CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

"I know what I saw. Wars yet to take place. Cities yet to fall and rise once more. I saw them hundreds of years from now. Longer. A near millennium. I saw her . The Queen of Flesh and Fire in the mortal realm, where blood trees grow."

"I remember you speaking of her and a King." I racked my memory. "You said they…felt right."

"They felt like hope," she whispered, squeezing her eyes tight. "This part he speaks of? The giver of blood and the bringer of bone? I think I know what that means. Blood symbolizes life."

"Bone represents death," I murmured, my mind flashing to when I stood with Aydun beneath Aios's trees.

"Yes. Life and death. Blood and bone," Penellaphe said, her knuckles turning white as she fisted the skirt of her gown. "That part speaks of a Primal of Life and Death."

"That's what we figured, too. And the giver of blood and the bringer of bone?" I frowned. "You think that's referencing something or someone else?"

Her gaze lowered as she shook her head. "Possibly. It makes sense. But what I do know is that what I saw happens in the future. The part that involves the two daughters?" Her lashes swept up. Eather pulsed brightly in her eyes. "It is they who will remake the realms. They will usher in the end. Not Kolis."

"That whole usher-in-the-end part still sounds as bad as it did the first time I heard it," I said, even more confused. "How can you be sure that's the end of the vision?"

"Because all that occurs after our awakening, and we haven't gone to sleep yet," she said. "That is when the realms are remade. Not before."

I shifted closer to Reaver. "You saw yourself sleeping? Going into stasis?"

"I saw most of the gods going into stasis. A long one," she told me. "I didn't elaborate on that part when Holland and I first spoke to you and Nyktos . I didn't think it was an important detail."

My stomach twisted. "And when does this happen? Why would it happen?"

"It won't happen for quite some time. When? I can't say for sure, but I know of things that have yet to occur. Things that will." Her right hand fluttered to her stomach. "And why? That, I also can't say. But it didn't feel bad. It felt natural. Like it was time."

Now, it was I who stared at her.

She laughed lightly. "I know that going into stasis for hundreds of years can sound frightening."

" Hundreds of years?" I mumbled.

"But I've heard it passes as quickly as a handful of nights."

"Uh-huh," was all I could say.

Ward turned his head but not quickly enough that I missed his grin.

"But what's important is that Kolis is wrong. What he thinks is the end—that it's him rising? He's wrong," she repeated, her voice steadying and becoming more confident. "He is."

Maybe… "Or you're both right."

Her brows pinched. "What do you mean?"

"You believed that the great conspirator was Kolis, right? I always thought it sounded like he would reawaken." Unnerved, I resisted the urge to rise and begin pacing. "And you said the gods go into stasis. Who's to say that Kolis doesn't, too? And the end you saw is when he awakens."

As soon as I said that, I thought about Ash's and my original plan to entomb Kolis, and the unsettled feeling grew. "The Ancient who brokered the meeting between Kolis and me—Aydun? Do you know him?"

"I've only seen him a few times in passing," she said. "I do not enter Mount Lotho , where they live. Not even with Holland."

"Well, he said something before I spoke with Kolis. That war between the Primals could only be won once there was blood and bone. And I can't shake the feeling that it ties into the prophecy."

A slight frown appeared. "Why did he say that?"

"I honestly don't know, other than it seemed like he was urging me to find a way to prevent war." I brushed a crumb from Reaver's foreleg. "He said that, in all the threads he'd seen, war wasn't prevented. But that me Ascending as the true Primal of Life was changing some threads." My head tilted. "Which is strange. Why would I be that unexpected considering you," I said to Ward, "were made a viktor because you helped create my bloodline?"

"But that was just the thread that started yours," Penellaphe said.

"And yeah, it seemed like I wouldn't Ascend, but…" I shook my head. "The whole fate and thread stuff makes my head hurt."

"Same," Ward murmured, looking at Penellaphe as she fell silent.

Her honey-hued hair swayed as she shook her head. "That part about the bearer of two crowns? He believes that is referencing you. What about the great Primal power rising? He believes that is him? But it can't be. The phrasing— giver of blood and the bringer of bone doesn't make sense. It would mean that he brings about—or brings into creation—the Primal of Blood and Bone. Not that he becomes that."

"I could be repeating it wrong." Frustration rose. "That's completely possible."

But if I hadn't?

"That could be the case." Ward leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "But it sounds like someone may know exactly what that part of the prophecy states. Someone other than Kolis."

My gaze darted to Penellaphe , and I knew the moment she realized the same thing I did.

