Page 268 of The Gods Order

The first Veilatara that I approach bows his head to me, and I return the gesture before I lay my hands against his contraption.

Okay, power, we got our work cut out for us.

The first four or five Veilatara I free take me about as long as it did for Verlet, but one after the other come, and I get more comfortable. More confident.

A bright smile takes over my face as Veilatara thirteen approaches me. Even her strut is sassy. I’m not the least bit surprised she’s a warrior for this herd.

“Fausta,” I say, bowing back to her. “Ready?”

“Beyond ready. The lot of you haven’t taken me on an adventure in too long. I feared I was going to have to create my own trouble to get attention.”

I chuckle and shake my head at her.

“This is going to be the greatest adventure yet,” I murmur.

“That I agree with.”

She stands still with her head held high as my power does its thing. In just a few moments, her contraption turns to ash.

“There—”

My words cut short as a powerful pulse flows through the ground, and a loud gasp behind me has me whirling around.

My eyes widen as Mara stumbles forward, pressing her finger against her lips. Her attention stays locked on Fausta. The beautiful beast rears up on her hind legs and releases a neigh that vibrates my bones. The second her hooves touch down, she charges forward.

“No way,” I mumble as she and Mara bow to one another.

A surprised laugh huffs out of me as everyone loses their absolute minds all over again. Even the Veilatara stomp and neigh in a way you can tell is utter happiness.

Gladian, Vullie, Barir, and Prath all crowd behind Mara, and I swear to the stars, I’m positive this is the first time I’ve ever seen the God of Strength smile. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Mara so happy.

“That’s literally a perfect match. Fausta is so fucking sassy,” Creed says, and I snicker at him.

“Get your ass back to it, little burden,” Riven says. “We got more connections to make.”

I roll my eyes, but he’s right.

And that’s all the motivation I need.

At Veilatara sixteen, he so graciously brings me one of Vullie’s vials and orders me to drink. My power was barely waning, but I’m obviously not going fast enough for him.

So when I reach the eighteenth Veilatara, I decide to try to push myself a little more. My hands rest on two Veilatara at once. It definitely takes more concentration than the others did, but my process goes just as fast.

Tears have been gathering in my eyes thanks to all the bows and sweet gratitude being whispered in my mind, but I was doing a damn good job not letting them fall. As I continue down the line, though, I spot Seismet strutting around almost nervously.

My men and Verlet have moved behind him as silent supporters and that has so many emotions rumbling in my belly.

The last two contraptions fade to ash, and I smile softly at Seismet.

“Now, are you ready?” I ask.

“I’ve been waiting my whole life for this moment.”

V and Lestari soar from my shoulders as Seismet and I press our foreheads together. We sit with one another for a long moment.

“I know.” The words barely make it past the lump in my throat. “You’ve waited long enough.”

I force myself to pull away before I lose the courage to. My palms settle against the contraption one final time, and the process comes without thought.