Page 158 of The Gods Order

I couldn’t tell you how long we spend bouncing around the Court, switching off sparring partners, and doing whatever else Val yells out. When I feel my power waning, I tighten my grip, repeat everyone’s names, and push through. There’s a good possibility that Yemi and I will be drained dry by the end of this training, and I honestly believe that’s what Val wants to see.

I think another test we’re taking that we aren’t supposed to be aware we’re taking is him measuring how long we can go for.

I don’t know if it’s because he just wants to know or if he’s trying to get an idea of how long he needs to make sure all the Beginning Gods are kept in the Neutral for.

That’s both understandable and worrisome.

I really haven’t considered the actual timeline of this mission.

Could be an hour…Could be five.

Fuck.

“Kyzen, use your power,” Val commands, and my swing toward Amick falls short as my damn brain malfunctions. Luckily, he notices and stops himself from carrying his strike forward.

Shit, shit, shit.

“Get it together, Thayla. You know what to do,” Val yells when my power flickers.

Right. I do.

I tap into the connection around us that’s already tethered to the separation I have between the sound and sight. My breath steadies as I extend my power of Boundaries a layer farther once I sense Kyzen’s brush across my skin.

That’s the part I focus on. Not the power itself. Not the movements. Not even the group. Just that sense of awareness that’s flowing outward.

And then I pull the connection.

My power of Accord flares instantly in response, attempting to confirm what’s happening around us. It wants to map every reaction, every ripple of awareness, and that’s where it typically trips me up. Not this time.

This is what I spent all of day four and five of training working on.

Teaching my Accord how to shift its focus to what’s within my boundary, not past it.

As long as it senses there’s a strong connection between those I want it to focus on, it’s satisfied.

“Good, Thayla,” Val says. “Doren, your power.”

A moment passes before my senses are alerted to his power, and I command my Boundaries, Accord, everything within me, not to do anything about it.

It was easy enough not to pay those outside my group any attention when I was separating the connections for sound and sight, but it’s instinctual for my power to want to respond when one that doesn’t belong to one of my men or Yemi brushes up against me.

“That’s it,” Val says with an approving nod. “When I call your name, bring forth your power and don’t let it go until I say so. Thayla and Yemi, I don’t know why you both have quit sparring.”

Ah, fuck.

My feet have definitely fallen still, and my training sword hangs lazily at my side. I readjust my grip and focus back on Amick. The features on his face scream that the last thing he wants to do is make me spar.

Too bad, I suppose.

My sword comes forward in a slow, easy swing as I steady my breathing and tighten my attention around the invisible boundary surrounding my group. The sound remains inside. Their movements remain visible only to us.

I hold it all together.

“Creed,” Val calls and my eyes flare for a breath before I shove that spike of surprise down.

Death rolls across my skin like lightning before settling comfortably inside the boundary.

“Sevryn.”