Thayla #2
My feet pound against the ground and I sheath my swords behind me before my mind catches up to the moment.
The air thickens, like the garden itself inhales and forgets how to breathe. I call my powers up, fierce and fast. It crawls over my skin, no longer contained, no longer quiet.
It seeps out of me in vicious, curling tendrils. Both white…and black.
My hands stretch out in front of me as I meet up with Sevryn and a scream tears through my throat when I release my hold.
A barrier, bathed in white light, shoots from my palm and collides with Yemi’s, fortifying what she already has in place.
Ropes of black wrap themselves around the bodies of Dark Gods that Sevryn isn’t killing.
Coiling and coiling and coiling until I’m satisfied with my grip.
Okay, Obliteration…obliterate.
A grunt rips from my mouth as I snatch my power back to me.
The gardens, for a fleeting second, fall silent as ash blows in the wind.
I watch the particles float freely for only a moment.
Don’t…don’t overthink it.
So what, you just turned like fifteen Dark Gods into ash.
Completely normal.
My chest heaves as I stomp toward Yemi and pull my barrier back to me. Her wide eyes don’t know whether to look at Sevryn or me.
I stab my finger at her.
“I will be giving you more power as soon as we get fucking home. I’m not going to hear shit about it this time.”
Her lips part as she nods. “I think I’m okay with that now.”
I tug her into a quick hug. It’s quick because Sevryn shoves me off her a second later.
“What the actual fuck was that?”
Mara’s voice shrieks behind me as she and Gladian race over to us. He doesn’t say anything as he bounces on his toes, waiting for the next wave of Dark Gods charging this way to reach us. He’s paying attention, though.
“My power. No time to explain. We need to get into the house,” I say.
“Go. Mara and I can hold it down out here for now. Don’t take fucking forever,” Gladian grunts.
“Don’t fucking talk to her like that. Did you not just see what I saw? Ash. Obliteration. She just fucking…oh my gods. You pitted me against her, and she could’ve literally annihilated me. You big ass, egotistical…”
My eyes widen as Mara snaps, punching Gladian in his arm repeatedly. He’s so shocked, he doesn’t know what to do but take the hits.
“Mara! Mara!” I holler and her wild gaze jerks to mine. “I seriously don’t have time for you to crack right now. Get your shit together. Can you handle this while we get inside?”
A disbelieving laugh falls from her mouth.
Great. I broke her.
“Yeah,” she says, tilting her head back. “I’m fine. Everything’s fine.”
“Good.” I nod, unsheathing my swords. With a deep, unsure breath, I pass one to her. She stares at it like it’s going to strike her dead. “Just don’t cut yourself or Gladian and you’ll be fine. One hit and they fall. I expect it back in the exact condition I’m leaving it in.”
“Right, right, or you’ll just turn me to ash.” She chuckles.
I give her a deadpan stare.
Slowly, but surely, with a trembling hand, she takes the sword.
“I…” I trail off, straightening my shoulders. “I am not him. I’ll never be him.”
She and Gladian focus on me. Her shoulders drop a fraction.
“I know. It just took me by surprise.”
Yeah, same, my first time.
At least she didn’t get any in her damn mouth.
“We’ll be back,” I say, nodding for Sevryn, Yemi, Doren, and Iric to follow me.
I have no doubt the two of them will be able to handle any of the Dark Gods left. Regardless, we can’t leave them out here long, and I need to find my men.
The double doors fly open as I bash my foot right in the middle where they connect.
Our footsteps echo around the otherwise silent house, and I run toward the hall we took on our little tour.
All of us slam to a stop as we round the corner and three Attendants shriek in fear.
“Whoa, hey, hey. We aren’t going to hurt you,” I say, lowering my sword and holding my other palm out.
“Sterling,” Iric calls, pushing his way forward. He too holds his palms out. One of the females jerks her attention to him.
“I-Iric. What are you doing here?”
“It’s a long story, but we’re here to free the sons.”
Her face pales and all three of them clam up.
“Where are the rest of the Attendants? And are there any Dark Gods in the house?” I ask low.
“N-no guards inside. The Attendants are…in the kitchen or their chamber,” one of them stutters.
“Okay, go round them all up and get ready to leave. None of you are staying here.”
“What?” Iric asks, whipping around to me.
I don’t answer him. I focus on Nero.
“Ellian’s changed the rules that Attendants in the Godsdawn can’t and won’t be assigned to gods in Valveilious. So what exactly are the rules about Attendants already here?”
