“It has somewhere to go now,” she says, pointing her finger up. “Send it back to your creator and allow them to worry about the mess they made.”
My eyes damn near bulge out of my skull. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m pretty pissed off with the Valories right now as well, but that was venom in her tone. Gods and goddesses don’t speak so ill of our creators like that, regardless of whether we’re upset with them. Not out loud, anyway.
Shit.
“V, is that seriously what I’m supposed to do?”
“Yes. Just like last time. Start with the beginning of the Valories prayer, then fill in the rest with what you want.”
“What power do I call forth to do this?”
“All seven.”
I gulp.
Fuck it. Here goes nothing.
I’ve got to get out of this water, drink something, and lie my ass down.
It feels like I just took a beating from hell after not sleeping for a week.
I need my men.
My exhale raises goose bumps across my body as I glare down at the Binding. After I released the power to all of us, the essence floating inside the globe was white like the clouds. Now, it resembles ash blowing in a breeze.
That’s definitely not right.
Let’s get you cleaned up, you powerful little fucker.
Another chuckle slips free from the being in front of me, and I spare the goddess—Willow. Damn, I got to call her by her name—a quick glance before focusing back on the task at hand.
I call all my power forward, and each spot ignites within me. My mind, tongue, throat, hands, upper and lower stomach, and spine all tingle. I breathe through the normal fullness.
That familiar sensation eases my worries that there’s any tainted power left in me.
Now, what do I want to say…
“Don’t think, just speak,”V orders.
Damn, okay.
“By the Valories we do serve. Cleanse the taint this creation preserves. I, Thayla Godrun, command it.”
All seven of my powers puncture the Binding.
A whirlwind of white swirls within the globe as though it’s corralling the corrupt essence in a ball. My whole body vibrates from the force of my powers, and pressure builds to unimaginable heights once again inside of me.
I’ve never felt both so empty and heavy at the same time.
The flow of white and gray smoke shoots from the Binding, directly up, snatching a surprised gasp and grunt from my mouth. The stream seems endless compared to the small space and size of the globe it was just contained in.
“The snap’s coming,” Willow says, and this time, I know what snap she’s talking about.
I lock my knees and tighten my grip.
All my power slams back into me. At first, it’s like a Veilatara has kicked me in the chest, then that pressure liquifies, flowing through my body unrestrained until each power is back in its place.
My struggling, gasping inhale echoes around us, and I wish more than anything I were out of this water so I could bend over and breathe.
