average human’s Reviews > The Gods Veiling > Status Update

My glare pivots from some of the men I once considered…acquaintances to the booming voice that draws everyone’s attention.
I follow the crowd of them and toss my training sword into the pile with theirs. Instead of making their way out the arena door, they circle around Mellcom. I sigh and cross my arms to listen to whatever motivational nonsense comes out of his mouth.
“This sunbreak will be the last some of us spend together. There’s no doubt in my mind, four of you from our group will be chosen in this Veiling.”
Their cheering nearly blocks the sound of my scoff.
Jeremiah, better known as the asshole, Mellcom’s vile best friend, our roommate, and worst of all…my ex, hears it. His elbow knocks into my arm painfully, and I bite my cheek to stop myself from lashing out at him.
It’s bad enough I’m having to cover up the pain in my ankle because of him. I won’t be giving him any more excuses to tear into me.
“Get home, get ready, and pray to whichever god you put the most faith in. This will be the Veiling they answer your call. You’ll be one with the Gods in Godsden.”
Their bodies blow by me, pushing me out of their ring as they circle Mellcom. Their hooting echoes through the arena as they all jump up and down chanting “Godsden.”
I’d say it’s an adorable little show of unity in our group if it didn’t mean that each of them is so willing to swear their allegiance to gods who I believe started taking our power over twelve hundred years ago.
The history of the realm states that it was the Valories’ decision to take our godly abilities away from us. The gods have always stood by the claim it wasn’t them, but you can’t convince me that’s the whole truth.
If they can use this little Veiling as a means of peace to give a select few of us our rightful power back, then they could’ve taken it all on their own.
My eyes roll so hard I’m surprised they don’t fall out of my head when the men lift Mellcom on their shoulders and start marching out the door.
To both my left and right, the other three training arenas are emptying as well. The twenty in each of those groups are far more subdued. The seriousness of what will transpire in just a short time hangs heavily over each of them.
I don’t bother waiting around for the men to put Mellcom down so we can walk home together. I slip into the crowd making their way toward their houses and their silence comforts me.
None of them attempt to talk to me, nor do I talk to them.
Honestly, I understand their dislike of me. My beliefs go against all of theirs. I’m not the only one who feels that way. I’m just the only one who shouted it out for everyone to hear and know.
If I’d never let Mellcom’s words provoke me last Veiling, they never would have known how I felt. I always politely smiled and changed the subject when anyone ever talked to me about which god I prayed to the most or asked if I wanted to visit a temple with them.
They used to tease me about my last name.
Godrun.
They said it’s written for me in the stars and one day, I’d run right to the gods. My outburst about how I didn’t give a shit about them blindsided the entire region.
Contrary to my actions and what everyone now believes, I do, in fact, talk to a god.
One. Singular.
I definitely don’t pray to him. I more so cuss him out for every little thing he’s worth.
He responds, unfortunately.
Our relationship is fitting. He’s a god that the other gods have disowned. I’m a woman who’s disowned them all.
Aside from him, who I’ve been brutally honest with most of my life, the only people to ever know my true beliefs were Mellcom and his father, Meridamus.
Meridamus was…is my parents’ best friend.
Hence why I was left in his care.
The longing that pinches in my chest steals the air from my lungs. I throttle those thoughts to the far reaches of my mind and stare down at the dust covering my shoes as I force myself to put one foot in front of the other.
I won’t be going down that slippery slope today of all days.
Bodies continue to bustle around me as their serious demeanors give way to the thrill. Laughter reaches my ears as it dances from the crowd ahead on the dirt path. The wind blows, cooling my heated skin and carrying their excitement even farther.
The fresh scent of angel orchids and wild meadow grass flows through the trees that line our path and block our view from the remaining stretch of our region.
My taut muscles relax with the calming smells, and my head tilts back as I take a deep breath. The peaceful scent forces the stress in my shoulders to deflate.
Until a heavy, sweat-drenched arm plops down on them.
“You know better than to leave us behind, sweet T. We were worried sick about you limping home alone. I’d hate for something awful to happen to you today.”
“If you don’t remove your meaty arm from me, Jeremiah, I’ll do it for you. Permanently.”
His chuckle, followed by the rough squeeze he gives my shoulder, causes me to ball my fist and clench my jaw.
I loathe him and his touch. Now.
“Aw, come on. Tell me you’re not upset over that kick. I didn’t even hit you that hard.”
Lying, pathetic, obsessive man.
“The little love tap was nothing. It’s the fact you smell like a dying oxid. I’m about to lose last night’s feast all over your feet from the stench.”
My exaggerated gag draws the attention of the man and woman walking in front of us. Their disgusted glares bounce between the three of us before they hurry their steps.
Mellcom laughs beside me, then flicks Jeremiah’s hand off my shoulder. The sensitive man-child scoffs and mutters what a heathen I am while taking a step away from me.
I ignore them as they pick up their own conversation over my head. Their voices eventually fade from my ears as the trees on the border finally thin out, and the sun casts a warm morning glow across Oddian.
Home.
The crowd disperses in all directions as they make their way to their houses or a temple. The now clearing space gives me a perfect view of the busybodies in the center, a few hundred feet from us.
What would usually be an empty courtyard that’s large enough our entire region can fit in the space for meetings, gatherings, and celebrations, is being transformed into a ceremony circle fit for the gods.
Our best decorations, florals, and curtains line a platform that’s been staged right in front of the Grand Oddian Library. Its lavish appearance forces me to focus on what’s sitting on it.
The Volreen. A creation of the Beginning Gods.
There are four in existence.
