Page 18 of The Gods Veiling (The Valorian Veil #1)

“I was freaking the fuck out. That whole Pairing explanation had me ready to run for that waterfall we saw coming in.”

She laughs lightly before covering her mouth with her hand. Lambrit, the little sweetheart, immediately turns around at the sound and smiles at her. “That was very impressive, Rose.”

Hell, even my face blushes with how he just said her name like a prayer. Poor Rose literally turns the color of a rose. I’ve never heard him speak like that before.

With a pinched but very curious grin, I decide to give them a little privacy when Lambrit starts asking her questions about her abilities. This feels like a nice bonding moment between them, and I don’t want to stand here like a creep .

I go to properly introduce myself to Yemi but stop short when I see that she’s just staring off. The dazed, withdrawn look on her face hurts my heart.

“Yemi.”

My voice startles her, and she shakes her head, then looks at me. “Ma’am?”

“Oh, ew, no. Please don’t call me ma’am like…ever again. I’m just Thayla.” I stretch my hand out toward her, and she stares at it like she’s afraid it’s going to turn into an animal and bite her.

Finally, and ever so slowly, she grips it. “We’re trained to address the gods by ma’am or sir.”

Of fucking course.

“You’re a god as well. What did your training say if you’re chosen as an Attendant? What then?”

“Then we follow the rules set forth by our Attending God and of the Godsdawn.”

Her answers are robotic, memorized, and emotionless.

What have they done to her?

“So technically, you have to do as I tell you?”

A small, I mean, minuscule, touch of anger crosses her face before she shoves it down. I smile.

“Yes.”

“Good. Then no more ma’ams or sirs. That goes for all the gods around here. If they don’t address you as such, you don’t do that either. Well, within reason. Don’t get yourself killed like I almost did today.”

Her head slants to the side just a fraction as she observes me. The longer I stare, the more I see the resemblance that’s bugging me so bad.

“You’re Havar’s cousin, aren’t you?”

Emotion finally flares to life across her face. “You know him?”

“Know him, no. He was the one who escorted us today. I was mouthy on the trip, and he said I reminded him of you. The two of you have the same eyes. Well, and hair, skin tone, and noses.”

She snorts just a smidge before smothering it down and her serious, blank face returns. “We’ve heard that our whole lives. Our moms are twins. We’ve practically been raised as siblings instead of cousins.”

A pang passes through me, one she probably understands, judging by the crack in her tone when she said mom. Before I can stop myself, my eyes cast to Mellcom, then away rapidly. I wasn’t fast enough that she didn’t catch it, though .

She doesn’t verbally ask, but the raise of her brow is a question on its own. I ignore it.

“Did I miss the High Chancellor say anything important while I was freaking out?”

“He gave his speech about the gods and instructed us Attendants that while you’re in the Veil, we need to come around to the Assembly and wait for you at the platform.”

“Well, well, well, sweet T, I’m honestly shocked you decided to accept this little mystery here.

You can barely keep yourself out of trouble, much less take care of a whole person.

You probably should’ve taken the hint when the Chancellor wouldn’t announce your Designations and not taken on any more responsibilities. ”

Yemi’s entire body locks up when Jeremiah slings his arm over her shoulder. She looks petrified and an inferno of protectiveness surges through me.

“Get your damn hand off her, Jeremiah.”

“Oh, come on—”

“If you don’t think I won’t fuck you up in front of everyone, you’ve lost your mind since arriving. If I didn’t give a shit before, I don’t know why you think I do now.”

I step closer to him, threat clear in my stance. It’s one thing that he talks and treats me the way he does, but laying his hand on a random woman, unprovoked and uninvited like that. Has he lost his fucking mind?

“Move, Jer. The two of you aren’t doing this in here,” Mellcom orders, removing Jeremiah’s arm from Yemi for him.

She quickly separates herself and moves behind me. The tremors passing through her are so strong, I feel them down to my bones.

“Get him away from us. Now.”

A touch of pain passes over Mellcom’s face, and I don’t feel the slightest bit guilty for the venom in my words. He eventually agrees, pushing a reluctant Jeremiah in the direction of the other Chosen now milling around the room.

“I’m sorry about him. Both of them are assholes.” As I turn around, I find Rose comforting Yemi, yet her eyes are locked on me. “You okay?”

“You act and talk like you don’t care who hears you.”

“I’ve heard that a time or two in my life.”

