The Chosen arrived sometime later. It could’ve been hours, or another day could’ve passed, I couldn’t tell. But there were fewer Chosen than before under Callum’s watchful gaze.
I made sure I remained at the divan while they collected the used towels, replaced the water in the pitchers with fresh, and then set the table with what appeared to be a carafe of water and a tall, slender, capped bottle and four glasses.
“I’m relieved to see you’re a quick learner,” Callum commented after the last Chosen had left the chamber.
I looked over at him. “My life is complete knowing that.” The Revenant smirked. “I’m sure it is.”
Rolling my eyes, I looked away. My heart was beating fast, mostly out of concern that somehow Attes’s visit would be discovered.
But Callum said nothing. He just silently stood near the cage.
Frustration stoked my temper as I focused on him. “Do you need something?”
“No.” That polite smile appeared.
“Then why are you just standing there, staring at me?”
“Does it bother you?”
“Who wouldn’t be bothered by it?” I replied, unfolding my legs. “I wouldn’t.”
“Well, I don’t really think your opinion counts.”
The golden paint shimmered when he lifted his head. “Why is that?” “I can’t imagine you’re right in the head.” I scooted to the edge of the
divan, letting my feet touch the floor. “What with dying multiple times and all.”
He laughed. “At least I come back. You—”
“I know. I won’t.” I raised a brow. “Not exactly a clever insult, considering I’m mortal.”
Callum shrugged as I glanced at the doors. They weren’t completely closed. I could see the glint of golden armor through the gap.
My fingers tapped the cushion as my gaze slid back to him. I thought about what I’d seen in the dimly lit part of the sprawling structure. “I…I saw other Chosen.”
“I was under the impression that when you made your poor attempt at an escape, you saw many Chosen,” he replied. “And frightened them.”
I almost laughed. Yeah, I’d likely been a terrifying figure, but I knew I wasn’t what truly scared them. “I’m not talking about them. I saw one feeding on another.”
Callum said nothing.
“And she killed him,” I continued. “But he came back. Not like you. He was—” The embers suddenly pulsed in my chest, jerking my attention to the
doors.
“You feel him?” Callum asked. “I can see that you do.”
My palms turned clammy as I rose. “Then why do you ask?” “Because,” he answered, much like a rotten little child.
The doors swung open, and I couldn’t prevent the immediate burst of fear
upon seeing Kolis enter the chamber. It invaded all my muscles, causing me to go rigid. Even after I forced myself to relax, it lingered like a dark cloud.
Intrigue flickered across Kolis’s features as he approached the cage. “What are you two discussing?”
I opened my mouth to lie with who knew what, but Callum, the bastard, beat me to it.
“She was asking about the Chosen she killed,” Callum shared, retrieving the key from his pocket. “And then the one who returned. She was sharing her astute observation of how Antonis wasn’t a Revenant.”
Antonis, I repeated to myself. So that was the name of the Chosen who’d come back to life and tried to attack me.
“Of course, not.” Kolis frowned and looked at me as if I were somehow supposed to know what he was. “Some would call him cursed. A once- mortal, now-decaying body plagued with an insatiable hunger. Craven.”
A flurry of nerves churned in my belly as Callum unlocked the cage door. The soft creak of the hinges sent shivers down my spine. I told myself that he must not know about Attes because I doubted we’d be talking about Craven if he did.
“They are nothing more than an unfortunate…side effect.”
“Side effect of what, exactly?” I asked, watching Callum step aside.
“Of creating the Ascended. They are the product of maintaining balance and giving life.” Kolis smiled then, ducking as he entered the cage.
Fear collided with my already-frazzled nerves, unleashing a surging tide of potent emotions I battled to restrain. I gritted my teeth in a desperate attempt to keep them at bay, ignoring the flare of pain it caused. “The
Ascended? I don’t think I understand.”
“The woman you spoke of? The one I was told you killed.” The smile faded as the door was closed behind Kolis. “She was an Ascended. My
child.”
I drew back in surprise. “You don’t mean that in the literal sense, right?” “I played a role in the creation of her new life,” he replied. “Does that not
make her my child?”
I wasn’t so sure. I didn’t know what he meant by playing a role. “How?” “By Ascending her, just as my brother did with those before.”
