Page 109 of The Gods Veiling
I take his pointed stare as a sign I’m supposed to be standing next to him at that podium and not making my way toward those two.
My feet slowly shuffle toward him, and I swear, as soon as our arms brush, he takes a tentative step away from me.
Rude.
“Welcome to the Gods Athenaeum. I’m Rising Chancellor Amick. Beside me is my Valtrue’s Binder, Thayla Godrun, and her Attendant, Yemi Andino. We’ll be giving you three your orientation today and assigning you your roles within your Designation.”
I startle at his smooth, authoritative tone. It’s far different from the stern one he just used on me. I peer over at him, and I’m shocked to find his shoulders relaxed, his face calm, and eyes shining. I haven’t spent much time with him to know very much about him, but his demeanor right now is by far the most peaceful I’ve seen.
“The role of Guiders is vast, just like any of the others. Our main focuses are spread out into multiple categories that pair with another Designation and helps them flourish. Knowledge retention and expansion benefits the Plentifuls. Knowing what hasn’t worked in our past helps us achieve and expand into a better future. Research and innovation benefit the Healers the most. Experimenting and developing give them a better advantage of keeping both the region and our gods at their strongest.
“Region guidance and literacy are the main focus of the Rulers. Their responsibility is to lead and make the tough decisions. They can’t do that if they don’t know the region’s way of life and its history. Law oversight is for the Defenders. They need to know the laws in order to uphold and protect the region. Lastly, teaching and mentorships are focused on our Attendants. They’re our companions who keep everything running smoothly. Without them, the Godsdawn would be in constant chaos.”
I smirk over at Yemi at that. That point’s already been proven this morning. I would’ve gotten lost seconds into the start of my day.
“Although as a Guider, you’ll need to be versed in all these categories, once you’ve got the basics of them down, your primary focus will shift to specializing in the knowledge that benefits your second Designation so you can guide those there. You’ll spend time moving throughout the Godsdawn to observe all the Designations, but the majority of your time will be spent here.”
Lambrit slowly raises his hand, and I hold in my laugh. Amick’s attention moves to him, but he doesn’t give him the opportunity to ask his question. “You’re the exception to this, Lambrit. Due to your sole Designation in Guider, you’ll always be here, and you’ll be beyond proficient in all categories.”
Damn, that sounds like a lot of work, best friend.
That obviously answers Lambrit’s question because he lowers his hand and stuffs it into his pocket while wearing a bright smile. He’s living his dream right now. As much as I’m still pissy about being here by betrayal and just going with the flow for now, I’m really happy I get to witness him experience this. He had his doubts about himself, but they’re slowly fading away right before my eyes.
“The other two of you know your second Designations and have received your schedules, so you know what your day-to-day rotations look like. We’ll take a tour of the Athenaeum, then I’ll assign you to Guiders who will get you comfortable in the roles you’ll be undertaking here. Follow me.”
My feet seem to forget how to work when he attempts to walk by me and I stutter step in place, trying to get out of his way. With a grip on my elbow, he simply moves me a step back and walks around the corner of the nook with no further instructions to anyone.
“Gah, he’s such a serious ass all the time,” I grumble as Yemi steps to one of my sides, Lambrit and Rose the other.
“You’ve known him for five minutes, Thay. How can you call him an ass?” Lambrit asks with a small chuckle.
“Did you forget I told you yesterday he called me atemporary anomaly?”
“I didn’t forget. I’ve been thinking about it. You are an anomaly, and the temporary part probably just meant until he figures you out. Then you’re no longer an anomaly.”
My lips press together as I look from him to the god we’re following. He would agree with him. They’ve got different personalities but very similar mindsets.
It doesn’t matter. A genius is a genius.
If I can crumble one genius’s shell, I can do it to another.
“Thayla,” Amick calls, causing me to startle and quicken my steps to catch up with him.
“Yes, dear.”
I catch the smallest eye roll ever rolled.
“You’re to be beside me at all times. You’re not going to learn anything by chatting the morning away with people who don’t know the first thing either.”
My sigh echoes between us. “First of all, Lambrit will have this place mapped and memorized within the hour. Secondly, you haven’t said anything in the five seconds we’ve been out of that area, so you aren’t teaching me anything worth learning yet.”
“Listen.”
That’s all he commands as he stops walking and laces his fingers behind his back. I mimic his stance.
“There are miles’ worth of bookshelf space within the Athenaeum. Each shelf, every row, every artifact, relic, scroll, tome, statue, and book has its place. The thousands upon thousands of items here are recorded, cataloged, and kept in the utmost condition. There’re multiple Guiders and Attendants whose roles are solely to verify the catalog daily. If something is found out of place, cataloging has to be repeated.”
Ah, I see now.
