39. Thayla
Thayla
For a single breath, nothing happens.
My gaze stays fixed on the space where the God of Obliteration fell, the small puddle of black blood is the only proof he ever existed.
They did it. My men did it.
The God of Obliteration and the Goddess of Seduction are gone.
A war of corruption older than memory…has ended.
Then the silence breaks.
Not with another attack or another surge of power, but with a roar. A cheer. My head snaps around as the sound spreads across the battlefield like a rising tide. Our army, the Defenders, the Veilatara—everyone who stood with us. They lift their weapons high, voices carrying through the Abandon.
We won.
My chest tightens almost unbearably. I should be celebrating, cheering with them, running toward my family who came out whole. More complete than when they stepped into this wasteland.
Instead, I stand here.
Watching.
The remaining Oblirians are no longer charging. Some kneel. Some drop their weapons. Others clutch their bodies as the darkness that once flowed through them fades. The power their god forced into them unravels.
The Dark Gods are no different. The arrogance that carried them across the battlefield is gone. They look smaller now. Weaker. Almost like the beings they should have always been.
My eyes move beyond them to the faces I know.
My family. My friends. The ones still standing because they refused to give up. Derivius…he looks lighter than I’ve ever seen him. Yemi’s tangled in Doren’s arms, both smiling despite the blood covering them.
Some of that blood is mine…
Sevryn, Nero, and Iric surround them. Mara grips Gladian’s hand as he rests against Fausta’s side. Vullie, Barir, and Prath smile up at her like she’s the fiercest goddess they’ve ever seen.
A small smile pulls at my lips.
They did it. They all did it. And they all survived.
I should feel nothing but relief, but my heart aches.
Because I know what they don’t.
I know what has to come next.
My fingers curl at my sides as the joy around me grows louder, the cheers stronger. I feel like I’m standing at the edge of something far more terrifying than the war we just fought.
All our friends move toward us, and my men meet them halfway. I can’t get my feet to move, and tears gather as they all congratulate the guys.
“Thayla.”
My attention snaps to Yemi. Her bright smile fades.
“What’s wrong?”
Her question pulls every gaze to me.
Time to make your choice, Thayla.
Follow the Gods Binding’s guidance…
Or become like all those before you and ignore it.
Deep breath.
My Boundaries flow from my fingers, dimming the noise around us.
“I—” I clear my throat and glance down.
The tear in my armor at my stomach is the first thing I see. I know it’s healed—thanks to the Gods Binding, maybe the healers. I don’t know.
I don’t even know what my stomach looks like now.
“I had a choice to make when I was in the Stargate with the Valories.”
Questions erupt instantly. I raise my hands and they fall silent.
“I could walk through the Stargate and…die. Or I could return. It’s obvious what I chose. But that choice led to another one. One I have to make now.”
My eyes roam over them, landing on my men. My bottom lip trembles, and I dig my nails into my palms. They may get mad. They may not. I don’t know. Because I don’t know where this choice leads.
But I have to follow my heart. No matter how much it hurts.
I choose to trust the Gods Binding.
“I’ve made my choice.”
The words ripple through my soul, and not a second later, Derivius stumbles forward, clutching his chest.
“Little troublling…” His gaze waters. “Thayla, what’s—”
Four beams of light flash between us.
Calista, Rellannaver, Meridamus, and my father drop out of starshoots, unbalanced and just as lost.
“What is the meaning of this?” Calista shrieks. “What is happening?”
“You will not get away with this, Thayla Godrun,” Rella bellows, stomping toward me. She doesn’t make it a step as my father grabs her. “You do not get to kill a Beginning God and continue to live among us!”
He shoves her behind him, and she crashes into Calista. They both hit their knees. I don’t spare the two of them any more attention.
The first tear slides down my cheek as Derivius’s legs give out, followed by Meridamus, then my father.
“Thayla…what’s going on?” Riven asks, barely audible.
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper, holding the gazes of the only three Beginning Gods I love.
I can’t look at my men.
“Dad…”
“It’s okay, my girl,” he says, smiling. “Right the wrongs.”
A sob tears out of me. I let it. Just for a moment.
Then I choke it down and call my power forward.
“I, Thayla Godrun, God of Order, strip you—Calista, Goddess of Creation; Rellannaver, Goddess of Accord; Sumadirem, God of Consequence; Derivius, God of Chaos; and Valthaneus, God of Boundaries—of your Valories-blessed title of Beginning Gods. May the Gods Binding measure your worth.”
The final word leaves my lips.
The realm answers instantly.
Every breath around me catches as brilliant white light erupts around the five remaining Beginning Gods.