A jolt of incredulity surged through me. Everyone had said that no
Chosen had Ascended since Kolis’s reign began.
With keen discernment, Kolis’s observant stare flitted across my face. “That surprises you to hear? Did my nephew not explain how the Chosen are made into gods? It’s through Ascension.”
I tensed at the mention of Ash.
“Whether or not he did, I can see you don’t believe me.” His jaw clenched, and the gold flecks brightened in his eyes. “You think I cannot give life just because I cannot make a god like my brother did?”
Oh, damn. I’d hit a nerve. “I—”
“It does not matter.” His hand cut through the air in a curt wave. “This is not what I came to speak to you about.”
A heavy thud resounded from within my chest. Maybe I had been too quick to think he hadn’t learned about Attes’s visit.
“Leave us,” Kolis bit out.
Outside the cage, Callum said, “Yes, Your Majesty.”
Kolis crossed the cage, going to the table. “You didn’t answer my question.”
I blinked rapidly. He’d spoken?
“I asked if you’ve been resting.” A glimmer of gold swirled beneath the flesh of his cheeks. “Since I last saw you.”
Did he actually think I’d been relaxing? My mouth opened to ask him that, but I stopped myself.
The plan.
I had a plan.
Ash was far more important than the momentary satisfaction of speaking my mind. I took a deep breath and held it, forcing my mind to clear. Years’ worth of training I wanted nothing more than to forget pieced themselves together, reminding me why I needed to be a blank canvas.
It was the only way to adapt to his needs, allowing my personality to
become painted with what he wanted and all he approved of. It was a part of the art of seduction the Mistresses of the Jade had taught. Pay attention to what is said and what is not spoken. Movements and actions. Knowledge of a person could always be gained.
And used.
I already knew that Kolis didn’t like cursing. He also didn’t appreciate being called out when he was being a creep, which was unfortunately often. What did he like? From my few interactions with him, I knew he disliked others arguing or resisting. He was nothing like Ash. Kolis wanted meekness. And I would bet that, above all else, he craved submission.
My fingers curled into the skirt of my gown as I cleared my throat. “I have been resting.”
“Good.” He gestured at the table. “Would you like something to drink? It will be disappointing if you decline.”
Irritation buzzed through my veins, and I wasn’t sure if I was more frustrated with his subtle manipulation or myself. He wanted me to drink, so I drank. If he wanted me to stand on my head, I would stand on my head. That was what it would take. I knew that.
“Yes.” The word fell from my lips like dead weight.
Kolis smiled, revealing straight, white teeth and fangs. That smile… it was momentarily startling because it was strange. I still couldn’t pinpoint why, but it was a nice smile. For all the Primal’s horribleness, he was a beautiful being. That couldn’t be denied.
And neither could his crimes against both mortals and gods.
I watched him make his way to the table and lift the stopper on a decanter. He didn’t walk so much as glide. His bare feet barely skimmed the floor, as if the air itself carried him forward. He was dressed as he had been when I briefly saw him in the Sun Temple on the day of the Rite. A fitted white tunic and loose linen pants, both speckled with gold. His hair was down, tucked back behind his ears, and from the side, there was no mistaking how nearly identical his features were to the painting of his brother Eythos that hung in the House of Haides’ library. There were slight differences. Kolis’s jaw and chin were broader, and Eythos’s brow was stronger, but they were still twins.
And it was impossible not to see parts of Ash in those features. The
angles and planes of Kolis’s face were more refined, less raw and wild than Ash’s, but the similarities were unnerving, nonetheless.
Kolis poured a glass of clear liquid that formed tiny bubbles that raced to the surface of the slender flute. “Callum told me you asked about my
nephew.”
Motherfucker.
I was also a motherfucker because I had been desperate enough to ask Callum about Ash.
“He said you wanted to know where he is,” he continued, picking up the glass and bringing it to me.
I was surprised by how steady my hand was when I took the flute. “I did,” I answered, knowing better than to lie about it.
“Sit,” Kolis instructed.
The order raised my hackles, but I sat on the divan as I glanced down at the strange drink. Giving it a sniff, I detected soft, fruity notes. “What is
this?”
“Water infused with strawberries and lemon. It is a drink my brother used to make,” he said, and my gaze shot to him. “He was good at creating all manner of things, be it life or refreshments.”
