Page 173 of The Gods Order

A stroke across my soul snaps my focus back into the moment and I peer down at the determined glint in Thayla’s eyes.

“I’ve got you. All of you.”

All…

My brothers stand feet away, staring at her like she’s their lifeline.

Our lifeline. That’s exactly what she is.

Kyzen’s gaze continues to bounce from her to the empty, open area that waits below our father’s throne. He examines the walkway rug as if he still sees a puddle of blood sitting there. I swallow the lump in my throat and shove down the unease in my stomach as Riven grips his shoulder.

Amick pulls himself together the fastest.

“Doren, go,” he commands.

Riven’s power disappears from my senses and Doren’s takes his place. It’s fainter now than when we were standing at the barrier moments ago, and I have no doubt that’s because he’s trying to use as little as possible.

Quickly and silently, we arrange ourselves in the agreed order.

I fucking hate it.

I loathe the fact that Doren leads the way with his Valtrue shadowing his heels while the rest of us fall in line behind them.

If anyone should walk into whatever waits ahead, it should be me.

Us.

Doren glances over his shoulder, meeting each of our gazes before nodding. Then he moves forward.

Our footsteps start slow and steady as our ears strain for any sound around us. When it’s clear no one is in here, our paces pick up. The foyer gives way to a corridor wide enough for four people to walk alongside each other, but we stay single-file and as close to the wall as possible.

Right before we reach the end of the hall, Kyzen slams to a stop, and Thayla damn near smacks into his back. He turns around eerily slow.

For a breath of a second, my eyebrows narrow in confusion until…

I hear it.

A low, mournful note rolls through the air, followed by another and another. Each chime lingers long after the next begins. The melody drifts through the stone with an almost haunting patience.

Kyzen’s shoulders are rigid, yet his chest rises and falls rapidly. Every time another chime sounds, he twitches.

“Kyzen,” Amick says, but he goes ignored. “Look at me, Kyzen.”

Thayla cups his cheeks and mumbles so low, I can’t make out her words, but whatever they were, they work. He takes a gasping breath, and his distant gaze slides up to meet Amick’s.

“There is no countdown. You won’t be punished if you don’t race the clock. But you need to keep going.”

I see the memories flash across his eyes. The bellows that left our father’s throat, telling him he had till the next chime to swing his sword ring in my ears.

“Keep going, my eternity. I’m right behind you,” Thayla says, gripping his hands.

He draws in so much air that his chest stretches his armor.

Finally, he nods.

The others luckily noticed our pause and waited at the end of the corridor. None are stupid enough to ask what happened and my nostrils flare as I catch the looks on both Iric’s and Prath’s faces. They turn from my attention quickly and continue to follow Doren.

Massive statues line either wall of the hall we take, causing us to walk more centered than we’d like. Each sculpture is carved from white marble so flawlessly they almost breathe.