CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE

CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE

We walked from the underground chamber onto one of the many cliffs overlooking the Stroud Sea, the salty breeze washing over us. Bright sunlight reflected off the white-tipped waves crashing against the rocky shore below.

Behind us, the earth shuddered. Stone tumbled, and dirt fell in sheets as Attes collapsed the tunnel that led to Kolis's tomb.

It was done.

As Ash's arm draped over my shoulders, I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, leaning into Ash. I was so damn tired, exhausted to the bone, but my lips split into a wide smile.

Kolis was entombed, and he would remain that way forevermore.

We'd won.

"It's over," Ash said, tipping his chin to the sky.

My smile froze and then faded. I should be celebrating. I wanted to continue smiling. We'd won . I should be cheering. It was over.

For now.

But Kolis's promise haunted every step I took as I left the tunnel. So did the damn prophecy.

Keella's warning whispered through my thoughts, the image of the air warping around Callum's remains forming in my mind. I'd forgotten about that as the old Temple was destroyed. And something about that caused a great sense of unease to rise.

Ash's arm tightened around me. "Let's go home," he said, brushing his lips over my temple. "I want you checked before we take care of Sotoria ."

That wasn't the only thing we needed to do. I had to make sure the bone army returned to their slumber. We needed to check on the state of things in the Bonelands . Help our wounded. Count our dead. But…

A chill crawled across my neck and then slithered down my spine. Tiny hairs all over my body began to rise when I looked up at Ash.

His hand slid over my upper back, and he turned to me. "Sera?" Concern darkened his eyes. "What is it?"

I wasn't sure, but the unease intensified, causing my pulse to speed up.

Ash turned me so I was facing him. He clasped my cheeks. "Sera?"

"What's going on?" Attes asked, joining us at the cliff's edge, the blood spotting his face turning pink in the sunlight.

"I don't know." Ash's gaze searched mine. "Talk to us, liessa ."

My heart pounded. "We need to take care of Sotoria now."

Ash's jaw immediately hardened. "I think that can wait until Kye—"

"It really can't." I swallowed. "We need to do it now."

His eyes narrowed. "Is your vadentia telling you something?"

"I don't know, but remember what Keella said about the prophecy?" I reminded him, and Ash swore. He knew how important it was to free Sotoria before the Fates did something idiotic, but he was battling with his need to make sure the babes and I were okay. I twisted toward Attes . "I need you to take us to The Star."

Attes frowned. "I can do that, but I'd prefer if we backed up a second first because you are acting—"

"No," I interrupted. "We need to go there," I insisted. " Now ."

Attes led us through the maze of halls forged from shadowstone deep beneath his palace in Essaly . His armor had vanished, and he'd dropped his swords upon entering. We were all tired, and the wound in my shoulder had faded to a dull ache, but our steps were fast.

Flames ignited from the torches lining the hall as we passed, casting an amber glow that beat back the darkness.

I walked beside Ash, my hand held tightly in his while he continuously smoothed his thumb over the top of it. The whole time, I kept telling myself we still had a chance to truly stop the prophecy from coming true. We'd entombed Kolis. All we needed to do now was release Sotoria . If so, Kolis would remain where we'd put him, the Ancients would stay in the ground, and Sotoria would be given a choice—something she hadn't had in far too many years.

Then everything would be perfect. We could relax. Iliseeum would change. So would the mortal realm. Ash and I could have the future he'd spoken of the night in the throne room.

Attes stopped before a door carved from a smooth, glossy shadowstone slab. He placed his hand on the surface, and the door swung open in a silent glide across the floor. Candles along the walls lit the small, circular chamber, casting a soft, flickering glow over jeweled chests of various sizes.

Attes entered first, but he'd only taken two steps before jerking to a stop. The sudden rush of eather inside him charged the air. "No."

Upon hearing that single word, my skin flashed hot and then cold. And I knew. I fucking knew.

"What?" Ash asked.

"The Star…" Attes staggered past the chests toward a pedestal surrounded by thick candles raised in iron candelabras.

A pedestal as bare as the one in the House of Haides.

