CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Streaks of silver-and-gold essence swirled through the thick mist, whirling around Nektas and me as the floor seemed to drop out from under us for a heartbeat.

My stomach pitched as I tried to peer through the spinning eather . I caught glimpses of pitch-blackness for several seconds—

A flash of whitish-silver light broke up the nothingness as the space between the realms split open. I caught the brief scent of fresh lilacs, and then the sea's briny breath enveloped us, but Nektas's wild, earthy scent remained strong. The crackling light faded until only a thin line was visible, and that too quickly faded, revealing the silver-tipped green bushes and faded purplish-blue spikes of the nepeta blue in the throes of a late-season bloom. Inhaling the hint of the bush's earthy, slightly sweet aroma, I looked up at the clouds that had taken on dusk's rosy, ethereal glow.

A breeze tossed some curls across my cheeks, and my heart skipped a beat. "The breeze," I whispered, looking up at Nektas . "It's cool ."

His head tilted slightly. "It is."

"It never felt this cool." Letting go of his hands, I stepped back and turned toward the bench I'd seen my mother sit upon. "At least, not that I remember. The Rot affected the weather."

"But not anymore."

"No." I swallowed. "I knew the Rot was gone, but feeling it?" I exhaled roughly. There were no words as my gaze shifted back to the gently swaying spikes of flowers, just soaking in the feeling of the air without the suffocating humidity.

Nektas waited quietly beside me for many seconds—maybe even minutes—before he spoke. "We should find your sister."

Drawing my gaze from the nepeta blue, I scanned the yellow snapdragons and scarlet asters at the foot of a marble statue of Maia, and the sweet alyssum that carpeted the ground on either side of the stone pathway like snow. I got my bearings. "We can enter the palace through the garden doors."

"Lead the way, meyaah Liessa ."

I started to move but stopped, looking up at the draken . "Earthy."

His brows rose.

"Your scent," I explained. "It's earthy. I never really noticed it before, but I…sense it before you are even near me. When I do, it's not really a smell or a taste. More like a sensation."

His head tilted. "Is there a question in there for me?"

"I'm not sure." I cracked a grin. "I can tell when it's you, and I think I'm starting to know the other draken before even seeing them, too. Ash said it's like I'm picking up on an echo."

"What he and the other Primals feel is an echo, but what you're sensing is our imprint," he said. "There's a difference. Only the true Primal of Life and the true Primal of Death can pick up on our imprints and use them to communicate with us."

My brows shot up. "You mean like I can talk in your head."

"Part of me wants to tell you no."

"That's rude."

"But yes, if we open ourselves to it," he said. When I started to speak, he cut me off. "Let's talk about this more when we're not standing in the mortal realm."

Blinking, I jolted. Good gods, for a moment there, I'd actually forgotten what I was doing and where I was. Nektas's grin showed he knew.

"Come on." I sighed, tabling my new discovery for later. I edged around the bench and followed the darkening path. "I'm thinking we'll be able to find Ezra in the dining hall." At least, I hoped so.

Passing another statue of Maia, we walked out onto the main pathway. The golden light of the veranda peeked through the sweeping branches heavy with pink blossoms.

"There appear to be guards ahead," Nektas commented.

I could see their shadowy forms standing at the open doors. "I'm not sure if any of them would recognize me."

"I find that hard to believe," he said. "With your hair and freckles, you have quite recognizable features."

I lightly dragged my fangs over my lower lip as my steps slowed. "I…I wasn't seen a lot. I usually used the servant's stairs and halls, and honestly, half the guards here probably thought I was a servant, so it's quite possible none of them would recognize me. And I doubt they would just let me enter the dining hall." I thought about the last time Ash and I had visited. "Most of the guards don't even know my name."

"That's…" Nektas trailed off. When I looked over my shoulder, I saw that his jaw was set in a hard line.

"Just the way it was," I said, facing forward.

"More like unacceptable."

