CHAPTER TEN

The moment we exited the short, dimly lit hall on the other side of the bathing chamber, conversation ground to an utter halt in the antechamber.

Everyone froze as Reaver flew in behind me and soared upward, landing atop the gleaming cherrybark oak credenza, precariously balanced on its thin top. Well, everyone except Jadis.

The little draken scrambled across the chamber, darting past the oval table on a raised dais framed by two shadowstone pillars. She ran straight for where Reaver had perched himself, arms outstretched toward him, her small wings fluttering wildly and lifting her a few inches off the floor.

Ash swooped down and picked her up before she started scaling the credenza. She responded with an unhappy shriek. "Here," he said, giving the underside of her chin a rub. "You can see him better up here."

Reaver huffed as my gaze bounced over familiar features, seeking out a vibrant redheaded goddess. Everyone was there except Aios . Things had gotten strained toward the end of our conversation, but I didn't think she was angry or upset when she left. Where was—?

All at once, those seated stood, their faces becoming blurs as they lowered to one knee, folded their right palms over their chests, and flattened their other hands against the floor. Heads bowed, one after another in a wave. Every single one of them.

Heart stuttering, I jerked back. "What is everyone doing?"

"We are bowing," Rhahar answered, "to you, meyaah Liessa ."

"You don't need to do that." Warmth crept into my cheeks. "Or call me that."

Beside him, his cousin's head tilted slightly, revealing a hint of one rich, deep-brown cheek raised in a grin.

"It's tradition to greet the Primal of Life in such a manner," Ash explained, and my gaze swung to him. He kept a hand on Jadis's back as she all but teetered on his shoulder.

"Gods are supposed to bow to any Primal, which none of them do for you," I pointed out.

A clawed hand fisted in Ash's hair, tugging strands out of the knot at his nape as he said, "That's because I don't require it of them."

"I don't either."

"You're different, liessa ." He reached up and gently pulled Jadis's claws free of his hair. "You're the true Primal of Life. This is how they honor you whenever you enter the same space as them."

"I'm not different." I threw up my hands in frustration and turned to them. "You don't have to do this—wait." I spun back to Ash. "Are they supposed to do this every time I enter a space?"

Jadis let out an angry screech.

"Yes," Ash stated, catching Jadis's hand as she made to go for his hair again.

"Oh, no. Nope. We are not doing this every time I enter a chamber," I told them, horrified. "I will lose my mind."

"Please, don't do that," Saion said. "We've already dealt with one supreme ruler who wasn't quite right in the head."

Someone who sounded an awful lot like Bele chuckled under her breath. My narrowed gaze swung toward the dark-haired Primal goddess.

"You know," Ash drawled from behind me, "all you have to do is command that they don't."

I opened my mouth.

"But perhaps you should give them permission to rise first," he tacked on.

I slowly turned my head to him. "You couldn't have reminded me of that at the beginning?"

"Perhaps." He once more tugged Jadis's hand free of his hair.

"I hope she pulls out every single strand," I hissed.

" Godsdamnit ," Rhahar groused.

"You know what I always say," Saion replied, each word rolling off his tongue with an unmistakable undertone of amusement. "A wise man never makes the same bad wager twice."

My mouth dropped open. "You two bet again on how long it would take before Ash and I started arguing?"

"More like Saion is stealing money from his cousin again," Bele retorted.

"Oh, my gods." I pinched my brow, briefly closing my eyes. "Why are you all still bowing?"

"You haven't given them permission to rise," Ash commented.

"For fuck's sake," I snapped.

"Language," Ash whispered as he passed me, stepping onto the dais. He placed Jadis in one of the chairs at the table. "There are younglings present."

"How about you go—?" I cut myself off as two wide, sapphire-blue eyes appeared above the back of the chair.

Clutching the sides of the chair with incredibly small, clawed hands, Jadis chirped, and I heard something that sounded like… wee .

"Can the true Primal of Life get tension headaches?" I asked of no one in particular as Ash motioned for Reaver to get down. "Because I really think I'm getting one."

"It's not likely," Bele answered, her voice trembling with restrained laughter as Reaver pushed off the credenza, extending his wings to slow his descent. "But not impossible."

"Can we rise yet?" Theon asked from where he remained, kneeling beside his twin sister.

I sighed heavily. "Yes. Please. You all may rise."

"Thank the Fates," Saion muttered.