"It's gone." He threw out an arm in an angry sweep, sending several chests slamming against the walls. "It was here this morning. I check it every day, in the morning and at night. This is impossible."

Ash's hand slipped free of mine as he scanned the chamber. "I doubt this is something you would've misplaced. So, who else knows about this room?"

"No one," Attes gritted out, thrusting his hand through his hair. He tugged at the strands. "Absolutely fucking no one. That is why I kept it here."

"That's not true," I said, and they both turned to me. "The Fates know. They see all. It wouldn't matter where you hid The Star. They would always be able to find it."

Attes's eyes widened. "Sure, but why would they take it?"

"Remember what Holland said about some of the Fates wanting to wake the Ancients in a way they believed could be controlled?" I said. "They would need her soul to do that."

Ash's gaze swung back to mine, and he cursed.

"Why would they need her soul for that?" Attes demanded, chest rising and falling rapidly as his eather began churning along the flesh of his throat. He stepped toward me, his tone hardening. "What do you know that you haven't told me?"

Ash was immediately in front of me. "Speak to my wife in that tone again, and you will find yourself unable to speak another word."

"It's okay." I touched Ash's back. "He's not angry with me."

"I don't give a fuck who he's angry at," Ash growled, glaring at Attes . "You're telling me that you knew just about every damn thing my father was planning, but you didn't know the actual reason he put Sotoria's soul into her bloodline?"

Attes's gaze was locked on the Primal before him. "He put her soul there so she could stop Kolis once and for all."

"It was never just about him," I said. "It's the prophecy. Eythos was trying to circumvent it, hoping Sotoria would be reborn now and marry his son long before the time period Penellaphe saw in her vision."

"Yeah, I'm really confused since that is what Eythos planned." Attes took a step back, drawing in a deep breath. "Didn't work out that way."

"No shit," Ash bit out.

Attes ignored him. "You know what? It doesn't matter." Jaw flexing, he looked between us. "We need to get that diamond back."

"And I have a good idea who has it." Fury rose swiftly in me, and I latched onto it. Essence throbbed heavily in me. "I want a Fate here right now," I demanded, the power in my voice causing the chests to tremble and the candles to flicker as my will filled the chamber. "I don't care which of you answers, but you'd better answer right now."

Shockingly, they answered at once. The air around us filled with energy, causing the flames on the candles to shoot toward the ceiling. Before the empty pedestal, the air distorted.

Just as I had seen it do in the old Temple.

A tear in the realm appeared, and none other than the nipple-pierced Aydun stepped out, his swirling eyes landing directly on me. "You're summons was grossly impolite. You're lucky it was I—"

"I don't give a fuck about how impolite it was," I hissed, and Ash shifted so he stood in front of me once more. I sidestepped him. "Give me The Star. Now."

Aydun's brows rose, and the colors of his eyes stilled, the stars brightening until they cast a silvery glow over his cheeks. "I see that you're in a highly emotional state. Therefore, I will forgive your impudence this time."

I opened my mouth.

"Do you have The Star?" Ash jumped in before I could say something way ruder.

The Ancient glanced at Ash. "Do I have The Star? As in, is it in my possession?"

A low growl rumbled from my chest.

Brown hair fell against his sculpted cheek when Aydun turned his head toward me. "I see you're going to be the reckless one this time," he noted. "Your anger is misplaced, Seraphena . It was not I who took The Star."

My hands fisted at my sides. "I don't care which of you took it. I want it back."

"It's too late for that."

I inhaled sharply. "No, it is not."

Aydun held my stare. "Yes, it is, and you know it. A part of you has always known that," he said, and my heart skipped. His voice lowered. "Fate always finds a way, Seraphena ."

A harsh, biting laugh escaped me. "Yeah, because fate keeps fucking things up."

Aydun arched a brow.

"Okay. I'm missing some vital information," Attes began. "And honestly, I don't give a fuck at this point. Eythos had his plans. They didn't turn out exactly as he'd planned, but Kolis was entombed. He has been dealt with. Sotoria is Sotoria . Sera is Sera. That is old news, and all I want is for Sotoria to be free." His voice cracked a little on the last word. "For her to either choose peace or live a normal life." He moved toward the Ancient. "And don't you dare fucking deny her that."