"Yeah," I sighed. "That, too. But because of the deal, I guess it was easier to keep my identity hidden so no one had to explain why I wasn't available to marry or wonder what happened when I eventually disappeared."

"As if that was the only option," Nektas noted, his gravelly voice flat.

It wasn't.

But it had been the easiest for my mother. My shoulders tightened as I focused ahead. We had far more important things to think about at the moment. "When we were here last, Ash basically scared the guards into leaving us alone."

Nektas laughed. "Sounds about right."

I smiled as I stopped near the last of the autumn-blooming cherry trees. "I don't think I'll have the same effect," I said, speaking low. "So, I guess I could use compulsion." My lip curled at the thought of that.

"I think you underestimate your presence if you think you won't have the same impact."

I looked back at Nektas and arched a brow.

His head lowered. "You're the true Primal of Life, Sera. What would the guards do if you showed them that?"

"Freak out?" I glanced back at the veranda.

"That and allow you to go wherever you want."

I thought that over. "Ash didn't really reveal who he was when he was here."

"You do not seem to like the idea of compelling someone." Nektas picked up on that. "If you like, I can scare them as Ash did."

I snorted. "I don't know if we should do that." I squinted. "I guess I could just compel them not to see us. I mean, that's not like making them do anything, right?"

Nektas hesitated. "I suppose."

"You don't sound entirely convinced of my thought process," I pointed out.

"You have a unique thought process."

"That's a nice way of putting it."

"But I think it would be wise for our presence to go largely unnoticed so we do not cause a scene," he added, his voice carrying a hint of amusement. "So, yes. Do not compel these guards by compelling them."

I rolled my eyes.

"There is a third option," he said. "Allow them to see you. As Ash said, they will know you are at least a god and would likely allow you to dance on their backs if that is what you wished."

"Good point," I muttered. "I keep forgetting that."

"Understandable."

I got myself moving. The gardens were quiet as I glanced back at Nektas , realizing only then that he was dressed as he normally was—meaning he only wore loose black pants. No boots. And no shirt.

I hoped no parties were being held.

Lifting the tree's lower branches out of the way for him, I walked out from the coverage, and the two guards came into full view.

Once again, I was happy to see that neither wore the obnoxious puffed waistcoats or pantaloons. Their tunics and breeches were still plum-colored, but their new uniforms were leagues above the former.

"I'll tell you what," one guard said as he turned to look over the garden. "That one is an odd snob— shit ." The guard reached for the sword at his waist as he limped forward with a wince. Tension bracketed his mouth, turning the corners white. "Stop right there."

"The fact that I made it to the steps without either of you noticing is kind of concerning," I remarked, glancing at the second guard. I recognized the fair-haired man in his third decade of life. Jamison was his name. "Don't you think?"

"Listen here, miss, I don't know where you come from, but…" Jamison's eyes went wide the moment Nektas appeared behind me. His head tipped back as Nektas came up the steps. "Dear gods, you're…enormous."

"Thank you," Nektas replied.

"Enormous or not," the other gaunt-faced guard cut in as I opened my senses to him. His name came to me. Wil Tovar. That was all I allowed myself to know about the slender, dark-haired mortal. "Where is the rest of your clothing, my man?"

"Mortals." Nektas laughed softly. "Always so preoccupied by the flesh that they don't see what is right in front of them."

"Mortals?" Jamison repeated with a chuckle, sharing a long look with the other guard. "I think my man has been in his cups tonight."

Tovar's laugh faded as I reached the top of the steps and stepped into the light of the lamps lining the wall. Our eyes met, and the man staggered back. "Good gods," he gasped.

I smiled. I probably shouldn't have seeing how Tovar paled, but it wasn't often that I incited that kind of response.

I'd have to think long and hard later about why that amused me.

"What is your problem?" Jamison frowned. "Maybe you're deep in your cu—"

"Shut up, you prick," Tovar hissed, bowing his head.