She smiled. " Keella ." Excitement glimmered in Penellaphe's ocean-blue eyes. "She's old enough that she could've learned about the Ancients' dream and was clever enough to keep Kolis from realizing it."

I nodded in agreement, more than hopeful. It had been clear to me that Keella had known something when she approached Ash and me at the coronation and spoke about my title. Could it be the vision? And could that possibly mean that she not only knows what it means but also its correct order?

" Nyktos is currently asking Attes to assist with summoning the Primals ," I shared with them. "We already plan to visit the Thyia Plains afterward to speak with Keella about the Ancients." I forced a heavy exhale. Patience had never been a virtue of mine. I wanted to go to the Thyia Plains right now, but I needed to be smart instead of impatient. Which was also not normally a part of my nature. "I will ask her then."

"Now, this summoning-the- Primals business?" The goddess picked up her cup. "Are you asking them to come to the Shadowlands?"

"We are." From the corner of my eye, I saw Reaver take note of the biscuits. "We know it will be risky, but we decided it was important for us to know who will stand with us and who will rise against us."

" We ." Penellaphe gave a delicate shudder. "You have no idea how long it has been since any of us has heard the Primal of Life use the word we when speaking of decisions being made. It's positively orgasmic."

Ward arched a brow and gave her a sideways look.

Grinning wryly, I leaned forward and picked up one of the flaky biscuits. "There was something else I wanted to talk to Holland about." Sitting back, I tore a small piece of the pastry off and said, "I wanted to ask him about Eythos's plan and Sotoria's soul."

"Oh, I'm not sure what I can tell you about that." Surprise flickered across her lovely features as she looked between Ward and me. "But I can try."

"I don't understand what Eythos was thinking when he developed this plan of his," I began, trying to make sense of my thoughts as I offered a piece of the biscuit to Reaver. He took it quickly and without taking my fingers in the process. "He placed the embers of life and Sotoria's soul together to create a weapon that could kill Kolis."

A frown tugged at Penellaphe's brow. "Yes. That is how I understand it."

"But he had to know that Kolis cannot be killed unless another can be Ascended to take his place. Kolis made sure that wasn't possible. Which is something Eythos knew," I said as Reaver reached over and snatched the remainder of the pastry. I hoped he wasn't listening too closely to us. "I assume he believed that I, as Sotoria , would succeed in killing Kolis, and then his son would Ascend as the true Primal of Life—which is a huge risk to take on just an assumption. He would have had to believe that I would not only want to kill Kolis but would also be capable of doing so. And perhaps that is also why he went to Holland in the first place. Hoping the Fates would get involved somehow and prepare me."

Penellaphe's frown deepened.

"But that doesn't address the fact that with Kolis's death, his essence would return to the realms. It would cause untold destruction and upset the balance. And I know what happens when the balance is so greatly uneven."

"That is true," Penellaphe began, returning her cup to the saucer, "but only if the last of the true embers of Death aren't removed from Kolis and transferred to another strong enough to withstand the power of them and Ascend. That is not the same as a natural Ascension, but it should work since the Arae are the ones who obtained the Star diamond for a situation such as this."

I rocked back. "I hadn't even considered that," I admitted. Had Ash? "If no gods can rise to take the embers, transferring them is sort of a loophole," I murmured. That made sense, but… "But it's still a huge risk. One that leaves no room for error. Eythos would've been working off the assumption that not only could I manage to kill Kolis without getting taken out in the process, but also that it would be done after we learned about something like the Star diamond, located it, and then used it to transfer the embers. All at the same time his son took the ones from me. Eythos couldn't have been that reckless."

"But you did learn of The Star. Things happen for a reason," she stressed, her stare meeting mine. "Some things work out, whether it is the Arae or the essence itself."

"And that is what Eythos was banking on?"

"I think Eythos may have believed that Nyktos would take the embers from you before they were impossible to remove," she reminded me, sending a glance at Reaver, who was happily chowing down on his second biscuit. "Removing the embers wouldn't have removed Sotoria's soul. You would have still been able to weaken Kolis enough for the embers to be transferred."

"In other words, Eythos never expected his son to fall in love with the weapon he created. Or my recklessness," I said, thinking about how the tiny bit of blood I'd taken from Ash the first night we were together had changed everything.

"But your recklessness also saved you, did it not?" Penellaphe asked. "You may not have survived the Culling either way, and you wouldn't have Ascended to become the true Primal of Life."

Holland had once suggested something similar.