I wasn’t sure what to make of that tidbit of information, but there was no bitterness to his tone. Thinking it wasn’t likely that he would poison me, I took a tiny sip. I sat straighter as the water danced on my tongue, taking in
the sweetness of the strawberries and the faint tang of the lemon. “What do you think?” he asked.
“It’s good,” I admitted, taking a longer drink. “Really good.”
Kolis gave a curt wave of his hand, and the dining chair slid across the tile like a hound answering its owner’s call. He sat directly in front of me.
“Why do you want to know where my nephew is?” he asked.
Any hope I had that he would move on from the topic fizzled out like the drink I held. “Curiosity.”
Kolis chuckled, and the sound was bright yet cold.
I decided the best course of action was to direct the subject to something else. “Did the Shadowland forces you spoke of earlier leave the borders of Dalos?” I questioned, realizing I had not thought to ask Attes that.
“No, they have not,” he answered. “They remain in the Bonelands.” “The Bonelands?” My brow knitted.
“Eythos named it,” Kolis said with a shrug. “It’s to the south of Dalos, along the coast, beyond the Carcers. A rather uninhabitable stretch of sand dunes and overgrown, forested lands full of forgotten Temples once belonging to the Ancients, and rocks that vaguely resemble the bones of giants. My brother believed them to be actual bones of dragons slaughtered by the Ancients.” He scoffed. “Perhaps he was right.”
Why were the Ancients killing dragons? The answer to that wasn’t important, but hadn’t Attes said that Ash was being held in the Carcers? “You
haven’t…attacked them? Forced them back from your borders?” “Should I have?” he countered.
I wasn’t exactly sure how he expected me to answer that question, but I
went with the obvious. “Yes?” “Truly?”
“If they were forces encroaching on my lands, I would,” I answered objectively.
“But if I do that, then it would escalate tensions, possibly to the point of no return.” He lifted his glass. “Contrary to what you may believe about me, I have no desire to start a war. Engaging with his forces would do exactly
that.”
My lips slowly parted as his claim hung in the space between us like a heavy fog of a whole lot of bullshit.
“You look surprised.”
“More like confused,” I said. Attes hadn’t said that Kolis wanted war.
He’d only said that the false King would fight a war his way. “And why is that?”
“You said you wanted to rise as the Primal of Life and Death,” I explained, carefully choosing my words. His cunning gaze centered on me.
The gold should’ve warmed his eyes, but his stare was so damn cold. “And that those who don’t relinquish their Courts and kingdoms to you would die.”
“I did say that.”
“You’re speaking of Primals, gods, and mortals alike, correct?” When he nodded, I stated what I thought was pretty obvious. “Would that not cause a war?”
Kolis’s chuckle was a low hiss like a serpent’s, full of superiority and amusement bordering on mockery. “I suppose I should’ve been clearer. I have no plans of starting a war that I would not win or one that would leave much of both realms an uninhabitable mess, which is what would happen if a war
began,” he said. “Once again, you look surprised.”
I bet I did look like that when I could feel my jaw hanging open like a broken gate. I wasn’t even sure why hearing what he said surprised me so much. Kolis wanted to be a supreme ruler, which meant there would need to be land and people to rule over.
I suppose it was because I thought of Kolis as an unhinged, chaotic mass murderer.
And who would blame me for that? The way he’d behaved when I first woke in Dalos had backed up that belief. But he wasn’t that.
Well, he was for sure an unhinged mass murderer, but he was far more logical than chaotic. Or maybe as logical as he was chaotic. Either way, the realization made him all the more frightening to me.
“Besides,” he said. “Such a war would most certainly spill into the mortal realm, and while they have become far too complacent, they cannot worship us as they should if they’re dead.”
“Complacent?” I questioned.
“In their lives. But that will soon change, as I plan to take more of an active role.”
My mouth had to be hanging open again, and it had nothing to do with what he meant by an active role. “I’m not sure how much time you spend
among mortals, but the vast majority don’t have the luxury of being complacent in their lives.”
He fixed his stare on me. “Perhaps if they served Iliseeum better, they would have that luxury. However, their time spent in worship and prayer has steadily waned. Their pledges to the Temples continue to dwindle, while their tithes become less and less impressive.”
