Chapter 16 Thayla
Thayla
My head shakes repeatedly as denial floods every last one of my senses.
“No, no, I am not. What are you talking about?”
She reaches out for me, but I jerk back and jump to my feet. She moves her tray from her lap and slowly stands, holding her hands out, palms facing me as though she’s trying to calm me.
“Thayla…”
“Don’t fucking Thayla me, Yemi. No.”
I’m going to give myself whiplash with how forcefully I continue to jerk my head.
This isn’t true. What she’s alluding to isn’t true.
I don’t have to think it through. I know what she’s getting at and no, I don’t accept that.
Creed is not the God of Death.
This is not how I’m finding this out.
The more ragged my breathing becomes, the more my mind runs through everything I know.
He can manipulate souls.
The way he took control of Gladian’s whip.
He has two swords that kill on contact.
The God of Obliteration called him his favorite son and said he was proud of the rumors coming from here. He comes here.
People…avoid him.
I rub at my chest mindlessly to get my soul under control. Unlike the feeling of being trapped from a few moments ago, right now, it seems to be freaking out more over the feelings coursing through me.
I brace my hands on my knees as I suck in as much air as I can. My eyes drift shut, and I focus on the erratic beat of my heart in my ears.
Creed is the God of Death.
How couldn’t I have seen it?
Well, honestly, it isn’t like he puts his power on display. Sure, I figured it was something out there. I’ve really been assuming he had some powerful domain under the Goddess of Creation, given the fact he can somehow heal and do what he does to souls.
Really, the worst thoughts that I conjured up about him, after the whole Gladian and Abandon thing, was his role, per se, was to trap souls.
I didn’t really know what that entailed or what godly domain that fell under, but in my mind, I pictured him like snatching someone’s soul out of them and not giving it back.
I release a watery, shaky breath, and I lay my fingers to my lips. He was carrying me to my bathroom when I had that thought. I had also told myself there was no domain that he could have that would scare me.
He was taking care of me when I couldn’t do it myself.
The smell of freshly baked cookies invades my senses and a manic laugh bubbles out of my chest.
The God of Death bakes for his brothers and me.
“Thayla.”
I hold my hand up to stop Yemi, then lower my voice.
“I’ve got to get the fuck out of here. I need to have a very serious conversation with one of my Valtrue members.”
“I’m going to assume by Yemi’s comment and your reaction, you do, in fact, know the God of Death?” Sevryn asks.
I release one more breath and force my wobbly knees to hold me up. “I do. I’m trying to be understanding and sensitive to your predicament. I can imagine you have your feelings about him and this.” I wave my hand around our glorious cell.
“But I’ll warn you once: watch what you say about him. There are three sides to every story, and until I hear his, I won’t listen to you talk shit about him.”
He holds my glare. “Well, didn’t your tone change pretty quickly.”
“When it comes to him, his brothers, yes.”
“You know all of them?”
“Yes, I do.”
He sucks his teeth and nods. “We’ve got enough to worry about right now, so I won’t make the tension even worse. But yeah, it’s personal and he has some explaining to do.”
“I don’t want to hear any more. You can take your grievances up with him when he gets here.”
He barks out a humorless laugh. “You think he’s going to come here?”
“For me, his Binder? Yeah, he’ll come. I just have to get him here. How long until they let us out? And will the block on our powers be lifted as soon as we’re out?”
“His what?”
I snap my fingers in his stunned face. “Come on. Get it together. I’m trying to work out a plan here. You know what a Binder is.”
He blinks at me repeatedly.
“Yeah, I do, but never thought he’d be someone to get one.” He holds his hands up at my sneer. “I get it, you don’t have to bare your teeth at me like some savage animal.”
I cut my eyes at Yemi’s laughing, then back at him. “I’m glad we got that straight quickly. Now, answers to my questions.”
“Not long. The start times for the fights depend on the crowd. I can imagine there’s going to be a packed audience because of Dimitri. No one has made it this far in a long time. You’ll be without your power until we step into the ring.”
Fuck.
“So we’re going to have to fight long enough until he gets here.” I turn toward the noise that slips out of Yemi, and I lower my voice again. “No hiding your power down here. I’ll do everything I can as soon as I can, but until they get here, you’ve got to use it and protect yourself.”
“I will.”
