19. Thayla
Thayla
Yesterday’s training started a little on the…unbalanced side.
I’ll admit to myself that Val announcing the night before that he was going to make his return known to the other Beginning Gods didn’t settle with me very well.
Even though I didn’t say it out loud, I made my feelings about it pretty obvious. It was hard to look him in the eye for almost an hour yesterday morning, then when I spoke to him, I was short, sharp, and had more attitude than I should’ve.
Once I started fucking up the instructions he was giving me, I had a nasty little pep talk with myself.
Unfortunately, I had to accept that he was right.
He told us the first night we met with him and Meridamus that him making his return to the realm known wouldn’t be impulsive or on a whim but when the time was right. Him adding the comment about wanting it to be his choice when Kira found out about him really hit the nail a little deeper.
It is his choice and this wasn’t an impulsive decision. It was one he weighed the pros and cons for, then decided helping us achieve this was the perfect reason and timing.
After I gave myself no other option but to accept that he knows what he’s doing, training went differently.
For hours upon hours, Yemi and I practiced everything we’ve learned. Not on ourselves like we’d been doing up to that point. We practiced on each other.
She’d separate the sight, sound, and perception of power so no one could sense me, then I’d turn around and do the same for her.
It sounded simple enough when he first said to try it, and I went into it cockier than I should’ve since I got my power of Accord under control.
That wasn’t the case at all on our first few tries.
Val refused to let either of us settle into predictable routines. The moment Yemi successfully separated the connections around me, he’d order us to move apart from one another.
She had to keep her focus on me while I wandered farther from her.
The distance stretched our connection until one of us inevitably slipped.
My power would flare for half a heartbeat, or she’d accidentally let the sound of my footsteps bleed through.
Every mistake sent us right back to the beginning.
When we finally managed that consistently, he made us talk. Not about training. About anything.
Plans for the mission. The weather. Our men. It didn’t matter. His goal wasn’t conversation. It was distraction. The more our attention wandered, the harder it became to maintain the Boundaries we created around one another.
Just when we thought we had figured that out, Meridamus joined in.
He’d purposely interrupt us with questions. Crack jokes at the worst possible moments. Once, he actually walked between us while dramatically declaring that he was testing the strength of our concentration.
I still don’t know whether I wanted to strangle him or thank him.
Probably both.
By the end of the day, though, Yemi and I no longer had to stop and think through every step.
Separating sight. Separating sound.
Separating the perception of power.
The process finally flowed together instead of feeling like three completely different exercises stitched into one.
Val called that progress. I called it exhausting.
Apparently, neither of us was wrong.
Today’s training is going to be even more difficult.
Kyzen and Mara continued with their rotation in the Court this morning while Yemi and I ran through the same exercises as yesterday. Val wanted to make sure we had it down before moving to this phase.
Extending what we’ve learned to our entire group.
Gladian canceled all training in the Court for the rest of the day today and tomorrow so we could have the space to ourselves.
That’s all the time we have left. Today and tomorrow…then we leave.
“I think the best course of action is for you all to split up,” Val says, eyeing all fifteen of us, who are standing in a straight line in front of him, Meridamus, Lambrit, Rose, and Havar.
“No,” I argue. “We’re not splitting up once we get to the Abandon.”
“I don’t mean actually split up like go separate ways. I think you and Yemi should divide who you’re responsible for. She takes half and you the other. That way you both aren’t stretching yourselves thin trying to concentrate on sixteen beings the entire time.”
Huh.
“But how will they still see, hear, and sense our power?” I ask. “They need to be able to know what’s going on with us the entire time and vice versa.”
“Yes, they do. That’s why when you cast your power out, you concentrate only on those you want to break the connections with. You don’t want to separate the connection with Yemi and her group, so you don’t.”
Yemi and I glance at one another.
So basically, if we split up who we’re responsible for, I don’t bother with her group at all. I won’t worry about separating or not separating anything around them. I just leave them be.
I can do that.
My eyes scan over our entire group.
“There are only fifteen of us going,” I say.
My neck snaps to Val’s shoulder and my eyes narrow on V’s small hoot.
“You’re not going.”
“I am. We discussed this last night. Everyone starshooting separately poses far too much of a risk. You or Yemi could lose the connection or any one of you who’ve never been to Kira’s house could starshoot too far away from everyone else. It’s been decided, Thayla.”
