Chapter 29 Kyzen #3
“Let’s go before I change my mind,” Creed grumbles as he walks back in and heads straight for Thayla’s other door. She and I share a smirk.
It really is nothing more than a few seconds’ walk, and I approach Yemi’s door with my fingers laced with Thayla’s. Her hand hesitates for a second before she lifts it and knocks.
“You’re here,” Yemi cheers, wrapping Thayla in a hug. “I’m so glad you came.”
Her hand puts bruising pressure on my fingers before she relaxes and pats Yemi on her back.
“You’re so happy to see me, you’re about to suffocate me.”
“Oh shit, sorry.” Yemi chuckles, releasing her. “I’ve just been worried. Between your tight-lipped men and the insufferable ones who live with me, I was going a little crazy.”
“You aren’t crazy. Have they been assholes?”
I snort at the actual temper in her tone.
“Well, Sevryn’s always an asshole, but his attitude has shifted from me to our Valtrue. Doren is the complete opposite. He’s too sweet for his own good. The other two, well, you’ll see. Actually, hopefully, you don’t. I gave them both a good talking-to earlier. Come on in.”
She steps out of our way, and I cover my surprise at what she just said with a smile. Nero I can definitely see being an ass. Pretentious, like Thayla called him, but Iric didn’t give off that energy at all.
If it had been just us five joining them five, this would be so fucking awkward. Luckily, Havar, Lambrit, and Rose beat us here, and they waste no time breaking the silence.
Lambrit reaches Thayla first and she tenses even tighter than she did a second ago with Yemi when he wraps her in a hug.
“For the Valories, Thay. It feels like I haven’t seen you in forever. Are you okay?”
I rub my thumb across the back of her hands, encouraging her to answer him.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Well, what hap—”
“Lambrit,” Rose warns with a smile.
“Right, sorry. Rose told me I wasn’t allowed to ask and had to wait for you to bring it up because you might not be ready to talk about anything.”
I run my hand over my mouth, and Thayla cuts her eye over at me. Her lips twitch playfully as she glances back at Lambrit.
“Not yet, but thank you for checking. Thank you for keeping him in check, Rose.”
Lambrit huffs, drawing a laugh from all of us.
“It’s my pleasure and it’s so good to see you.”
Surprisingly, Thayla doesn’t clam up with Rose’s affection. Which isn’t that shocking given the girl’s abilities, I suppose.
“All right, everyone, come take a seat. I’ve got the table laid out serve yourself style,” Yemi calls from her dining room as she adds Creed’s pie to the array of food.
“Hell yeah. I’m about to gorge.”
“Manners, Riven,” Thayla mumbles and he gasps in mock offense.
“It’d be ruder if I didn’t eat, don’t you think?”
“Yemi, sit. I’ve got drinks. You’ve done enough. Could someone, aside from our lovely hostess, give me a hand?” Doren asks and Riven shoots his arm into the air.
“I’ve got you, dear ol’ Discovery.”
Doren, who seems to be the happiest god I’ve ever met in my life, smiles brightly at my brother like he’s doing him the realm’s largest favor.
I think Yemi may be right.
He may be too nice for his own good.
Riven’s liable to corrupt him.
Amick leads Thayla to the table with his hand against her lower back and I keep our fingers laced. With him on one side of her, me on the other, Creed grunts, obviously annoyed. He plops down in the chair beside me, and Sevryn, just as ungraceful, sits beside him.
“About fucking time you all showed up.”
“Starving for our company or food?” Creed asks.
“Both. I’m losing my mind in this house.”
Thayla leans forward, smirking at the attitude in Sevryn’s tone. Her small smile shifts up to Doren as he sets a drink in front of her.
I hold my laugh in as I watch Riven cuss and fumble the few cups in his hands.
“For fuck’s sake, I’m not waiting any longer. I don’t know why you’re all looking around, confused. Fix a plate.”
Havar sits up from his seat, completely ignoring the glare Yemi’s giving him as he grabs the biggest slice of the roast. He follows up with commands across the table to pass whatever other dish he wants.
Somehow, unintentionally or intentionally, he starts a seamless line of dishes being passed around and plated.
“I’d like to make a toast,” Nero says as he stands from his chair and holds his glass up.
How formal.
Thayla cuts her eyes at me as if she heard that and I wink at her.
“I want to thank you, Yemi and Doren, for all the work you put into making this a wonderful night among friends. Here’s to many more to come.”
“Here, here!” Riven cheers and tosses his drink back.
Everyone else, like normal people, takes a sip and sets—not slams—their cups back down. There’s a single beat of silence and first bite groans before the moment is broken.