"But his plan didn't work in more ways than one. I'm not Sotoria . Her soul only resided in me. Even if everything else had gone as planned, I may have been able to weaken him but not kill him." I fell quiet upon realizing that Penellaphe was gaping at me. "Did Holland not tell you? He had to know that I wasn't her. Attes knew. So did Callum."

"There is only so much Holland can tell me unless I happen upon the information myself," she said. "And even then, he must walk a fine line regarding what he confirms."

I blew out a heavy breath. "That would drive me insane."

Penellaphe laughed softly. "It has been…trying, but I love him."

My breath caught. The way she said that—so simply. As if it were the only reason needed.

And it was.

It really was.

" Attes said the Fates could've intervened and made it so Sotoria and I were not one and the same as a way to restore the balance," I said. "But I got the impression that Holland believed I was Sotoria ."

"As did I," Penellaphe admitted, creases forming in her brow again. "But if he knew or even suspected that what Eythos did hadn't worked, and depending on what that kind of knowledge may have impacted, he would not have been able to say anything."

My jaw tightened. "I don't like it, but I get it. Especially in this situation where both Eythos and Kolis did a number on fate and balance." I was rather proud of my response. What came out of my mouth next ruined it, though. "It's still fucking annoying."

Penellaphe's lips twitched.

"Her soul?" Ward cut in, drawing my attention. Tension bracketed his mouth. "Does it still remain in you?"

"I didn't want her soul in me when it came time for Nyktos to take the embers," I shared. "I thought I was going to die, and her soul…"

"It would've been lost," Penellaphe finished, her voice troubled. " She would've been lost." Her eyes widened. "You found The Star. Is that…?" The goddess blanched as if she couldn't bring herself to say it.

"Yes. Her soul is in there. For now." Rubbing the heels of my palms over my knees, I thought everything over. I had more questions than I'd had before. Frustration rose, but I knew it wasn't Penellaphe's fault. "Which means using The Star to transfer the embers anytime soon is out of the question."

"Back to the part about Eythos's plan," Ward began after a moment, stretching out a long leg. "I know I don't know much."

"That's not true." Penellaphe's smile turned fond. "You often figure things out before I do."

"We'll have to disagree on that," he replied, and I had to think, for someone who lived as long as he had and would, there was likely a lot he knew. "But what if we're wrong about what Eythos actually planned? Sometimes, we start off thinking one thing and stick with it despite new information or evidence that points to the contrary of what we believe."

Reaver eyed him and then lifted his head, listening intently.

"And in this case?" Ward dragged the back of his hand over his chin, the creases at the corners of his eyes deepening. "We believe that Eythos planned for you to become this weapon, armed with the embers and Sotoria's soul. But what if we were wrong about what he intended?"

Penellaphe twisted toward him. "What do you mean?"

"I have to admit, I, too, have a hard time wrapping my head around all the risks Eythos took. Though I never met the man." His gaze flicked to the goddess before returning to me. "I heard he could be impulsive," he continued, and I thought about the lyrue he'd created. "But he was also very smart. This plan we believe to be his? It's full of so many holes I could fall through it." Ward dropped his hand to his thigh. "What if this—or a part of this— is what he intended all along? That either you or Sotoria Ascended as the true Primal of Life, therefore truly making you the weapon he intended? One that could go toe to toe with Kolis and make sure another could take on the embers."

Like Ash? Could Eythos have intended that for his son instead of him becoming the true Primal of Life?

"This," Ward repeated, his sea-blue eyes meeting mine, "could've been his plan all along."

And if it was, then…

Kolis knew how The Star worked, and he knew we had it. He'd even said that Ash would be clever enough to figure out its importance. Kolis would expect us to use The Star against him, and for Ash to take the true Primal of Death embers.

My heart felt like it stopped as my gaze fell on the marriage imprint. Although Ash and I hadn't discussed the fact that he was a Primal of no Court, I hadn't forgotten that realization.

I wasn't a threat to Kolis.

Ash was.

And that put a target on him.

Shooting to my feet, I startled the goddess and the viktor . "I need to go."

Reaver rocked back on his hind legs, lifting his wings. He rose into the air and followed me.

"It's all right," I told him, not wanting him to worry.

"Is it?" Penellaphe asked.

"Yes," I said, about to make damn sure everything was fine. "I'm sorry to end this meeting abruptly."

"It's okay." Penellaphe scooted forward. "Is there anything we can help you with?"

I shook my head as I opened the door. There was a good chance I was overreacting. As long as Ash remained in Essaly , Kyn wouldn't sense his presence. But…

My skin prickled, and I thought back to right after Rhain and I had parted ways. I'd been pacing, and yeah, I was almost always moving or fidgeting, but there had been an undercurrent of edginess there. One I thought had been fueled by not doing something proactive.

