"Ze?" I keep calling his name, yet as seconds go by and he doesn't answer, it strikes me that something might be wrong.

My eyes take in the room, and I look around wildly for any clues. I almost miss it at first. But as I glance at the ceiling, the light from one of the windows reflects against a yellowish, almost transparent symbol, highlighting it. The symbol is only visible when directly hit by light. Otherwise, it blends into the white of the ceiling, remaining undetectable.

My breath catches in my throat.

If the temple has runes that prohibit males from entering, could they also have some to prevent any males from communicating with the priestesses? Going by those odd symbols and the way my brain is too quiet, that might be a possibility. This world does not have the advanced technology that Earth does simply because it relies on magic to get everything done. Those symbols could very well act like a Faraday cage to stop all types of communications—we were singled out as suspicious, after all.

But what does that mean for me?

My thoughts are interrupted as the door opens and closes with a whoosh, the high priestess suddenly appearing before us.

The red painted around her eyes makes her irises appear otherworldly. She lowers her hood, her hair a white blond pulled back in a bun at her nape.

She walks slowly, gracefully, her gaze swallowing the entire room in the span of a second.

One by one, she stops in front of each of the girls, staring intently for minutes on end before she gives a nod of assent—her way of deeming someone fit to continue in the recruitment process. Some girls pass, others fail. I don't know what her criteria are—not when all she does is stare blankly at us before the verdict is announced. The girls who don't pass are taken away by the other priestess and thrown out of the room.

Four have failed so far and have been removed from the premises.

I'm in the middle. A few girls separate me and the high priestess.

My legs won't stop trembling from the anxiety, especially since I don't have Ze's voice to guide me in my head. I'm on my own. Yet I find that I'm not as worried for myself as I am about what Ze will do if he cannot reach me should he try to because he will raze this place to the ground.

I don't doubt him just as I don't doubt the fact that he has the capacity to do so.

The high priestess approaches.

Drops of sweat form on my forehead, slowly dripping down my face. I swallow, trying to regulate my breathing. My heart is racing like crazy.