White gems dot the sculpted bowl that sits on top of the ancient obsidian stone carved pillar. The creation appears as if the Valories themselves sliced and molded it from a piece of the night sky. It doesn’t hold liquid, smoke, or anything, for that matter.
Whatever floats inside of it is the pure essence of the Beginning Gods and a touch of the Valories.
I’ve never dared reach my hand near it, but I’ve watched others drop their blood inside.
Four of the six regions celebrate a Veiling Day. A Gods Chancellor escorts the sacred creations to the regions prior to the ceremony. This one arrived here at our little slice of paradise two days ago.
The Chancellor gave the same speech as every year, then he called upon all who wanted to enter. The lines instantly started forming. I stood back beside Mellcom as every member of our training group went up.
Each of them pricked or cut their finger and allowed their blood to sink into the Volreen. Just that little piece of your essence ties you to the Veiling.
There’s no backing out from there.
The Volreen measures your worth and potential power. Then it decides if you are one of the twenty across the realm strong enough to have your power returned to you.
They say only the strongest get chosen, but no one is exactly sure what strength is being measured. If it were just sheer strength, there are many here who should’ve been called over some of the past Chosen.
Mellcom bumps me with his arm, nodding toward our house. “We don’t have much time and I’m starving.”
“I’m thinking about whipping up some of those berry cheesecake crepes. Those were so good.”
“You and your mortal recipes.”
My nostrils twitch at Jeremiah’s intrusion. He’ll be eating with us, yes, but that doesn’t give him a say in what I cook. He needs to be happy I prepare enough to include him.
Today may be the day I poison him.
“You know, I’ve never heard you complain about eating anything that was recorded from the nonmagical realm unless I bring it up.”
“That’s because you’re obsessed with them and the Unclaimed. It’s a disgrace.”
“You’re a dis—”
“Enough, both of you.”
Mellcom’s bark has Jeremiah and me sending each other scathing looks, but we hold back any more remarks. I really can’t stand him. It’s only got worse since the breakup.
So much for thinking we could “be friends.”
We walk the remaining distance to our house in silence and the annoyance leaks out of me as I return a wave to our neighbors. One of whom is about the only friend I have, my best friend. The other beside him is his adorable little sister. She’s so precious and always brings a smile to my face with how eager she gets to see me.
“Thayla, Thayla!” Laney jumps up and down beside her brother, Lambrit. He swipes the pan out of her hand before she drops it with all her bouncing.
“No hey for me, little Laney,” Jeremiah teases, messing up her hair as he walks past her. Her sneer is the cutest thing, and I know it’s completely for my benefit.
I laugh at her scrunched-up face, then hold her at arm’s length when she tries to wrap herself around me. Her mother will kill me if I get her messy. “No hugs right now, sweet girl. You look absolutely beautiful, and I’m covered in dirt.”
“You like my dress? It’s the finest one I’ve ever gotten. Momma says she’s been praying real hard this year, and this will be the year Lambrit gets chosen.”
I force a smile I don’t feel as I glance over at him. He gives me the same one in return.
“Mom’s feeling optimistic this morning. She and Laney made you three an egg casserole. She said doing a selfless deed will be viewed as a favor in the eyes of the gods today.”
Right.
“Your dress is stunning, Laney. And you helped make us breakfast? You’re the sweetest thing in all the Valorian Veil, you know that?”
Her giggle eases the tension in my heart at the mention of her brother entering the Veiling. He’s the only person who hasn’t completely turned his back on me. Well, and aside from her, but she’s too young to truly know what’s going on.
“Laney, come on. I need to finish up your hair. Oh…good morning.”
I stand straight and drop my hands from Laney’s shoulders. I give her a little boop on the nose before she runs off. “Good morning, Mrs. Armend. Thank you for the casserole. It smells delicious.”
“Thayla, yes, well, the gods appreciate our good deeds to others. Come on, sweetheart.”
I drop my fake smile when she turns her back to us and takes Laney in. My eyes cut over to Lambrit’s snickering. “It’s not funny. She despises me.”
“She despises most people. You’re just at the top of the list.”
I playfully smack him on his arm before taking the pan he passes me. “So this is your year, huh?”
He blows out a harsh breath and runs his hand down the back of his neck. “I doubt it, Thay. I’m not like Mellcom and Jeremiah…you know.”
“No, you’re better. You don’t have to pound your fist into shit to be strong. You’re the smartest person in all of Oddian. If the gods don’t see that as a strength, then they’re fools.”
His face fills with panic as he looks up, down, and around. I smirk at the worry written across every feature. “Damn it, Thayla, you can’t say that today of all days.”

I can’t help my chuckle. “They aren’t listening to what little ol’ me has to say. Everything’s going to be fine. One way or another, I’ll see you after the ceremony, okay?”
Either to kidnap him or just hang out.
“Yeah, you’re right.” He sighs, and his shoulders deflate as doubt creeps across him. “I’ll see you soon.”
I smile to myself as we go our separate ways to the few feet distance between his front door and mine. This same time last year, we had a very different conversation.
He broke the news to me right after my outburst in the arena that his parents had made him enter the Veiling. I attempted to cut our friendship off. The thought of him being chosen and leaving gutted me.
He didn’t allow that, though.
He’s the one who found me where they left me unconscious in the arena the next morning. When I gained consciousness, he was hovering over me, spouting off every fact he could think of that pertained to my injuries.
I croaked at him to go away.
He glared at me and said, “You gave me no choice but to be your friend, so now you’re going to do the same, like it or not. I’ve always known you didn’t like the gods. Everyone else is just stupid or blind.”
