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She didn't have time to figure out what to say, or if she should even say anything, before they reached the laundry room. It was a big room, filled with steaming, soapy washbasins where women and men scrubbed clothing. There were ten basins in total and eight of them were in use. The clothing and bedding that had already been washed were hanging on lines in front of a large, open window at the far side of of the room. A steady wind blew in, drying them, something Lyra suspected had to be due to the god's influence, because it certainly hadn't been that windy outside when she entered the temple. Shelves labeled with the names of the guests and the people who worked there lined the walls, and Oleander directed her to an empty shelf without a name on it. She used a fountain pen to write Lyra's name on a scrap of paper and affixed it to the shelf with a dab of a clear liquid that was probably some sort of glue.

"There, you're all set. Just come back before bed and everything will be nice and clean. I'll take you to the dining hall now."

"Are the people who wash the clothes employees or volunteers?" Lyra asked as she caught up with the other woman.

"They're worshipers of Loreas," Oleander said. "They are either people who are looking for a way to cleanse a minor sin from their soul or people who want to use the temple's services but can't afford an offering. We do have a handful of people who are devoted to her, but they usually handle more important duties like cleaning the public spaces and making sure all of our supplies are organized and orders get sent out on time."

"Does the temple actually pay anyone for any of the work they do here?"

Oleander winked at her. "When I joined the temple, there was an older man, a priest who had been here for years. He told me if a temple has to spend money to keep itself running, then it's doing something wrong. No, the coin we get is mostly put toward expenses for the clergy, some charity work, and occasionally replenishing some of our more costly artifacts, things like the tunics we import from the city and the mirrors that don't fog up in the steam."

Lyra felt very out of her element as she followed Oleander through the halls. Many of the guests were wearing white robes similar to hers, so she didn't feel out of place in that sense, but it was disconcerting to be in a building like this after the last two weeks on the road. It couldn't have been more different than the temples she had seen on the way here. It seemed that life in Ersgath was very different from life in the small villages between here and Kyokami.

"The dining hall," Oleander said, opening a set of double doors for her. Even with all the finery, the room they stepped into was clearly a cafeteria hall. Instead of long bench seats, the room was dotted with two and four person tables, each with a tablecloth and a place setting. Along the far wall was a countertop that held various dishes, loaded high with food. Behind the counter was a long window that opened into the kitchen, through which she could see cooks bustling back and forth. The air was filled with a medley of scents, enough to make her stomach rumble.

"Anytime you get hungry, day or night, you can find food here," Oleander told her. "We also have massage rooms, a public bath, games, a small library, and a smoking lounge. This is the best spot for travelers to relax between here and Heliotheopoli. Make yourself at home. The god Loreas welcomes all travelers with open arms."

Still a little dazed, Lyra politely declined the other woman's offer of a more in-depth tour and instead selected a table and grabbed a plate before going up to the counter. She had only eaten two or three home-cooked meals since she arrived in this world, and all of them had been simple fare. The food offered here couldn't have been more different. There were bite-size chunks of grilled chicken in a brown glaze that smelled sweet and tangy and garnished with what looked like green onions, a mix of vegetables fried to crispy perfection in a garlic sauce, finely cut, tender slices of slow-cooked beef, and a variety of cheeses, fruits, and breads.

There were drinks too—mead and beer and wine and some harder liquors, along with various juices and even a cold pitcher of milk. Lyra filled her plate with a little of each dish, wanting to try them all, and poured herself a glass of mead before returning to her table.

The food was every bit as delicious as it looked and smelled, and she ate until her stomach was bursting, savoring each bite that wasn't travel rations. The mead here was sweeter than what she'd had in Kyokami, but it seemed to have a higher alcohol content and she was tempted to bring a glass back to her room. The only thing stopping her was that she didn't know if it was allowed. There was a cart for dirty dishes near the door, which made her think they were supposed to leave the dishes in here.

Another priestess and a priest, the first she had met so far, came over while she was eating. They introduced themselves as Annali and Calen, and offered to join her in the courtyard for games after dinner, if she had the time.

She found that she was exhausted after her meal, though. It was all she could do to find her way back to the laundry room, fetch her clothing and the clean towel, and carry it back to her quarters. Her bag lay undisturbed on the desk and the cool quiet of the room felt like a welcoming embrace. She put her clean clothes down and got into bed. With the promise of a good night's sleep ahead of her, her exhaustion was almost pleasant. Her muscles were loose and relaxed, her belly full, and she felt nothing but eager and hopeful for tomorrow morning. She really hoped that Erik and Milo knew more about why they were here than she did, or knew what god to ask to send them home, because she wasn't sure how she would dredge up the willpower to set out for the city again after enjoying the comforts of this temple.

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She woke with the sun. She wasn't sure exactly what time Kel was going to arrive to escort her to The Northern Path, but she had grown used to waking with the sun on their journey and had slept well enough that she was no longer tired, even though the sun was just peaking over the horizon.

She took another bath, this time more to relax than in an effort to get clean, then brushed out her hair and braided it before tying it off with one of the leather strips. Then she got dressed, putting her green tunic on over the shirt and trousers she had taken from Towr's temple. Between the clean clothes, a dab of light perfume, and the deodorizing salt rock, she felt a lot more like herself and more ready to face the world than she had the evening before. There was no clock, but a glance into the courtyard told her the sun was decently high in the sky by now. Deciding it was time to check outside the temple for Kel, she grabbed the peach that had appeared atop her backpack at some point during the night and bit into it as she left her room.

