Page 22 of The Gods Veiling (The Valorian Veil #1)

Thayla

The fretful noise that was pouring out of my mouth abruptly ends when I land on my feet.

My body sways and my hands fly out to hold on to something for balance. The wood that appears beneath my palms is smooth, dark, polished, and I can’t stop staring at it in astonishment as I catch my breath.

My fingers glide over the shiny surface until they reach the spines of books pushed back into the shelves.

I slam my lids shut and settle my racing heart. The small description the High Chancellor gave us runs through my mind and I exhale repeatedly.

Thankfully, it does ease the confusion.

I’m in my own mental creation.

As my brain accepts that, the disorientation completely lifts from me, and my body becomes mine to control once more. The discombobulating sensation continues to ease as I wiggle my fingers and roll out my shoulders until I’m standing straight.

A healthy dose of anxiety pounds through me, though. No part of me wants to turn around and face what I’ve created. Or a possibly pissed off God who could be visiting me.

To my surprise, I’m met with perfection when I take in the room. So much so, shock wipes out all my fear and anger.

I immediately know what I’ve made .

It’s my dream home.

The same one I’ve created countless times in my sleep or daydreams. It’s way more elaborate than anything I’ve ever and probably will ever live in.

Right in front of me is a huge seating area with a three-sided couch that could easily fit fifteen people.

Maybe more if we squeeze in. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve envisioned my parents, Meridamus, myself, Mellcom, Lambrit, Laney, and even Jeremiah before, sitting around, laughing, drinking, eating, and just being together in this space.

The crackling of wood burning fills the silence. The flame doesn’t quite stretch into the chimney and there’s no heat coming from it. It just creates the perfect ambiance.

The black-and-gray stone columned fireplace looks gorgeous against the dark green walls.

There’s a variety of amethysts and plants sitting on top of the mantel and right in the center is a gorgeous set of stone-chiseled wings.

They’ve been painted in an ombre of white and purple that gives the space enough color to tie it all together.

I don’t have to look behind me to know a beautiful bookshelf sits at my back. There’s a ladder at the far end that I’ve used to sail across the floor from one end of the shelves to the next. In my dreams, I handpicked, read, and placed each of the texts into their proper spots.

The wind blows through the room, fanning the beige curtains that are obscuring the wall of windows. I slowly approach them and run my fingers down the soft material.

The sight before me as I sling them fully open takes my breath away.

The door to the outside porch is already open and I walk through, only stopping once my hands grip the railing.

For miles, it’s a painting of different shades of green. The peaks of mountains in the distance range from small to touching the clouds. The sound of a stream flowing somewhere close by is in harmony with the whispers of the wind.

A creak to my right has my head whipping to the side and my heart jumps in my throat. The fright quickly settles, and I laugh at myself when I realize it’s the swing swaying with the breeze.

I make myself right at home on the carefully crafted wooden seat. One push of my feet has it moving smoothly and I draw my legs up and cross them.

My head leans back on the rest, and I close my eyes while the Gods Binding does whatever the hell it truly does. A small laugh that’s mixed with disbelief and all the other shit I’ve been feeling tumbles out of me .

If only this were my reality. What a life it’d be. Just me, sitting on the porch of my dream home, relaxing in a swing, waiting for my family and friends to come visit me.

This is the cruelest daydream I’ve ever had.

“Yes, be my guest. Make yourself comfortable, little troublling.”

My body locks up at the familiar voice and I choke down my startled gasp. I’ve heard that teasing nickname so many times in my life. Only now has it ever been out loud and not in my head.

A god disowned by the other gods.

Today may be my day of reckoning for my mouth.

His sharp features are what I’d expect of a Beginning God. They were created with unmatched beauty.

He’s tall, tan, and stunning. There’s no denying that. His hair seems to have multiple different shades, from black to brown to blond. There’s no rhyme or reason to the highlights. His eyes are piercing and mischievous.

One blue. One black.

“Derivius. I’m sure the God of Chaos has more important things to attend to than visiting me. Are you even allowed to be here?”

He shakes his head with a smile on his lips before pushing himself from the railing. He takes a seat right beside me and my heart hammers in my chest. I squeeze my fingers tighter into the wood slats, preparing myself for his punishment.