I laughed pitifully, then groaned, “Okay.”
I swore then I’d support him no matter what just as he was doing for me. If he ever got chosen, I’d just kidnap him and run away.
That’s still the plan. He just doesn’t know it.
I kick my door the rest of the way open from where the guys left it cracked. Only a few paces in, I find the two savages already sitting at the table, waiting to be fed.
Helpless men.
“Mrs. Armend was kind enough to make us breakfast today.”
“Thank fuck. Now I don’t have to choke down whatever nonmagical slop you whipped up.”
The pan clatters on the table as I glare at Jeremiah. If it weren’t wasteful and I weren’t so hungry, I’d throw it in the trash just to piss him off. I make sure to only grab a plate and fork for Mellcom and me, then load food on my plate with a spiteful grin on my face.
Mellcom silently shakes his head while Jeremiah bangs around the kitchen, getting what he needs. All the while he calls me every colorful thing he can think up.
I think my favorite slur of his is just the good old-fashioned bitch.
A ‘mortal’ term, mind you, but that doesn’t matter because it’s coming from his lips not mine.
I shove a forkful of food in my mouth and sigh happily as I lean back in my chair. These are no crepes, but the flaky eggs, meat crumbles, and cheeses baked to perfection are just as good, if not better.
After the grueling hours of exercise, this hits the spot.
“How much are you going to miss me when I get chosen today?” Jeremiah’s question has my fork pausing millimeters from my mouth. It’s the seriousness behind it that catches my attention.
My eyebrow arches as I lay my food down. “You really think you’re getting chosen today?”
“I do. This is my Veiling. I know it.”
Better him than Lambrit.
Out of my peripheral, I catch the smallest of flinches pass through Mellcom. He continues to eat as though he didn’t hear the question.
“The house would be quieter without you.”
“That’s not a good enough answer.”
“It’s the only one you’re getting.”
He goes to smart off, but Mellcom bangs his fists on the table so hard our dishes rattle. “Could the two of you get along for the morning? Just one fucking morning.”
A tense silence descends on the kitchen. It makes the glorious food I was indulging in settle in my stomach like a stone.
Each bite I take now tastes like nothing and eventually the awkwardness gets to me.
“I’m going to shower. Enjoy the ceremony.” I push from the table and place my plate in the sink. I stomp my way to the hallway door but pause before passing through, deciding I’ll be the bigger person today. “Good luck, Jeremiah.”
His and Mellcom’s gazes lock together, and they must believe I’m blind if they think I can’t tell they’re having one of their silent conversations. A condescending snort passes through his stuffed mouth, and I shove through the door.
Gods let him be gone.
The hot water pulls a hiss from my lips the second I step under it. It washes away the daily aggravation brought on from training and the constant bickering in my home.
Life used to be so much simpler, I swear.
It all started changing before I opened my big mouth. That was just the peak. The true descent began twelve years ago.
When Meridamus left…
Before Mellcom, his dad was the arena training leader. Meridamus made it easy for me. He really just made me run a lot. When he started making me go to the arena daily with them, I could only spar with him. I loved and respected him as my guardian, so I kept my head down and did what I was told.
Him leaving changed Mellcom. Understandably.
He went from being an irresponsible twenty-year-old to arena leader and having to take on the task his dad usually did within the community.
He’s denied it all these years, but I know he blames me. The little slip of a note his dad left us saying he had to go help my parents—for what, where, and why, he didn’t say—was the start of him growing harder on me.
It was a slow change that happened over the years until my outburst. Him pulling punches, metaphorically and literally, ended that day.
Now there’s this weird wall between us. I both crave our old relationship and grow more resentful that he sits back or participates in me getting annihilated every day for a life-changing move I’m not even interested in.
We don’t even know what takes place at Godsden. This torturous training everyone goes through is probably for nothing.
Jeremiah and I got along great. A little too great, obviously…
Our separation came from his constant obsession with getting chosen at the Veilings. It clashed with me refusing to enter and my desire not to be with someone who wanted to enter.
We actually did bounce right back into friendship after our breakup for a short time. Well, if we’re being honest, friends who kept wandering into each other’s rooms. We agreed and were mature enough to get along under the same roof and go back to the way things were.
Until my true feelings about the gods came out.
Now he views me in a different, hateful light. He’s been an infuriating mix of acting like he owns me because no one else would ever want me now, yet he hates me.
I’m so over it.
My hand slaps against the nozzle and the water swirls down the drain. It’s exhausting living every day with this much resentment.
Go be the bigger person, Thayla.
Maybe after this Veiling, some things will change.
My towel swallows me up and I rub down my new marks from today with some healing balm I’ve perfected over the years. A few nicks broke the skin, but nothing is too bad, and I sigh in relief as I massage the cream around my sore ankle.
Fucking Jeremiah.
The guys’ voices drift from the front as soon as I open the bathroom door, and my feet patter across the hall to my bedroom.
I shut the door behind me and take two steps toward my closet, but the outfit laid across my bed has me freezing in place. The sight of it instantly causes my hot skin to break out into chill bumps.
I’m not sure how long I sit here and stare at it. I don’t even realize I moved until my fingers glide down the soft golden satin.
It’s a gorgeous gown.
Fit for a ceremony.
My hair whips around my neck as I rush from my room and stomp down the hallway. The creaking on the hinges of the door that leads back to the kitchen is drowned out when it bangs against the wall.
“Which one of you put that outfit on my fucking bed?”
Both Mellcom and Jeremiah stop fiddling with the belts they’re lacing around their waists. As tradition, they dress in their armored best.
