Page 185 of The Gods Order

He doesn’t take a step forward, shift his feet, or tilt his head. Nothing. He just stands there, holding the God of Obliteration’s Binding in his hands, and…smiles at me.

“What the hell is going on, Mellcom?” I ask, slowly pushing myself up to my feet.

“So much you couldn’t even begin to fathom, Thay.”

The nickname knots something deep in my chest, but I shove any emotion that arises back down to the depths of the bottomless pit I’ve created for him in my heart.

My fingers flex as I focus inward on myself while holding his gaze.

Boundaries. Nothing. Not even the familiar tingle against my spine.

I reach farther.

Chaos. Accord. Creation. Seduction. Obliteration. Consequence.

Nothing. Nothing. Nothing.

Every domain woven into my body greets me with the same suffocating wall. They don’t stir, twitch, or vibrate. They all respond with nothing but emptiness.

A slow chuckle rumbles from Mellcom’s chest.

“You’re wasting your time reaching for your power. It isn’t going to work here.”

My eyes flick instinctively toward the weathered rack closest to me. Every blade, spear, chain…gone.

My breathing shallows as his grin widens.

“So predictable, Thayla. You have no powers or weapons here. You can try to outrun me, but we both know I’ll catch you. I suppose I wouldn’t mind going a few rounds of hand-to-hand with you.”

He shrugs like that could just be a fun little activity we do to pass the time.

“Where’s here?” I ask.

I already know. It’s quite fucking obvious.

What isn’t obvious is how the hell am I getting out of here.

“The Gods Veil. Well, the God of Obliteration’s Veil. Quite different from the one we stepped into upon our arrival in the Godsden, but a Veil nonetheless.”

I nod slowly as, unfortunately, Harriseen’s words blare through my mind.

“Multiple things will happen when you pass through the Veil. First, you will enter a subconscious state. Where that state of mind leads you is undetermined because it varies from being to being. Some appear in the stars, some lying in bed. It’s a place of your own mental creation.”

“Is this my mental creation or yours?”

He huffs a small laugh as he looks around.

“Mine. I always come here.”

His body shifts a mere inch, but it’s enough for me to see behind him. A breath rips from my chest, and my feet fly forward before I can stop myself.

“Guys—”

Mellcom’s hand wraps around my throat and his grip tightens as he snatches my back against his chest. He squeezes, choking the air out of me as he forces me to face forward.

Through the thin layer of gray, I see them.

My men.