"A normal life?" Aydun repeated. " Sotoria has never lived a normal life."

"Yeah, thanks to Kolis," I snapped. "And you all messing with her life."

"You misunderstand, Seraphena ." He eyed me curiously. "Have you never wondered why Sotoria ?"

"Of course, I've wondered that," I said, struggling to keep the essence down.

"There was a reason Kolis was so drawn to her. Her bloodline is old and managed to carry just enough essence no matter how many generations passed." Aydun gave Attes a tight smile. "It's the same reason you found yourself drawn to her."

"What the fuck?" rasped Attes .

" Sotoria is a direct descendant of the first mortal created by the blood of Eythos and the first draken ," Aydun said. "And I don't mean in the way all mortals are descended from the first. Eythos created more than one mortal."

"Obviously," Ash drawled.

"He created several, but she descended from the first , who also happened to give birth to the first mortal children—a son, a daughter, and then a second."

I tensed.

" Sotoria descends directly from that second daughter, born in a shroud. Chosen even before Kolis first saw her picking flowers for her sister's wedding, just like every single second daughter of her bloodline afterward." Aydun cocked his head. "Until you."

My mouth dropped open, and Ash's head jerked toward me. "You cannot be saying what I think you are."

"That you and Sotoria are of the same bloodline? Yes. That is what I'm saying. Sotoria was never randomly reborn into anyone. She was always reborn in the Mierel bloodline," he told us as if it was something we should've always known.

And granted, now hearing it, it was something we should've figured out, especially after Keella told me that Eythos answering Roderick Mierel's summons was no random opportunity.

"And that is where your father"—he paused to look at Ash—"made his mistake."

"He asked for the first daughter," Ash murmured, his arms unfolding and falling to his sides.

" Eythos was brilliant. He knew what Sotoria descended from. He'd figured out what she would one day become, but for some absolutely mind-numbing reason, he and Keella believed that having her soul reborn in a first daughter was the key to everything." Aydun rolled his eyes, and, oh boy, that was a weird sight to witness, given those kaleidoscope eyes. "That was why she was not reborn. To be honest, I'm surprised Eythos didn't damn the realms with that one act of stupidity. You were a first daughter, never meant to carry much essence in you, let alone embers of life. You should've died."

A growl ripped out of Ash's throat. "What did you just say?"

"It was no threat," Aydun replied calmly. "Just a statement of fact. First sons and daughters are never meant to be, well, of much importance in the grand scheme of things. Which is why it always amuses me that mortals place so much emphasis on firstborns." He shrugged. "But somehow, your tenacious little self survived , and here we are."

The three of us stared at him, and for some idiotic reason, I blurted out the very next thing that entered my mind. "I'm actually related to that fucker Callum?"

Aydun frowned. "Distantly related, but yes."

My upper lip curled. " Ew ."

"As disturbing as that realization may be," Ash said after a moment, pulling his gaze from me to focus on the Fate, "and as interesting as this little history lesson has been, it doesn't change why we summoned you. We want The Star."

"Thank you for finding my history lesson interesting," Aydun replied. "But as I said, it is too late."

"No, it's not," I snarled. "All you have to do is go and get it from wherever one of your fellow assholes stashed it."

Aydun blinked at me. "Look, you succeeded in preventing a full-scale war between the Primals . Barely," he tacked on. "Many gods and Primals were lost, but a true war would've lasted years, if not decades or longer. So, congratulations."

Attes snorted at that.

"You managed to stop the Ancients from being too disturbed," Aydun went on. "But Eythos failed to stop the prophecy, as did you."

"She did not fail shit," Ash warned.

"Okay. Both of you failed, then. Does sharing the responsibility make it easier to swallow?" Aydun challenged. "You could've released Sotoria the moment her soul was placed in The Star. You didn't."

"It was too risky," I argued.