She blinks repeatedly before turning her back to me. “Yeah, well, I don’t know if that means my life is going to get a lot better or a lot worse.”

Ouch .

Honestly, though…it’s a fair concern. I don’t know either.

Great going, Thayla.

Three to five minutes is all the time it takes between each name called.

I’m literally sweating and shaking as I count down the final few moments I have left.

From the little spat with Jeremiah, to Yemi pretty much making it clear with me she isn’t too on board with this arrangement, I’m a bundle of lonely, pissed off nerves.

I just want to pepper her with questions since she’s already done this herself, but I’ve refrained. The last thing I want is for everyone left in here to know I’m losing my mind. They all look ready and excited for what’s about to happen.

Well, aside from Yemi. She barely looks anywhere but at her feet.

Lambrit and Rose are off to what seems like an amazing start in their new situation, so I haven’t bothered either of them.

I’ve been eavesdropping on their quiet conversations just in case Rose tells him something important.

He hasn’t asked the first question about anything other than things about her.

It’s sweet, but damn. Is he not freaking out about stepping into something called the Gods Veil? How about the whole, the things we learn are going to be bound? What about this Valtrue I hope I don’t have?

There’re too many unanswered questions and everyone is way too fucking calm about this.

“Do you want to make your way to the Assembly so you don’t have to rush? Garish will go next, then me.” Lambrit asks Rose quietly and I focus on the true emptiness of the room.

Shit.

“That would be great. Then I won’t have to run.”

Run? Is it that far away?

“Uh, Yemi, do you want to join her so you don’t walk alone?”

Relief washes over her face as she looks at Rose. I don’t receive the same soft smile, but she doesn’t glare or just look blank.

I’ll take that win.

“Yes. Thank you. ”

Quicker than I can even open my mouth, she grabs Rose by the elbow and they rush for the door. Lambrit lets out a soft sigh when they disappear, and I arch a brow at him.

“Love at first sight?”

He’s beat red when he whips back around to me. “What? No. She’s just really nice.”

I don’t tease him. He’s smitten, but I wouldn’t want anyone to pick on me about something like that at this moment. “She’s very nice, it seems. I’m grateful for what she did for me. If she hadn’t, my mouth probably would’ve gotten me killed.”

He gives me a tense, knowing glare before leaning in close. “Do you get the feeling they haven’t been treated respectfully? I mean, you made that slave comment that got you in trouble, but do you really think that’s what it’s like for them?”

I don’t mean to snort at his words, but for someone I’d consider to have way above average intelligence, he’s never learned to read a room. “Yeah. I believe they’re viewed the same way Oddian is viewed by the rest of the realm. Only here, there’s no region dividing them, so it’s worse.”

He frowns down at me, then over at the door. “I don’t think I like that.”

I grab his bicep to turn him back facing forward. “No. Neither do I but keep that to yourself. Don’t let anyone hear you say that.”

“Garish Foremus.”

My breath whooshes out of me and Lambrit stands straight as a board. To my displeasure, Mellcom and Jeremiah finally close the few feet distance they’d kept from me.

I don’t have a snarky remark or glare for them. Time is ticking down and the closer we get to my name being called, the more I feel like I’m going to pass out from fear.

Seismet’s words are haunting me. Every time I come up with some half-rigged strategy that I think may get me out of this, little echoes of his voice chime in my ears. They remind me there’s no getting off this mountain without power.

So that’s step one in the half-assed plan. Get power.

“Lambrit Armend.”

Don’t snatch him back to your side…

“Good luck,” I whisper as he steps away.

Like they’ve done to each of the Chosen, the Chancellors bow and Lambrit doesn’t hesitate to step through .

Maybe the Veil sucks you in once you’re close enough like the Volreen did me. Everyone has walked through confidently, like they just couldn’t wait.

I’m not confident right now.

They may have to shove me through.

“Thayla, can we talk?”

I hold in a groan that desperately wants to escape me. “We have nothing to talk about, Mellcom.”

“We have a lot to talk about. I’m done with this cold shoulder and vicious attitude. It’s not fair.”

His words make my eyes twitch, but I don’t bother looking at him. My anger flares, but its flame isn’t nearly as strong as the rest of the fearful fire burning through me right now.

I’m here. That’s over and done with. I don’t have a choice in that regard anymore. I do still have the choice to be pissed the hell off at his and Jeremiah’s betrayal.