"Don't call me a prick, you fuck." Jamison moved toward Tovar, his cheeks flushing.

"Look at her." Tovar lowered himself, his face contorting as he pressed a hand to his side. "Look at her eyes, you fool."

Jamison turned to me as I arched a brow. He squinted and then went rigid. "Oh…" His mouth fell open. "Shit."

"The security here is impressive," Nektas drawled from behind me.

I almost laughed, except these two shouldn't be entrusted with guarding a bale of hay. "The bowing…" My lips pursed as they both dropped to their knees, Jamison moving much faster than Tovar—he seemed pained by his movements. "Is not necessary."

"We are s-sorry." Tovar's voice quaked. "We didn't know."

"Yes." Jamison's head bobbed frantically. "Please forgive us. We did not mean to disrespect you."

Whatever humor I felt vanished as I stared at the two clearly frightened men. Their response wasn't exactly shocking. Most mortals behaved this way when confronted by a god. I could only imagine what they'd do if they knew I was a Primal.

Nektas frowned as he stared down at the two men. "It has been a long time since I have been around those in this realm," he said, drawing a quick peek from Jamison. "I do not remember them behaving this way."

"How did they behave before?" I asked.

"With joy upon seeing a god," he answered. "Not nearly sick with fear."

I imagined that wasn't the case toward the end of the time when the Ancients ruled. He was likely speaking about when Eythos reigned as the true Primal of Life.

"Crossing paths with gods usually doesn't end well," I said, thinking about what the gods had done in the Garden District the night I'd been with Ash. Even if gods were in the mortal realm for different reasons, they tended to do as they pleased. "It shouldn't be this way."

"No, it shouldn't," Nektas agreed.

This wasn't the first time I'd thought that, but I'd never been in a position to do a damn thing about it before.

Now, I could.

"It's all right. You have not shown disrespect," I assured them.

"Debatable," Nektas murmured.

I shot him a look as neither man moved.

Nektas crossed his arms.

"Ignore him," I said, turning to them again. Tovar was trembling. "It's all right. I promise." I ventured forward, doing something I rarely did in the mortal realm. I reached out and touched the man's warm cheek.

Tovar's head jerked up, his eyes widening even more.

"You may rise," I insisted. "Both of you."

The guard's chest rose sharply as he inhaled. For a moment, neither of us moved. Tovar didn't even exhale as he stared. My senses snapped open, and before I could stop myself, I…connected with the man.

I wasn't sure what was happening. I didn't see into his mind or his soul, and I wasn't reading him, but I did sense…something. Pain. A sickness that had been spreading, eating him up from the inside…long before he felt the first twinges in his gut. An ache that eventually stole his appetite.

Only seconds had passed, but I knew the man was dying slowly and painfully. And my touch…

The tips of my fingers glowed faintly with eather .

Oh, shit.

Before I could pull my hand away, the essence seeped into the man's skin.

"What the…?" Jamison rasped, having risen.

Golden light lit up Tovar's veins, all along his throat and down his chest, arms, and stomach. Tovar stiffened as if strings had been attached to his tendons and pulled. His gaze was unfocused for a heartbeat, and then it cleared. The tension that had drawn the color from the corners of his mouth loosened. The aching hollowness of his face eased as my touch…

Healed him.

I'd never healed anyone from a sickness before.

But I was the true Primal of Life now. Emphasis on life . I pulled my hand away.

Tovar's eyes glistened as he shook, but this time, it wasn't from fear or pain. It was from relief. "Thank you," he uttered hoarsely, tears filling those dark eyes and spilling over to course down his cheeks. "I prayed each night in the Temple, but there was no relief. I stopped praying. Thinking, you know, maybe I…I wasn't worthy. That I'd done something to deserve it—"

"You haven't," I said, even though I hadn't allowed myself to see anything about him. But I didn't think many deserved the kind of sickness that was a different type of rot.

His eyes shuttered closed. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." I stepped back and glanced at Nektas .

