Page 70 of The Gods Veiling
“Then you go first.”
Her jaw locks in place. “Can’t do that.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Fine.”
I suck up the uncertainty and just do it.
It’s much easier than I thought and very anticlimactic. I thought maybe that same feeling of entering the carriage would wash over me, but instead, I slip right through.
My arm blocks my face from the sun, and I give myself a moment to adjust. It was bright in the healing villa but nothing like being outside. Voices pierce my ears before my sight returns and I blink rapidly to speed up the process. A dark shadow falls in front of me, aiding my eyes the rest of the way.
“The sun and seeing the illusions takes some getting used to, but your stronger sight will kick in here soon.”
The touch of my bag bumping the back of my leg lets me know Yemi’s through. I peer back at her, noticing she didn’t need any time to adjust.
“My stronger sight?”
He just gives me one of those breathtaking smiles again. “Come on, ladies, this way.”
Shit, this is really happening.
I try my hardest not to make eye contact with the many bodies moving around while simultaneously looking everywhere for Lambrit. Luckily, it’s only a few who stare. For the most part, everyone seems wrapped up in the conversation going on. There’s food, drinks, laughter.
A celebration is in full swing.
There’re so many gods. Which I guess, I and the other Chosen are now in that category as well, just beneath them in power.
Hell, I may be beneath all of them. I don’t have the first clue if Derivius released anything for me and I sure don’t feel any different.
Other than missing over half of my soul.
I’m sure as shit not as cheery and excited as everyone else around us.
When Yemi said the Assembly and even the mentions before then, I thought that meant like a large gathering room. I didn’t picture a massive courtyard in the middle of towering buildings. Only one of them I recognize and that’s simply because the back matches the front.
The Gods Sanctum is centered between two other buildings that stretch across this ginormous space. I have no clue what’s in the building we just left other than healing villas and I don’t spend any time looking back to observe it. The third building looks archaic, but that’s all I gather given how fast we’re walking.
Familiar laughter rings out from somewhere close, and my body locks up. It only takes me a second to spot Jeremiah with his head thrown back. I momentarily forgot all about him and wish it would’ve been a permanent thing.
Beside him, with his back turned to me, is Mellcom and across from them are a man and a woman I don’t recognize.
Yemi’s shoulder gently brushes mine as she steps in front of me. Her back practically touches my front, and she moves her hair to obscure her face. She doesn’t utter a word as she keeps walking, but her action catches Kyzen’s attention.
I knew she was paying close attention.
Maybe she does care.
Or maybe she’s just a girl’s girl.
I’ll take either.
“What—”
“Just keep going,” I whisper.
Thankfully, he doesn’t question me any further and soon enough, we’re breaking through the crowd. We hit a stone path that seems to be forgotten right now with the celebration, and relief whooshes out of me.
Yemi takes that as her cue to get behind me again and I don’t bother this time telling her to stand beside me. I’ve got a lot to figure out when it comes to Attendants, and it doesn’t seem like she’ll be open to that discussion at this time.
