Chapter 23 Thayla #3
I control the panic rushing through my blood as I gulp. My gaze wanders to Gladian.
He delivered my last punishment.
I’ll be damned before I allow that to happen again.
“She didn’t—”
“I will not hear any excuses. None of you will take the blame for her. It was found in her room, in her possession, therefore she will face the consequences. It has been recorded. Gladian.”
Before the God of Strength can even respond, my Valtrue calls their power up fierce and ready. Time slows to almost nothing.
“Thayla,” Kyzen shouts.
He shoves through whatever Derivius is doing to hold them back and takes a single step toward me.
Then…time catches up to us, and they’re slung to the opposite side of the dining room.
“I’m so, so sorry. Please don’t do anything rash right now.”
Derivius spreads his arms out at his sides and his power intensifies. All five of us glance at him in disbelief. The apology in his eye doesn’t mean shit to me right now without an explanation of why the fuck he’s doing whatever he’s doing.
The God of Strength steps forward, tilting his head to Harriseen as though not even a millisecond passed.
“Sir?”
“Take Thayla to the healing villas.”
The wrinkles in Gladian’s forehead smooth out.
What the fuck is that look? Relief?
“Yes, sir.”
My men attempt once again to charge forward, but the wash of power slicing between us keeps them from moving more than a step. They bang and bellow at whatever invisible block is keeping them from me.
“Guys,” I breathe, casting a pleading glance from them to Gladian’s hand that replaces the Dark Gods, to Derivius, back to them.
“We’ll figure this out,” Kyzen roars.
I hate the tremble in his voice.
He needs to lace his fingers through mine before he shoves them in his pockets.
Red has crawled past Amick’s neck. His ears are even crimson. I wish more than anything I could walk over there and rub his earlobe like he does me.
I’m surprised Creed can see with how bright his eyes are shining white. The way his soul strokes mine is vastly different than the rage on his face.
Riven…the guilt reflected at me tears my chest apart.
“Best gift ever,” I mouth and his face crumbles.
“Thayla!”
His shrill of my name has a harsh breath escaping me as I’m marched out of their line of sight. The sorrow in Derivius’s gaze has both rage and pure fucking dread thundering through me.
“Thayla—”
“Don’t. I’m trying really hard not to blame you right now.
You said it always seems like shit’s your fault because you’re the one who shows up.
You didn’t just show up tonight, though.
You allowed this to happen, with no warning to us.
You’re allowing this to happen to me, right now.
We’ve been trying to talk to you. We’ve needed you.
So don’t fucking say my name like that unless you’re about to give me an explanation about what’s going on. ”
He bows to me, and multiple gasps sound around me. I choke down the lump in my throat. The silence that spears me in the chest as my front door shuts behind us makes my heart thunder.
“V, do me a favor, please, and make sure the guys don’t do anything dumb. Whatever Derivius has going on, he hasn’t explained, but until he does, make sure the guys don’t lose their shit.”
“What is happening?”
I quickly explain what’s going on, while simultaneously trying to listen to the instructions the High Chancellor is giving the Dark Gods.
V’s hoot is loud, nearly blocking out the conversation.
I pick up enough of it, though, to understand he said that the relic wasn’t found and that it isn’t in the Godsdawn.
Fuck, I hope that works for now.
“I’ll keep an eye on them. Until the God of Chaos leaves, Verlet and Seismet are protecting what needs to be protected. I’ve also informed Yemi, Lambrit, and Havar of what’s happening and to stay in their homes.”
“Thank you, V.”
“Everything will be okay.”
“I hope so. It’s just the healing villas. It’s not like I’m being whipped again.”
“Thayla…”
“Gods. Don’t say my name like that right now.”
He goes silent and my breathing picks up. The path stretching ahead of me seems endless thanks to the darkness. They, of course, had to do this shit after dinnertime.
I’m almost to the point of panting when a body crowds in too close to me.
“Oh, sweet T. I swear you seek trouble.”
“Back off her, Jeremiah. Now,” Gladian barks before I get a word out. “You, Chasin, and Mellcom head back to the house.”
I refuse to be grateful for this fucker, but that’s the first order he’s ever given that I agree with.
“They shall stay.”
My leg twitches with the desire to kick Harriseen’s feet from under him. I slowly release my breath as Mara takes a spot on my other side.
“You all may go ahead. Give my regards and apologies to the God of Obliteration.”
Piece of shit.
The Dark Gods do as the High Chancellor said and sprint ahead of us. I’m perfectly fine keeping up this leisurely pace we have going even, though the gravel is killing my bare feet.
“V. What’s going on?”
“Give me a moment.”
“A moment for what?”
“I’m attempting to get your Valtrue under control before they kill the God of Chaos.”
For the love of—hate currently—the Valories.
A shiver races through me, and my muscles twitch as dread seeps into my bones.
“Don’t call it forward.” Gladian’s low whisper has me jolting in his grasp, and my feet halt. “If you react right now, he’ll know and make it worse.”
“Don’t know how that’s possible,” I grit as he tugs me along.
“It is. He could send you somewhere much worse.”
