Page 129 of The Gods Veiling
“No, absolutely not. You’ve lost your mind, Mellcom.”
“Do we have an issue here?” I ask as I walk up behind the two new gods cornering Lambrit at his podium.
Most Valtrues like to stick together. Mostly. It’d seem I made a grave mistake placing them on the same rotation, though. It’s becoming abundantly clear they’re going to be quite the nuisance in our lives.
“No issues at all. Just catching up with our Oddian buddy,” Jeremiah—the one I dislike the most—says as he attempts to lob his arm over Lambrit’s shoulder, which he easily evades.
“I see lying comes easily to you. I’d advise you to quit questioning the whereabouts of my home and the location of my Binder. This will be my last warning since yesterday wasn’t clear enough. You’re only receiving another because we’re within the Athenaeum.”
I stare them down. They may think they’re imposing figures now that they’re in Godsden and in a completed Valtrue with the God of Strength. But I shared a womb and have lived with the God of Death my entire life. They frighten me as much as the wind does.
“Come on, Jer,” Mellcom, the smartest of the two, says.
Lambrit scoffs and shakes his head as he watches them stomp off. He gives me a grateful nod and turns his attention right back to his work.
“Lambrit, your assistance for a moment.”
The brand-new fully placed Guider begrudgingly closes the book he was trying to read on the podium. I understand the irritation with being interrupted again whilst in the middle of something, but my request will only take a minute.
Just between his time with Chancellor Ellian yesterday and his time in the Athenaeum this morning, although Thayla was wrong about the hour comment, I do believe him mapping it all out has been an easy feat. He’s not only been able to identify and procure the material he needs for his own studies, but he’s also already begun guiding both his Attendant and Thayla’s.
It’s impressive. I look forward toworking with him.
Rose rises from her chair she was sitting in, but I halt her. “Rose, you may stay here with Yemi and continue your lessons. He’ll only be a moment.”
A look of shock skirts across her face as her eyes bounce from me to Lambrit then back. I assume it’s the use of her name. I’ve overheard Lambrit and Thayla call her by her name rather than just Attendant, so if that’s how they deem both of their Attendants be addressed, then that’s what I’ll call them.
Wordlessly, Lambrit follows behind me to my office. Once I approach my door, I place my hand on the wood and turn the knob so he can enter.
“Would you like this shut, Rising Chancellor? And is this about what just happened? I didn’t tell them anything.”
“Open is fine and you may call me Amick. And no. I’m not concerned with the two of them. I’d like your opinion on these two chairs.” I motion to the new additions that are taking up space in my office.
Only one will stay, but narrowing down the choice has posed to be more difficult than I thought it’d be. I first grabbed a seat at random from within the Athenaeum, but when I sat on it, it was as hard as the floor. No matter how I maneuvered my body, it never got comfortable.
“Is there something special about either of them?”
“No. They both match the aesthetic, so they’re pleasing to the eye. They’re of above average size to accommodate a large male, so a female sitting with her legs crossed won’t be cramped. It’s the comfort level I haven’t been able to measure. I know which one I believe is more suitable, but another agreeing opinion would verify that.”
“A female with her legs crossed? Are you picking out a chair for Thayla, sir?”
“Yes.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, why don’t you just ask her?”
“Given her Designations and the fact she didn’t decide on or hold a consistent role within Oddian, that leads me to believe she doesn’t like making choices.”
“You’d be correct. Choices about little things anyway. She finds them irritating.”
As do I.
“So you sought my opinion because she’s my best friend?”
“Precisely. She made the relationship between you clear to me. I would’ve asked Yemi, but they haven’t spent enough time together to know subtleties about each other such as this.”
He murmurs an agreement, then takes a seat in the first chair. Even though he brings his legs up to cross them as she does, he’s too tall to achieve it. “It’s very thoughtful of you to do this for her.”
“Thoughtful? She said she learns better when she’s relaxed and comfortable. She has a lot to learn. It’s practical.”