My lips pursed. "And I command that none of you bow to me just because I enter a chamber."

Tightly braided hair fell back as Lailah lifted her head. Grinning, she rose as I remembered the somewhat flirty argument I'd witnessed between her and Attes . I so badly wanted to ask her what was up between them, but it was likely none of my business and not really important at the moment. Still, I was nosy. "Your command is our will," she said.

" Meyaah Liessa ," Bele tacked on.

"Now you're just trying to annoy me." I folded my arms.

Adjusting the sheaths on her forearms, Bele lifted her head. "I would never—holy shit, your eyes."

"Are beautiful," Ash said—or warned—from where he was pouring whiskey into two short glasses, his voice lowering the temperature in the chamber by several degrees.

Essence throbbed throughout my body. "If that was supposed to be a compliment," I told him, "it sounded more like a threat."

"Yeah, it did." Bele leaned against the table.

Ash arched a brow, not denying it.

"But they are really…" Bele trailed off as Ash's icy stare shifted to her. "Amazing. They are so amazing."

I stared at her.

Saion approached, brows pinching with curiosity as Reaver watched with keen alertness. "I've never seen eyes like that." He glanced at Rhain. "Have you?"

The auburn-haired god shook his head. "I have not."

Everyone was staring at me, and I, well, felt like throwing myself onto the floor and pretending I was still in stasis. "Ash thinks it's because I was mortal. But yes, they are super unique and weird—"

"And beautiful," Ash repeated.

"And," I stressed, "we are going to stop talking about my eyes now."

Saion opened his mouth as he lifted a hand. Rhahar dropped coins into his palm. "Never mind." Grinning, Saion tucked the coins into the inside of his tunic. "In all seriousness, we are so damn glad to be getting on your nerves."

"And you have no idea how happy I am to be making really bad bets," Rhahar added.

I laughed. "I'm only partly sorry to be the cause of you losing money."

"I'm not at all," Saion called as he moved to stand behind a chair.

Rhahar flipped him off.

"We are glad you have returned to us," Theon said, and then his gaze darted to Ash. "And to him."

My breath snagged, and all I could do was nod.

"Not to sound repetitive," Lailah said, "but I, too, am glad you returned to us."

I smiled and felt a knot of emotion clogging my throat as Ash watched quietly from where he stood a few feet back, not interrupting but also not straying too far. "Thank you."

"I'm glad you're alive and shit," Bele shared. "Just thought I'd say that since everyone else is."

I gave her a thumbs-up as Lailah stepped onto the dais. The goddess paused to give Jadis a quick pet where the draken still watched from behind the back of the chair. "Where is Aios ?"

"She planned to be here, but Kye, the Healer, asked that she join him in Lethe," Bele answered. "He wanted her to assist with a birth."

Concern rose. "Is there something wrong?"

"Other than how disturbing it is that one is expected to push a nine-pound-plus babe out of an area nowhere—"

"Please, don't go into any more detail." Theon held up a hand, and Rhain grimaced.

Bele smirked. "Anyway, being a goddess of fertility and such, Kye likes to have her around. Makes his life easier."

That was a relief. I guessed.

"I, too, am glad," a quiet voice came.

The muscles on the back of my neck tensed as I turned to Rhain. The reaction had nothing to do with how things had started with us. From day one, Rhain had been wary of my presence, but when he'd learned about my original plans, his distrust—and dislike—had been all too apparent. I didn't hold any of that against him. If I had been in his shoes, I would have felt the same way. But the way he looked at me now made me want to make a quick exit out the balcony doors. It was the warmth in his hazel eyes that had nothing to do with the aura of eather behind his pupils or the reason behind Rhain's change of attitude toward me as he extended his hand.

My chest spasmed when my gaze met his. Breathe in. I stopped myself before I let that dread spark into something bigger and nastier, forcing myself to hold my breath as Rhain clasped my forearm. Now was not the time for any of that. "Thank you," I managed, fixing what I hoped was a normal smile on my face as I grasped his forearm in return.

"Whoa." He blinked several times. "Got a nice little charge with that."

"Sorry?"

"Don't be. Weirdly felt kind of good." Rhain's gaze held mine and then darted away as he bowed curtly. Pivoting, he joined the others.

Ash lifted Jadis from the chair and placed her on the floor. Crouching, she eyed Reaver with narrowed eyes as her tail swished back and forth like an irritated feline.

