6. Riven
Riven
Today has been gloriously chaotic.
To think I planned to check on that locked hallway, then sneak home and sleep the day away. My, what I would’ve missed.
That hallway is back to being locked, by the way. Well, locked to everyone but maybe us. I saw and slipped through the barrier dear ol’ daddy-in-law put in place. There are doors on the walls, but they’re fake. My hand flowed right over them.
I’m not sure if he’s purposely giving us access or if my powers are strong enough now that he couldn’t keep me out.
I’m going to go with him not being able to keep me out.
“I’m over sitting around. Can we go?” I ask.
“It’s going to take two seconds to get there. We don’t need to leave yet,” Amick says, not bothering to look at me from his books.
“Yeah, if we starshoot. I’d rather walk, get some of this energy out. I’m never going to be able to sleep tonight.”
“I got something that’ll fix that,” Creed says with a small smirk, and I scowl at him.
“You’re not drugging me, asshole.”
He shrugs like that’s still a plan he’s considering.
Not happening. Drugging people is my thing.
“I don’t know how I feel about that, Riven,” Thayla says. “I don’t want any of us to have to hurt those creatures. We can completely avoid that possibility by just starshooting straight to the temple.”
“We aren’t going to have to hurt them. They already keep their distance from Creed. Hell, Kyzen can stop time in the whole forest by now, and I can create any distraction we need. It’ll be fine.”
She stares at me, biting her succulent bottom lip between her teeth. I should go over there and free it with my tongue.
“Fine. If it’ll help you get some of this energy out.”
“He wouldn’t be full of Chaos if he had listened to me in the first place,” Amick says, shutting his book and standing with a sigh.
Thayla takes his outstretched hand with a smile on her face.
“Are you still upset with him about going and spying on Mara and Gladian?” she asks.
“I’m upset I bothered wasting my breath telling him not to do it when I knew he wouldn’t listen.”
“I did it for you,” I say, fluttering my lashes at him.
“For me? How would sneaking into the room the Volreen is in and watching them offer their blood benefit me in the slightest?”
“Because now you know you were right. Mara has some weird-ass Elevation power—whatever the hell that means. And the poor thing is an Attendant. The rest of their Valtrue is wandering around in Godsden, probably confused out of their minds. Have you figured out why her Deliverance said Complete Valtrue, rather than listing their names yet?”
He scowls at me. He hasn’t figured that out.
I smirk.
“Elevation isn’t some weird power. I’ll have you know,” he says, making sure I know he isn’t suddenly clueless.
“Pray tell then. What is it, ol’ smart one?” I ask.
“It’s exactly as it’s called. She can Elevate power, essence, abilities, and many other things. Hence why it’s been so easy to believe she was under the Domain of Strength. She’s been elevating her own strength. Subconsciously, obviously.”
Damn…that is kind of cool.
“Still, the poor vicious thing is an Attendant and has to learn a whole new power.”
“Don’t say poor thing like that,” Thayla scoffs. “There’s nothing wrong with being an Attendant.”
“I’m not saying there is anything wrong with it,” I say, crossing my arms and tsking at her.
“I said it that way because that girl’s whole realm just got flipped upside down.
She’s spent, what, over half her life since her Coming-of-Age Day believing she was a Defender, and now she’s actually in a Designation she’s treated like shit longer than she’s treated them with respect.
Reality smacked her in the mouth today harder than you did, angel. ”
She sighs, shaking her hand at me like I said something untrue.
“Yeah, and that sucks for her. I swear to the Valories I’ll fuck Gladian up if he’s a dick to her about this.”
“Ah, let me do it, please,” I beg, dropping to my knees and everything.
The tempting thing strolls toward me and runs her hands through my chaotic curls. Her fingers tangle through my strands as she tilts my head back.
“I do love when you get on your knees for me.”
My eyes narrow.
“Don’t tease me right now. I’ll have you strung up screaming my name before you can blink.” Her gaze widens and a victorious smile splits across my lips. “That’s what I thought.”
“Later,” she breathes, all husky, and my dick twitches.
Fuck. She’s mouthwatering.
My brothers all shift, probably considering staying behind a few minutes longer. Unfortunately, Thayla releases my hair and takes a step back.
“Ready?” she asks us.
I growl my displeasure and stand. There’s possibly a pout on my lip, but I won’t confirm or deny.
“You’ve never been to the division in the forest, little goddess. Do you want to starshoot to our father’s temple, then walk the rest of the way or have V take us?” Kyzen asks.
She scrunches her nose.
“I’ll ask V.”
Not a moment later, he appears on her shoulder, hooting and ruffling out his wings.
