Page 9 of The Gods Veiling
“Mom’s feeling optimistic this morning. She and Laney made you three an egg casserole. She said doing a selfless deed will be viewed as a favor in the eyes of the gods today.”
Right.
“Your dress is stunning, Laney. And you helped make us breakfast? You’re the sweetest thing in all the Valorian Veil, you know that?”
Her giggle eases the tension in my heart at the mention of her brother entering the Veiling. He’s the only person who hasn’t completely turned his back on me. Well, and aside from her, but she’s too young to truly know what’s going on.
“Laney, come on. I need to finish up your hair. Oh…good morning.”
I stand straight and drop my hands from Laney’s shoulders. I give her a little boop on the nose before she runs off. “Good morning, Mrs. Armend. Thank you for the casserole. It smells delicious.”
“Thayla, yes, well, the gods appreciate our good deeds to others. Come on, sweetheart.”
I drop my fake smile when she turns her back to us and takes Laney in. My eyes cut over to Lambrit’s snickering. “It’s not funny. She despises me.”
“She despises most people. You’re just at the top of the list.”
I playfully smack him on his arm before taking the pan he passes me. “So this is your year, huh?”
He blows out a harsh breath and runs his hand down the back of his neck. “I doubt it, Thay. I’m not like Mellcom and Jeremiah…you know.”
“No, you’re better. You don’t have to pound your fist into shit to be strong. You’re the smartest person in all of Oddian. If the gods don’t see that as a strength, then they’re fools.”
His face fills with panic as he looks up, down, and around. I smirk at the worry written across every feature. “Damn it, Thayla, you can’t say that today of all days.”
I can’t help my chuckle. “They aren’t listening to what little ol’ me has to say. Everything’s going to be fine. One way or another, I’ll see you after the ceremony, okay?”
Either to kidnap him or just hang out.
“Yeah, you’re right.” He sighs, and his shoulders deflate as doubt creeps across him. “I’ll see you soon.”
I smile to myself as we go our separate ways to the few feet distance between his front door and mine. This same time last year, we had a very different conversation.
He broke the news to me right after my outburst in the arena that his parents had made him enter the Veiling. I attempted to cut our friendship off. The thought of him being chosen and leaving gutted me.
He didn’t allow that, though.
He’s the one who found me where they left me unconscious in the arena the next morning. When I gained consciousness, he was hovering over me, spouting off every fact he could think of that pertained to my injuries.
I croaked at him to go away.
He glared at me and said, “You gave me no choice but to be your friend, so now you’re going to do the same, like it or not. I’ve always known you didn’t like the gods. Everyone else is just stupid or blind.”
I laughed pitifully, then groaned, “Okay.”
I swore then I’d support him no matter what just as he was doing for me. If he ever got chosen, I’d just kidnap him and run away.
That’s still the plan. He just doesn’t know it.
I kick my door the rest of the way open from where the guys left it cracked. Only a few paces in, I find the two savages already sitting at the table, waiting to be fed.
Helpless men.
“Mrs. Armend was kind enough to make us breakfast today.”
“Thank fuck. Now I don’t have to choke down whatever nonmagical slop you whipped up.”
The pan clatters on the table as I glare at Jeremiah. If it weren’t wasteful and I weren’t so hungry, I’d throw it in the trash just to piss him off. I make sure to only grab a plate and fork for Mellcom and me, then load food on my plate with a spiteful grin on my face.
