Thayla #3
None of them have time to say anything as I race forward and shove the key right into the hole.
My power rips out of me. Not in a slow pull, but in a forceful surge that steals the air from my lungs. My back arches and a gasp tears from my throat as light explodes from the door.
Warmth engulfs me.
There’s no pain. No pressure. Just pure, unfiltered warmth.
I have no clue how long I stand like this, but the second the flow of my power slams shut, I fall back into awaiting arms.
My shoulders rise and fall with every heavy breath, but I can’t take my eyes off the door. It’s so bright it’s like staring directly into a star. That light doesn’t fade as the wood creaks open.
If anything, it grows even more intense.
My men straighten me, and I stumble forward.
“Come on,” I whisper.
Confusion colors my face as we enter an all-white room. The only thing that stands out is the single, plain door.
There are no engravings, no handle, or anything.
Just smooth wood.
I glance over my shoulder as the other door slams shut and everyone stares around with the same level of confusion as me.
“If this is the Gods Binding, I’m highly disappointed,” Havar says, and I hum.
“This can’t be the end.”
I step forward, as do my men. Everyone spreads out, staring around the room.
My men and I lift our hands at the same time, and I damn near crash forward when my arm passes through the door. A surprised laugh belts out of me as I try it a few more times to make sure I’m not hallucinating or some shit.
“It’s an illusion. We have to go through here,” I say.
Creed grabs my bicep in a damn death grip as I try to take a step forward.
“Kyzen and I first, then you, Amick, and Riven.”
I roll my eyes, waiting for the two of them to tell him he’s being ridiculous. Those comments never come and I stare at them.
“We agree with him,” Riven says, and I huff.
“Fine. Have at it then.”
Kyzen smiles while shaking his head. Creed graces me with the smallest of smirks for my sass, then he snatches me to him by my shirt. His lips collide with mine for a brief moment.
I hold my breath the entire ten seconds Amick makes me wait before I follow them. It takes my eyes a second to adjust to the overwhelming difference of this room from the last.
It’s the furthest thing from stark white.
It’s a bare stone room, just like the one the Gods Veil is in. Even the torches decorating the walls are similar.
Amick guides me forward with a hand to my back so the others can make their way through. I turn in my place as I walk to the center of the room, studying every inch of it.
“I’m so confused,” I say. “I thought for sure—”
A ripple cuts through the room, and we all snap toward the far wall.
All thirteen of us fall into line without thinking, shoulder to shoulder as the stone’s appearance shifts. It doesn’t crack, but it…
It moves.
Like waves rolling across the sea.
My hands twitch with the instinct to grab swords I don’t have.
I’ve got the second-best thing.
I rip my daggers free, spinning them into my grip. The hilt scrapes my damaged palm and the small sting grounds me as the wall bows inward, then stretches back out again.
“I can’t starshoot my swords,” Creed curses.
“Neither can I,” Kyzen adds.
That has my back straightening. I sense my power. It even responds to my attention. Yet it feels confined to this room.
The air shifts and pressure builds, thick and suffocating. It presses against my chest like the room itself is holding its breath.
The wall ripples again. More forceful this time, and we step back when…something on the other side moves.
My grip on my weapons tightens.
“Do you see that?” someone whispers.
I don’t answer.
Because I do.
A tall shadow forms within the distortion. It—he, she, fuck, I don’t know—stands unmoving for a long moment. We each ready ourselves as the wall flinches, but it doesn’t break.
It parts.
My pulse stutters as power spills through the opening. It’s not wild, chaotic, or threatening in any way.
It’s simply raw. Pure.
A figure crosses the threshold and the moment their foot touches the stone on our side, everything stills. The ripple vanishes, and the pressure in the air settles.
They don’t rush their steps, nor do they reach for a weapon. They stand in the shadowy barrier and turn their head from side to side, observing us.
After what feels like an eternity, they—he—steps forward
Light catches his face and the power of Boundaries in my spine snaps tight. Yemi’s low gasp reaches the ringing in my ears and my heart races so fast, I grow dizzy.
My breath falters as he takes another step forward and my daggers dip down an inch before I clutch them with all my might. I tremble, fighting off not only my confusion but the familiar fury that’s trying to rage through my blood.
“You,” I breathe.
He stares at me like he’s been waiting.
This whole time.
And this is how he returns…
To be continued…