“I was worried,” Faraday said to me, “when I didn’t receive any letters.”
“That was due to a lack of funds. I’m sorry to have caused you concern.”
He turned to Les and inclined his head. “I’m Brother Faraday.”
“Alessio. People call me Les.”
“Alessio Saldana,” I corrected, and Faraday’s eyes widened. I looked at Les. “You’re going to have to get used to saying it sooner or later. And Brother Faraday, we’ve come for your help.”
Faraday led us to a cozy room with a table and chairs. Another priest served a loaf of bread, cheese, and a carafe of cold well water. Les and I tackled the food together. Every bite of bread was so soft, like eating a cloud. The sharp, rich flavor of the cheese slid across my tongue, and the cold water from the carafe was so clean and refreshing I drank two glasses in rapid succession.
“Gods,” Les said through a mouthful of bread.
“It’s like tasting everything for the first time,” I said.
Faraday looked at the two of us. He smiled tentatively. “I’m glad you find our meager fare so fulfilling.”
I slowed my eating, savoring the flavors. “Something happened to us recently. It seems to have altered the way we experience food. I’m sure it will fade soon.”
Les grumbled. “I hope we can taste some goose liver before then. Oh! Or some tender white fish baked in butter.”
My mouth salivated, and I imagined seared lamb or juicy berries that popped between my teeth.
Faraday shook his head. “What happened to change your senses so?”
“We died,” Les said.
“What?!” Faraday’s chair scraped the floor as he scooted forward.
I sighed and set the cheese down. “It’s true. We died. The Da Vias killed us.”
Faraday’s jaw dropped. “And She resurrected you both? True resurrections?”
Les shook his head. “No. She resurrected Lea. Then Lea resurrected me.”
I flicked my wrist. “He makes it sound more impressive than it was. She granted me a single resurrection. I used it on him. It wasn’t anything more.”
“It wasn’t anything more?” Faraday’s voice squeaked in shock. “You were resurrected by the goddess Herself and She granted you a gift and you treat it so cavalierly?”
Faraday gulped in large breaths of air. I poured him a glass of water. He drank it quickly.
“Lea, this is a miracle you’re speaking of. Nothing like this has happened in a hundred years. Not since Brother Pelleas saw Her face in a vision and walked the dead plains unmolested.” He leaned forward. “Did you . . . did you see Her? Speak with Her?”
I nodded. “We spoke and I looked upon Her face. When I woke again, I found this.” I slid my mask off my head and handed it to him.
Faraday ran his fingers gently across the flawless bone. He pursed his lips. “Lea, with your permission, I would like to record your experience. I’ve already written down what you’d told me about the coin, but I think I could write a whole tome on your life if you’d allow me.”
“Brother, we have limited time here,” I said. “The Da Vias have strayed to another god.”
Faraday gasped. “How can that be? A Family of such wealth and power, turning on She who has given them so much?”
“They have lost their way.” I narrowed my eyes. “But I need to know what god they have turned to, to understand what we may face when we confront them. They had a priest with them who carried a staff of sunlight. It allowed them to cross the dead plains.”
Faraday pushed his chair away from the table. “I’ll be right back.”
He ran from the room, his robe billowing behind him in his haste.
Les turned. “So. The food was amazing. Do you think other things could be amazing now that we’re not dead?”
I studied his face. He grinned slowly. Heat rushed up my neck to my cheeks as we stood and reached for each other. I pushed his mask off his head to run my fingers through his hair. Les grabbed the back of my thighs and lifted me to the table. I wrapped my legs around his hips, pulling him closer to me. His fingers stroked the back of my neck. He kissed me on the jaw, trailing his lips across my skin. Nothing had ever felt quite like this before. Maybe it was the resurrection making everything more intense, like the flavors of the food. Or maybe it was simply the way my pulse raced when I looked at Les.
We both wore our leathers, their bindings tight against our bodies to protect us. I wanted to rip his leathers off, run my fingers across the smooth skin of his back, his chest.
Across the room, someone cleared his throat. Les paused, and I looked over his shoulder. Brother Faraday stood in the doorway, his eyes averted and his face red even through his dark skin. “I’ve found a book,” he mumbled.
Les laughed and stepped away. I slid off the table and we returned to our seats. I righted my overturned glass as Faraday took a seat, pointedly not looking at me.
“Sorry,” I said.
“No, it’s fine. You simply . . . caught me off guard is all.”