Chapter 4 Amick
Amick
I lace my fingers behind my back and allow them to continue spouting questions at me.
Everything they’re asking, I would’ve answered in a moment had they not started talking all at once.
I don’t have the patience for all the noise. The shouting and yelling over one another, the arguing rather than listening. Nothing makes me want to go to my room and find peace and quiet more than that.
My skin grows hot, and my chest pulls tight the louder they get. The answers to the things they’re voicing continue to pile up in my mind. I can’t answer them, though.
My voice refuses to rise above theirs to get their attention.
“Everyone, stop,” Thayla demands, holding her hands up toward the others. All our attention falls to her, but she focuses solely on me. “Are you okay?”
Her delicate question that has nothing to do with what’s going on surprises me. “Why do you ask?”
She observes me carefully and I fight my body’s desire to shift. I’m used to being scrutinized and examined to great extents. I’ve trained my mind and body not to react to it.
It’s growing increasingly difficult to enact my own training in that department when it comes to her. Even more so now that I know her soul is merging with my own and her pupils dilated in her bedroom when Kyzen and I told her we wanted a relationship with her.
That reaction was arousal. Not anger.
That realization has taken up far more space in my mind than I should allow it to.
“Would you like the truth, or would you like to explain what you know while we listen quietly?”
“You say or as though I must pick. I expect both.”
Her mouth opens and closes repeatedly like she’s lost for words. I can’t fathom why she even considered I’d choose one or the other of the options she presented me.
“Okay then, starting with the truth. You just pulled on my soul. Or at least that’s what it resembled.”
My mind silences. “Did I hurt you?”
“No. It was like I became aware of you. I’m not really sure how to explain it, but I suddenly felt very anxious, and I could feel it pulling me toward you.” She turns to Creed with her brows raised.
He blows out a harsh breath as he runs his hand down his face, then peers between us.
“Like I said, the two of your souls are the most interwoven and our souls are the foundation of who we are, what we feel…everything. It’d seem what he’s experiencing is starting to vibrate down the tethers of yours.
I didn’t think or even consider it’d get to the point you could tell who the sensation was coming from. ”
She tilts her head to the side. “I’ve felt flutters before, but I don’t purposely try to notice who they’re coming from. Just now, what I felt was strong and drew my attention to Amick.”
“We’ve all felt sensations here lately. We just didn’t know why that was. Any one of us could’ve accidentally done it back while we were trying to soothe the weird feeling. Yesterday was the strongest it’s ever been and I tried to internally relieve it.”
What Kyzen says is true. I’ve caught myself numerous times rubbing my chest, trying to ease the ache the jerking sometimes brings. Thayla hums and nods, but she doesn’t take her eyes off Creed.
He shrugs. “It could’ve been any of them.”
Lie.
His left cheek twitched.
Interesting.
“This is a new development we need to keep in mind. You felt my discomfort, although I didn’t mean for that to happen. I’m pleased it didn’t hurt you, but we all need to be mindful when we’re experiencing stronger emotions.”
“That shouldn’t be much of a problem for you,” Riven snorts and I ignore him. Thayla does not.
“Don’t you dare mock him, Riven.”
“No one’s mocking him. It’s a fact he’s emotionless.”
She pivots her whole body toward him as her eyes narrow. “It’s the furthest thing from a fact.”
“Listen, it’s adorable that you’re defending him right now. It really turns me on when you get so protective over us, but I’ve known the god my entire life compared to your hiccup in time. You should accept that I know him best and what I’m telling you is a fact.”
“What I know and what I’m telling you is you are wrong.”
Her voice is low and full of warning. Something about her tone, how it’s laced in venom for my benefit, has my blood growing hotter. Not in an uncomfortable way but a foreign one. It’s never been this intense in my life.
I’m well aware of what the sensation that’s spreading through me is.
I’m not willing to examine it right here and now, though.
Surprisingly, Riven’s brows crease in confusion rather than anger as his gaze moves from her to me. My eyes are unblinking as they meet his.
After a moment, he scoffs and shakes his head. “Whatever you say.”
Thayla mimics the unpleasant noise, then turns to me. “Would you like to explain what you know now?”
“Yes.”
