Page 146 of The Gods Order

She got so frustrated, and honestly, it’s easy to understand why. She knows what she’s supposed to be doing. She’s doing what she was told to do, then her Accord would fight her. By the end of the day, she could separate my perception of her power for a breath, just long enough I noticed the absence of her essence across my skin. Then she’d lose the connection.

Today is very different. She’s close and she’s refusing to give up.

Val sees that. Well, he sees everything about her.

Either she doesn’t catch the way his eyes soften on her and the utter pride that crosses his face when she gets something right or…she doesn’t want to acknowledge it.

“Everyone, get your asses over here,” Sevryn barks and every head in the Court whips his way.

I stay where I’m standing until Thayla reaches my side and I tug her to me. The exhausted smile on her lips makes me want to wrap her in my arms and carry her home.

Four days of nonstop training are taking their toll.

We all fill in around the table and our attention shifts to the sketch of the house sitting right in the center. Doren’s palms splay on both sides of it and Amick scowls at it like it personally offended him.

“I drew up a design of what I remembered of the interior, but things have apparently changed in the last twenty years,” he says.

Yeah, he’s offended.

“Shit, this house is massive,” Thayla murmurs, leaning an inch more over the table.

“It is. The layout is far different, but think of it as a replica of the Godsdawn. The entire structure holds its own version of the Athenaeum, healing villas, and a Sanctum. Not to mention that it also functions as a normal home with numerous bedrooms, a kitchen, Attendants’ chambers, multiple foyers, dining rooms, and other pointless areas,” Amick continues, drawing circles around the areas as he calls them out. “According to Doren, the general location his path leads him to is here.”

I dig my tongue into my cheek as his finger pauses on an area I’m all too familiar with.

“His Sanctum,” I mutter and Amick nods.

“Is it really like our Sanctum? Do you think his Veil is in the same place ours is and so maybe his Binding is in the room the original Gods Binding is here?” Thayla asks.

“It isn’t like ours exactly,” I say, then clear my throat. “His Veil is somewhere there, but we never saw it directly after our birth. He does have relics and history of the realm decorating the space, but he’s more so made it like his own personal Neutral. This is where beings are brought to face his judgment.”

The meaning behind my words clicks for her immediately, and I attempt to wipe any negative thoughts or emotions from my face.

It doesn’t get past her soul, though.

I can’t truly force away the memories of the numerous people I killed at his feet in that room.

This was the one place I was hoping we could avoid.

“Each area of his house has its own entrance,” Creed says, dragging everyone’s attention back to the design of the house. “So rather than going through the main house and maneuvering down the many halls, we’ll enter right into the location the Binding is in. Doren will lead our way from there.”

Yemi shifts closer to Doren’s side, and the clear worry on her face speaks a thousand words. In the past two evenings of training, she’s kept a very close eye on not only him, but Iric and Nero as well.

They aren’t fighters, but they have been trained. Even prior to this, they knew the basics from their time spent in the Godsdawn before any of our paths crossed. Since they assisted in our rescue from Valveilious, Sevryn has been even harder on them. He goes about it in the most dickish way, but it’s paid off in my opinion.

My opinion won’t lessen Yemi’s concerns.

“So we have the route through the house figured out,” Thayla says. “Side note, this is something I’ve wondered but have never asked out loud. It seems important enough now to know, though. What stops Obliteration from just…” She trails off, glancing at my brothers, me, then Val and Meridamus.

“Waving his hand through the air and obliterating everything?” Meridamus asks, knowingly. She nods. “Because that isn’t victory. It’s extinction.”

Thayla frowns. “He could still do it.”

“He could. Kira possesses enough power to erase cities, perhaps even entire ungodly regions, but every action bears a consequence. A ruler without subjects is no ruler at all. A god without worship has no purpose. Power means little when there is nothing left to wield it over. He doesn’t seek an empty realm. He seeks a conquered one. He wants regions kneeling, gods broken, ungodly beings fearful enough to pray to him alone.”

His features harden for a flash before he rolls his shoulders out.

“Obliterate everything and who remains to fear him? To obey him? To feed his ego? To fight for him? No one. He would never do that.”