Page 262 of The Gods Order

“Riven, this is Lestari.”

His hands tremble as he reaches out.

“Gods, my life is full of the best days ever,” he mumbles as she waddles right into his hands.

“Well, what of me? Do you have something for me to do?” V asks, attitude lacing his tone.

I snicker, then let out a huh.

“Do you know how to free the Veilatara?”

“What a silly question. Of course I do.”

“Would you like to guide me tomorrow as I free some of them?”

The hoot that comes from him makes my hair blow behind me.

“About time. Nothing would make me happier. Seismet shall go last. The grumpy horse needs a lesson in patience.”

I snort and shake my head.

“Tomorrow then. It’s a date.”

Thayla

33

This is truly petrifying.

The last three days we’ve been busy from sunup to sundown, but now everything is in place. The army, the battlefield, the weapons…it’s all ready.

Except this one last piece.

I’ve been doing a damn good job keeping my shit together since we left my mom’s. I mean, me getting upset over V last night doesn’t count. I have every right to cry over him. But knowing that in minutes I’m supposed to free the Veilatara has me scared to death.

We’re talking about one of the most revered creatures in the realm that I have to use all seven of my powers on. There’s no room for error.

If I fuck up, I can easily and accidentally turn one to ash.

Gods, I’m going to be sick.

The thought of harming one of those creatures has me more frightened than the fact we’re literally going to war in the morning.

One way or another, it isn’t easy to accept that a lot of people are going to die tomorrow. I’m going to kill people tomorrow. But it is helpful to know the beings I’ll be using my power and swinging my swords on are evil.

Now that I’ve touched that power in more ways than one, I know that the corruption has to be stopped before it spreads any further.

That makes all the difference in the realm.

We waited to put off freeing the Veilatara for as long as we could so we avoided tipping off Kira, Rella, Sabe, and Creation to the fact we were up to something. My dad reassured me that if we don’t free the whole herd, then the difference they sense shouldn’t be too obvious. Until we sever their connection to the Gods Binding.

Then…they’ll all feel the extent of what they lost.

We simply don’t have time to do both tomorrow morning.

“You haven’t been this nervous all day,” Kyzen says as he stops in front of my pacing and holds my shoulders.

I shake my hands out between us.