“Taking a night stroll, are we?” he asks.
“All Riven’s idea,” Thayla says, shooting me a wink.
“Not surprising. Are we ready?”
I scoff at the two of them and nod my agreement with my brothers.
V’s power, and all its glory, wraps around us and whisks us away faster than another thought can cross my mind. It unravels from around us and he disappears once again, stating he’ll leave us to this conversation. Thayla’s gasp is the next thing I hear and I hum.
“This is crazy,” she says as she peers over her shoulder. “It really is a division. Flourishing green to…this.”
“Yep,” I say. “One second you’re in a beautiful, lively woodland, then this. Come on. No point dilly-dallying.”
My footsteps crunch across the dead vegetation, and immediately growls and snarls float through the air.
“Shit,” Thayla mumbles.
The first dead creature emerges from the darkness with saliva dripping down its chin and what little fur it has left standing on end.
Before Creed can march ahead of me, I call forth my Chaos.
My little burden probably won’t like seeing one of her men get chased by those little beasties.
A giggle spills from my throat as three Golden bitches come to life before us, squealing like swine and running around with their hands flailing like a baby bird.
“Oh my gods, Riven.” She chuckles, then covers her mouth to hide the sound. It doesn’t catch the attention of the horde of animals now chasing fake Mellcom. “That’s both horrifying and amazing. Too bad they can’t actually catch him.”
“Ugh, I know. I can, though.”
I wave my hand in the air, and another Melvin pops up a few feet in front of me. My foot collides with his chest, and he goes soaring through the air, screaming and begging me for mercy. I toss my head back, laughing.
“Wait…I thought you couldn’t hold their forms?” Thayla asks.
“I can’t for other people, but this is my power. I can do to it as I please.”
She grunts a huh.
“What’s that sound for?” I ask.
“I don’t know exactly,” she says, squinting like she’s trying really hard to figure something out.
“You made the Binding take the form of the lamp and vice versa, and it held. We could touch it. Other people could touch it. I don’t understand why you can’t do that now with the fake people you formed. ”
I shrug and sigh. It is baffling.
“Not sure, truthfully, angel. Same power. Same process. Different result.”
“Perhaps not.”
I glance over to find Amick watching the fake Mellcom flee from a herd of furious undead creatures.
“What do you mean, perhaps not?” I ask.
He hums. “You assume you’re doing the same thing.”
“I am doing the same thing.”
“Are you?”
I groan. “I hate when you answer a question with a question.”
“I’m aware.”
Thayla, Kyzen, and Creed snort. I sneer.
Amick folds his hands behind his back as we continue our stroll.
“A lamp is simple. A sword is simple. Most objects are. They have a shape, a purpose, and little else. Convincing reality they exist is likely far easier than convincing it a person exists. A person isn’t merely a shape.”
“That sounded profound in your head, didn’t it?” I ask.
“It did.”
“Unfortunately, it sounds stupid out loud.”
He ignores me.
“A lamp is a lamp. It doesn’t think, choose, or change.
A person is far more complicated. Memories, instincts, fears, desires, habits, preferences.
Thousands of details layered atop one another.
You warp reality and form the outline of a person.
It’s convincing to look at, but perhaps your Chaos cannot sustain everything required to make the form complete. ”
“Perhaps?” I ask.
“Yes, perhaps. This is just speculation. My theory is that your Chaos can imitate the shape of a person, but not the complexity that makes them whole.”
I make a face at him. My sweet, precious Chaos shouldn’t have such limitations.
“Regardless, this is impressive and quite a distraction,” Thayla says with a smile as she bumps me with her hip.
I preen. I am impressive. Always have been.
“Thank you for the compliment, my sweet angel. My ego appreciates it.”
“I bet it does,” she snorts, then frowns. “I can’t believe Otiero and Evani created this place, though.”
Kyzen, Creed, and I grunt.
“What choice did they truly have?” Amick asks. “It’s not like now, when they have hope of change. Back then, they would’ve been killed for disobeying the Beginning Gods.”
She hums as she runs her hand over a tree.
“Yeah, I suppose so. It’s still unsettling that Otiero brought creatures back from the dead, though. I don’t even know how that’s possible, but it obviously doesn’t work right.”
“And it never will,” Creed says. “His power has always been about commanding, calming, and connecting to creatures. He calls to these dead ones the same way he would with a living one, but a living creature has a mind, instinct, and a soul. A dead creature can only answer with instinct and leftover power embedded in the body.”
“So essentially he’s just forcing the body to respond to him even after death?” she asks.
“Yep.”