A heartbeat later, she launched herself off the dais and crashed into him. The older draken squawked, but all Jadis did was press her little head against his and then scramble back onto the raised floor.

"Okay, then," I murmured, glancing up.

It took a moment for me to realize that all of them were waiting for me. Blinking, I got my feet moving and went to where Ash had pulled out a chair at the head of the table.

Molten, dove-gray eyes met mine. "Your seat, liessa ."

"Thank you," I whispered as Reaver followed, this time brushing his head over Jadis's.

"Why does he get to call you that?" Bele asked, adjusting her forearm sheaths. "And we don't?"

Ash glanced up. "Because she enjoys it when I call her that."

As Bele's brows lifted, my cheeks caught fire. I plopped into the chair with the grace of a tree bear, and then everyone else sat. Ash moved to my right, taking his seat there. The subtle shift in positioning—in power—didn't pass me by.

Once again, the shock of how real this was hit me as Ash placed a glass of whiskey on the table for me. It felt like a cloth had been shoved into my throat. My hands tightened around the arms of the chair as my mind sort of emptied. Or maybe there was just so much going on in my head that it felt like there was nothing.

Rhain cleared his throat. "I'm not sure who is aware of what, but many gods have been arriving in the Shadowlands the last several days, coming from many Courts."

The cloth doubled in size as I spoke around it. " Nyktos mentioned something."

"They are being vetted to the best of our abilities and then temporarily placed in our insulas—" He stopped himself, noting the confusion surely creeping into my expression. "You haven't been to Lethe other than the night of your coronation. Right." A faint pink stained his cheeks. "Insulas are homes several stories tall that house many people—up to forty or so. When you see the lights of Lethe, you're likely seeing those buildings. I believe mortals would call them tenements, but they're not as…"

"Poorly outfitted?" I suggested. The tenements in Croft's Cross, the poorest district of Lasania , had these so-called apartments. They were dark, cramped dwellings not even suitable for rodents. Ezra would change what our parents should have done ages ago. "Are we providing housing because they are planning to stay?"

"Probably, since many of them will have no Court to return to," Rhain said.

"Not all the Primals allow their subjects to leave their Courts without permission, and I doubt most would've sought that," Bele spoke up. "When I left Hanan's, it was considered treasonous. They could be imprisoned or killed upon their return."

"Gods," I breathed. "How many have arrived?"

"Hundreds," Rhain answered. "Dozens more with each passing hour."

My stomach dipped. "And we have enough housing for them?"

"For now," Ash said. "We do."

But would we later, if more and more continued to come? Obviously, not. I didn't know the details of how food had been provided all these many centuries, but it took no leap of logic to assume that the goods had been imported. "What about food—?" I cut myself off. "Crops can grow here now."

"Yes," Saion confirmed. "And once we get some really good rainfall and the rivers return, we'll be able to use them as a source of irrigation, allowing us to plant more. I've already begun to survey which areas would be best suited for such."

"That's a relief to hear," I said, ceasing my wiggling in my chair. "I want everyone who comes here to have a home, whether it be temporary or long-term, and for there to be food on their plates. But it's going to be rough until the crops can grow." My head cocked. Could I assist with that? I was the true Primal of Life. Did that not extend to plant life? I believed so, but… "There will still be a length of time before we can comfortably provide for everyone." Worry grew. As someone who had lived a life of limited basic essentials with an ever-increasing populace, I knew how quickly that could take its toll.

"That's tomorrow's problem," Ash spoke softly, snapping me from what was sure to become a spiral of worst-case what-ifs. "One we're already working on fixing. But we have to get to tomorrow."

I nodded slowly, getting what he was saying. None of us would go the route of my mother and the former King of Lasania by putting off dealing with dwindling supplies. The Shadowlands wouldn't do that. But we also had to get to the point where it could be a problem.

Meaning Lethe had to survive until then.

As silence fell around me once more, my tongue felt heavy and unusable. I truly wasn't suited to leading meetings. Weight pressed down upon my shoulders and chest as seconds ticked by, becoming what felt like hours. My panicked gaze swiveled toward Ash—

"We all know why we're here," Ash said, picking up Jadis and placing her on his lap. "To talk about Kolis and what we're going to do."

"I already have a suggestion," Bele said, sliding a slim shadowstone dagger free from its sheath. "Hunt him down."