The females wear their best gowns.
“Go get dressed, Thayla. We’re going to be late.”
The detached coldness dripping from Mellcom’s tone has me taking a step back. He ignores my glare as he bends down to tie his shoe and I clutch my towel tighter.
“I’m not going to be late for anything. I’m not going to the Veiling.”
“You are.”
The finality in his words has both chills and heat flashing through my blood. There’s a lot he’s made me do that I haven’t wanted to, but going to a Veiling Ceremony has never been one of them.
“I am not—”
“You’re going to go get dressed now or I’m going to dress you myself. Then we’ll drag you kicking and screaming the whole way there. Don’t make him repeat himself.”
I scoff at Jeremiah’s words, but my scowl melts off my face when Mellcom stands back straight, runs his hands down his outfit, and just stares at me.
“Mell…”
“Go.”
That order has me stumbling back and confusion clouding my mind. I nearly fall through the open doorway when Jeremiah stalks forward. The seriousness pouring off him tells me he’s almost itching to follow up on his threat.
My chest heaves as my mind devises a plan. They’ve positioned themselves right in front of the front door, so I won’t be able to get out through there. Either of them could catch me if I made a run for the back. Maybe my window…
“Don’t try, Thay. This Veiling is important to me. I’m asking you to put your differences aside and be there for me. Us. If you and Jer could’ve acted civil for five seconds at breakfast, I would’ve talked to you about it then.”
Cold realization washes over my warm skin. “Did you enter the Veiling?”
The tremble in my voice has him bowing his head and I suck in a shocked gasp.
No. He promised. He swore he wouldn’t enter until his dad or my parents returned. Maybe even never.
You don’t return from Godsden.
“Did you—”
“Go get dressed, please.”
The soft command lands with a sword through my heart.
He broke the promise he made me. His dad. My parents.
We swore we’d never enter the Veiling.
But he did.
And he’ll be chosen. He’s the strongest of us all.

7%


If not for Laney’s hand squeezing mine and her bubbly excitement, I’d be as rigid as a statue standing here.
I’m trying to hide the fact that I’m internally panicking and so angry I have half a mind to walk up to the platform and flip it over.
“You look like a goddess, Thayla. I’m so happy you came with me.” She pulls my arm up and down as she bounces on her toes.
I muster up as much courage as I can in the smile I give her. When she saw Mellcom and Jeremiah marching me out our door, she squealed in delight. I refused to meet Lambrit’s eyes and told her I decided I wanted to see her again in her beautiful dress.
I tenderly pat her hand. “Thank you. So do you.”
As soon as I glance above her head, I immediately wish I hadn’t. A multitude of questions swim across Lambrit’s face. None of which I can give him an answer to right now.
I’m not speaking the truth out loud.
It’ll only give more power to the possibility of Mellcom being chosen.
My heart hurts from his decision. Despite where this last year has brought us, it’s always been the two of us.
He’s my idol, the big brother I always wanted, and he always took the role seriously. He put the fear in everyone—you mess with her, you deal with me.
No one but him could fight with me unless he said so.
Now it seems all we do is fight with each other.
And he’s about to leave me to become a god.
“Oddian.”
The Gods Chancellor’s booming voice causes me to startle. Luckily, Laney releases me at the same moment and starts clapping frantically. Unfortunately, on the other side of me, a much stronger hand grips my shoulder.
He’s not getting chosen…
He is.
He’s not.
The madness running through my mind silences when the Chancellor raises his hand.
“I am Chancellor Gulliver. The gods have been gracious enough to bless us with another day. Not just any but another Veiling. Today, their sacred Volreen will choose the five of you who will best serve this realm. You will join those who have come before you in pursuit of reaching your full power. You will join the Beginning Gods, the Domain Gods, and those under them.”
Ground-trembling cheers pierce the air and I grit my teeth. It’s as though none of them have ever thought for a second that the gods are to blame for us not having our power now.
Chancellor Gulliver raises his palm as white light glows from the Volreen and again, silence follows. “The blood that was given as an offering has been examined. The gods have decided who among you will rise. It is time to fulfill your duty to the realm. To your gods.”
My heart thunders. Its erratic pulse beats throughout my whole body. It syncs with the vibrations in the ground and there’s no part of me that doesn’t shudder from the budding anticipation.
This entire experience makes me feel sick.
This is not how it should be.
I take a deep breath and hold it as the Chancellor slides his hand into the bowl of the Volreen. The white light crawls up his arm, and he smiles as though it’s the most glorious sensation he’s ever experienced.
When he withdraws his hand, his green robe that’s lined in gold is still just as dry and pristine as it was when he reached in. There’s no evidence that he even invaded the sacred stone other than the strip of parchment pinched in his fingers.
“Garish Foremus.”
The air in my lungs rushes out and the roaring from the left of me captures my attention. The crowd cheers and claps the man on his back as he walks by them.
His face, one I’ve seen daily for years, is serious, but even from here I see the tremble in his curled fingers that hang at his sides. I know little about him other than he’s a worthy fighter. I’ve never beaten him and typically cringe when we’re paired together.
That’s one from our group.
I fight the need to peer at Mellcom. His words from earlier this morning are feeling more like prophecy rather than words of encouragement.
The Chancellor bows to Garish as he makes his way onto the platform. They share a few whispered words that none of us can hear, then Garish turns toward us and bows.
Everyone loses their ever-loving minds.
The noise is deafening as though they haven’t witnessed this before.
The Chancellor’s beaming smile and movement toward the Volreen have everyone settling down. He repeats the same process and again, I swallow down all the air I can.
