Page 334 of The Gods Order

“We pretty much had the same reaction,” he admits.

Rose laughs softly.

“Actually, I think ‘panic’ is the better word. We were honestly petrified thinking we suddenly had a Valtrue.” She brushes her thumb over the black swirling lines. “Your mom eased our worries.”

Thayla’s gaze lifts, following Rose’s, and Anylah smiles knowingly as she joins us.

“Boys. I’m afraid we haven’t been properly introduced.”

Her soft tone flutters between us as she takes us in from head to toe. It isn’t in a judgmental way. More like finally laying her eyes on four boys she’s known since before they were even born.

That’s crazy to think about.

“Oh gods, sorry. That completely slipped my mind,” Thayla says.

She gestures to us one by one as she introduces us, and Anylah’s smile continues to soften.

“It’s so nice to finally meet all of you,” she says, then tilts her gaze up to the sky. “Annalise has been preparing dinner all day and it’s almost ready, but before we eat, I’d like to show all of you something if you’re okay with that.”

Every one of us nods.

Curiosity flickers through Thayla’s soul, mingling with my own.

Amick’s is overwhelming.

“Wonderful,” she says, peering over her shoulder and nodding at Annalise like the two of them already had this planned out.

I see a friendship on the rise.

That would probably be great for both of them, honestly.

The children groan in dramatic protest as Annalise begins shepherding them through the front door.

Riven chuckles under his breath as Rowden attempts to sneak back outside, and he scoops him over a shoulder without breaking his stride.

“I’ve got a runner.”

Laughter follows us into the house, and warmth immediately wraps around me.

The scent of fresh bread and roasted meat lingers in the air. Packed travel bags line one wall of the entryway, while wooden toys and tiny shoes remain scattered across the floor as though the children had abandoned them the moment they arrived.

It feels…

Lived in. Safe. Proof the war never found its way here.

Anylah doesn’t stop walking. She leads us through the entry, smiling at the mess like it’s everything she always wanted in her home before beginning the climb upstairs.

Only Thayla, my brothers, Val, Lambrit, Rose, and I follow.

The quiet settles around us with each step until Anylah pauses outside an intricately carved wooden door. She rests her palm against it for a lingering moment before gently pushing it open.

Even after everything we’ve witnessed over the past few weeks…

Surprise holds me still. Time slows.

A floor-to-ceiling window like a dome wraps around the circular room, revealing the Valorian Veil stretching endlessly in every direction. Beyond the glass, the sky blazes with the last strokes of sunset, painting the clouds in ribbons of amber, violet, and crimson.

As though the realm itself releases its breath, the sun slips beyond the horizon.