"True. Kolis would've felt her. He's had enough of her blood that every time she is reborn, he senses her," he said, and disgust swept through me. "And now that he's also had your blood, he would've definitely felt her because a tiny part of you has mingled with her and vice versa."

I stepped back and then snapped forward when Ash moved toward the Ancient. I grabbed his arm, holding him back.

Aydun sighed. "Why are you mad at me for once again stating a simple fact?"

"It doesn't matter." I wrapped my arms around Ash's. "What does is that you also know it was too risky to release Sotoria until Kolis was entombed. He would've burned through the realms to get to her and then disappeared into some hole with her."

"Yes, he would have," Aydun stated, glancing at one of the nearby chests. "What's in these?"

"That's not important," Attes bit out. "We didn't know that him having her blood from her prior lives was something he could've picked up on." His gaze found mine. "That means if we had released Sotoria now and she chose to live a mortal life, Kolis would've felt her, even while entombed. It may have taken him a while to get his ass free, but he would have had one big motivation to do so."

Meaning he wouldn't have remained entombed for thousands of years. Not even hundreds. Or decades. "Gods."

Attes dragged a hand over his face. "So, what does this mean?"

The Fate nudged a chest with his foot. "It's pretty obvious if you would all give yourself five seconds to think about it."

I opened my mouth, but Ash spoke. "She will be reborn from the Mierel bloodline."

"She will be reborn as the second daughter of the Mierel bloodline," Aydun corrected. "Whenever that happens."

Ash looked down at me. So did Attes . My entire body was tingling, and not necessarily in a good way. I placed a hand on my stomach. Attes's gaze followed my motion with a frown.

"Don't worry." Aydun tipped the chest, and something metal clanged around inside it. "You do not carry daughters."

Ash's head snapped to the Fate.

"Male twins tend to run in your bloodline," he remarked. "Hopefully, they will turn out better than their predecessors and current company."

I gaped at him.

" Sotoria's soul is beyond your reach now. You all need to accept that. Now, we are left with only one way to prevent her from being reborn from the giver of blood and the bringer of bone, the Primal of Blood and Ash."

Muscles up and down Ash's arm tensed. "If you're about to suggest what I think you are—"

"You will do what?" Aydun challenged, finally ceasing messing with the chests. "Attack me? Curse at me? Go ahead. It won't change what will come. It won't change that you will both continue to risk the safety of the realms out of selfishness to bring two babes into the realm that will eventually have babes of their own until one of them is the cause of millions of deaths—"

Ash broke my hold, lurching at the Ancient. My shout was lost in a rush of air that pushed Ash back to where I stood.

"For the third time, your anger is misplaced." Aydun's chin lowered as he fully faced us. "She will be reborn of your bloodline— the giver of blood and the bringer of bone— and she will carry within her the embers of life and death. Touched by life and death."

I stood there, rooted to the floor, the spot on my shoulder where the crescent-shaped birthmark rested beginning to tingle.

"Her shroud will be that of crimson-and-gold and will bear a royal mark," he said, sparks flying from his fingers as he moved his hand through the air. Faint silvery flames followed, forming a painfully familiar symbol.

The crown of elm and the sword—the slightly slanted sword.

The crown of life.

The sword of death.

But the flames changed, taking on more characteristics of the symbol of death. The crown became a circle, and the sword an arrow drenched in gold and surrounded by crimson.

Wrapped in the shroud of death.

My nostrils flared, and I gritted my teeth.

"She will be a Queen of Flesh and Fire, and she will usher in the end with the name of the true Primal of Life on her lips," Aydun said as the flaming symbol faded. "Death and destruction will follow her."

Silence fell then, settling over the chamber. Seconds ticked by.

"This isn't fair to her," I whispered hoarsely. "I didn't want this for her, not after all her suffering."

"She'll likely have no knowledge of her past," Aydun said, causing the three of us to look at him sharply.

"I don't understand," Attes said.

"Those who are reborn may have memories of their previous lives, but they often show as dreams or instances of déjà vu," he explained. "But they almost always fade as who that person has become in their new life begins to take shape." He paused. "They may be the same soul and look identical to who they were before, but they are not entirely the same person."