“You mean like Hell?”
“So Creed’s told you about his hom—”
“Say something stupid and I will fuck you up. Consequences be damned.”
He cuts his eyes at me but doesn’t tighten his grip or snarl.
“Yeah, he could send you to Hell. Which is worse than this, in my opinion.”
“Well, he’s already done that once, so, in my opinion, I’d rather face an evil I already know again.”
This time, the beads in his beard jingle with how fast he whips his narrowed gaze down at me.
“Aww, what’s wrong, big guy? Your precious dictator didn’t tell you about that? Looks like you’re not his favorite when he’s doing shady shit.”
“Impossible.”
“Are you trying to tell me what I did and didn’t experience? You want to test your luck with asking Creed for the truth?”
“What are you whispering to her about?”
Mellcom’s deep voice sends a chill down my spine. I swear Mara and I must have been thinking the same thing because we peer at each other.
“Explaining the severity of her punishment.” Gladian grunts.
“I think she should face the post again. She got off lucky.”
Jeremiah’s comment lands with the same careless cruelty he’s wielded over the past year. The sting is duller now, but the strike hits. I blink slowly, only long enough to slip behind the numbness waiting for me.
“Pray tell, Jeremiah, which time did I get off lucky?”
I’d like to believe it’s my icy tone that sends even their breathing into silence. It’s more than likely the fact that we’re walking into the Assembly.
“We’re almost to the healing villas. What is happening, V?”
“Derivius will meet with the High Chancellor as soon as you’re in there.”
“This is taurnshit. He should’ve and could’ve stopped this before I even left the house.”
“Unfortunately, that isn’t…the case.”
His choppy words have my skin growing hot.
“Just use your damn power and calm them down!”
His tense beat of silence and the cool grass chill my blood. I’m running out of time.
“They are most unhappy with me now.”
“I literally couldn’t care less. Tell them to pull their angry little heads out of their asses and figure this out for me.”
“Derivius is going to. As I was saying, this unfortunately isn’t a case where he can demand you be let go. A rule was broken and Harriseen announced and recorded it immediately.”
“I don’t understand what that matters. It was just Derivius, our Valtrue, Gladian’s, and some piece of shit Dark Gods who heard what he said.”
“This isn’t like when Gladian punished you, Thayla. Harriseen’s ruling carries actual weight. It carries power. As the God of Records, he recorded a crime in your name and sealed it to you with a binding. An ability and right he has as the High Chancellor of the Godsdawn.”
“A binding?” My internal voice sounds more like a breath, and my feet nearly give out beneath me. “That was the heat that spread across my body.”
“Yes. The contraption around your neck is much like what’s around Seismet. It restricts your power. Until he’s satisfied with your punishment and records it as such, that binding stays with you.”
“What does that mean? What will it do to me? Why can’t you or Derivius just starshoot my ass out of here?”
“Because that binding will go with you wherever you go. He can control it from anywhere.”
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
I don’t even know what that truly means, but I don’t want that dickhead to have any sort of control over me, or have a damned binding attached to me.
“So what now? What the hell is Derivius’s plan?”
“He’s going to bribe the High Chancellor with power or a favor to write your punishment off. Let him worry about that.”
I nod, although pointless. The way his voice softened at the end has my mind silencing.
The healing villas’ door looms ahead of me, and I swear I’d prefer we pivot a couple of windows down where we’d enter the dining hall. I’d rather face a crowd and embarrassment than the unknown I’m walking into.
The High Chancellor’s shoes slap against the marble floor, creating a maddening sound as we march down a stretch of hallway that’s unfamiliar to me. The desire to run is fierce when he takes a sharp right and disappears through a wall.
“V…we’re in.”
“Listen to me, Thayla. The boys have asked me to warn you about what’s going to hap—”
His urgent voice cuts out as the power of the Goddess of Illusion washes over me. No part of passing through one of her creations feels as comforting as passing through the God of Boundaries’ barriers does.
We enter a small room with five doors spread out, and Harriseen stands at the middle one with a delighted smile across his lips.
Gladian’s fingers flex against my bicep as he walks me through that threshold wordlessly. It’s hard to see through his facial hair, but I believe he’s frowning.
The smooth all-white walls make me dizzy just from looking at them, but I stop my inspection and glare at the High Chancellor as he strolls up to me.
His hand wraps around the choker on my neck, and I clench everything within me as he frees it. He drags it away slowly, keeping his hopeful, fucking vile gaze locked on mine the entire time.
“Broken glass is all you will be once this room is through with you. I am thoroughly going to enjoy the shattered version of you that emerges, Thayla Godrun.”
I suck my teeth and match his sickly satisfied smile.
“Careful what you wish for, Harriseen. Glass is sharper after it shatters.”
His sneer is as cruel as it was the first day he laid eyes on me.
The way he spins and grips his robe is just as pretentious as well.
“V…anytime now…what were they trying to warn me?”
My gaze clashes with one that’s green as grass. Too bad his blades aren’t as soft and welcoming.
Mellcom’s nod throws my mind right into our past.
As he shuts the door, I’m plunged into darkness.