Page 291 of The Gods Order

“No, no, no.”

The battlefield.

It’s…below me. And it’s still raging on. More now than it was.

My palms splay across the glass as though I can get closer.

Healers are surrounding my body and Creed…

Oh, Creed.

His eyes blaze whiter than I’ve ever seen. His mouth moves frantically. Words I can’t hear spill from him one after another. My trembling finger traces over his face. A gasp tears through my throat as the view shifts.

My father and Yemi stand shoulder to shoulder, their arms stretched wide as a massive barrier surrounds everyone gathered around my body.

Oh no.

Kyzen, Amick, Riven, Seismet, Verlet, Dervivius, Meridamus, Mara, Fausta, her Valtrue, all of Yemi’s, Havar.

Every person I care about fights desperately to keep the enemy outside the shimmering wall.

Then…

Kirabaddon strolls toward the barrier as though the battle has become little more than entertainment. His slow smile makes my stomach twist. His gaze lingers on my body before roaming over my men, my father, Meridamus, and Derivius.

“What a shame.” He tilts his head. “After everything you all sacrificed to protect her…she still dies.”

No.

He glances around at everyone else.

“I wonder which of these beings will be the next to follow. Perhaps your son, Seveous.”

My heart lurches as he laughs.

“No!” I slam both hands against the glass. “You motherfucker!”

Nothing changes.

The battle continues as he turns around with Sabelline, Mellcom, and Seveous at his side and walks away. My hands continue to bash into the glass as my screams grow louder.

“They can’t hear you.”

That calm, ancient voice has my spine snapping straight and the words on my tongue silencing. I’m honestly not sure if I have a heartbeat right now, but if I do, there’s no doubt it’s thudding unbearably fast. I step back from the glass and turn. My breath catches in my throat.

Seven beings stand aligned with massive wings spreading from their backs. Behind them, a dazzling staircase glittered in white and gold ascends into clouds.

“Welcome to the Stargate, Thayla Godrun.”

The echo of all their voices at once has my head jerking. There’s not a single question or doubt about who the beings before me are.

“Valories.”

They dip their heads as one and float closer. I stagger back until I’m pressed firmly against the stone well. My gaze bounces over each of them, and I tense as they surround the…Stargate.

They don’t talk to me. They simply stare into the glass. The longer they watch, the more unsettled I become. They don’t seem threatening. I’d honestly be more comfortable if they did. I’d get an idea of what to expect.

Instead, they seem so…unconcerned with the battlefield below.