The draken stared at me blandly.

"Whoops."

"Whoops, indeed," he replied dryly.

"I have no idea what is happening." Jamison scratched his head, his gaze bouncing back and forth between Tovar and us. And Tovar, he was…

Well, he was just rocking back and forth, thanking me over and over.

There was a good chance I probably shouldn't have done that. Actually, I had no idea if I should've done that or not, but I doubted healing him would cause any cosmic imbalance.

Or at least I hoped it wouldn't.

Either way, I couldn't regret it after seeing the relief on the man's face.

Nektas touched my arm, reminding me that we had a reason for being here, and this wasn't it.

I pulled my gaze from Tovar. "I need to speak with the Queen."

"Her Majesty is in the dining hall," Jamison answered.

"Thank you." I gave Tovar one last look and felt compelled to say something. "Make your life a worthy one."

"Of course. Yes. I will." Tovar folded his hands together beneath his chin. "I swear to you."

Nodding, I entered the hall adorned with mauve banners bearing the insignia of the Mierel family, a crown with a sword slicing through it.

"I didn't mean to do that," I said after a moment.

There was no answer, but I knew Nektas had followed me. I stopped and turned.

He stood in front of one of the banners, his brow pinched.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"The crest. It's an odd symbol."

"It is." I glanced down the empty hall. "It's supposed to represent strength and leadership. Except it looks like someone getting stabbed through the head."

"Strength and leadership? That's not what it means. Not originally," he said with a slight shake of his head. "The leaves? Those are not laurel. They're elm."

My brows lifted. "I'll have to take your word for that."

"Do you know the significance of elm trees to the Ancients?"

The nape of my neck tingled. "Life."

"Yes. And the sword? It symbolizes many things—power, strength, courage." Nektas paused. "Truth."

A fine shiver broke out over my skin. If the crown represented life and the sword could be truth, then… "True Life? True Primal of Life?" I laughed. "No. That has to be a coincidence and a stretch."

"I do not believe in coincidences, nor do I believe that is all this insignia represents. Look at the positioning of the sword." Nektas pointed. "It's slanted. Not entirely straight." He looked at me. "That should be familiar to you."

I stared at the crest, frowning. All I could see was someone being stabbed in the head and dying…

Dying.

My lips parted as I staggered back, just as the guards had moments ago. I'd seen a similar symbol in the Shadow Temple. "Death. That is the symbol for death."

"No. That ," Nektas said, pointing again, "is a symbol representing both life and death, on the crest of the same bloodline that eventually birthed a mortal who became the true Primal of Life. Who also happens to be the mate of a Primal of Death."

"Well, when you put it that way, it doesn't seem like a coincidence, but…"

But that damn prophecy.

While the Fates couldn't see the entirety of the future, they could see the many possibilities that lay in wait.

"The Mierel Crest is only a few hundred years old. It started with…" My eyes narrowed. "Motherfucker."

"That's who it started with?"

"It started with Roderick Mierel ." My head whipped toward him. "He only became the recognized King of Lasania after the deal."

Nektas turned his attention back to the crest.

"None of this means Eythos gave Roderick the design, but…" A strangled laugh left me. "He must have."

Nektas exhaled slowly. "This is not the symbol that represents the inevitability of life and death and the importance of both."

"The crescent moon," I murmured, my skin pimpling . "‘A Maiden as the Fates promised .' "

Nektas's head cut toward me.

"‘And you shall leave this realm touched by life and death.'" My voice was hoarse when I spoke. "That was something my old nursemaid Odetta said to me." I reached back and touched the back of my left shoulder. "I have a birthmark that's kind of shaped like a crescent moon."

"Fate marked you at birth," he said, mirroring Odetta's claim. "With the symbol of the equal power of life and death."

Unsettled, I slid my hand away.

"But if Eythos left some sort of hint behind, it would be the symbol of life. This insignia could represent something other than you and Ash. It could be—"

"Life and Death not joined," I cut in. "But one and the same."

