Page 279 of The Gods Order

That’s the only warning we receive before he sweeps a hand through the air and his barrier dissolves.

A pulse brushes over my skin and my breath stalls.

Even if he gave us more time, we wouldn’t have been able to prepare.

The Gods Binding hangs exactly as I remember. Ancient bronze cradling a star that has no business existing within a room. Brilliant white essence folding endlessly over itself, impossibly serene despite the immeasurable power churning beneath its surface.

It’s breathtaking, timeless…alive.

Its rhythm settles against my heartbeat until I can’t tell where one ends and the other begins. Every pulse echoes through my bones, drawing me forward with a quiet insistence I have no desire to resist.

I don’t simply feel its power. I feel…recognized.

As though the ancient essence has always known me, and it’s been waiting for this moment.

I’m not the only one affected. My men inch forward just as I do.

“Thayla.”

I startle out of my staring and turn to my father.

“Sorry. Did you say something?”

His smile is understanding as he steps in front of me and holds out the Binding he was carrying. My brows furrow.

“The five of you need to put all of them in.”

My mouth parts, but I bite back my questions when Amick takes the one Meridamus passes him without asking anything.

The second Binding sits comfortably in my palm, and my father squeezes my shoulder before stepping back. He stops his retreat and stands in front of Riven.

“Do not go all the way in there.”

“I’d never do such a thing,” Riven says, blowing him a kiss.

My lips curl between my teeth, but my laugh still spills out.

“Ready?” Amick asks before the lighthearted second can settle.

The smirk slips from my lips and I face forward.

“Yes,” we all say.

The closer we draw, the stronger its rhythm becomes. Each pulse settles deeper beneath my skin. The first bronze step rings softly beneath my boot, then another.

None of us speak as we stop at the edge of the dais. The replicas grow warm against my palms as though they’re eager to go home.

“Together,” Amick murmurs.

Seven came out. Seven must go back in.

We take one more step and raise the replicas toward the heart of the Binding. The brilliant white essence swirls with all the patience of eternity.

My fingers breach the light, and warmth immediately wraps around my hands.

The sensation spreads up my arms, chasing away every lingering ache, every cut, every bruise earned over the last several days. The ancient essence curls around my wrists like silk drifting through water before climbing to my elbows.

Quiet breaths release on both sides of me.