I don’t waste any more of our time on distracting conversations and sensations.
I inform her while she was traveling the realm to us on the Veiling Day, we were breaking into the restricted area of the Athenaeum.
After a moment of her expressing she wishes she had been with us to stick one to the High Chancellor, whatever that means, I tell them what I really discovered.
“You’re going to have to move your Gods Binding lesson up for me.
I understand that the Binding itself is a large, singular creation that somehow stores and holds the Beginning Gods and everyone else’s essence of power.
I can’t wrap my head around how it’s been split to make what you’re saying are miniature replicas, as well as the Volreen and the Gods Veil. I can’t picture it.”
“We’ll cover that soon. Today isn’t the day to discuss it. You have too much running through your mind already and you won’t comprehend what I’m teaching you.”
She crosses her arms and jolts her hip out. If she stands like that too long, she’s going to throw her back out of alignment.
“Are you trying to tell me I’m overwhelmed?”
“Yes, because you are.”
“I am not. I’m fine.”
I give her a silent look that supplies her with ample opportunity to tell me the truth. I don’t need to examine her ears to know she’s lying to me, but why she feels the need to is going to circulate through my mind nonstop until I know.
“You’re—”
“You claim that in the book you read in the restricted area, it states seven replicas were made, and the original Gods Binding is somewhere in the Sanctum. Which we’ve always assumed, basically known that, but now we know with certainty.
We also know now that two Beginning Gods were irresponsible enough to lose them somehow and never reclaim them. ”
“Correct.” I nod to Kyzen, although I’m annoyed that he cut me off.
“Since we don’t know the true interworking of these replicas, I’m assuming that means you don’t know how to release the power in one, but you believe if and when we find it, you’ll be able to figure it out?”
“Yes.”
“So we don’t truly have two months to find this. We need enough time to find it, then provide you with time to figure it out. Do you think it’ll be able to release the rest of our power to us?”
A huff filters across my mind, but I hold it in so I don’t discourage Kyzen and his questions. I appreciate his brainstorming, but this is the perfect example of why I don’t tell them things before I know enough.
All that does is create more questions and assumptions.
Not that all assumptions are bad. Some have proven to lead me to great discoveries.
Some, though, are a waste of time, energy, and resources.
We’re under a time constraint. We can’t make decisions based on baseless ideas.
I need time to truly do my research before we embark on a dead end that gets our Binder taken from us.
If that happens, there’s no doubt, assumption, or question about our reaction. We will wage war on the Abandon.
On our father.
Again.
“The plan I’m formulating consists of two weeks of research, which will include a more in-depth dive into the Gods Binding.
These replicas were made in its likeness, so they’ll function the same, just at a lower level of power.
That leads me to believe it may not be able to release all our power to us, but a significant portion.
That part will involve more than myself as I’ll need to break into the High Chancellor’s office. Then—”
“It tickles my heart that you did that once. How did you pull that off without us?” Riven asks, giving me a prideful smile.
“I didn’t break in. He asked me to retrieve something from his office, and I took an opportunity.
Ellian happened to be present and I believe caused a distraction for me.
I didn’t risk spending more than a few minutes in there, though, and the High Chancellor never brought it up.
This time, I’ll need longer than that. I don’t want to read the text.
I want to copy it and bring it back here so I never have to worry about this again. ”
“Copy? Shit, won’t that take you weeks alone?”
My neck strains at the subtle insult and Creed grunts at Thayla’s question. “You don’t know what he’s capable of?”
“Um…no. I’ve experienced the three of you using your power on me to some extent, but that’s as far as it really goes.
I mean, Kyzen’s said he can control time, Riven calls himself the God of Duality with his chaos and harmony, and obviously your power revolves around souls.
I’ve concluded on my own Amick’s higher up in the knowledge domains, but I couldn’t tell you if he’s used his power on me or not.
None of you have told me what you can truly do or really anything other than what I mentioned. ”
The reality of her words shifts my perspective substantially in seconds. They have the same effect on my brothers as they each fidget in their place.
She wasn’t doubting me or my abilities. She simply doesn’t know because I’ve failed to tell her anything about my power that isn’t easy enough for her to observe on her own.