CHAPTER SIXTY

Holland arrived as dawn painted a canvas of wispy pink and orange that blended into the blue expanse. He did not linger at all this time.

He took my hand before he left but didn't say anything; just held my gaze silently. I knew him well enough to recognize that the crease between his brows was one of concern, and his faint smile before it disappeared was full of conviction.

He was worried.

But he also had faith in me—in Ash and the others. And I chose to keep reminding everybody of that as we gathered in the war room.

The Ancient had faith in us, and that had to mean something.

Kolis had agreed to meet us in the Bonelands tomorrow when the sun was at its peak over the ruins of a Sun Temple. While I had no idea which one he spoke of, having only seen the bare bones of one during my brief time in the Shadowlands, Ash knew exactly which one.

"Kolis will not honor his word to come alone," Ash stated. "We know he will bring his forces."

"Good thing we don't plan to honor that either," Bele said from where she sat cross-legged at the other end of the table.

Ash's smile was frigid. "Sera and I will be near the Temple but not in it. That thing is barely standing, and I don't want either of us in it if it goes off the cliff."

"I support that statement," I said, earning a snort from Thierran , who sat by Penellaphe , the cowl of his hood up. "Where is this Temple, by the way?" I asked.

"It's by the southern cove." Standing, Theon pointed at a map of the Bonelands he'd drawn. It was spread across the table and pinned down by a dagger. "The Temple Kolis is talking about is here." He dragged his finger up. "It sits on the bluffs overlooking the shore and faces the bay, but you will not have a clear view of the water from there with all the trees that have grown along the cliffs. The bay is the safest and quickest way to make landfall."

Attes's eyes narrowed on the map. "That shoreline is still rocky outside the bay, and the waters are rough."

"That won't stop the ceeren from coming ashore," Saion stated. "They'll have no problems traveling in that water. And once it gets shallow enough, they'll shift forms."

"And will come with weapons," Rhahar added, glancing at Attes and Kars. "Everyone needs to remember they have a nasty bite."

My head jerked up in surprise.

"The ceeren's teeth are sharp as daggers and can take out chunks of flesh, scaled or not," Saion explained, catching my stare before the vadentia could answer. "And I do mean all their teeth. They can also partially shift. So, even in their mortal forms, you'll want to keep all body parts away from their mouths."

My lip curled. I didn't remember seeing anything like that when I was with them.

"Kolis has to know we have been in the Bonelands , but I want you to move our ships farther out either way, where the Primal mist will cloak them," Ash said to Theon, eyeing the map with a thoughtful expression. "Aren't there caves along that shore?"

"There are," Theon answered. "And beneath the Temple, too."

"Perfect," Ash mused. He, Attes , and the twins had been doing most of the strategizing. I was doing a lot of listening. This wasn't my wheelhouse, and I wasn't familiar with the landscape. "Kolis will expect us to have backup, but I want our numbers hidden as much as possible."

"He'll either attack before he arrives or…" Attes said. "He may hold off if he thinks attacking will jeopardize him getting The Star." His lashes lifted. "But the moment he realizes you don't have it, he will come hard."

My stomach dipped, but I wasn't worried about that nugget of fear or embarrassed by it. Anyone with a head on their shoulders would feel that upon hearing that the true Primal of Death would go all out. And fear wasn't necessarily bad as long as one harnessed it wisely.

"We need an archery regiment in those caves." Ash brushed a shorter strand of his hair back from his face. "I want them there, knowing the moment the ceeren shift, they should let loose with the arrows, whether Kolis has arrived, attacked, or not."

" Phanos's ships will be carrying gods who don't have fins," Lailah pointed out. She had awakened sometime in the middle of the night, looking the same except for the brand-new Primal eyes. "That's why he'll come into the bay."

Attes glanced at Ash. A moment passed, and Ash nodded for him to go ahead. "We want to stop as many of his forces from getting on land as possible." His gaze found Nektas . "You'll be staying close to your Queen."

I rolled my eyes.

"And King," he continued. "But we want a quadrant of draken on those cliffs."

"Can do." Nektas drew his thumb over his chin. "When the ships are sighted, you want them lit up?"

"Yes," Ash answered without hesitation.

I shifted in my seat, uneasy with the knowledge that those ships would be packed like sardines and also that I wasn't all that uncomfortable with the plan. Considering what I was, I kind of felt like I should be.

Oh, well.

I removed my hand from my stomach and propped my elbows on the table. "I doubt Kolis will put all his forces on those ships or in any one area."

"It would be really nice of him if he did." Lailah sat back, twisting a braid between her fingers.

Attes smirked. "The Bonelands ' eastern mountains border Dalos ," he said, referencing the mountains that'd once been the prisons. "And I know damn well that…Kyn would've put regiments there." He cleared his throat. "We've had eyes on the Bonelands ' side, but there was no way to monitor movement into the mountains without being seen."

"So, you think Kolis has regiments there already?" I asked.

"It's what I would've instructed him to do." He picked up his glass. "So, Kyn would have told him the same if discussions of the Bonelands arose."

"They did while I was there," I said. "With that in mind, I think it's safe to assume he may have shared strategy plans with him."

Attes took a drink. "Kyn would've moved them through the mountains and into the Bonelands when the decision was made to meet there. And he would've done so on foot. It will be faster than attempting it on horseback."