Even as scary as he was, my mouth would not stop moving. “It’s likely because most of their time is spent trying to survive.”
“And as I just said, perhaps their prosperity would improve if they proved themselves worthy of it,” he countered. “As it stands, their losses and
struggles are of their own making.”
Anger flashed through me so hotly, Kolis would be drowning in it if he had Ash’s abilities. I had to move past this subject of mortals because if I didn’t, I’d likely lose my temper. “Won’t taking me, the Consort of the Shadowlands, further escalate things?”
“Nyktos started things by attacking me, but I am giving him time to rethink his actions, as acts of war can always be walked back,” he said, and the only part I really latched on to was him saying that he was giving Ash
time. “Taking you could present challenges, but only if the other Primals feel you are worth going to war over.”
My lips pursed as I thought about what Attes had shared. “Or if they fear this act will embolden you to break tradition further with them?”
“They should already fear that,” he replied, smirking. “Most do. Either way, they know what they could lose if they decide to take up arms against me. I will destroy everything they care about and send their Courts into ruin before they find themselves imprisoned right alongside Nyktos.”
A shiver danced on the back of my neck. He sounded so very confident, but I’d caught what he’d said moments earlier. He’d basically admitted that
there was a chance he could lose a war in his current state. Attes’s reaction to
learning that shadowstone had pierced Kolis’s flesh flashed through my mind. Just how weakened was he? And why?
“You didn’t answer my question,” Kolis reminded me. “Why did you ask about my nephew?”
“I told you. I was just—”
“Curious. That is what you said, but I have ears and eyes, so’lis. I heard your scream when I took him down. Saw the terror in your expression and
eyes.” He shifted, hooking one leg over the other. “You have never screamed
in terror for me.”
I blinked, my mouth opening again.
“Careful,” he murmured. Tension crept into my muscles. His smirk returned. “I have not known this version of you long, but I can already tell when you’re about to say something very unwise.”
Snapping my mouth shut, I winced at the flare of pain in my jaw. Across from me, brackets framed Kolis’s mouth. He looked away, a lock of hair falling across his cheek just as…as Ash’s hair was apt to do.
I took another drink, careful to avoid the tender skin of my lip as I quickly thought about what to say. Once again, I knew I needed to be smart when it
came to speaking about Ash. My thoughts raced, thinking about what Kolis could already know. He wouldn’t believe that I felt nothing for Nyktos, but I also knew I couldn’t let him know how deep my feelings for him ran. I had no idea exactly how Kolis would respond if he learned that I was in love with his nephew, but I knew it wouldn’t be good for Ash or me.
“I’m…fond of him—”
A roll of thunder echoed from outside, drawing my gaze to the ceiling as the walls of the chamber shook. Okay, maybe that was a bad way to start.
“Speak,” he demanded, his eyes aglow with eather as the air in the cage became thick and heavy. “Or are you unable to do so because you seek to speak a lie?”
Anger bubbled up like the fruity water in my glass, but displaying that would get me nowhere. I lowered my gaze. “No, it’s just that you scared me.”
A moment passed, and the oppressive energy seemed to lift from the space around us. “That was not my intention.”
Words crept up my throat. I knew what to do. Be understanding. Smiling would also be good. I should apologize. Above all else, I needed to reassure him that he’d done nothing wrong.
But the words that made it to the tip of my tongue didn’t make it past my lips. I couldn’t even manage a smile.
Damn it, this was easier said than done. “As you were saying?” Kolis persisted.
“I was saying that I have a fondness for him. He’s been kind to me,” I added quickly. “And he kept me safe.”
Kolis’s flesh started to glow from within. A heartbeat passed, and then the empty flute shattered in his hand, turning to nothing and causing me to jump.
Good gods, this Primal needed to get a grip.
“I do not want to see him harmed because of that,” I forged on. “But he… he never wanted me.”
“Never wanted you?” he queried softly. “I’ve never known Nyktos to be possessive of anyone or anything. Until you.”
“It’s because of the embers,” I said, knowing I was taking a huge risk. A major one. “And what his father did.”
“Do tell.”
I took another sip of my water, willing my heart to slow. “Nyktos didn’t know what his father did, how Eythos placed the embers in my bloodline. He didn’t even know that his father had taken an ember of life from him.”
