of the room, gave Lyra an encouraging smile, and shut the door. Lyra turned in place, taking in the room once more, then gingerly set her backpack on the table. The room was cool, spotlessly clean, and all but silent. She hadn't been somewhere so spotless and comfortable since she left home. Walking over to the window, she pulled back the curtain briefly and found herself looking out into a spacious courtyard. Walking paths curved gently between trees that created pools of shade on the grass below. There were a few people playing simple yard games with horseshoes or beanbags or balls on ropes, and others lying in hammocks strung between the trees or sitting on the grass on blankets, chatting.

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She pulled the curtain shut and made her way to the bathroom. The reality was better than she had dared to hope for.

A basin of water, similar in shape to the ones she had seen in the smaller temples but made out of white marble and large enough to fit four people inside of it, claimed the center of the room. Wisps of steam curled off the water, which was constantly overflowing the basin to drain away in holes set into the floor. She approached it and dipped her hand into the water. It was the perfect temperature, hot enough that she knew relaxing in it would make her go boneless, but not so hot that she would only be able to spend a few minutes in it like some hot tubs. On little tables set up by each of the basin’s four sides was a full suite of soaps and shampoos, and a shelf against the wall held plush white towels. A wooden screen hid a toilet that was a little shorter and more squat than the ones at home, and real toilet paper sat on a pedestal next to it.

A tall mirror stood against the wall on the far side of the room, under a skylight that provided most of the room's lighting, though there were unlit sconces on the walls a few small, glassless windows set high up, probably to provide ventilation. Next to the mirror was a table with a brush, a comb, leather strips that she thought were supposed to function as hair ties, and some simple perfumes and haircare products. Thick woven mats covered the floor in the places she would walk the most to keep the guests from slipping on the wet marble tiles.

It was nicer than any bathroom she'd ever been in at home. She still couldn't quite believe that not only was she able to stay here for free, but getting a room had been so easy. She hadn't had to fill out forms, prove her identity, or put down a deposit for damages. Oleander had simply taken one look at her tunic and ushered her right in.

She hadn't even seen the god yet, which she had been low-key dreading.

Lyra returned to the main room to grab one of the soft, lightweight white robes, then retreated into the bathroom, shut the door, and stripped her grimy clothing off.

There was a time when she might have been cautious about bathing in a free bath provided by a temple, but that time was long past. She was pretty sure she was almost at the point where she would willingly sell a piece of her soul to take a real bath. If this was really free, then all the better.

By the time Oleander returned, Lyra had used her knife to painstakingly remove the stitches from the wound across her ribs. The slashes were still an angry pink, but it was healed over and it was a relief to her. After, she scrubbed every inch of her skin and had treated her hair with shampoo and conditioner that smelled like ginger and flowers. She dried off using a fluffy towel and brushed her damp hair until there were no tangles in it. She even found some sort of salt rock sitting on the table that had a handwritten note calling it a deodorizer. She vaguely remembered seeing similar products in the stores at home and didn't hesitate in rubbing it under her armpits. That, combined with the clean robe and a dab of one of the perfumes on offer, made her feel more normal than she had in months.

She found a pair of soft sandals in the same closet as the robes and was just slipping them on when she heard a knock at her door.

"Come in," she called out softly.

Oleander opened the door and gave her a bright smile. "There, that's much better, isn't it? How was your bath? Is there anything else you need?"

"No, this is perfect," Lyra said. "I do have laundry to wash, though. I can do it myself; I just need to know where to take it."

"Of course. Why don't you grab everything you want to wash, and I'll show you where the laundry is? Don't worry about washing it yourself; the laundry workers have it all figured out to the minute, you would just slow them down. After that, we'll head to the dining hall. We have food available at all times, so even if you're not hungry now, once you know where it is, you'll be able to return and eat whenever you want."

She waited as Lyra quickly gathered her dirty clothes and the towel she'd used after her bath and before leading her out of the room. It felt a little odd to leave her backpack sitting out in the open on the table without locking the door, but she was too overwhelmed by everything else to worry about it.

"The food here is decent," Oleander said as they walked down the hall and through a door into a more public hallway. "I've had better at a few restaurants in town, but it's not like that slop they serve at the stables or the the Temple of Tam. Some of the best chefs in town cook here as a form of worship, so—"

She broke off mid-sentence as a door slammed open right next to Lyra, clipping her elbow. She stumbled back, then hurried to the side to move out of the way of the man who rushed through. He was dressed in a white robe identical to hers and seemed to be in a hurry — at least, until Oleander snapped.

"Watch where you're going! You just hurt a priestess!"

The man twisted to look at them and seemed to see Oleander's tunic for the first time. His eyes went wide and he dropped to his knees, prostrating himself on the marble floor.

"My apologies. It was an accident; I had no idea anyone was out here. I would never intentionally harm a priestess. Please, forgive me for this mistake."

His reaction seemed extreme for a bumped elbow, but Oleander's response was even more so.

"It's a sin in the eyes of the Great God to harm anyone with holy blood," she said, striding closer to him. Her cheeks were pink with anger. "Not only that, but Lyra is a guest here. I should petition Loreas to ban you from this temple. I should pray to her to place a curse on you, to ensure you don't make the same mistake again."

"No, please don't," he begged. "I'm sorry, I would never—"

"Stop it," Lyra said when she couldn't take it anymore. "I'm fine, I don't want him to be punished for anything. He just bumped my elbow. My horse has done worse to me, and I've only had her for a week."

Oleander's lips pressed together in a thin line. "You are lucky the wandering priestess is in a good mood. As she is a guest here and her wishes must be considered, I will refrain from petitioning the god to punish you."

"Thank you. Will you tell me my penance, priestess?" the man said. "I wish to wash this sin from my soul."

Oleander took a moment toc consider. "Donate one week’s worth of your wages to the temple before the month is out, and spend ten hours volunteering here in whichever role you will be of the most use in. Do that, and the Temple of Loreas will forgive you. When you're done, you may petition any god to see if the sin has been cleansed from your soul. If not, seek additional penance elsewhere."

"Thank you," the man said, touching his forehead to the floor again. "I will not forget this kindness, priestesses. I will perform the penance this very week."

Oleander gave a wordless nod of acknowledgment, then took Lyra gently by the elbow.

"I'm sorry, you shouldn't have had to deal with something like that on your first day here. Sometimes I wish our temple was a little more discerning about who we let in, but the god wishes to provide out services to everyone who worships her or makes the right offerings. Take a left up here; the laundry is just down the hall."

Wordless, Lyra glanced back over her shoulder at the man, who was still on the floor, bowing to them.

She knew people like her, people with the so-called holy blood, were treated specially in this world, but she hadn't expected Oleander, who had been nothing but kind and pleasant so far, to react to a simple accident with that much anger.