Page 78 of The Gods Veiling
“Rules?”
“Yeah, like earlier when you didn’t want me to carry your bag for you. That’s a responsibility that falls to me. That makes your life easier.”
“I’m sorry, my mind is malfunctioning. Are you saying there are actually rules that say you have to do shit for me?”
“There’s a whole book.”
My jaw falls open and I scowl at her smirk. “You’re serious? There’re rules I have to follow when it comes to me telling you what to do? What if I don’t want to treat you like that?”
“When we’re alone like this, you can treat me however you please. When we’re around all the other gods, it’s best you just follow the rules as much as possible. I don’t want to get punished for not doing what I’m supposed to.”
Punished…
“Surely since you’re quote,my Attendant, I have a say in how others treat you? They can’t punish you. You’re a grown woman and a god just like them.”
Her tight smile makes my stomach swirl with both hatred and unease. “As long as you’re around me, you have a say. You can also make it known to the others what you say about me goes. But if I’m being honest, I’ve never seen an Attending God, which you now are, ever stand up for their Attendant. There’s no telling what kind of light that would put you in, in the eyes of the others. It’s best we both stick to the Attendants’ rules and those of the Godsdawn.”
Yeah, fuck all that.
I’ve been bullied enough in the past year. I’ll be damned before I stand around and watch it happen.
“I swear, Yemi, I won’t be like that toward you. I definitely can catch an attitude at times, and I have a foul mouth when I’m angry, really all the time, but I’ll never treat you like you’re less than I am. I’m not too happy with the gods right now, so me swearing to them won’t mean much, but I do promise that.”
She smiles, the realest one I’ve seen so far, and I return it although I hate everything she just said. “I appreciate that. It’ll be easier for me knowing you’re not bossing me around because you think you’re superior. We still need to abide by most of the rules, though.”
Yeah, okay.
I chuckle as I push off the ground and wipe my hands off on my pants. “I definitely don’t think I’m superior. Far from it honestly, but I guess I’ll study up on theserules.” I offer her my hand as a small…I don’t know, truce, understanding. I’m just trying to be nice. “Sorry you caught my meltdown. It’s been in the works all day. I feel better now, though, so that’s a plus.”
“No need to apologize. I mean, you freaked me out at first, but it makes a hell of a lot more sense. I’m sorry for the way I judged you and acted. I was just preparing myself for you to be like all the others. I didn’t want to let myself think you were all that different. If there’s one thing I’ve learned the hard way, you can’t have blind faith in anyone in the Godsdawn.”
I cut my eyes over to her. “So no one’s out here making best friends for life jewelry?”
“Not even those with matching marks.” She glances down at my wrist, then back up to me. “I’m only close with Havar, Rose, and a few of the other Attendants. I don’t talk to any of the other gods at all unless absolutely necessary.”
“From the impressions I’ve gotten so far, I get that.”
“Some are more obvious about their self-serving motives. Some not so much. In your case…” She pauses and shakes her head. “I don’t know if you got paired with the most selfish or selfless of the bunch.”
My chest pangs and I groan. “Don’t remind me of them.”
“Already met their wrath?”
“I wouldn’t call it wrath. Overheard their disdain for our situation. Hence why I went for a run.”
“Well, good thing you stopped when you did. If you had kept going, you would’ve made it to the Veilatara meadow and been stomped to death. They don’t take kindly to strangers. Havar refuses to even let me go with him to see them.”
Huh. I’ll let him surprise her then…
We walk for a while, sinking into our own thoughts. I’m not sure how long it’ll take us to get back since I wasn’t paying attention when I was running, but I use this opportunity to observe the forest.
We had gorgeous woodlands in Oddian as well, but you can tell the forest thrives better here in Godsden. It smells sweeter, the trees are taller, and the colors are ten times brighter. There’s power in abundance and it shows.
“I went farther than I thought. You kept up with me the whole time?”
“Yeah, but a couple paces back. I used to love running before I came here. Now they use it as a punishment to see which one of us will throw up first.”
I try to hide my sneer, but I fail. “Well, other than that disgusting side note, that’s impressive. I’ve had to work out every day for as long as I remember, and running was my favorite because no one could talk or yell at me while I did it. I didn’t hear you at all.”