“No,” Calista breathes.
Her whisper becomes a scream as their wings burst from their backs all at once. Five magnificent sets—gold, burgundy, bronze, blue, and white—stretch toward the sky.
Then…the feathers begin to crumble. Flecks drift into the air. More follow. Then more. Until entire feathers disintegrate before our eyes.
“My power!” Calista shrieks, clawing at her chest. “No! No!”
Rellannaver’s horrified cry joins hers as the glow around her fades.
“My Accord…” she whispers, staring at her trembling hands. “It can’t be…”
Meridamus doubles over again, but this time the pain eases almost as quickly as it comes. His breathing steadies. The overwhelming pressure that always surrounds him fades into something normal. There’s still an amber glow in his eyes, and a shudder escapes me.
Derivius slowly straightens, patting himself down. A slow smirk dances across his lips as his blue eye swirls, and a rush of air leaves my lungs.
My father reaches behind his back. His fingertips brush empty air where his wings had been moments ago.
He smiles, small and proud.
“It seems—” He cuts his eyes toward Rella’s and Calista’s weeping and waves his hand. Relief pours through me when the sound disappears. “Our reign has come to an end.”
The last fragments of their wings dissolve into the wind, and utter silence follows.
Everyone…stares. Waits.
My vision blurs beneath fresh tears as Meridamus, Derivius, and my dad rise to their feet. A choked sob mixed with a laugh escapes me.
“You still have your powers.”
My dad takes a few unsteady steps, rolling his shoulders as he opens his arms.
“They aren’t what they were, but they’re more than enough.”
I crash into his chest, and my tears come harder when Derivius and Meridamus join him. Four throats clear close to us, and a snort escapes me when I catch the glares on my men’s faces.
“If you all wouldn’t mind, we’d like to check on our wife,” Riven says, sneering.
My father grumbles but steps aside. They immediately surround me.
“What was that?” Amick asks, tilting my face up.
“I have so much to explain, but that—”
“Come to me, God of Order. Bring your Starwoven.”
I stagger into Amick’s chest.
My breaths fall heavy and uneven as my eyes scan how my men have gone still.
“Did…you hear that?” I ask.
“Hear, no,” Kyzen says, paling. “Felt, yes.”
“We have to get to the Gods Binding.”
“Thayla, what—”
I hold my hand up to my dad.
“We have to go. We’ll be back. Hopefully. Please watch everything here,” I say, poking my head through my men. “We’ll be back.”
The confused, dumbfounded looks on everyone’s faces would be hilarious if nerves weren’t tearing my stomach up. I feel seconds away from being sick.
Regardless, with nothing more than a nod to my men, our powers surround us and we starshoot to the locked hallway. My palm lands against the last door, and it offers no resistance.
We sprint through the white room, then slam to a stop in the next. My father either didn’t leave a barrier up, or the Gods Binding took it down. Either way, it’s on full display.
My legs wobble as we reach the bronze steps. The power humming around us is…more than it was this morning. The white essence churns faster.
“What are we supposed to do?” Kyzen asks low.
“I don’t—”
A gasp rips free as I raise my hand to the essence and it wraps around my wrist. Not forceful. Not painful.
Comforting. Warm. Inviting.
“Thayla.”
My men call my name as I take another step forward, and I glance over my shoulder.
“Come on.”
They race to my sides, and the sphere of brilliant white essence unfurls around us, swallowing us whole. Warmth envelopes every inch of my body, sinking beneath my skin and wrapping around my soul.
A flash of light steals my sight.
When I can see again, I forget how to breathe. There is no ceiling. No walls. No sense of where the heart of the Gods Binding begins or ends.
We stand within an endless white space. It isn’t empty or polished like the Stargate.
Streams of light drift through the air like rivers suspended in the sky, weaving around one another in perfect harmony.
Some glow brighter, carrying colors I recognize and others I don’t.
They twist and flow past us, never touching, never colliding.
The essence of every power in the realm feels present here.
Creation. Chaos. Boundaries. Accord. Consequence. Obliteration. Seduction. So many more. They aren’t separate or fighting. They flow together.
Beneath our feet, the dais is gone, replaced by something that feels like glass and water at once. Ripples spread beneath each step but never break the surface.
The farther we walk, the more the space changes. The air feels heavier, older, like we aren’t walking into a place…
We’re walking into the memory of the realm itself.
The Gods Binding draws us forward, and my men move with me until we stand within the center of the power.
It’s…I don’t have a word for it. Beautiful. Stunning. Amazing.
All too mediocre.
“Holy shit. We’re inside the Gods Binding. My tummy is tingling.”