Page 64 of The Gods Veiling
That mark is the last thing I see before my body crumbles and darkness takes me under.
Thayla
9
Harsh shouting pierces the blackness of my mind and the pain in my chest has me flinging myself up, gasping.
My body goes tumbling off whatever I’ve been laid on and the slippery sheets I try to grip slide through my fingers. My hip and half an ass cheek take the brunt of the fall, and I lay my face against the cold marble as I groan.
I’m just going to close my eyes again and the next time they open, I’ll be back in my bed in Oddian.
That fantasy is crushed the moment a hand touches my back. My lids fly open as I roll myself over and slide across the marble to get as far away from whoever it is that just snuck up on me.
I snatch the sheets that are wrapped around me off and jump to my feet. My hands rise to protect myself as my lungs force me to breathe through the fear.
The slightest bit of relief washes through me when I realize it’s only Yemi until I take in her pale face and her shaking her head.
“What the fuck is going on? Where am I?”
Her head whips so fast toward the door, I can’t help but follow her direction. I map the multiple silhouettes of massive bodies on the other side of the blurry glass as their voices blare through the room.
“Who the hell is that out there, Yemi?”
Her chest heaves in sync with mine as though my panic is influencing her own. She nervously raises her hands with her palms facing out and takes a cautious step toward me.
“May I say something without you flipping out on me?” she whispers when she takes another step closer, only leaving about a foot between us.
“Fucking gods. I won’t flip out on you, Yemi. Tell me what’s happening before I do completely freak out and start rampaging through this region.”
“Well, that’s exactly what I was going to warn you about. Your mouth. I’m not sure what happened in the Gods Veil, but it isn’t good for you. Which means it isn’t good for me either. You’re in a healing villa because you passed out. The High Chancellor didn’t even announce anything about you before the Abandon brothers stormed the platform. They’re pissed and demanding all of you reenter the Veil. I have to go and tell them you’re awake, so please, whatever you do, don’t smart off to any of the gods about to walk in here.”
“Wait, the Abandon who? Who the hell are they? So we still don’t know my Designation, domain, or anything?”
Her eyes widen. “Oh gods, I shouldn’t have called them that to you. Don’t call them that. That’s the name everyone has given them behind their backs. They wouldn’t take kindly to that.”
“Then that’s fucked up that people do that. That’s cruel.”
“You don’t know them. But you will soon. They’re your Valtrue.”
I manically try to snatch her back to me as she turns away to go to the door. She doesn’t have time to reach it before it slams open and hits the wall. As quickly as she was trying to get away from me, she makes it to my side, and we both freeze as the room fills up.
I survey the healing villa rapidly for an escape, but there’s only a singular window on the other side of the room. If I had to judge by the way the sky looks through the glass, we’re too high up for me to climb out of it.
“Move out of my way.”
I immediately recognize that bark.
My ragged breaths swiftly go silent as I straighten my shoulders and curl my fingers at my sides. I meet the High Chancellor’s scowl as he and his obedient followers stop in a straight line across the room in front of me.
Four massive bodies pile in behind them.
All the air in my body gets lodged in my throat as my chest pulls uncomfortably tight. It takes far too much strength to keep my feet planted in place rather than follow the line of that sensation.
Shit…
The gods who walk in and join the line of Chancellors are gorgeous.
There’s no other way to put it.