A silver beast with blood seeping from its jaws of fire, bathed in the flames of the brightest moon to ever be birthed, will become one.

A chill went through me as I stared at the crest. If this symbol, representing life and death as one, never existed before, how could Eythos have had anything to do with it? And why? The vadentia was eerily quiet. Which meant…

It either involved the Fates or something close to me—to my present or future.

For finally, the Primal rises, the giver of blood and the bringer of bone, the Primal of Blood and Ash.

Another chill went through me. "None of this makes sense or even matters right now," I said. Nektas nodded, but there was a strange edginess to him. I turned and started walking toward the dining hall. "And you know why it doesn't matter?"

"Why?" Nektas followed me this time.

"Because trying to figure all of that out," I said, gesturing at the banners as I took the hall to my right, "makes my head feel like it's going to explode. Like, go splat all over those banners."

"We don't want that to happen."

I stalked forward, passing the curved archways of numerous unnecessary chambers.

"The idea of all this being connected angers you," Nektas commented.

"It annoys me." I entered a narrow hall where the walls had been painted white and were lit by gas lamps. "Because it makes it feel like things are predestined. I guess that's sometimes not bad, right? If you like the outcome. But other times, it is bad. Either way, it makes you wonder what the point is if what's to come will happen one way or another."

"Nothing is written in stone."

"Yeah, everyone keeps saying that." The corridor curved, and at the end of the absurdly long hall, the doors bearing the crest came into view. "But it sure as fuck doesn't feel…"

A prickly sensation erupted all over me. The cause wasn't because nobody was guarding the door. That wasn't all that surprising. Ezra wouldn't demand guards stand outside each and every chamber she occupied, and I got that. I was of like mind. But she was mortal, and Lasania was not without enemies, especially the Vodina Isles Lords—thanks to me following through on my mother's orders. But it wasn't that.

"Ash put wards up when he first brought me into the Shadowlands," I said. "Ones meant to keep my family safe." Foresight told me I knew the answer, but I needed to hear it. "They would still be working, right?"

"They may have weakened a little while Ash was in stasis, but they will remain as long as he lives."

I nodded but picked up my pace because those wards protected my family against gods who sought to harm them.

Not anything that wasn't a god.

Not Primals .

Essence throbbed hotly in my chest as I breathed deeply. There was a smell in the air—one that shouldn't be here. Not anymore.

Stale lilacs.

I broke into a run, my hair streaming out behind me. I didn't slow down as the stench of death increased. I willed the doors open. They swung apart, slamming into the stone walls on either side, causing those in the long, rectangular chamber situated in the center of the sunken space to gasp.

A chair fell over as my gaze swept past the familiar faces—

All I saw was gold .

Gold hair.

Gold tunic.

Gold-painted wings .

Eyes a shade of blue so pale they would've bordered on lifeless if not for the spark of eather behind the pupils as they locked with mine.

Callum sat at the dinner table with my family and smiled .

" Seraphena ," he drawled, plucking the napkin from his lap and dropping the mauve cloth onto the table. "What a lovely surprise to see you here."

Eather swelled with my rage, rushing to the surface of my skin. As silvery-gold light filled the corners of my vision, I saw Ezra skirt the table's edge and stand behind my stunned mother. Marisol started to move toward the male I recognized as her father, her dark gaze darting nervously between Callum and…not me. She was looking behind me.

A low growl rumbled from Nektas .

"Wait. You two know each other?" Ezra asked, her voice calm like usual. It was as if she wasn't even surprised to see me barge into the dining hall. "I thought you only saw one another in passing."

"Oh, we are well acquainted," Callum drawled, winking.

The bastard actually winked.

Heat poured into my veins. The part of my brain that still operated as a mortal shut off. I shadowstepped from the top of the rounded steps to the side of the table. Lady Faber let out a little shriek of surprise and bounced against the table. Wine glasses toppled, splashing red liquid over the white cloth.

