Page 38 of The Gods Veiling
There’s no possible way anyone could ever make the trek up or down this mountain.
Meaning, I’m about to be stuck at the top.
Fuck.
“Are you all ready?” Havar asks.
I reluctantly tear my gaze away from the window. “Ready?”
A slow smile crosses his face. “Welcome to Godsden.”
Thayla
5
My mouth dries out when I tear my eyes from Havar’s.
My jaw drops as it seems like an entire new realm appears before me. It sits right on top of the mountain, as close to the stars as it can possibly get. It makes zero sense to me that from up here, it looks like the new region stretches farther than the mountain itself.
Seismet begins his descent way too fast for my liking. I barely begin mapping out the large structures and grasslands before the view changes.
The wheels of the carriage bounce a few times as it hits a runway and the men all stumble to their seats. My face stays glued to the window so I don’t miss a single thing.
“There’s nothing but trees again. A moment ago, there were buildings, land, all kinds of stuff.”
“You got a pretty good aerial view. Normally, the Veilatara come straight to the landing area that leads to where you’ll be staying. I guess this one wanted to stretch its wings a bit more. From this point forward, until all your power has been unbound, this is where you’ll stay. It’s safe and secluded.”
The carriage finally stops rolling, and still, all I see are trees. “And where exactly is this?”
“The Godsdawn. The birthplace of the Beginning Gods. Come on, no time to waste.”
Lambrit and I exchange glances as Havar pushes the door open and exits without a look back at any of us. The part of me that’s full of enraged hollowness doesn’t want to get out of my chair. The other part that keeps whispering I have no choice but to accept this for now pushes me to get up and go figure out as much as I can.
That half of me wins out when the men stand and grab their things.
I highly doubt I’ll get away with hiding away in here and going wherever Seismet’s going.
By the time we get out of the carriage, Havar has already moved the strappings back around Seismet’s wings. He’s speaking to another man—another god—about ten or so feet away.
I make my way toward them but stop short at Seismet’s head. The beautiful, obviously playful, Veilatara has the nerve to pull some strands of my hair out of my bun with his teeth.
“Ahh, don’t do that.” I laugh teasingly, tucking the loose threads behind my ears. He nudges me gently and I can’t help but run my hands up and down his muzzle.
“Who in the Veil is she?”
The foreign voice causes me to drop my hand quickly and red colors my face. The power that Seismet radiates is nearly impossible for me to ignore. I didn’t even think about what it’d look like to others witnessing me put my hands on him.
“That’s Thayla Godrun. No doubt a new member of our domain.” Havar’s chest puffs out and his god friend peers between us. He almost looks awestruck.
“Thanks a lot. You did that on purpose and now I have attention I don’t want on me.”
“Afraid of people getting to know you?”
Yes.
I scoff.“No. The more people who see me, the more they’ll notice when I’m gone. You should know that since the Valories have told you all about me.”
“Your sarcasm reminds me of another here. The two of you will get along.”His deep, ancient laugh filters through my mind before he purrs.“There’s nowhere for you to run now. Once you cross that threshold in the sky, you become tied to the Godsdawn. The only way for you to get back out of Godsden without all your power is if your role requires it. Like young Havar.”