My gaze shot to Ash's. "That means Kolis can be doing that right now."

"We have forces closer," Ash reminded me. "Theon has been stationed not too far from there."

"Below the Temple is an open area, bordered by the cliffs on one side and the forest on the other." Theon circled his finger over an area of the map near the Temple. "I would suggest," he said with a heavy sigh, "creating a first line of defense by moving the forces already there to the eastern forest. They can be there in an hour. It's dense and dark. Enough that our soldiers would be hidden. A second line could be in the caves. The third line, near you and Sera. The trees are thickest there, so the strongest should be up there."

Ash's jaw tightened. "And because of how dense the eastern woods are, Kolis's regiments will also be well hidden as they move westward. Those in that first line will get hit the hardest and suffer the most casualties."

Theon inhaled deeply. "I know, but they are the closest, and we need to secure that open field to limit access to the Temple."

Ash didn't like it. Neither did I. But Theon was right. " Thierran , you'll be up with us, nice and hidden. You need to stay out of all the fighting until Sera summons you, or you don't have a choice."

"That's not much fun," the God of Dreams remarked.

"Bele, you will be up with us." Ash's gaze flicked to Attes . "So will you."

"I need to be on the second line," Attes argued. "That's where the fighting will be the heaviest. If our line breaks, the Temple will be overrun."

"Good point." Ash let out an aggravated breath.

"I'll take Kars and you two." Attes nodded at the cousins. "Rhain should be with you all."

My gaze darted from Kars to Rhahar and Saion. While the latter had been Ascended, none of them were Primals . They were gods, which meant they could be killed with shadowstone and eather . Thinking that made my heart race, even though none of them looked nervous. Kars was actually smiling.

"I don't think Saion should be on the second line," I said. "Or in the Bonelands ."

Saion stiffened. "What do you mean?"

"We need Phanos taken out, and when that happens, you will finish your Ascension," I reminded him—and everyone. "You'll be vulnerable in those moments, and we may be unable to get you out."

"Fuck," he muttered, rubbing his brow. "I didn't even think of that."

"Good call." Ash smiled at me, and I felt like clapping myself on the back. Somehow, I managed to refrain from doing so. "The Shadowlands still need to be guarded in case Kolis attacks here to draw our attention. You will be needed here."

Saion wasn't happy, but he nodded.

"I am ready," Penellaphe said, drawing our attention. "I know I haven't been Ascended for long, but I am ready to join the fight."

"As am I," Ione joined in. "I have trained as a guard and can wield a sword."

" Penellaphe ," Ash began.

"I know I may not appear to have had any training." Penellaphe's chin lifted, sending long, honey-hued strands cascading over her back. "But I, too, once trained as a guard."

"It has nothing to do with that," I said. "Eventually, you will have to use the eather despite your training, which will impact the mortal realm."

"And it will already be severe with just Sera and Kolis on the field," Ash said. "Add in Attes ? Bele and me? Phanos ? We must do whatever we can to prevent a full-scale war and lessen the impact on the mortal realm."

Penellaphe relented first, then Ione reluctantly submitted.

"I assume this part of the conversation doesn't apply to me." Lailah looked over the table between Ash and me.

"You just woke up," Rhain said. "You can't be out there."

Lailah's brows shot up. "You cannot be serious."

"He is," Theon stated, crossing his arms. "Look, Aios isn't arguing—"

"That's because Aios isn't a trained warrior!" Lailah's head shot toward the redheaded Primal goddess. "No offense."

"None taken." Aios lifted a hand. "But even if I were, I understand why I cannot be on the field."

Theon smirked at his sister.

Lailah's eyes narrowed. "I am one of the most trained guards in all of Iliseeum —without using eather ."

"No one is denying that," Attes said. "But you are vulnerable."

"That's bullshit." Her nostrils flared.

"I would target you in battle," I said. "If I knew someone on Kolis's side had just Ascended into Primalhood , I would go after them. Not only because they would be vulnerable but because it would make others vulnerable. We would seek to protect you. That's why Saion cannot be on the battlefield."

Lailah's mouth opened, but after a moment, it closed.

"I know it's hard not to be out there when your brother and those you care about are." I held her gaze. "Just as it is hard for Aios , Ione, and Penellaphe . And if you hadn't just Ascended, we would have you out there instead of Bele."

Bele scowled. "Rude."

"However, as Nyktos said, we need to do everything we can to lessen the impact on the mortal realm," I told her. "That is why we seized the other Courts. Not just to gain more numbers but also to prevent the Primals from fighting and adding to the harm that we—that I —have already caused."

I could feel Ash's gaze on me as I watched Lailah. Seconds ticked by, and then she finally exhaled heavily and nodded.

The meeting continued. Further plans were established. Draken blood had been drawn and sealed in the basalt vials. The bone chains were already deep underground in Oak Ambler, and once we were done with our discussions, I spent the better part of the day with Reaver and Jadis, soaking in as much time as I could with them while practicing finding Nektas's imprint and communicating with him.

I was sure after about fifteen minutes he wanted to throw me out a window.

Then we all had dinner together, a fine current of unease humming under each laugh and smile. Ash and I made love, and each kiss, every sigh carried with it the hum of dread fueled by the knowledge that if we failed tomorrow, we would lose…

Our children.

Each other.

Our future.

Those we cared for.

Everything.