We whip our heads forward when the lights only in our cell come to life. Sevryn turns his body around to block the view of us, but I make out the guard—I suppose that’s what he is—standing there.
“Sevryn, a word.”
He isn’t hesitant with his steps. He walks up to the bars without a lick of tension in his shoulders and even nods to the man as though they’re familiar with one another. I slow my breathing, focusing hard on the conversation.
Their muffled whispers barely reach me, but I manage to make out the last words the guard says before he walks away.
“I wanted to tell you before they announce it in the rings. Good luck.”
He’s far more subdued as he makes his way back to us. His eyes never leave the small parchment he has clutched between his fingers and his head shakes, almost denying whatever it is that he’s reading.
“What is it?” I ask.
He slowly rolls up the paper and puts it in his pocket. The calm that he had when he approached his guard buddy is long gone now.
“Who are you two?”
“Us?” Yemi asks, waving her thumb between us.
“Who the fuck else would I be asking?”
“First off, watch how you speak to her. Second, don’t take whatever news you just got out on us. We haven’t done a damn thing to you.”
“It sure as shit doesn’t seem that way.”
“If you’re going to be a cryptic asshole, then go fuck off and sit in a corner. If you want to tell us what’s actually going on, then drop the attitude and accusations.”
My smirk is immediate. That’s the first time Yemi’s fiery side has made such an appearance and I’m here for it. Her eyes may still be all weird and tender, but her fear is also potent, and she’s done being the sweet patient one.
He stares at her. Hard. I can’t tell if he’s furious or impressed, but I see the wheels in his mind turning.
“I have a do-not-kill order on me. Decree of my father. He can’t have his little clone dying unless he’s doing the killing.
I’m to fight every week, but that’s purely for entertainment.
I only get two teammates because of the pain I can inflict.
It levels the fighting field. If I’m severely injured, I’m to be healed.
If my team were to win, they can go free, but I’m to remain.
I’m not here by choice. This is my punishment for my crimes.
My do not kill order was lifted. When they announce us in the ring, they’re announcing that as well. ”
I’m stunned frozen and my mouth gapes open.
The fathers of the Abandon are pieces of shits and absolutely brutal.
“Well, that’s incredibly fucked up and I’m sorry you have a dickhead for a father. And not to sound insensitive to what you just said, but what does that have to do with us?”
“It doesn’t strike you as strange that I’ve been here for years, trapped in this hell, fighting for other people’s lives, and the day you two show up—drugged apparently—for a fight, the do not kill order is lifted.
He’s always sworn this is where I’d be stuck if I didn’t swear my allegiance and rejoin the Abandon.
I’ve done no such thing. Opposite actually.
Last week after the fight, I vowed to kill him if I ever saw him again. ”
Shit. Yeah, something’s adding up. I just don’t know what.
I have my suspicions the God of Obliteration has something to do with this because who else would pull some shit like this, but I don’t know. That doesn’t entirely make sense to me either. Why jeopardize my life now when he has plans for me and the guys if we fail to retrieve the Binding?
My head shakes as I focus on Sevryn. “I don’t have an explanation for you.
At least not one that will make sense. It could be completely coincidental that this happened to you because of your threat and to us because of the shit we’ve got going on outside of here, but I don’t know.
All I know is, we have to survive long enough for my Valtrue to show up, so any helpful advice would be appreciated. ”
I slam my eyes shut as light blinds me in every direction. Yemi’s forehead bashes into mine when we turn into one another and grip each other to hold ourselves steady.
At first, it’s bright but silent aside from our hissing and groaning, then noise erupts. It becomes so loud, I wince from the sudden onslaught.
“Shit, that happened faster than I thought,” Sevryn growls as he spins around and steps back until he’s nearly pressing us into the brick wall.
“Damn it, Thayla, you nearly knocked me out.”
“Um, same. You turned into me as well, you know?”
“Are you okay?” he asks, peering over his shoulder at Yemi. I shoot them both a glare as they stare at one another.
“I’m fine, thank you,” she says sweetly, and I scoff. “Sorry, are you okay as well?”
“Brilliant. This is the best date of my life. I really appreciate the two of you including me.”
She gives me a saucy-ass smirk that I don’t appreciate as she leans in. “I want to preface this by saying, you’re looking too much into this because I’m being nice, but just so you know, this is how I feel when it’s only you, me, and Kyzen.”