“Lambrit Armend.”
Everything moves in slow motion. Disbelief floods me as my eyes water and my lips part. My stomach revolts and I place my hand over my mouth to hide my gagging.
Mr. Armend’s deep voice pierces my panic as his strong arms pull Lambrit into a hug. He’s wearing the biggest smile I’ve ever seen cross his usually stoic face. “I’m so proud of you, son.”
Lambrit’s stunned expression searches mine even as his mom cups his cheeks. Proud tears cascade down her face, and Laney wraps her arms around him.
I’m going to scream. I’m going to…
Get it together for now.
My mouth snaps shut, and I force my hands to work up a clap for him. I bite my bottom lip to stop the trembling as I nod encouragingly.
If knowledge is measured as a strength, he has that tenfold.
Too bad he’s not fucking going.
He stumbles from his parents, and Laney nearly tackles me as she wraps her arms around my waist. She’s both cheering and crying. I don’t think her little mind and heart know what to feel right now.
My fingers run through her hair as her big brother and the Chancellor repeat what Garish did prior. Both his parents cheer wildly when he bows to all of us, and I choke down the lump forming in my throat.
I swallow repeatedly as we prepare for the third name. My previous worry that Mellcom’s words were looking like prophecy dissipates. My only concern now is my plan to get Lambrit and get us across the Unclaimed region’s barrier before the carriage for the Chosen arrives.
“Jeremiah Etain.”
What? Shit.
I didn’t seriously pray he’d get chosen.
My body becomes heavy as I sway. Laney’s arms tighten around me as Mellcom grips my forearm. He holds me long enough to steady me, then lets go. His arm brushes mine as he steps in front of Jeremiah, and they lay their foreheads together. The smile on both their faces makes my stomach sink.
Don’t they realize he’ll be gone forever?
Jeremiah steps away from Mellcom and his eyes bore into mine. His thumb traces across my cheekbone and part of me wants to slap it away. The other part wants to snatch him back and tell him a different Jeremiah was called.
It’s very possible to hate someone and stupidly care for them at the same time. I truly despise this man down to my bone marrow for all that he’s put me through, but I loved him once upon a time. I still appreciate what he’s provided for Mellcom.
The role he holds in our society hasn’t given him an opportunity to make a lot of meaningful relationships. Many can’t let go of what he puts them through in training to be genuine friends outside of those arena walls.
Jeremiah can, though. He always has.
He’s done me wrong on countless occasions, but never Mellcom. He’d lay his life on the line for my brother, and that’s the only reason I tolerate him as much as I do.
The Chancellor shows his respect to Jeremiah, then the three men now standing around the Volreen nod to one another in unity.
I’m going to be sick.
Two more. Let’s get this over with.
The whispers surrounding me fade out as the Chancellor reaches his hand into the Volreen for the final male’s name. I honestly hope the sacred creation decides to go off course and calls the female’s name first just to throw everyone off.
“Mellcom Bellame.”
My internal wish for chaos melts away. My chest collapses as though I’ve just been kicked straight in the heart. I dig my fingers into his skin and put a death grip on his forearm to hold him back.
“No.” All I can do is breathe the word.
That’s everyone in my life.
“It’s decided, Thay.”
My head shakes violently as he grips the back of my neck, then tears himself from me. I gently unwrap Laney’s hands from around me and pass her to her mother. My feet don’t make it a step past Mr. Armend before he grips me by my arm.
“You can’t interfere, Thayla. This is the will of the gods.”
“No, no, no.”
How…how did he know? He knew. He had to have known.
Mr. Armend’s hand stays tightly coiled around my bicep, but surprisingly, the other runs softly up and down my other arm. It takes me countless seconds to realize Mrs. Armend is also gripping my hand and Laney is back wrapped around me.
My head swivels to the right where we were just standing, and the empty sight knocks the wind out of me.
Three of the five Chosen all came from this row. All the people I’ve ever let close in my life are leaving me.
I’m being left all over again.
Mellcom’s and Jeremiah’s faces are set in grim lines while Lambrit’s is full of worry as he watches his family embrace me. This is the first time and probably the last, his parents put aside their differences concerning me.
They’ll really never forgive me for what I have planned.
Especially if I fail.
I fight back the tears that want to fall. They blur my sight as I stare unblinkingly at the three of them standing on the platform. My ears ring with the internal scream I’m bellowing.
“No,” Laney cries. I glance down at her as her arms tighten around me to the point they’re constricting.
My hand moves mindlessly as I rub the back of her hair. Reality is setting in for her and as much as I want to tell her she still has me, I’ll look after her, I can’t. It’d be a lie. I’m getting Lambrit and myself out of here as soon as this is over.
“Laney, sweetheart, you have to let her go.”
My body trembles at Mrs. Armend’s words. Her face has taken on a deathly pale color and her hand is trembling slightly against mine that’s petting Laney.
“Why does she—”
“Thayla Godrun.” The Chancellor’s voice thunders.
The hint of annoyance in his tone snaps my attention to him. I find him, the four men on the platform, and the entire crowd turned in my direction.
Was I freaking out?
Was I screaming out loud?
Why is he calling my name and staring at me?
“Thayla, you must go.” Mrs. Armend’s words are firm as she pulls Laney out of my arms. My hands reach out to wipe her cheeks, but Mr. Armend stops me.
“Go…go where?”
I must have hit my head this morning in training. Everything is sluggish, and my mind can’t catch up on what’s happening right now. There’s a whistle blowing in my ears, and I’m lost in the sea of stares focused solely on me.
“You’ve been chosen.”
