Page 316 of The Gods Order

“Hear, no,” Kyzen says, paling. “Felt, yes.”

“We have to get to the Gods Binding.”

“Thayla, what—”

I hold my hand up to my dad.

“We have to go. We’ll be back. Hopefully. Please watch everything here,” I say, poking my head through my men. “We’ll be back.”

The confused, dumbfounded looks on everyone’s faces would be hilarious if nerves weren’t tearing my stomach up. I feel seconds away from being sick.

Regardless, with nothing more than a nod to my men, our powers surround us and we starshoot to the locked hallway. My palm lands against the last door, and it offers no resistance.

We sprint through the white room, then slam to a stop in the next. My father either didn’t leave a barrier up, or the Gods Binding took it down. Either way, it’s on full display.

My legs wobble as we reach the bronze steps. The power humming around us is…more than it was this morning. The white essence churns faster.

“What are we supposed to do?” Kyzen asks low.

“I don’t—”

A gasp rips free as I raise my hand to the essence and it wraps around my wrist. Not forceful. Not painful.

Comforting. Warm. Inviting.

“Thayla.”

My men call my name as I take another step forward, and I glance over my shoulder.

“Come on.”

They race to my sides, and the sphere of brilliant white essence unfurls around us, swallowing us whole. Warmth envelopes every inch of my body, sinking beneath my skin and wrapping around my soul.

A flash of light steals my sight.

When I can see again, I forget how to breathe. There is no ceiling. No walls. No sense of where the heart of the Gods Binding begins or ends.

We stand within an endless white space. It isn’t empty or polished like the Stargate. Streams of light drift through the air like rivers suspended in the sky, weaving around one another in perfect harmony. Some glow brighter, carrying colors I recognize and others I don’t. They twist and flow past us, never touching, never colliding.

The essence of every power in the realm feels present here.

Creation. Chaos. Boundaries. Accord. Consequence. Obliteration. Seduction. So many more. They aren’t separate or fighting. They flow together.

Beneath our feet, the dais is gone, replaced by something that feels like glass and water at once. Ripples spread beneath each step but never break the surface.

The farther we walk, the more the space changes. The air feels heavier, older, like we aren’t walking into a place…

We’re walking into the memory of the realm itself.

The Gods Binding draws us forward, and my men move with me until we stand within the center of the power.

It’s…I don’t have a word for it. Beautiful. Stunning. Amazing.

All too mediocre.

“Holy shit. We’re inside the Gods Binding. My tummy is tingling.”

“Don’t say shit in here, Riven,” Kyzen says.