Kolis’s unwavering stare latched on to mine. “I would prefer it if you didn’t lie.”
“I’m not,” I said, frustration seeping into my tone because that was the truth. “All he knew was that his father made a deal with a mortal King, agreeing to save his kingdom in exchange for a bride from his bloodline. He didn’t know why. And he was never told.”
Kolis said nothing.
After a moment, I decided that the lack of response meant it was okay to continue. “But he was drawn to me—to the ember,” I amended quickly. “The part of him that is in me. It connects us, and I suppose it can make one feel
a…a certain way. But he doesn’t want me. He never did.” What felt like a gaping wound opened in my chest. “What he feels for me is based on duty and honor.”
The Primal sighed. “Has he fucked you?”
I inhaled sharply, my muscles coiling with tension. What he asked was none of his business, but I knew better than to say that or lie. Still, speaking
the truth wasn’t any smarter. There was no good way to answer that question.
“Yes.” I forced a casual shrug. “We are attracted to each other, but he’s not the only person I’ve been attracted to—” The clap of thunder came again, much louder this time. “Or that I’ve been with. It’s not like he loves me.”
“See,” Kolis drawled, the churning eather slowing in his flesh. “I’m not so sure about that. You do not kill for another unless love is involved.”
I frowned. “People kill for every reason and no reason—”
“Mortals kill for every reason and no reason,” he corrected. “Not Primals.”
“Really?” I couldn’t keep the dryness from my tone.
That strange smile of his appeared. “Every life I’ve ever taken, I did so because of love.”
“And that is the only thing love has ever inspired in you?” I asked before I could stop myself. “Death?”
Deep grooves appeared between his brows. A moment passed. “Yes.” “I…” I fell silent. Was he serious? I thought he was. Gods, that was so
damn messed up and sad—tragic, actually. I felt an unsteady sensation in my
chest because it made me think of what I’d done for my mother. I loathed the woman, yet I loved her, and all I ever did for her was kill. I imagined if that were my only experience with love, I would think the same.
Damn.
It struck me then that until I met Ash, my views on love were less demented than Kolis’s, but they hadn’t been that much different.
Glancing over at him, I sighed. “Then I’m sorry.”
Something like surprise flickered across his face, smoothing out the creases between his brows. “You have never apologized to me.”
I stilled, half-expecting to hear Sotoria’s voice, but she remained quiet. “So, why would you do so now?” he asked.
“I…I don’t know much about love, or anything really,” I said, and that
was also the damn truth. “But love should inspire one to indulge in more than just violence and death.”
He watched me in silence for several moments. “You’re right.” I was?
I was.
Swallowing the rest of the fruity water, I sort of wished it was liquor— hard whiskey.
“But,” he said, causing my pulse to speed up even more, “I know that
love inspires great acts of reckless violence, much like the kind my nephew engaged in.”
“I know what you’re getting at.” I bent, placing the flute on the tile beside my feet. “But Nyktos cannot love me.”
“What are you saying? That you’re unlovable?” He lifted a brow. “Based solely on your mouth and disagreeable temper, I wouldn’t argue against that assessment.”
My eyes narrowed. “Well, that was kind of rude.”
A half-smile appeared, and I realized he was teasing me. Shivers broke out across the nape of my neck, and the knots of discomfort grew. “But,”—I forced myself to continue—“that wasn’t what I was going to say.”
“What were you going to say?”
“Nyktos is the one who is incapable of loving anyone,” I shared, the sinking sensation in my chest now joining the knots. I hated speaking any
truths about Ash to Kolis. It felt like a betrayal, but considering what I would
likely have to do, it was the least of my worries. “He had his kardia
removed.”
Kolis leaned back in his chair, his jaw loosening. “Come now.” He shook his head.
“It’s true.” I clasped my knees. “He cannot love.”
A heartbeat passed. Then another. A godsdamn tense minute went by while Kolis stared. “Why would he do that?”
“I don’t know,” I lied smoothly. “You’d have to ask him.” “Well, that might be a problem.”
I flashed cold, then turned hot. “Why…why is that?”
“Because my nephew is currently unavailable for anything beyond taking up space,” Kolis said as a low-level buzz filled my ears. “He’s in stasis.”
