Page 68 of The Gods Veiling (The Valorian Veil #1)

Thayla

What the fuck?

Monsters, undead gods? What does that even mean? The Abandon?

Shit…that’s why they’re called the Abandon brothers. Not because they were abandoned. Well, not entirely. They came from this place.

I try to pry my fingers from Riven’s death grip, but he tightens them. “I need both hands to wield this sword, Riven.”

“Just another minute. Your chaos tastes so delicious tonight. It’s addicting.”

My breath rushes out of me. I have no fucking clue what that means but if it helps his power that’s literally cocooning me, so be it.

I’m trying my hardest to put on a brave face, but my insides are rebelling. That anger I felt at Mellcom attempting to spill the guys’ secrets and manipulate me into being mad at them is swiftly being replaced.

Despite the adrenaline and distraction our few minutes of flight gave me, everything in me is slowly easing into uncomfortable fear. It was one thing to train and fight against men, now godly beings. But monsters?

The way the guys are acting isn’t helping .

I’m not claiming to know everything about them. I obviously don’t. I do know their habits well enough to know the situation we’re finding ourselves in is fucking them all up.

Creed’s dramatic entrance into my bedroom wasn’t out of anger. It was panic. It was written all over his face and the tremble he didn’t even notice in his own voice. Amick did a complete one-eighty. His anger is a foreign concept. I think even to himself.

Riven, regardless of the little comments he’s made, is in complete control of his emotions at the moment. And Kyzen…hasn’t cracked the first smile since after I controlled the lights in the kitchen.

This place that we’re about to step into did some damage to my Valtrue.

Damage they’ve been avoiding talking about, understandably, but after this, they’re going to be forced to.

Not necessarily by me, but we won’t be able to ignore this and pretend this didn’t happen.

They can’t continue to leave me in the dark after this.

Which means, I’m going to have to be honest too.

Fuck, this night sucks.

“Ready?” Creed barks.

I can’t form words like the others, but I don’t have to. Riven drags me along.

The power embedded in the barrier glides over me as we step through. I wait for the uncomfortable tugging against my skin to come, but it never does. Warmth surrounds me, making it easier for me to breathe, and my shoulders loosen as the seconds stretch on.

That weirdly glorious sensation leaves me just as fast as it came, and dread fills my stomach.

Time doesn’t seem to be different from our side to this one.

It’s still the dead of night, but everything I lay my eyes on is also dead.

There’re no lively woodlands, no thriving community, or gorgeous buildings.

It’s been obliterated to rubble and dust. Once upon a time, glorious structures may have stood, but not anymore.

Distant shouts, grunts, and growls fill my ears, and slowly I search for the sound. Just like Creed warned, probably one hundred feet, if not less, in front of us, there’s a battle raging on.

I freeze, but Riven jerks my hand. My body moves with his unconsciously as our boots pound against the dirt-covered ground. A couple of strides in, he releases me, and my arms start pumping to keep pace with them.

The sound of swords being unsheathed surrounds me the closer we get to the battle lines, but I can’t look at any of them .

The…beings were growing closer too, stealing every ounce of my attention. They have many similarities to gods. Chiseled muscles, fluid movements, and even intelligence in their eyes and actions from what I can tell.

The black seeping from their foaming mouths and the dark streaks flowing under their pale skin, though, make it glaringly obvious they’re no longer god or man.

They’re…I don’t know what they are.

With a sudden burst of speed, Mellcom and Jeremiah race ahead of us. They join Gladian instantly, but I don’t see Mara or Chasin in his immediate circle. Our footsteps slow and Creed looks in my panicked eyes.

“There are at least ten of them to one of us. It’s going to be difficult to stay together, but you find a way. Always be near one of us.”

My head bounced up and down frantically. “I will.”

Something akin to regret fills his face. “I swear to you, this isn’t how I wanted you to find out about this.”

“I know,” I breathe.

His lips flatten as he steps away from me, then his power swells. A thin, dark sheen covers his skin as his eyes blaze full-on white.

I suck in a gasp as from every direction around me, my Valtrue lets the true power that resides inside of them free. My body turns in a circle as I gawk.

A golden gloss covers any skin Amick shows and his eyes flare to life. They’re as bright and all-seeing as the sun.

The only noticeable difference to Riven’s skin is it’s shinier, smoother than I’ve ever seen it before. His mismatched irises swirl with the speed of a storm, though. If I stare too long, I’ll grow dizzy.