"Well," Attes sighed. "I guess that is a relief."

"Doesn't make it any better," I said.

"No," Aydun agreed. "I suppose it doesn't."

"Nothing is written in stone." Ash curved his arm around my shoulders. "Prophecy or not. This may never come to pass."

Aydun's head tilted again. "You're right. Nothing is predestined. There is hope. You may still be able to prevent the rise of the Primal of Blood and Bone—a being who will not only awaken Death and those in the ground but also carry within her absolute power." His eyes met mine. "And you know what they say about absolute power."

I did.

I'd said it myself.

"But she will have nowhere near the strength she will grow into when Death comes for her. She, like you, would be a…" He smiled. "A baby Primal."

I glared at him.

"So, she will likely fall to Death whilst in the process of waking the Ancients," he said. "And even if she somehow manages to defeat Death, she would be corrupted just as those in the ground were—and at a much faster rate." Aydun straightened to his full, towering height. "And if that happens, it will take every single god and even those in the ground to bring her down. For she will destroy all of us."

Aydun was wrong, though.

He was wrong .

The corners of my lips curved up.

He frowned, and Ash sent me a questioning look.

"I'm not sure why you're smiling," Attes muttered.

"Is that all?" I asked.

For a moment, the Ancient looked uncertain, and then he, too, smiled faintly. "It is."

"Why is it now just hitting me that you are with child?" Attes murmured from where he sat across from Ash and me. We'd come upstairs and ended up in what appeared to be Attes's office.

There were no empty shelves on his walls. Just a shit ton of weapons.

I kind of liked it.

"With two," Attes corrected, blinking rapidly. "Congratulations—" He sat up straight, his head swinging toward Ash. "You let her fight while pregnant?"

"While I wasn't entirely thrilled with her doing so," Ash replied, taking a drink of the whiskey Attes had poured for him, "I do not control what she does."

I raised my brows at Attes .

"Fates," the Primal muttered, rubbing his hand over his face. "Neither of you is thinking about listening to that fuck of a Fate and…" He swallowed the whiskey, lips peeling back. "Ending their lives before they begin, are you?"

"No," Ash said.

"Good. You two deserve the joy of parenthood and its horrors." A brief dimple appeared in a flash of a grin, and I thought about his children. Would he ever have more? "Besides, there are other ways to prevent…fuck, to prevent Sotoria from being reborn."

"I'm sorry." I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. "Maybe we should've risked releasing her sooner."

"You know what would've happened if we had." He lowered his glass.

"At least she is safe for now." Ash rubbed my back. "She's not really conscious while in The Star, right?"

I steepled my fingers under my chin. "Not always."

"Then, to her, it will be as if she is sleeping," he said.

"Yeah." I closed my eyes, absolutely hating that Sotoria was trapped in The Star, aware or not. It wasn't fair. "We should still try to find it."

"The Fates could've hidden it anywhere," Attes said.

"Or given it to someone." I thought about what I'd seen around Callum's remains. "We need to find Callum."

Ash's eyes narrowed. "You think the Fates gave it to him? The last I saw of him, he was in pieces."

"He's her brother." And my…well, whatever. I told them what I'd seen before the Temple collapsed.

Ash cursed. "Fucking Fates."

"Ditto," I murmured, looking across at Attes . "You were right about there being other ways to prevent her from being reborn. We're having sons."

Attes nodded.

Beside me, Ash sighed heavily and tilted his head back, the glass of whiskey resting on his knee. "I know what you are thinking."

I pressed my lips together. Ash had envisioned our sons scrambling over benches in the throne room, playing with Reaver and Jadis, and then our grandchildren doing the same.

There would be no grandchildren.

I closed my eyes. We would have to ensure our sons never had children. Maybe they would be lucky and would never want them, nor whomever they ended up falling in love with. Not everyone did, and it would be for the best if they felt that way. But if they did want children? I shook my head. It wasn't right or fair. Neither was what had been done to Sotoria .

"We shouldn't rely on them never procreating," Attes said quietly.

