Page 68 of The Warrior Priest
Rhys wasn’t ready either, if his grunt was any indication. A red welt striped his back, but the blow hadn’t drawn blood.
I bit my tongue to stop myself crying out. Being discovered wouldn’t help Rhys. It would only make them think I was indeed one of his lovers, just as the high priest’s list claimed. There was nothing to do except endure.
I wanted to turn my face away and block my ears to the sounds of the whip flaying flesh, but I forced myself to watch. Rhys had to endure it. So could I.
After the tenth lash, tears were rolling uncontrollably down my cheeks. By the twentieth, blood oozed from the wounds on Rhys’s back. Apart from the first blow, Rhys had remained silent as each lash of the strap struck.
The moment the last one had been inflicted, Andreas rushed forward and untied his hands. Rhys stepped away from the post, rolled his shoulders and tilted his head from side to side, stretching his neck muscles.
Then he slowly turned around. His face was impassive, with not a hint of pain on it. He thanked the guard who’d whipped him, as if the man had done Rhys a favor. The guard nodded, respectful.
I pressed a hand to my chest over my heart. It ached. My throat was tight and my tears still flowed. It felt as though I’d never be able to stop crying. I desperately wanted to speak to Rhys and tend to his wounds as he’d so gently tended to mine.
But he remained in the courtyard. Even if he entered the garrison, how would I get in there without being seen?
He addressed the high priest. “If your business is concluded, Your Eminence, the men need to train.”
“Of course.” The high priest stepped down from his platform and did something I didn’t expect. He embraced Rhys, careful not to touch the wounds on his back. “My son, I am sorry, but it is the law of Merdu’s Guards.”
“I know.”
“You took your punishment with courage and fortitude. You have admitted the faults of your past.” He drew in a breath. It was difficult to tell from a distance, but it looked as though his eyes glistened with unshed tears. “You embody every quality that a master of Merdu’s Guards needs to possess. I support you as master, if you say you are committed.”
“I am.”
Was it a tactic? Was the entire thing a show, put on by the high priest to appease those who were angry with Rhys for breaking his vow? He’d just proved to them all how strong Rhys was, how brave. These men respected courage, pride and the physical embodiment of masculinity, and the high priest knew that whipping Rhys in front of them was the best way to prove to them that he possessed those qualities in abundance.
Had Rhys known?
“Good,” the high priest declared. “Now, we vote.”
“Vote?” Andreas asked. “For what?”
“For Rhys to remain as master of the order of Merdu’s Guards.”
Andreas and the other brothers looked confused. The high priest merely repeated the question.
“A show of hands. Who wishes to keep Rhys as master of the order of Merdu’s Guards?”
Hands went up all over the courtyard. I quickly counted. There wasn’t quite enough. Andreas shouted for Vizah and Rufus to come back out. Moments later, when they understood the situation, they both raised their hands. Rufus glowered at the high priest the entire time.
Their votes were enough to keep Rhys as master, but the near-even split meant he clung to the position by his fingernails. It was what Uncle Roderic wanted, a destabilizing of the order, and of Rhys’s authority in particular.
The high priest had done his best to reinstate respect for Rhys with that display at the whipping post. It had worked. Several priests who’d been vocal in condemning Rhys as the list of names was read out had voted in Rhys’s favor. The high priest had gambled and won. It was the outcome he’d wanted after my uncle’s efforts created discord.
Rhys had become a key component in the game between two powerful men, both using him for their own ends. It was unfair, but there was nothing to be done now. Hopefully this was the end.
“You have voted,” the high priest declared. “Rhys remains as master. I know he will lead you all with humility and courage. You should be proud to have him as your leader. I’ve never seen another like him in my lifetime. Nor had Master Tomaj. Remember, Rhys washischoice because Rhys is the best choice.”
Rhys thanked him for his words with a nod. “I will not let you down again. None of you. I’ll pray to Merdu for forgiveness, but it is your forgiveness I now seek. I promise to be a better priest in future.”
It was Rhys’s promise that got more heads nodding, even some who’d voted against him. The speech from the high priest had been good, but Rhys’s had been the one they needed to hear.
Not all were swayed, however. A few walked off, disgusted.
I was relieved to see Rhys return to the garrison after the high priest left. The brothers began their training session, but none of Rhys’s close friends joined in. Hopefully they were tending to his wounds.
Despite every fiber of my being wanting to see him, I knew I couldn’t. His position as master was too precarious and the presence of a woman in the temple complex would undermine his authority further.