Chosen.
No. No, I have not. I didn’t enter.
I’m not sure if I spoke my denial out loud or if I took a step away, but Mr. Armend snatches me around. He forces my feet to work as he drags me until I’m stumbling on the path made for the Chosen to walk down.

I don’t have to watch him to know he’s returned to Mrs. Armend and Laney’s side. Her cries and questions are loud.
I’m shaking like a leaf hanging on for dear life during a storm. The pressure behind everyone’s stares builds. At any moment, I’m going to be buried alive under the weight growing on my shoulders.
I search out my best friend, then my brother. He’s the one I’ve run to for everything for twenty years. He’ll tell me what to do. He’ll know what’s going on.
The depths of his hunter green eyes are where I always find comfort and reassurance.
Right now, they’re shattered.
Unease fills my stomach. The longer I search, the more I see.
A small chuckle, covered by a cough, has me moving my attention to the other side of him. The pleasure written across Jeremiah’s face seals what I already know on a soul level but refuse to accept.
Mellcom won’t meet my gaze again. He doesn’t have to, though. Guilt is scripted across his face. He can’t hide from me.
Clarity slices my heart in two, and my panic subsides to barely restrained rage. An inferno burns through me.
A throat clearing has me redirecting my glare and the annoyance on the Chancellor’s face flinches at whatever he sees. He quickly rights it and an unmistakable warning stares back at me.
I take the hint.
I’m not sure how I make it up the platform steps, but I have enough wits about me to reluctantly bow back to the Chancellor. Although the show of respect was begrudging on his part as well.
Before I have the chance to place myself at the end of the line, Mellcom and Jeremiah step apart. Each grip an arm of mine and place me between them. I imagine sending fire to the spots where their hands touch me. If I could, I’d burn them to a crisp where they both stand.
“Oddian, I give you this Veiling’s Chosen.”
The entire community erupts in cheers.
They celebrate as though they’ve forgotten the past year. As if they don’t recall the shriek that left my lips and caused them all to treat me as a societal disease.
They’re so swept up in their excitement, they’re blind to the fury coursing through my shaking skin.
The tears streaming down little Laney’s cheeks halt my disgust at the crowd.
Sweet girl.
There have been times when I’ve thought about how much more mature I was at her age. It was a real concern I had for her before I realized she’s had a perfectly normal childhood. I did not. She’s always acted her age and just as she should.
Now it’s like looking into the past as she sits there and sobs because she’s being left behind.
I know the feeling all too well.
It’s only because of her that I don’t kick the fucking Volreen off the platform.
“Return to your homes and give thanks to the gods as you say your goodbyes. Necessities only. The rest will be provided for you. Very soon, you will embark on your journey to Godsden.”
With that, a flash of white light swallows the Chancellor and the Volreen. Nothing is left standing where they just were.
It’s called starshooting. It’s the means of movement through the realm that only those with godly power can access.
An ability the five of us will gain one day soon.
I wish I had it now. I’d starshoot as far away as I could.
Oddian continues to roar in happiness around us as we march back through their parted path.
I’m not marching. I’m being dragged.
Each step we take, I allow my temper to grow.
How the fuck is this even possible?
Who did what?
I will get my answers.
Mellcom’s and Jeremiah’s hands tighten around my biceps as though they feel my blood heating beneath my skin. Or they’re preparing for me to bolt. Smart on their part.
The sadness that sweeps through me is like a blanket of ice over my fury as our bright white front door comes into view.
Its coloring is stark against the simple dark gray stone structure it’s built into. So is the lush green grass I’ve spent hours lying on, daydreaming about dancing in the clouds or flying in the stars. The rainbow of flowers I smell daily to calm myself when I return from a brutal training will wilt and die since I won’t be here to water them.
It isn’t much, but it’s more than enough for me.
It’s my home.
A home that’ll soon be packed up by strangers and moved to the region’s center since Mellcom and I have no family to collect it for us.
It’s where I’ve lived for the last twenty years of my life, waiting for my parents to return for me. I accepted long ago that they missed the entirety of my teen years, but my heart held hope they’d be back for my adult ones.
The ones where a different stage of life started.
Now I have to unwillingly say goodbye to this home and that dream.
Their hands release me as we approach the front door and there’s a tremor in my fingers as I reach for the knob. It takes me two tries to actually get a grip on it to turn it.
The creak of the hinges that I’ve grown accustomed to hearing every day sounds harrowing. It echoes through the empty house as though it’s warning all the rooms, this will be the last time we enter it.
My steps carry me to the middle of the room at the division of the kitchen and living room. A space so small the area is really just one.
“We need to go get our things.”
Mellcom’s voice washes away my melancholy and my fury barges to the surface once more. My tightly braided bun of hair comes loose from the speed behind me whipping around. The words I want to say, scream, get stuck in my throat.
I want to slap the guilt right off his face.
“We’ll explain when we leave. Go get your things.”
My sneer is vicious as it runs up and down Jeremiah.
“We? As in, not only did you know, you had a hand in this as well?”
His silence speaks volumes, but whereas Mellcom seems riddled with guilt, Jeremiah is giddy.
The curl on his lips as he prowls toward me is the last drop in the bucket of my anger. He goes to open his mouth once there are only a few inches between us, but I don’t care to hear it.
My knee rises faster than he can get a breath out.
Instead of whatever it was he was going to say, a pitiful whimper falls from him as he grabs his crotch and hits his knees.
Exactly where he belongs.
I raise my leg and kick my foot out as hard as I can directly to his chest. The hit sends him flailing backward and his head ricochets off the ground.
