Page 353 of The Gods Order

Some things never change.

The breeze catches the pale curtains, carrying with it the scent of pine and mountain air.

Crossing the room, I pull the fabric aside. The view steals my attention all over again.

Rolling forests stretch farther than the eye can follow, broken only by the towering mountain peaks beyond. A nearby stream murmurs over stone, the sound blending effortlessly with the whisper of the wind.

Peace.

True peace.

Stepping onto the porch, I rest my hands against the railing before glancing toward the wooden swing big enough to fit the five of us.

That spot is going to be her favorite.

That’s where we’ll watch sunrises, sunsets, storms, and so much more.

That’s where we’re simply going to…exist.

Years ago, after the excitement of walking all the regions through the Veil, Thayla shared with us what appeared for her and Derivius in the Veil on her Veiling Day. It was her dream home.

I memorized every single detail she shared, and I have spent years bringing it to life. I collected trinkets, picked out decorations, furniture, paint, everything, but for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out how I was going to build a house in the mountains.

The Plentifuls we have are incredibly skilled, but none of them would’ve been able to pull this off. I asked Val for help, seeing as he and Anaylah have a house in the mountains similar to what Thayla wanted, but he regretfully told me that an Elementrian, an old man, had helped them years ago. Before the portal to Elementra even closed.

Well, lucky for me, with a little time and patience, a surprise trip to Elementra led us to an earth elemental and you’re damn right I asked him for his assistance. Tillman was all too willing to help.

I got him to clear some of the land, create a hot spring for us, and build the house, but other than that, everything else was me.

My gift to my wife and my brothers.

It’s time we move out of the Godsdawn.

Lambrit and Rose were the first two to move out and into the heart of Godsden, right next door to Laney. They’re about three houses down from the Akovas. Yemi and her Valtrue moved out about two years ago. It literally broke Thayla’s heart, but Yemi reassured her she was just a starshoot away. They live on the edge of the cliff, overlooking the Lost Sea. Alamar, God of the Sea, and Evani, Goddess of Nature, are incredibly close to them.

The view is stunning, really.

Not as gorgeous as ours, but…I may be biased.

Mara, Gladian, Barir, Vullie, and Prath moved into Obsidian’s old house. It belonged to Prath anyway, and instead of letting it keep collecting dust, they decided to redo the entire thing.

They like being secluded out in the forest.

Havar and his Starwoven, Seraphine, live in the Meadorium now that he’s the Lead Meadow hand. A position he says he’ll never give up. The Veilatara aren’t required to live there, of course, but it’s where they like to be when they aren’t traveling the realm.

As for us…

We held on to our little house the longest.

It’s hard saying goodbye to where we, my brothers and I, have lived since we were fifteen, and to Thayla, that house was the start of us.

They still don’t know we’re moving, but I think they’ll love our home.

Everything’s come so far, and so much is different now. It’s strange how much can change in twenty years. Some things, especially after the first Veiling had come quickly. Others had taken every ounce of patience we possessed.

The completion of the renovated imitation rooms had been among the first. Iric and Prath threw their all into making them something so much more. When they approached Mayaline, the Goddess of Illusion, for help, she kindly declined.

Well, the Gods Binding took that as her unworthiness.