“Meeting you here is the most important task on my agenda today. It took you long enough.”

I grit my teeth painfully. “Not long enough. This never should’ve happened.”

“Oh, come on. I know you have a grand hatred for our kind, but not all gods are bad. I mean, us Beginning Gods are pretty awful. The Domain Gods are hit or miss, but all the becoming gods such as yourself aren’t all that dreadful. You’re my favorite of them all, just so you know.”

I lean my head back against the swing as a frustrated sigh falls from my lips. “Derivius, how many times have I cursed the gods, including you, and told you I’d never step foot in Godsden?”

He snorts and pats my knee. “Too many to count, little troublling.”

“Exactly. You couldn’t have just come to me or talked to me like you always have? Did you really have to resort to this taurnshit to get me here for whatever reason? ”

I’m embarrassed about the way my voice cracks. It’s not like I expected some sort of loyalty from him. Chaos, messy situations, and random shit happening followed up by the sound of his laughter in my mind.

Yeah, all of that I expect.

Him manipulating Mellcom to get me here when he knows where I stand about being with the gods…No, I never would’ve thought he’d do this.

My anger that I must get from his domain swells the longer I think about how he as well betrayed me. This whole time, I’ve put my neck and my beliefs on the line to talk with him when I wasn’t supposed to.

He cocks his head to the side. The smirk melts off his face as he realizes how serious I’m growing. When his frown eventually turns into a scowl, I gulp, but I don’t let my glare falter.

“Whatever are you talking about?”

His faux confusion both pisses me off and disappoints me.

“You know, I get it. I really do. I’m just some foul-mouthed, hotheaded ‘troublling,’ no one from Oddian, and you’re a Beginning God who’s entertained my shenanigans, but I never would’ve thought you’d do something like this to finally get back at me.

“If you really were offended, or I crossed a line somewhere along the way, couldn’t you have just punished me while I was at home? Did you really have to cause this much chaos for me? Why did you let me trust you, then take my greatest fear and bring it to life?”

I push myself off the swing and take a few steps away from him.

My arms cross over my chest as I try to calm my erratic breathing and the building tears that make my nose burn.

How foolish could I have been to think a Beginning God actually cared and was looking out for me in his own chaotic kind of way?

He stands and his towering size has me nearly tumbling back. I grip the rail for dear life and force my feet to stay strong beneath me.

“I will not ask again, Thayla. What are you talking about?”

His power washes over me and his narrowed eyes freeze me in place. I stare into their depths for a long moment while I catch my breath. I’ve known him since I was ten years old and never once has he ever gotten stern with me. Even when I really and truly deserved it.

He’s always calm and comical with his chaos. Like he was always guiding me through the madness of his own creation.

“Mellcom was visited by a god, a man god, so he claims…” I tell him the entire truth of what Mellcom said. Both dreams, his deal with coming along as well, the wa y he got my blood. All of it. The more I speak, a glint that’s a mix of admiration and anger gleams in his eyes.

They continue to widen with my words, and he rubs his chin as he begins pacing. Three things become abundantly clear to me with his behavior.

One, he really has no idea what I’m talking about.

Two, he’s impressed that someone did such a good job making it seem like it was him who caused this.

And three…I’ve somehow caught the attention of another god who knows I talk with the one god we aren’t supposed to.

He finally stops his pacing and rests his arms on the railing. “How long has it been now that you’ve disobeyed the laws of the gods and talked to me?”

Too fucking long.

“Twenty long years.”

He smirks at me fondly. “I’ll be as truthful with you as I can.

I’ve known since before that day your sweet, angry, little voice rang out my name that you’d end up at Godsden.

That’s a fate that’s been written in the stars for a long time, Thayla.

When and how has always been a question, but never if.

Only a select few were given that information.

“I always get such a bad rapport with everyone. It stunned me, of all the Beginning Gods, the gods in general, you unconsciously chose me to talk to. I refused to be the one to deliver that news to you, then have you hate me. It doesn’t change the fact I knew you’d come.

“The hand I have in your life has been set for a long time, but I didn’t speed up its fruition. I swear to you that I didn’t visit that boy, but I’ll find out who did. You’re the only ungodly being I’ve ever visited since my worshipping has been stripped.”