“So—”
“Amick,” Thayla whispers and I watch her hand slide to his leg under the table.
“Yes?”
“Maybe let everyone take a couple bites first.”
“It’s quite all right, Thayla. There are some things I wanted to discuss with you all tonight. That was among one of the reasons we invited you all over,” Doren says, giving her a smile and a nod as her lips tighten.
“What are the other reasons?”
“Reason, really. Yemi simply missed you and your company.” His gaze moves over to Yemi, where she’s sitting right across from Thayla.
“Gods, don’t make me sound so desperate.”
That pulls a frown to his face and a chuckle from Thayla. “Not desperate. I’ve missed your company too.”
The two of them smirk at one another, and my hand finds its way between Thayla’s thighs when she lets my hand go to pick up her fork.
My smug ass sticks my tongue in my cheek as her leg twitches.
“Please, Doren, continue your discussion,” Amick encourages.
“Right, of course. I wanted to clear a few things up. I’ve spent this time with my Valtrue being open and honest with them about many things, and I’d like you all to know those truths as well.
I’d also like to be honest and admit to you all, I have told my Valtrue about Thayla’s tie and what that means. ”
“No one gave you permission to do that,” Creed growls, and Thayla purses her lips at him.
“It’s fine. Nero and Iric were the only two who didn’t know. The truth would’ve had to come out anyway.”
“No, it wouldn’t have.”
“In order for Doren to discuss the Binding, it would have,” Amick argues, cutting his eyes at Creed, then he focuses back on Doren. “Carry on.”
“Yes, well, for starters, if you haven’t already figured it out, which I’m sure you have, Alamar, God of the Sea, helped me fake my death.
He’s a great ally and friend of mine. He provided me food, supplies, friendship, and information during my time in the Lost Sea.
He was also the one who drew the map in my book for me.
I can see paths, but I struggle with land markers and whatnot. ”
“He was the one who took it to Oddian for Thayla to find,” Amick summarizes before Doren can utter another word.
“Yes, he was. He—”
“At the direction of the Messenger?” Thayla cuts in.
“Yes.”
“They knew that many years in advance that Thayla would read that book?”
Doren’s lips part. “Well, if not Thayla…”
His glance shifts and her entire body tenses.
“They have their fucking eyes on Lambrit?”
That cold, deadly question has the whole room falling to silence. Vibrations skirt across my fingertips. Those tremors aren’t mine, though. I flex my fingers, hoping to soothe her.
“It’s okay, Thay,” Lambrit mumbles.
“The hell it is. None of them, the Messenger, the Valories, or the fucking Beginning Gods, should be watching you.”
“They keep their eyes on all of us, Thayla. They have for a long time,” Doren says softly and she lets out a deep breath.
“So how often does the Messenger reach out to you?” she asks.
“As often as they need or want to. I’m always receptive to whatever message they wish to give me. Why?”
“I’m just trying to figure out why they’re so giving with messages to others, but me, the only fucking being alive they’re tied too, can’t get a damn warning that she’s about to get dragged through her own personal hell.”
Again, the room descends into a hush aside from Thayla’s heavy breaths. Amick’s fingers dust mine as he too slides his hands into her lap to hold her.
No one speaks as she closes her eyes and breathes.
“I’m sorry, Doren. That’s not your fault at all. Ignore my outburst.”
“That’s quite all right. I understand and completely sympathize with your frustration. May I suggest you tell them that? Explain your anger to them.”
“I can’t see a powerful creation of the Valories taking getting cussed out often very well. Not to mention, V made it clear they wouldn’t be very forthcoming with information if my intentions were basically superficial. Which they are. I couldn’t give a shit to really know them.”
“You’d be surprised. For years after I was given the Binding, I received nothing but silence.
I spent many nights lying on the sand, looking at the stars and releasing all my anger on the Messenger.
Eventually, they began responding more. It was almost as if the moment I trusted my true feelings to stay with them, they became willing to respond. ”
Her eyebrows draw down and she stops pushing her food around her plate.
“So when the Binding washed up at your feet and they gave you that first message, you just listened to them blindly? You didn’t really trust them?”
“Goodness, no. I didn’t trust any higher power at that point. My submission and willingness to do as I was instructed was purely from a place of fear. I figured, if the Domain Gods were as bad as they are, what could this being do?”
“They are a bunch of assholes, aren’t they?” Riven asks with a chuckle.
“The vast majority, yes,” Nero answers and we all snap our attention to him as he takes a sip of his drink.
It takes him a moment to realize he said that shit out loud.
Looks like the Valveilious ass doesn’t care for the beings he works for.