Rhahar nodded. "I second that."

"That's part of the plan," Ash replied as Bele tossed the dagger into the air. "But we have to get to that part first."

As I glanced around the table, no one seemed to care that it had been Ash who'd started the meeting. Or maybe they hadn't even noticed my inability to speak because it hadn't actually been minutes or hours that had passed in awkward silence.

Letting out a long, slow breath, the pressure started to lift. I loosened my grip on the arms of the chair and picked up my glass of whiskey.

"And we can't skip to that part?" Bele asked, throwing the dagger up again. This time, Jadis's head followed the movement. "Because I know what Kolis will do once he's done licking his wounds."

"And what is that?" I asked, finding my voice as I sat back, glass in hand. The moment the whiskey hit my tongue, my stomach churned. I had to force myself to swallow like I was drinking the utter trash often served at some of the gambling dens in Lower Town, a district in Lasania , which made no sense. The Shadowlands had the finest whiskey I'd ever tasted. Weird. I placed the glass on the table.

Ash glanced at my glass, a slight frown appearing. He picked up Jadis and handed her off to Lailah. The youngling immediately went for the goddess's braids.

"Gather his loyalists and hunt us down," Bele stated, catching the dagger by the hilt. Eather pulsed behind her pupils as her gaze locked with mine. "And attack."

"I hate always being the cautious one in the room," Lailah said as Ash rose. "It's boring. I know." She shot Bele a look, and the Primal goddess snapped her mouth shut. "But hunting Kolis down and attacking is not a plan. We know we cannot…" She glanced down at Jadis as the draken whipped her braids from side to side. "Remove him permanently," she said, her choice of words bringing a wry grin to my lips. "We need to plan for how we'll handle him."

"I agree," Theon chimed in as Jadis wiggled free of Lailah's hold and climbed onto the table. "We cannot plan for what we do not know."

"Very true," Rhain remarked as the little draken crept toward Bele, her belly low to the tabletop as if she were in stealth mode. Beside me, Reaver sat up to watch her with a wary eye.

"I get that, but I think it's safe to assume that Kolis will not disappear quietly into the night," Bele argued, glancing to where Jadis had placed herself directly in front of her. She frowned. "He knows what her Ascension means to him and Iliseeum . It is not like he's going to pretend that a true Primal of Life hasn't Ascended. Nor will any other Primal."

"I think he will," I said, remembering how Kolis had nearly glowed as he sat on the throne that belonged to the true Primal of Life—to me. I glanced at Ash. He was at the credenza, picking up a stone pitcher and another glass. "At least for a little while. He will need to remind himself that he's in charge. He'll hold court."

Bele gave the dagger another toss. "Yeah, but he's only playing King while everyone knows a Queen rules."

"A King also rules now," I corrected her as Jadis eyed Bele's dagger, her thin tail swishing back and forth.

Ash returned to the table, placing a pitcher and a glass of what appeared to be water before me. If there was anything I missed from Dalos , it was the fruity, bubbly water. I made a mental note to ask Ash about it later since his father had apparently created the drink.

"Thank you," I said, and he smiled in return. " Nyktos is no Consort. He is my equal, so if I'm Queen, then he's King."

Surprise flickered across the others' faces. "There has never been a Queen and a King of the Gods," Rhahar murmured, sitting straighter. "Then again, there's never been a Queen at all."

I reached down to where Reaver sat, scratching him under the chin. He hadn't taken his eyes off Jadis. He was likely waiting for the same thing I was—for her to make a grab for the dagger. Then again, she also looked like she was close to falling asleep. I was hoping for the second option. "Well, it's my choice that Nyktos be King, and I'm under the impression that what I say goes."

"You'll get no argument from any of us." Saion grinned as he looked across the table at Ash. "And it makes sense."

"I really didn't think any of you would have a problem with it," Ash replied dryly. "But back to Kolis. He'll attempt to control the narrative and the situation by labeling Sera a usurper and a false Queen, exploiting that she was once mortal, that most do not know her, and that she is now a baby Primal."

"A baby Primal?" Rhain murmured, his nose scrunching. He shook his head. "Anyway, I expect Kolis will seek to remind all of them exactly who he is in case any are thinking of defecting."

Bele's nostrils flared. "Yeah, and by reminding them, you mean by committing some violent, heinous act upon those likely undeserving of it."