The force of my back hitting the floor steals the air from my lungs and Mellcom’s weight makes it impossible to pull more in.
I bash my fist into his throat before he can pin my arms down, then my body follows him over as he falls back. My gown ripping covers the sound of him wheezing.
My fists continue to pound against him as my legs straddle his waist. I don’t know where I hit. Each strike is uncoordinated, chaotic, and full of the hurt from his betrayal.
How could he do this to me?
“Thayla.” The shout comes seconds before I’m lifted. I fight the grip with everything I got so I can continue beating the hell out of Mellcom. “Thayla, stop, it’s me.”
Lambrit’s voice pierces the panic-induced fury, and my hands let him go, then flop to my sides. He holds me up as I struggle to catch my breath, and his tremors pass into me.
He’s not a fighter. Never has been.
“What the fuck is your problem?” Jeremiah bellows as he attempts to help Mellcom up, but my traitorous brother waves him off.
Lambrit’s arm tightens around me as I try to take a step forward.
“My problem? I know you’re a self-centered ass, Jeremiah, but not so much that you honestly think I’ve done something wrong this time. You two betrayed me.”
His sneer is cruel, but Mellcom’s hand to his chest holds back any more retorts he may want to say. “Go get packed. I need to talk to her.”
I glare at him as he stomps from the room and it’s only when I hear his door slam do I turn my scowl back to Mellcom.
“Talk. Now.”
“Lambrit, give us a minute.”
“No. Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of him. Own your actions, Mellcom.”
He grits his teeth and his fists ball at his sides. “I entered you into the Veiling. I had no choice.”
“What does that even mean? There’s always a choice.”
“No, not always, Thayla.”
“Had no choice or chose wrong? That’s two different things. I want the whole truth, Mellcom. NOW.” My shout rattles the windows.
“A god told me to.”
A cold sweat breaks out across my skin and Lambrit flinches beside me. He pulls himself together far faster than I do. “A god spoke to you? When?”
Mellcom’s taurnshit remorseful gaze answers the silence. It tells me a thousand words, and the breath that whooshes out of me leaves my lungs empty.
“After the last Veiling.”
He nods. “I was visited twice. The night before the last Veiling and the night after. I was instructed the night before to get up and go enter you. I thought I was having a crazy dream and couldn’t sleep the rest of the night. That morning, my head pounded from the dream replaying repeatedly. It had me paranoid, angry, confused…
“After what you said that morning in the arena, I decided enough was enough. It was a lucid dream, my fears just getting the best of me, and the gods would never truly want you now. I swore I wouldn’t make you train at the arena any longer. I only continued to make you go because Dad told me to. He’s the one who’s always said you needed to be just as ready as everyone else. I was going to give in to what you’ve been asking and train you privately.
“That night, though, I had the second dream. Unlike the first where I only heard the voice, this time I woke up in the middle of the arena in the dead of night alone. I wasn’t physically there, but mentally. That’s when the god approached me.” He holds his hand up, halting Lambrit from asking his question.
“It was most certainly a god. I could feel his power. It was the strongest sensation I’d ever felt. Even mentally, it brought me to my knees. He told me you had to enter the next Veiling. I explained as cryptically as I could that you weren’t interested in gaining your power. He said this was nonnegotiable. His only compromise was he’d make sure I’d be chosen as well so you wouldn’t go alone.”
“Let me guess, you’ve prayed every day since that Jeremiah would be chosen as well?”
He doesn’t respond, but his locked jaw tells me all I need to know.
“Who was the god?” Lambrit asks.
“I don’t know. He didn’t formally introduce himself.”
“Let me get this straight—You took instructions from an unknown god about entering me into the Veiling. As well as bargaining a way in yourself plus Jeremiah’s ass, when our parents made us promise we never would. Are you fucking kidding me, Mellcom? What are you leaving out?”
“For fuck’s sake, Thayla, get over what our parents said,” he bellows as he throws his hands up, causing everything inside of me to go cold. “There’s no credible reason for yours or their disdain toward the gods. The Valories took the power from the people but left it for the Beginning Gods and others of their choosing. That was their decision as the creators and now the gods are trying to make it right by the Veiling’s. So who the fuck am I to question a god when they give me a message?”
“Messages aren’t laws, Mellcom. Nor did you have to keep this from her, but you chose to. My upbringing is far different from either of yours, but these beliefs are something all your parents shared for a reason. You should’ve talked to Thayla about this,” Lambrit says firmly.
The remorse that had been etched into Mellcom’s features fractures. Behind that mask, a truth peeks out that I catch. He doesn’t try to cover it up when he meets my stare and the weight behind his real why he didn’t say anything slams into me.
“Gods. Our parents…” I murmur. “That’s the truth of why you did it. You didn’t enter me because the god told you to, you damned liar. You did it to gain your power and find your dad. I was just your way to Godsden.”
He places his hands on his hips and sighs deeply. My heart drops, as does his head. The truth lingers in the air like toxic fumes, choking me until I’m dragging in ragged breaths.

“Our parents. We can find all our parents now.”
I snatch at my roots and my voice bellows out of me. “That’s the opposite of what they told us to do, Mellcom.”
His closed off, blank stare stabs through me. He doesn’t care. He’s standing behind his decision.
“We don’t have long to get our things. Come on, Thay.” Lambrit’s soft tone eases the tension-filled silence. He doesn’t give Mellcom or me a chance to say anything else as he drags me to my room.
I head straight for my bed and plop down on the edge as he goes to my closet and grabs my bag. I bury my face in my hands and groan. “This isn’t happening.”