Callum started to rise, but I was faster.

Gripping the back of his chair, I ripped it out from under him and threw it across the chamber. It smashed into the wall, shattering into pieces as he hit the floor on his ass.

" Seraphena !" My mother found her voice then, clutching the ruby at her throat. "What are—?" She jerked back in her chair as my head cut toward her. The blood drained from her face. "My gods."

Callum chuckled from the floor. "Well, not quite."

"Shut up," I hissed, grabbing him by the back collar of his tunic.

Hauling him to his feet, I flung the fucker in the same direction as the chair. He hit the wall with a satisfying thud and fell forward.

"My word," Ezra murmured.

Callum caught himself before he face-planted on the floor. "Ouch." He started to push up.

I was on him before he could take a step.

Slamming my hand into his chest, I shoved him into the wall, cracking the stone. Plumes of dust rose and shuddered to the floor as his head bounced off the stone.

"Sera," Ezra spoke again. "Can you please tell me what is going on? Preferably starting with why you just tossed a god across the chamber."

"He is not a god," I snarled, smashing Callum's head against the wall again just because I felt like it.

"Okay. Then can you tell me what is happening and, at some point, explain why your skin is…" She paused. When she spoke again, her voice sounded closer. "Actually, I don't even know what your skin is doing, but you…you look like a god. Were you Ascended?"

"I'll explain everything in a second, but I need you to get back." I spared a brief glance at Nektas . "Protect them."

"You are my priority."

" Nektas ."

The draken sighed. "As you wish, meyaah Liessa ."

" Meyaah … Liessa ?" mumbled Marisol, and then Lady Faber's squeak told me that Nektas had moved closer to them.

I focused on Callum. "What are you doing here?" Streaks of essence swirled down my arm, and sparks crackled from my fingertips. "Do not make me ask you twice."

Blood trickled from behind his ear. "You asked me to be quiet—well, you demanded that I do so." He smiled, red smearing his teeth. "And kind of rudely, too."

I pulled him away from the wall and then thrust him back, cracking more stone. "Don't try to be clever, Callum, because you're not."

"Maybe not." His head rolled on his shoulders in a way that made me think I'd done some damage to a few important muscles back there. "But I'm smarter than you."

"The fact that you're here tells me you're not." I pushed him back as he tried to gain his footing.

"I was just chatting with some old friends," he said, his gaze darting down for half a heartbeat. "Catching up."

"They are not your friends."

"That's not true," Callum coughed out. "The former Queen and I go way back."

"Yeah, you do." I breathed in, attempting to quell my temper. "What were you chatting about?"

"You," he whispered, the dull glow of eather flickering behind his pupils. "And what a lying whore her daughter is."

"I'm really curious to see what kind of effect fire has on you," Nektas growled. "So you'd better watch your mouth, you little fuck."

Callum's nostrils flared.

I smiled.

His arm snapped out, going for the dagger at my thigh.

I caught his arm. "Once again." I twisted, breaking the bone. My smile grew as his eyes squeezed shut. "You're clearly not clever."

Spitting a mouthful of blood onto the floor, he lifted his head. "You were much easier to deal with when you were caged."

Fury gathered in the back of my throat, tasting of ash. I gripped his chin as the air around me charged.

"Sera," Nektas called. "He wouldn't have been able to shadowstep into this realm. He was brought here."

I inhaled sharply. Nektas was right. I'd been too angry to consider that. "Who brought you here?"

Callum didn't answer, his gaze focused on the eather singeing his flesh.

"Did he come with another?" Nektas demanded of those at the table.

"Not that we are aware of," Ezra answered. "He's been here for a couple of days, though."

My brows raised. "You've been here that long? What the fuck, Callum?"

"There was a lot to tell them," he rasped. "You know, like how you looked behind gilded bars."

That was it.

Callum knew it, too. His eyes flared wide. "Shit."