What if I had been wrong?

I looked down at the shimmering swirl on my right hand as I opened the door. The sight of it quelled some of my fears.

But not all of them.

Reaver flew out behind me as Rhahar pushed off the wall, and Kars stiffened. The godling took one look at me and went on alert. "What's going on?"

"I don't know." I stopped, sparing a quick glance down the hall as Reaver circled above. "It's probably nothing, but I have this…feeling. I need to see Nyktos ."

A frown pinched Rhahar's brow. "He's still in Vathi."

Reaver landed beside me. Is it the vadentia ? I heard the question in my head.

"I'm not sure," I said aloud, my fingers twitching. "But I need to go to Vathi."

Kars and Rhahar exchanged a look. "Lailah is with him, and so is Nektas ," the god reminded me.

"I know." I pivoted halfway and started down the hall toward the foyer. "But I still need to go."

"I'm not sure that's wise." Kars hurried behind me. "We can get Bele or Rhain to check on—"

My gut clenched. If something was happening or about to, there was no way I would risk endangering any of them. "No."

I want to go with you . Reaver's voice reached me.

Immediately, the image of his limp body after Veses had so viciously hurt him flashed in my mind. "Absolutely not."

Reaver dipped down, extending his wings. He landed in front of me, squawking as his cobalt eyes narrowed until only a hint of the slit-shaped pupils were visible. He straightened to his tallest height possible. But I can help you.

"I know you can." I knelt and cupped Reaver's scaled cheek. "But you cannot go with me."

I need to be where mayeeh Liessa is , he insisted. I may be small, but I am brave.

"I know you're brave." My heart squeezed as if he'd wrapped himself around it, and in a way, he had. "Isn't Jadis here?"

Reaver gave me a reluctant nod.

"While I'm gone, I would feel better knowing you are here to keep her safe. Just in case anything happens," I said.

His wings arced high and then swept down, tucking close to his body. He turned his head away.

My hand lowered to my knee. "What is it?"

He shook his head.

"When you and Nyktos were…gone last time," Rhahar said quietly from behind us, "Reaver thought he could've prevented what happened."

Oh, gods.

"This isn't like that. I promise." I gently curved my fingers around his chin, guiding his gaze back to mine. "And there was nothing you or anyone else could've done. Do you understand?"

Bright, glimmering blue eyes met mine, and that brought tears to my own eyes. I do.

I didn't think he did, and that was something Ash and I would have to make sure he understood. "You'll keep Jadis safe while I'm gone?"

Always .

"That's my Reaver-butt." I pressed a quick kiss to the top of his head, right beneath the nubs of his newly sprouted horns.

"Sera—" Kars began.

I rose. "I'm going to Vathi." I faced them, pulling the Queen card. "No one else is going, and that is an order."

Rhahar's jaw hardened. "Got it."

"Perfect." I turned.

"Just one question," he continued. "Exactly how are you getting there?"

I stiffened. Good gods, that hadn't even crossed my mind.

"You haven't shadowstepped that far, right? And even if you have, you don't know where you're going to move that fast. So, you're on horseback. That will take hours. And that's the shortest route, which puts you smack-dab in the middle of the territory controlled by Kyn," Rhahar continued. "To go to where Attes is, you've got to cross over Mount Rhee. You're looking at a day's ride at least."

My stomach gave another twist at the mere thought of doing that alone, especially since it wasn't the kind of shadowstepping that was as simple as moving really fast. It was shadowstepping through the eather , basically tearing open the realms, and I had no idea how to do that. But I knew how to find out. "How do you shadowstep between realms?"

"I don't know how to explain it," Rhahar caged his response.

But I wasn't asking him.

I'd asked myself.

The skin behind my left ear tingled, and the knowledge came to me, much like remembering something I hadn't thought of in a while.

Shadowstepping between Courts or even realms was like using the Primal essence for anything else. It was a result of my will . I just needed to think of where I wanted to go and then will it.

Except I didn't know exactly where Ash was in Vathi. He could be at the palace or somewhere else, but could I shadowstep to where Ash was?

The answer came to me in an instant.

Running my palm over the top of Reaver's head, I turned to Kars and Rhahar as I pictured Ash in my mind. "Keep an eye on things."

"Damn it," Kars exploded.

Smiling, I grabbed onto the image of Ash as I harnessed the Primal essence.

" Seraphena !" Rhahar lurched forward.

Power surged through me like a fiery torrent as I willed myself to Ash's side.