“I’m sorry, Thay. I know this isn’t what you want, but what’s done is done. Your blood is tied somehow. If you don’t go, they’ll come for you. I can’t imagine if a god told Mellcom to enter you, he’ll take kindly to you avoiding this.”
His sad smile doesn’t make me feel better. My lips pinch as I snatch the bag out of his outstretched hand. If there’s one thing I can always count on Lambrit for, it’s him being very literal.
Obviously, this is happening.
And I know which fucking god to blame for this.
“Go pack. We’ve got to get going,” I demand as I stand and start shoving shit mindlessly into my bag.
“I packed last night. We’ve got a little time until the carriage arrives.”
I drop my bag and ball my fists. “Then go get your stuff. We’re not going to the fucking carriage, Lambrit.”
The multiple conflicting emotions that’re bubbling in me continue to leak out, and I force myself to stop moving before I say something I don’t mean to the only person I have left.
I pick my bag up and walk over to my bed, then dump all the random clothes out I just put in it beside him. He instantly cringes and begins refolding my shirts.
“Thayla.”
“No.”
I stomp into my closet and lean my head against my clothes hanging on the wooden pole. I breathe in the scent. It’s nothing fancy. No fine perfumes or fragrances from the richer parts of the realm, but the smell of the angel orchid fields has seeped its way into everything.
It’s a smell I’m so used to and look forward to every day.
“I’m torn between knowing you need a moment, but also I’m afraid if I leave you, you’ll run.”
My head tilts toward where he’s leaning on the closet door, and I give him a small smile.
“We will really run. We are running.”
“We can’t, Thay. We’re going to go to Godsden together.” His words shatter me, but my decision is made.
“You’re a great friend, you know that, Lambrit?”
“Yes, I do, but so are you. So I’m asking you as my best friend who my sister loves more than she loves me, please don’t do anything stupid. Don’t bring the gods’ fury here to her. I may pray to them, but I’m not naïve about them. We have to go to Godsden, Thayla. We’re tied to the Volreen. They’ll know. Please. For me.”
His tone causes my chest to crumble and my teeth grind together. If there was one thing he could’ve said to throw a wall in front of my escape plan, that was it.
Despite how almost all of Oddian has treated me over the past year, I’d never want them to face any sort of wrath because of me. Especially not the sweet, innocent little girl whose life is about to change drastically as it is.
I wouldn’t wish to bring any harm to the beings who are on the other side of the Unclaimed region’s barrier either.
“Fine. I just need a minute. I’ll change, pack, then I’ll come to your house. Since you’re already ready, why don’t you go tell Maria bye?”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because she has feelings for you and I’m sure she’s upset you’re leaving.”
“Really? I never got that from her.”
Poor, sweet Lambrit. He cares more about his reading than relationships.
“Then do me a favor before I come over and explain to…” My voice quivers. I don’t even want to say it.
“Mom’s explaining to Laney what’s happening. I’m pretty sure she understands completely, but…she’s going to take this hard.”
“Then just give me a moment. I won’t run.”
His shoulders sag. The genuine fear he has right now cuts me, but I can’t blame him. If him potentially running would cause Mellcom harm, I’d be the same way.
The thought immediately sends fire licking through me.
I would’ve been the same way…had today never happened.
I jerk my head toward the door. “I’ll be out soon.”
He finally takes the hint, and I don’t exhale until I hear the click behind him. I battle the tears that want to fall with each article of clothing I put in my bag.
I finally tell myself enough is enough. Necessities only and nothing here is really necessary. My parents left me with only a bag of clothes, my memories, and my dreams. What I’m leaving behind are replaceable clothes, blankets, shoes, and books.
Hopefully, whoever packs the house gives it all to someone who needs it more than I do now.
My feet stand frozen in the middle of my room.
Disappointment bombards my system.
All these years, I’ve obediently followed the promises I made to my parents and Meridamus. Twenty long years I’ve kept my word and have never prayed, never gone to the gods, and never entered the Veiling.
It only took one taste of power and a step in the direction to find them, for my brother in all ways but parentage to sell me out.
Straight to the god I’ve never prayed to but have blamed every single one of my problems on.
Maybe even that was breaking a rule.
Now I’m reaping what I sowed.
I tug on my long-buried memories. The images of the faces and the voices of the two people who mean more to me than this whole realm surge across my mind. I let their love for me spread throughout my whole body.
Their last words to me, their unyielding love, faith, and promises ring in my ears. It’s another stab to my heart.
I’m so sorry I won’t be here when you return. I’ll be in Godsden.

11%

My continued silence finally irks Kyzen’s nerves, and he groans. That causes Riven to laugh, Creed to grunt, but I don’t bother voicing anything as a shiver races down my spine.
The three of them fall still as the sensation sweeps through them as well. We’re motionless for a breath of a second before turning back around to face the Gods Sanctum.
My stomach twists in knots and I prepare for the unexpected.
Time around us shifts as Kyzen commands it to. We wait for him to see what’s about to happen while we scan every direction. None of the gods rushing around the Assembly seem to be aware of the shift in the air.
“Nothing is about to happen,” Kyzen whispers.
That’s all it takes for Riven to crack.
He slings his head back and an uncontrollable laugh belts out of him. One hand slams against my shoulder while the other holds his stomach. We all look at him like he’s truly gone and lost it now until he wipes away his humorful tears.
“Well, boys, it looks like there’s a little chaos in the air today. Maybe we weren’t so sneaky with our snooping.”
Gods.
One, in particular, that’s been disowned by the many.
Today just got a lot more unpredictable.