Eather erupted from my fingers, burning the skin of his chin. I willed the essence inside the Revenant like I'd seen Ash do. I pushed it in, flooding him.

Callum jerked wildly, his arms flying out from his sides. A scream of pain tore from his throat as the eather pounded through his veins. His body stiffened as the silvery-gold stream of eather pouring from his mouth cut off his scream. His eyes sizzled , then popped. Thick globs of watery red liquid spilled down his cheeks and over my fingers.

"I think…" Marisol gagged. "I think I'm going to be sick."

Callum went limp.

I released him, watching him fall to the floor in a crumpled heap, smoke drifting from his ears and the charred holes where his eyes had been.

A body hit the floor behind me, and Lord Faber shouted as Marisol yelled, "Mother!"

Nektas's heavy sigh echoed through the chamber as I knelt, wiping my fingers clean on the front of Callum's tunic. I rose then and turned.

"Is he dead?" Ezra asked as she clutched Marisol's back. Lord Faber held his wife's prone form in his lap as Marisol knelt beside them, dabbing a damp napkin at her mother's temples.

I focused on Ezra. Her white knuckles were the only indication that she wasn't as calm as she appeared. "Unfortunately, no."

"Unfortunately?" my mother repeated, her eyes wide and the skin at her mouth white as she stared at my hand.

"He'll be back to his obnoxious self sooner rather than later." I glanced down, thinking I had missed some gore but hadn't. She was staring because gold swirled along the flesh of my hand and arm. Probably my face, too. I willed the eather to calm. "Well." I sighed. "This wasn't how I expected to break the news. I'm sure you are all a bit confused."

"Confused?" Mother laughed in a way I'd never heard her before. She sounded nervous and…horrified. "What are you?"

I stiffened, bracing myself against the old, familiar sting. I'd known it was coming, but fuck, it still burned.

Nektas stepped forward. "This is your mother?"

I cleared my throat, blinking rapidly. "Yes."

"I see the resemblance." A curtain of red-streaked hair fell over one bare shoulder. "And yet you clearly don't know who your daughter is." His head straightened. "But you're about to find out."

I started to frown, but then I felt it. The throb of awareness I didn't just feel in the center of my chest but also in my bones and soul.

Uh-oh.

The chamber started to shake, stirring Lady Faber from her faint. "What is…what is happening now?"

Marisol grasped her hand. "I'm not entirely sure."

The dishes began to rattle, and thin fissures appeared in the marble tile. A blast of thunder shook the chamber, exploding the glasses on the table.

"Oh, no." Ezra threw up her hands, causing her short, ivory waistcoat to rise above her slender hips. "We just repaired the Great Hall from the last time."

I shot her an incredulous look as a laugh built in my throat.

"It was horridly loud—the stone and hammers," she said. "And I swear they only banged those damn hammers when I got a few minutes to read."

"Really, Ezra?" Marisol said under her breath. "Is now a good time to mention that? When another god is about to appear?"

"God?" Ezra laughed lightly. "That is no god coming. It is a Primal."

Lord Faber's mouth dropped open.

Cracks ran up the walls and over the ceiling, sending dust falling. I winced, thinking there would be far more banging hammers in Ezra's future.

A gust of cold wind whipped through the dining hall as shadowy mist began seeping from the small cracks in the floor.

"What have we done to anger the gods?" Lady Faber whispered, staring up at me as her husband and daughter helped her to her feet.

"It wasn't you." Nektas looked pointedly in my mother's direction.

She didn't move.

"Does he really need to do all of this?" I asked.

Nektas smiled. "He does like to make an entrance."

The air warped a few feet to my right and a ball of crackling eather appeared. The orb expanded, thinning and stretching to roughly accommodate the height of a damn giant. Icy power drenched the dining hall as the tear in the realms split wide open. Thick mist rolled out, pooling on the floor as Ash arrived, dressed as he had been when I'd left him in the Shadowlands: black breeches and a loose, linen shirt. He looked every inch a Primal of Death.