Page 155 of The Gods Veiling
“Nosy little thing, aren’t you?”
“Would you rather me just be quiet this whole walk? I can only listen to so much of your humming. I can’t even hum with you because you keep making up random songs.”
“Oh, those aren’t just songs. They’re the melodies to the thoughts running around in my head.”
My feet stop moving as I stare at him. I don’t know whether to laugh or be horrified. One second, his humming is upbeat, contagious. Some moments even sensual. The next, full of melancholy. Then it’s like a dark, foreboding tone that gets your heart racing.
“That’s concerning. Should I take you to see someone?”
“No need. I’m a perfect specimen of a god.”
My mouth parts. “Right.”
“Anywhos, to avoid the wrath of my brothers and the High Chancellor—again—we’re going to behave today. I’m going to show you around Godsden, maybe a meadow. Very romantic. Now, if you look to your left and your right, you’ll see the exact same gorgeous trees. This will be our view for the next half mile or so.”
I try to cover up my snort as he proceeds to literally point out the same kind of trees repeatedly. Granted, I do take in their height and beauty. Just like the forest behind our house, I’m shocked by the abundance and liveliness of the woodland.
From the times I traveled through Abernie and Edistoia when I was young, I’d always assumed Godsden would be much of the same. Towering buildings, luxuries, streets, and overcrowding everywhere you turned. Those sorts of features.
The godly made structures here, though, seem to blend in with the natural environment rather than take it over.
“Are you even listening to me or am I rambling to the wind?”
My lips tilt up. “Both. Your rambling made me drift into my thoughts.”
“Ah, tell me all the crazy conversations you have with yourself.”
“Just because you have those kinds of conversations with yourself, doesn’t mean everyone does.”
He looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. “Of course they do.”
“Okay, Riven.” I chuckle. “I wasn’t having a crazy conversation. I was thinking about how Abernie and Edistoia are more innovation-centered. The only natural environments are on the outskirts and they’re scarce. I always assumed they were trying to mimic Godsden. The abundance of woodlands and nature, plus the power I sense flowing through it all, surprises me.”
“Oh, yes, those poor saps right below us want to be here so badly they fabricate what they believe we love. You’re welcome for all these breathtaking views and lack of overpowering monstrosities.”
“Are you really trying to take credit for nature?”
“Yes. It’s my Designation that makes sure it always prospers.”
My head jerks. That completely slipped my mind. “Well, shit. That’s what the High Chancellor meant by that Plentifuls ensure we have resources, substance, and prosperity. I didn’t even think about relating that to nature. Is that why you’re so close to the Veilatara? Because they play such an intricate role in the environment?”
He sneers over at me, and I match his glare. “My, you’re a nosy and talkative thing.”
“It’s called a conversation. Is that your defensive mechanism? Be a dick when someone asks you something personal?”
He snorts, but it isn’t from humor. It’s dismissive.
My cheeks heat and I shove my hands into my pockets. I rub the fabric between my fingers to try to calm my rising annoyance. The mood swings and multiple layers to the men in my Valtrue give me whiplash. It’s a good thing I’m immortal because these first few days in my new, unescapable life have kept me in a state of high emotional confusion.
If I were mortal, I’d have aged years in these few days.
As the silence between us stretches, the calming sound of the wind traveling through the trees and animals going about their day soon gets drowned out. Unfortunately, it isn’t my own thoughts that block them.
It’s Seismet’s words. Or warning. Whichever way I decide to look at it.
I’ve thought about them obsessively if I’m being honest.
I had myself convinced last night while I was lying in bed that when I woke up today, I was going to be more open. I was going to ease into telling them the truth of how I got here, my soul, and then we’d move forward from there.