"Oh, there you are." Oleander called out to her as she approached from down the hall. Calen, the priest who had introduced himself to her yesterday was beside her and gave Lyra a shamelessly curious look. "There's someone waiting outside of the temple for you. He says he's a paladin who's been traveling with you, Kelarus. Do you know him, or should I tell him you're not available?"

"I know him," Lyra assured her. "I'm supposed to meet him this morning, I didn't realize he was already here."

"We'll walk with you to the door," Calen said, falling into step beside her and Oleander. "Did you have a good rest? You looked tired during dinner."

"I did. Sorry I didn't join you and Annali in the courtyard last night. I was exhausted."

"You don't have anything to be sorry for," he assured her. "We're all just curious. It's been years since most of us left Ersgath. Did you come from the North? I heard we have some Northerners in town."

"No, I came from the East," she said. "I'm heading west, to Heliotheopoli."

"Ah. There isn't much to the east, not until you reach the border and Walltown. If you're willing to eat a little later tonight, myself, Annali, and Oleander could join you for the meal once our duties are done. Of course, if you would rather spend your time alone, we'll understand. Loreas is a good patron, but one of the few things that upsets her is if we make the guests unhappy. Just tell us if you don't want to talk, and we'll respect your desire for silence."

"No, I'd like to talk," Lyra said. She still knew so little about this world. Talking to other priestesses and priests would give her insights that she wouldn't get from anywhere else, not even Kel. "I don't know when I'll be back, but if I'm back in time for dinner, I'd be happy to eat with you and whoever else wants to join us."

"I'll hold you to that," he said with a grin. "I'd better go, I'm on desk duty again today."

He peeled off and walked over to the ornate front counter while Oleander escorted her to the door. She paused in front of it. "Be careful out there. You probably know more about it than me, since you've been on the road, but my gut tells me there's something going on. There are three paladins in town right now, including your paladin, and I can't think of a good reason for them to congregate like this. I'll listen for rumors about the road to the west today. The paladin you're traveling with looks like he can take care of himself, but you should still be prepared. We've had more issues with bandits these past few months. I think they're mostly deserters from the war. Apparently, they decided that instead of fighting for a cause, they'd come across the sea and live like savages and fight for their lives." She wrinkled her nose. "Sorry, that isn't restful conversation. I hope we can talk more tonight."

Lyra thanked her and said goodbye, then pushed through the temple doors, which opened easily under her hand. Her mind was occupied with the rumored bandits and wondering who the other two paladins were — as far as she understood, paladins were just people who carried relics, which were essentially the body parts of dead priests and priestesses. She still wasn't sure why it was such an important title, but she would have to ask about it later.

Kel was leaning against a wall across from the temple. He looked a lot cleaner than she had seen him since they left Kyokami, so she assumed that wherever he stayed had baths too. He raised a hand in a wave when he saw her, and she hurried over to him.

"Sorry for making you wait. I didn't think you'd be here this early."

"It would be wise to arrive at the inn before the men we are meeting," he said. "You look well-rested. Was your stay in the temple pleasant?"

"It was," she said, smiling as she fell into step beside him. He seemed to know where they were going, but she tried to make a mental note of where the temple was anyway, just in case they got separated. "You were right, it was perfect. Everyone was welcoming and my room is the most luxurious room I've ever seen. I'm sorry you couldn't stay there too. Is the tavern you stayed at nice?"

"The rooms are serviceable," he said. "I've been in the temple of Loreas in the past, I think it is worth experiencing at least once, but the price for anyone who does not have holy blood is steep. Even if the god would let me enter the temple, I would not wish to spend the gold. Or spend a week scrubbing clothes for the honor of staying there."

"It doesn't seem fair that I can stay there for free just because I can see the gods, but everyone else has to pay."

"I don't think there's anything in this world that is fair," he said, seemingly unbothered by it. His armor was shining and she noticed that the torn plate had been repaired, or replaced. She wasn't sure which.

She didn't have a rebuttal to his words because they were true. Their conversation petered out, though by now she was used to long stretches of silence between the two of them. She took the time to look around instead, noting food stalls, restaurants, and little stores. They looked like they would be fun to explore, but she didn't have any money, so she would have to stick to window shopping.

Finally, as they drew close to the northern edge of town, Kel stopped and nodded at a building across the street. A wooden sign hung above the door with the words The Northern Path engraved in it. Beneath the words were a stylized pine tree in front of the outline of a mountain.

The inn was a sturdy building made of wood and plaster. Smoke drifted out of its chimney, and she could hear sounds of laughter and occasional twangings of music from inside, like someone was tuning an instrument.

Her stomach twisted with a sudden attack of nerves. Erik and Milo might have answers… but they might not be the answers she wanted. What if they told her they had already looked for a way home and there wasn't one? What would she do if they said she was going to be stuck here forever?

"Lyra?" Kel asked from a step ahead of her. "Do you wish to go in?"

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes as she tried to find an inner calm that she was sorely lacking, and nodded. "Yeah. Let's see if they're there yet."