Page 171 of The Gods Veiling
They’re…I don’t know what they are.
With a sudden burst of speed, Mellcom and Jeremiah race ahead of us. They join Gladian instantly, but I don’t see Mara or Chasin in his immediate circle. Our footsteps slow and Creed looks in my panicked eyes.
“There are at least ten of them to one of us. It’s going to be difficult to stay together, but you find a way. Always be near one of us.”
My head bounced up and down frantically. “I will.”
Something akin to regret fills his face. “I swear to you, this isn’t how I wanted you to find out about this.”
“I know,” I breathe.
His lips flatten as he steps away from me, then his power swells. A thin, dark sheen covers his skin as his eyes blaze full-on white.
I suck in a gasp as from every direction around me, my Valtrue lets the true power that resides inside of them free. My body turns in a circle as I gawk.
A golden gloss covers any skin Amick shows and his eyes flare to life. They’re as bright and all-seeing as the sun.
The only noticeable difference to Riven’s skin is it’s shinier, smoother than I’ve ever seen it before. His mismatched irises swirl with the speed of a storm, though. If I stare too long, I’ll grow dizzy.
Kyzen has fluff like a cloud surrounding him and what I thought was white rings around his pupils are actually a very light baby blue. He’s the embodiment of the sky on a beautiful day.
His voice is deeper than normal when he speaks. “I’ve got her.”
Creed grunts and the air stays trapped in my lungs as he, Riven, and Amick run off with speeds I’ve never seen come from them before.
“My power is going to surround you at all times. You’re going to move faster than you’ve ever moved before. Keep that in mind when you swing your sword.”
“H-How?”
He holds my gaze for a tense moment. “My power is time. I’m going to be speeding time up for you so you can stay with me. I’m sorry, but get ready, little goddess. Everything’s going to be moving very fast from this moment on.”
His finger runs down the side of my face softly and my sharp inhale echoes between us. The caress of his power is different from how I’ve ever felt it. It seeps into my skin and runs through my blood like static.
With a gentle tug on my elbow, he pulls me forward. I crash into the side of him. I wasn’t expecting my small step to be more like a charge, but he steadies me and holds on to me for our first few strides.
The looming, deadly lines grow closer in milliseconds and as soon as we run past the first of our Defenders and the creatures they’re battling, we enter the true fight.
In every direction, gods clash with creatures.
Reality slaps me in the face when Kyzen lets me go and a body falls at my feet.
Black instead of red pours from the wound stretching across their chest. The gurgling that sounds from their throat is purely animalistic and their thrashing only stops once Kyzen plunges his sword directly through their heart.
I react without thinking when a black hand adorned with dagger-like fingernails lashes out at Kyzen.
My stomach crawls into my throat as the sword Creed gave me slices through the creature’s arm like butter. Their bellow makes my heart pound uncontrollably, but the noise is short-lived.
Their body becomes statue-still, and they hit the ground like a boulder falling from a mountain.
The vibrations pass through my boots and into my blood.
“Very good, little goddess. Only a couple hundred or so more to go.”
A couple hundred or more…dear Valories.
My mind races—everything does, actually—as we fall into a routine of slashing through bodies. Kyzen’s power stays firmly wrapped around me. Everything but me moves slower and I see what’s coming with plenty of time to think through my next move.
It’s what’s past the stronghold lines that’s the real problem.