Kyzen has fluff like a cloud surrounding him and what I thought was white rings around his pupils are actually a very light baby blue. He’s the embodiment of the sky on a beautiful day.

His voice is deeper than normal when he speaks. “I’ve got her.”

Creed grunts and the air stays trapped in my lungs as he, Riven, and Amick run off with speeds I’ve never seen come from them before.

“My power is going to surround you at all times. You’re going to move faster than you’ve ever moved before. Keep that in mind when you swing your sword.”

“H-How?”

He holds my gaze for a tense moment. “My power is time. I’m going to be speeding time up for you so you can stay with me. I’m sorry, but get ready, little goddess. Everything’s going to be moving very fast from this moment on. ”

His finger runs down the side of my face softly and my sharp inhale echoes between us. The caress of his power is different from how I’ve ever felt it. It seeps into my skin and runs through my blood like static.

With a gentle tug on my elbow, he pulls me forward. I crash into the side of him. I wasn’t expecting my small step to be more like a charge, but he steadies me and holds on to me for our first few strides.

The looming, deadly lines grow closer in milliseconds and as soon as we run past the first of our Defenders and the creatures they’re battling, we enter the true fight.

In every direction, gods clash with creatures.

Reality slaps me in the face when Kyzen lets me go and a body falls at my feet.

Black instead of red pours from the wound stretching across their chest. The gurgling that sounds from their throat is purely animalistic and their thrashing only stops once Kyzen plunges his sword directly through their heart.

I react without thinking when a black hand adorned with dagger-like fingernails lashes out at Kyzen.

My stomach crawls into my throat as the sword Creed gave me slices through the creature’s arm like butter. Their bellow makes my heart pound uncontrollably, but the noise is short-lived.

Their body becomes statue-still, and they hit the ground like a boulder falling from a mountain.

The vibrations pass through my boots and into my blood.

“Very good, little goddess. Only a couple hundred or so more to go.”

A couple hundred or more…dear Valories.

My mind races—everything does, actually—as we fall into a routine of slashing through bodies. Kyzen’s power stays firmly wrapped around me. Everything but me moves slower and I see what’s coming with plenty of time to think through my next move.

It’s what’s past the stronghold lines that’s the real problem.

The night sky is pitch-black and lacks stars or a moon. The light provided is from beams placed around the stronghold. They help, but at the same time, they don’t reach very far. You can’t see what continues to come out of the shadows until they pass through the rays.

Every so often, a deadly chuckle cuts through the tense, death-stained air. Riven’s manic sounds calm my heart more than I’m willing to admit right now. I might not be able to see him, but to know he’s laughing somewhere near me means the rest of my Valtrue that isn’t in my sight is okay .

I don’t think about the black blood that’s staining the soles of my boots, my armor, or even my face. The hot essence is currently dripping down my cheek and I want more than anything to wipe it away.

Fear won’t allow me to.

I just watched a creature literally try to bite a god.

If I take my hand off the handle of my sword, my arm, neck—fuck, my face—anywhere could get a chunk taken out.

I have no clue about the repercussions of being bitten by one of these things.

Another body falls at my feet like a statue.

The startling scream that belts out from it after it hits the ground causes me to flinch.

Except…

I whip my body around as the screech continues to pour through the air.

Oh gods. Fuck…shit.

At least ten creatures are pulling Mara. Every time she frees an arm, another one latches on.

Unlike what I’ve seen so far, they aren’t trying to eat her or kill her.

They’re trying to drag her away.

“Thayla.”

My name rips from Kyzen’s lips. It’s soon followed by Amick somewhere calling to me as well, but my feet don’t stop from sprinting toward her.

My sword slashes in every direction as I cut down a path to get to her. My eyes search my surroundings for Mellcom, Jeremiah. Fuck, Chasin or Gladian as well.

Why the hell is her Valtrue not coming to her aid?

I raise my sword above my head and with my own guttural shout, I jump over a few bodies blocking me from reaching her.

The heavy metal that’s really starting to weigh on my muscles comes down so hard, it almost slices the creature in half.

All the black eyes turn to me.

My body moves like the wind as each of them tries to attack at once. I see it all happening. I know who’s the closest, who’s out of my reach.

All it takes is one swing. If I draw blood, they die.

I cut them down one by one.