Lailah nodded, her features drawn. "Unfortunately."

I leaned back, thinking that over. What she said made sense, but… "I think you're right, but he'll be careful about who he decides to make an example of."

"Careful?" Ash raised a brow. "I think we have two different understandings of the word."

"He's not some chaotic villain with no control over his actions," I countered. "Well, most of the time, he's not. He's far more calculated." My thoughts flashed to when Kolis had discussed the Shadowlands' forces possibly invading Dalos . "And I think he's aware of just how tenuous his hold on the realm is."

"Why would you believe that?" Ash asked.

It was hard to answer that when I wasn't even sure what I believed when it came to Kolis. "The Kolis I met when I was first brought to Dalos was almost completely different than who he was after. Even before he believed I was Sotoria . He went from wanting to see all the Primals burn to claiming that he didn't want war among them."

Ash picked up the pitcher, topping off my glass. "I can tell you what claim I believe."

"You believe he's the burn-it-all-down version."

Ash arched a brow as he picked up his glass and sat back. "Exactly."

"I think we can all agree with Nyktos ," Rhahar commented. "We've all seen that side of Kolis more times than we care to think about."

There were murmurs of agreement from all except Rhain, who then spoke up. "But what do you think, Seraphena ?"

I ran my thumb along the delicate rim of the glass as the bob of Jadis's head slowed, and the time between each blink grew longer. "I think…I think he's both. He wanted the embers so he could Ascend as the Primal of Life and Death."

Someone cursed.

"And that is when he spoke of killing all those who wouldn't bow to him, correct?" Ash stated, and I nodded. "Then he changed his mind when he believed you were Sotoria . Because he knew that, no matter what, removing those embers from you and then Ascending you would come at a risk. This other side of him only showed itself when he believed you were Sotoria ."

"He did things that didn't align with his seeing-all-the- Primals -burn ideology before he was convinced I was Sotoria ," I insisted.

Ash eyed me over the rim of his glass. "For example?"

"For example, he stated clearly that he didn't want a war. That was why he didn't attack the Shadowlands' forces. He knew that doing so would escalate the situation."

"And you believed him?" Saion demanded, all amusement gone from his tone.

"I didn't. Not at first. But when Kyn wanted to level the Shadowlands to make an example out of this Court, Kolis denied him." I looked around the table. "And again, that was before he believed I was Sotoria . He had no reason not to allow Kyn to do as he pleased other than knowing what would come of it."

"And he had no reason not to kill me, let alone release me," Rhain stated, and my heart felt like it hit the floor. "But she was able to convince him that killing me—someone loyal to the Primal they served—wouldn't inspire loyalty to him in others. It was a straw-man argument, but one Kolis was willing to accept."

I relaxed. A little.

"I'm still not over the fact that Kolis released you." Saion looked at Rhain. "Don't get me wrong, we all thought you were gone, and we're fucking ecstatic that we were wrong, but none of us expected that."

Rhahar nodded. "I have to hear this straw-man argument of yours."

My relief vanished as Ash's jaw flexed. His stare was on the open doors as he took a drink, his lips peeling back.

Did he…did he know? About the deal? What Kolis had asked for? If so, he would think it meant more—

I couldn't think about that right now. Drawing my gaze from Ash, I cleared my throat. "I don't think it was such a straw-man argument. He agreed because he knew killing Rhain would further escalate tensions," I lied smoothly. "And when I challenged him about what he said before regarding killing the other Primals , Kolis admitted that he wouldn't start a war he couldn't win or one that would leave the realms a mess. But he still planned to rise as the Primal of Life and Death. Who would really refuse to bow to him then? His rising to such a powerful being would prevent a war." I met Ash's stare as his attention returned to me. "And here's the thing. He's not going to get his hands on me again."

"No," Ash growled, streaks of eather piercing his eyes. "He will not."

"And that means he's not going to Ascend to that."

"I see what you're saying about Kolis," Ash said, "but I think we see different end results."

"How so?"

"You see him being more cautious, possibly more reserved in his actions. And perhaps even reasonable since he seemed to understand that he couldn't win a war without rising as the Primal of Life and Death." His fingers returned to their soft tapping, drawing a sleepy Jadis's attention. "But I see a far more unpredictable Kolis. One who is on the verge of losing what power he has and won't be as careful about when and where he strikes."