A smile crosses my face as I think about how Amick is actually a hell of a lot sneakier than we give him credit for. Riven always gets the credit because his methods are louder, more obvious, but in reality, Amick is just as slick. He’s just silent.
I peek an eye open and release a heavy breath as I see him getting closer to the end of the book. His bangs have fallen in his face and are drenched, as is the back collar of his shirt.
Nausea is creeping through me, and I swallow the saliva building in my mouth. “Two-minute warning.”
My power tries to slither back into my skin. Its way of saying okay, I’m reaching a very unfamiliar end of my rope.
Since we’ve been in the Godsdawn, we don’t allow ourselves to tire out like this. We’re always ready, always prepared.
Today will be an exception. Hopefully, one that pays off greatly.
I groan and my fingers tighten on his shoulder. “Amick.”
“Hold on, Kyzen. A few more seconds. You can do it.” His words are strained, barely audible, but I do as he encourages.
I squeeze my eyes shut, and a forceful grunt tears up my throat as I push my power past the point of its limit.
My ass hits the ground and so does his as he snaps his power back inside himself. He leans his back against the cabinet as a heavy breath falls from his chest and his hands fall limply against his lap. There are uncontrollable tremors in his right fingers and no matter how much he flexes them, they don’t stop.
I bury the heels of my hands into my eyes as if I can rub the dizziness and black spots away. My body’s lethargic, and the longer I sit on the floor, the heavier I get.
“Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
My grip on the desk slips as I try to pull myself up and a pile of papers pours down on me. I growl a slew of annoyed curses as I pick them up in as close to the fucking unorderly fashion they were already in.
The last piece I grab gives me pause as I immediately see Thayla’s name, right alongside ours. The whole page is full of completed Valtrues, written in different ink.
“Amick, he has a list of completed Valtrues, which I get isn’t out of the ordinary, but they’re color coordinated.”
I pass him the sheet as he holds his twitching fingers toward it.
“Ellian informed me Harriseen was getting ready to enforce a monthly mandatory power measuring. All completed Valtrues were going to have to put their blood back in the Volreen. We won’t be here for their meeting that approves it, nor will we be for the first measuring.”
“Why does he want to do that?”
“Supposedly, the Gods want to make sure the power they’ve given is being appreciated. It smells of something foul, but I haven’t figured out what yet. I truly don’t know anymore whose side or what the High Chancellor is up to. This hasn’t been a priority of mine to figure out, given everything else going on. It’ll still have to wait.”
“Thayla’s blood can’t go back into the Volreen. We can’t afford anything about her being noticed by the other gods.”
He sighs heavily as he staggers toward the desk and places his hand on his newly copied book. “I know that. We’ll figure that out when we return.”
His starshoot sends the book to his room, I assume, and his entire body slumps forward. He catches himself but barely.
We both shake our heads and gather ourselves enough to cross the room.
“They are leaving now.”
Amick and I startle as V’s voice penetrates our minds.
“Perfect timing. We are as well.”
Amick heads out first, and I crash right into his back as soon as I shut the door behind me.
“What are you—”
A thud echoes down the hall, and I step around him. My eyes grow wide as they run up and down Thayla, Yemi, the body at their feet, then back up to their guilty faces.
“I swear this isn’t what it looks like.”