"I know." Ash finished off his whiskey and set the glass aside. "We need to look for Callum. In the meantime, plan for the day that either fate or nature finds a way." A muscle ticked in his jaw. "She will not be born all-powerful. No god or Primal is. She will be vulnerable until Ascension," he said, each word filled with distaste. "Fuck."

I stared at him, understanding what he was suggesting. That would be a mark neither of us would bear because I didn't think we would survive it.

"No," I said, eather flooding my veins. I had to rein it back in. "If she manages to be born, she deserves to live."

Ash's eyes met mine. "I agree. I do."

"Stop there." I rose, beginning to pace. "I understand what it means if she's born. But I also know that doesn't mean the Ancients will awaken here. And yeah, I am damning the lands beyond the Primal Veil."

Attes's brow furrowed, and he looked up at me.

"And if they do awaken here, then we will do everything we can to lessen the damage. And like those before us, put them back in the ground," I said. "Because I will not be a part of murdering a child or an adult of my blood," I said. "And I know you would not be able to live after doing something like that, Ash, no matter if it was carried out by our words or hands."

"No," he said quietly. "I would not."

"Neither of us would." I idly rubbed my lower stomach.

"I'm not going to disagree with you two on this," Attes said, leaning back. "But there is also the fact that Kolis will wake."

"And if that happens, I will put the dagger in her hand myself," I swore, repeating what I had told Kolis. "One thing I'm not worried about is her being corrupted."

"Is that why you were smiling before Aydun left?" Attes asked.

"Power and consequence come from the will of the beholder, right?" I stopped behind Ash, placing my hands on his shoulders. "Both of you were there when Holland said it. None born from my bloodline hungered for power. None will."

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about that," Attes remarked.

"No. That's one good thing." I squeezed Ash's shoulders. "There is something else Aydun said. She will be born in a shroud. That means she'll be born mortal."

Ash's head tilted back. "You're right." His eyes searched mine. "But our sons will be born in the mortal realm."

Damn it, I'd forgotten what Kye had said, but that wasn't what I was thinking about. "If the prophecy holds true, she won't be born until a long time from now, and the whole born of the same misdeeds thing? I have a feeling she will believe herself to be mortal. That she will be surrounded by them." Letting go of Ash's shoulders, I walked around the couch and sat beside him. "Maybe I'm completely wrong about that, but Aydun said she would call the name of the true Primal of Life."

The skin between Ash's brows creased. "He did."

"Then we need to make sure no mortals know who the true Primal of Life is."

He stiffened. "Sera—"

"They can believe it is you. I will be known as the Consort or whatever," I said in a rush. "If my name isn't known, she cannot speak it."

"We don't even know what speaking your name will do, but it sure didn't sound like it would stop the prophecy if she didn't say it," he argued.

"For Aydun to mention it, it has to mean something."

"Yeah, the same Fate who failed to mention the eirini ," Attes commented. "But she has a point. It could be something small, but it is something."

Ash was shaking his head.

"The mortals don't need to know about me. We can have other gods answer their summonses and have Rhain or Rhahar be known as the—"

"It will mean you are never known," he interrupted, eather piercing his eyes. "And you have lived long enough without being known."

"I know—"

"I cannot allow that." His hand cut furiously through the air. "Your name will be known, as well as all you have accomplished and sacrificed. There will be stories and songs written about you. People will celebrate your name. The name that brings others joy. You will not be unknown—"

"Ash," I whispered, cupping his cheek and blinking back tears. I knew why he wanted to deny this. And gods, it made me love him even more.

"You cannot tell me you will not be hurt by this, Sera." His cold fingers curled around my wrist. "You won't only be unknown. You will eventually be forgotten."

Hearing that did make my stomach drop. I couldn't deny it. Being forgotten was almost the same as never existing, and Ash understood how much it had hurt not to be known by anyone. How it had made me feel like a specter among the living. But something struck me in that moment. That was then. It wasn't me now.

"You know me," I said. "My children will know me. Attes will, and everyone else I care about will know me."

The muscle in his jaw clenched against my palm. "That isn't enough."

"But it is." I leaned over and kissed him softly, then rested my forehead against his. "You are enough."