I grit my teeth and ball my fists at my sides.
“It has not been decided entirely. You will starshoot us there safely, then leave. I will call for you if there’s any issue or if, for some reason, we need you to come get us. That’s my compromise.”
He ruffles his feathers out and situates his feet as he stares at me. I don’t allow those beautiful bright teal eyes to change my mind.
“Fine.”
He soars over to my shoulder and nuzzles into my cheek as if that shit will make this easier for me to accept.
It doesn’t. It pisses me off. I don’t want him to go at all.
We could figure out the starshooting to the same place safely on our own.
“Obviously, we’ll be responsible for our own Valtrues, and V will be with me the very short amount of time he’s with us, but that leaves us splitting Mara’s. So who’s with who?” I ask.
“You take Mara and Gladian. I’ll take Vullie, Barir, and Prath,” Yemi says.
“You better take care of my bestie, bestie,” Riven says, giving her a teasing—I think it’s teasing—frown.
“Don’t worry about your friend. I’ve got him.”
“Please do,” Vullie mumbles nervously, and a couple of us chuckle at that.
Poor thing.
“Good. Now that that’s decided, let’s begin,” Val says, lacing his fingers behind his back.
“You’ve all been filled in on what Thayla and Yemi are doing, but you each have to keep in mind, the sixteen of you will basically be in your own little bubble.
You’ll have no clue whether the realm senses you or not because nothing will feel different for you.
Don’t separate the connections from Meridamus and me.
These three will be the ones to tell us if it’s working for sure. ”
He gestures behind him to Lambrit, Rose, and Havar.
“You three, if you will, pay attention to the sounds they’re making,” he adds.
“They aren’t making any sounds,” Lambrit says, tilting his head, and I chuckle.
“I’ve got you, Lam-the-man,” Riven says, then proceeds to start humming. Loudly.
“That’ll work. Someone on this side, join him, please,” Val says, waving his hand over to the others. Doren volunteers himself. “Good. Now, Thayla, Yemi, concentrate on those you’re responsible for and start with separating sound.”
The two of us nod at one another, then our eyes drift shut.
My mind focuses on my men, Mara, and Gladian. I attempt not to think about their powers or anything like that, but it’s pretty much impossible. I don’t allow it to be the center of my focus, though.
I also don’t solely focus on Riven’s humming, but I imagine what it would sound like if everyone, including myself, were humming. How would that sound to Lambrit, Rose, and Havar? Could they pick out which voice belonged to who?
That’s the connection.
My power of Boundaries answers my call, and not a millisecond later, Yemi’s skirts across my senses as well.
We release it at the same time.
I know just by the way Lambrit’s eyebrows jump up that we’ve accomplished what we were supposed to do.
“Who did you forget, Thayla?” Val asks and my power crashes down as I whip my attention to him.
“No one,” I say, then sigh as V smacks me in the face with his feathers.
“Fuck, my bad. I did forget V.”
“Rude.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Again,” Val commands.
This time I one hundred percent don’t forget V.
Over and over, we repeat this exercise as Val commands different people to make different noises. For a fleeting moment, I get nervous because I can easily see how a distraction could cause me to lose the concentration I have spread across everyone.
One obscene comment from Riven is going to have me losing myself.
“Perfect, girls,” Val says. “Now sight. If you three wouldn’t mind, please turn around.”
Lambrit, Rose, and Havar do as he said while Yemi and I prepare ourselves. I make sure I don’t forget anyone and I repeat the same process that I use to separate sound, to separate their sight of us.
“Turn around, please,” Val instructs.
My lips twitch as the three of them startle. Havar snorts a laugh as Yemi and I withdraw our power, revealing all of us still standing in the exact spots we were in.
“Let’s make it a little more difficult,” Val continues and I bite back my groan. “Thayla and Yemi, stay facing me. The rest of you, move behind them and scatter yourselves out around the Court.”
Yemi and I peer at each other. He sort of made us do this yesterday when we had to walk away from one another, but we could always see each other.
V flies from my shoulder, and I have no idea who, if anyone, he goes to. I attempt to cheat and listen for my men’s footsteps, but that doesn’t work when the sounds of dirt crunching beneath boots mingle together. Everyone eventually finds their spots and the Court falls silent.