Page 28 of The Gods Veiling
The events of a few nights ago play across my mind at the speed of light. At the time, I was hurting and cussing too much to pay close enough attention, but the way they seemed to have everything at the ready…
“You conniving assholes. You had him run into me on purpose, then swooped in as the savior. You took the bloody cloth with you and put it in the Volreen, didn’t you?”
His mouth opens and closes like a fish begging for water.
“You’ve always been smarter than the average, sweet T.”
“I’m not your sweet anything, Jeremiah. Gods, I’m going to kill both of you.”
I force my burning eyes to tear from them and face back forward. The cheering coming from the gathered crowd continues to grow louder, which means only one thing.
Our carriage is arriving.
It’s a battle to silence my violent thoughts. I mentally make up scenarios and conversations they had together behind my back while planning this out. All while I got my ass handed to me daily in training thinking it was all because of my mouth.
Naturally, I look at the path a couple hundred feet away. If I ran that way, past the arenas, through the wild grass, and a few fields, I’d hit the tree line. The thicket wouldn’t slow my pounding feet. The hot spring wouldn’t make me stop and reconsider.
I’d make it to the Unclaimed region.
I understand more now that I’m older, the magic, the barrier that feels like it’s more than this realm’s power, picks and chooses who can cross. I’ve read how beings have been rejected, catapulted actually, when they attempted to enter.
If it does accept you, you never get to come back out—at least it’s never been recorded that you can—but surely with something that powerful, it’d recognize I was in search of refuge.
A small hand wraps around my fingers, and I take a calming breath. “I’ll go with you.”
I crouch in front of Laney as I gather both her hands in mine. Thankfully, Mellcom still has a small sense of respect and backs himself and Jeremiah away from us. “I know you would, Laney girl, and I wish you could, but you can’t come with us to Godsden. You have to stay here with your mommy and daddy, okay?”
“I’m not talking about Godsden,” she sniffles and her watery gaze peers behind me.
I follow her line of sight, then bow my head. “We can’t go there either. I promise I’m not going there. Just…daydreaming.”
“Do you like to daydream?” Her innocent question pulls the first genuine smile to my face that I’ve had all day.
“I do, probably more than I should.”
“What do you daydream about?”
I let a soft sigh pass my lips as I tuck a piece of her hair behind her ear. “Dancing in the clouds. Or playing that leaping game you like so much in the stars.”
Her sweet laugh lightens my heart as I tickle her sides, then pull her in for a hug. Her head lies against my shoulder and my eyes fall shut.
When’s the next time I’ll get a hug this comforting, this innocent?
“That’s what I’ll daydream about from now on. Me and you in the clouds.”
“I’ll dream the same thing, Laney girl.”
“Come on, sweetheart. Let’s tell your brother bye, then Mrs. Sasha is going to walk you home for us. Their carriage is coming in,” Mrs. Armend says as she walks up behind her.
I give her one more tight squeeze before standing and placing my hand on her back and guiding her to her mom. We said our big goodbye at her house. I force myself to stay strong, but any more of this is going to have me cracking open.
A loud, majestic noise behind me covers the harsh exhale I release. It’s like a breeze whipping through the trees and our crowd falls silent as we stare at the carriage that just pulled up.
The black square contraption that’s lined in gold with a large G straight in the center doesn’t look like it’ll be able to fit Mellcom and myself. There’s no way all five of us will fit comfortably in there for hours.
I’ll really kill someone.
Another purr-like sound permeates the air and I lock onto the beast latched to the front that’s producing it.