“We weren’t assigned,” another girl says, gaining all our attention. “The High Chancellor gathered the Attendants together some years ago now, and the Goddess walked around and hand-picked us. There was no formal assignment. She starshoot us from there and we…”
“Could never leave,” I whisper.
She nods.
“If that’s the case, and they have no formal assignment, they’re technically allowed to leave whenever. I suppose in this case, whenever the opportunity arises,” Nero says.
I focus back on the three of them.
“This is your opportunity then. Gather all the Attendants who want to leave and get them ready to go. We don’t have much time. Yemi, you and your Valtrue go with them. If one of you wouldn’t mind, will you tell me the quickest way to get to the room the guys are being held in?”
Sterling, the girl Iric recognized, steps forward. “I’ll escort you, then head back to the kitchens.”
“Thank you,” I breathe.
“Thayla, you can’t go by yourself,” Yemi argues, latching onto my elbow as I step forward.
“I’ll be fine. She said there are no guards in the house and as soon as I reach the guys, I’ll have them. You all need to starshoot out of here as soon as all the Attendants are together. I’ll ask V to take you all back.”
“We’re not fucking leaving you,” Sevryn growls.
I want to scream.
“Yemi, you’re the only one who can manage and organize this. You need to get back to the Godsdawn with all the Attendants and tell Ellian what’s going on. I can’t come up with a plan for that right now.”
Her mouth opens and closes repeatedly.
“Thayla’s right. We got this and we’ll be okay. I know this house like the back of my hand. We can communicate through V if need be.”
I stare at Iric, a little shocked, then nod.
“V,” I say, then quickly relay what’s going on to him.
“I’ll keep you updated every step of the way.”
“Thank you,” I breathe, then focus back on Yemi. “That’s the plan. We’re good to go.”
“Fine, but I’m not too happy about it.”
Not a moment later, V appears in a flash of light and perches himself on her shoulder. She leans into his comforting purr and he nuzzles his face against her cheek.
“Be careful and I’ll see you all soon,” I call over my shoulder as I jog forward, not giving any of them another chance to try to stop me. Sterling falls in step with me immediately.
Turn after turn, hall after hall leaves me utterly lost. I definitely would’ve had to maneuver through the gardens to find my way on my own.
If we somehow get separated in this maze, I’m royally fucked.
My skin shivers as we pass through an illusion wall I didn’t even see or sense and I grit my teeth at the feeling. The discomfort instantly melts away when my eyes land on two familiar doors.
Before I can race through the one I know the guys are behind, Sterling latches onto my arms.
“You can’t just pass through or you’ll become stuck.”
“Stuck?”
She nods. “The Goddess of Creation’s permission is needed. Everyone has permission to pass in, but not out. Your powers are suppressed as soon as you go through the threshold, and are only released with her permission to leave. They…only us Attendants can move in and out.”
My soul thrashes around in my chest, still hitting that block that’s between us.
I swallow and flex my fingers at my side.
“Okay,” I huff. “You go ahead back and I’ll figure this out.”
“Are you sure?” she asks.
“Positive. Thank you for your help.”
She blinks a few times before giving me a small bow and smile, then she backpedals away.
Once I no longer hear the patter of her footsteps, I approach the door. I’m careful not to actually lay my palms against the surface in case my ass falls through. I let them hover, gaining a sense for the power blocking my way.
Okay, think, Thayla.
What do you know about how permission on doors works?
Well, the obvious. The owner has to grant their permission by weaving their essence through the door.
That’s not going to help right now.
I may have the power of Creation, but not her essence.
What else? What else?
I take a step back and place my hands on my hips as I glare at the door. The one single barrier keeping me from my men. Time is ticking down, and this shit right here will be what stands in my way.
My gaze cuts over to the second door, and I sneer.
I never should’ve walked through that threshold.
I’ve got half a mind to stomp in there and turn the whole fucking room into…
My attention jerks back to the guys’ door.
“Don’t command your power to block it. Command it to fill the space. Her power is an empty container. You’re going to fill it with your power.”
The advice Amick gave Yemi when we were infiltrating Seductions blares across my mind, and hope rises in my chest like a massive wave.
My palms tingle as my Creation gathers, warm and bright beneath my skin. I step forward, locking my focus on the door and the invisible power system woven into it. I can feel it now that I know what to focus on.
The Goddess of Creation’s permission isn’t solid like a wall of brick.
It’s hollow like a bubble or…a container.
“Okay,” I murmur under my breath. “You got this.”
My Creation stays on the surface of my skin, just enough where her power recognizes the likeness.
Obliteration was always meant to provide breathing room for Creation.