Total pages in book: 362
Estimated words: 347293 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1736(@200wpm)___ 1389(@250wpm)___ 1158(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 347293 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1736(@200wpm)___ 1389(@250wpm)___ 1158(@300wpm)
“I’m sorry,” I said. When I felt his hand on mine, I opened my eyes.
He lowered his head so we were at eye level. “As am I.” He squeezed my hand and then straightened. “But it is what it is.”
Ash’s hand moved in slow circles on my back. “We will need to Ascend someone to take his place.”
“Lailah,” Attes said without hesitation. “She has the temperament, and she’s ready.”
I glanced over my shoulder at Ash. He eyed Attes closely. “And you’re suggesting Lailah because you truly believe this,” he asked. “Or because you want her?”
I raised my brows at Ash’s bluntness.
Attes huffed out a low laugh. “Her being a goddess hasn’t stopped me from wanting her, has it?”
Oh, my.
Ash made a sound that might’ve been a laugh. Or maybe a growl. I couldn’t be sure.
“Besides,” Attes went on, “I aim to rest after this.”
Heart dropping, I stiffened.
“I don’t plan to enter Arcadia,” he said, seeing my reaction. “Not yet, at least. Nor will I go to ground immediately afterward. You will need my aid in the transition. But I will need to rest.” His gaze flickered away. “I need that time.”
“I understand,” Ash said, and so did I, even though it made my heart ache.
“I will assign Theon to oversee things in my place during that time,” Attes added, surprising me once again. “He will do well just to prove he is better than me, and I will be able to rest peacefully.”
I smiled at that. “That’s not the only reason I wanted to speak to you.”
“Is that so?” He lifted a cup of likely cold coffee and drank. “Hopefully, it is a less depressing conversation.”
“It is,” I said. “We will not be using Sotoria’s soul.”
His head swung toward me so fast he probably gave himself whiplash. “What?”
“I can’t do it. I can’t force Sotoria to be reborn and used.” As I told him what I’d said to Ash earlier, it was like witnessing a man finding a small slice of peace as disbelief gave way to relief. Attes’s left hand dropped to his lap, and his right followed as I promised him that Sotoria would not be forced to live yet another life she didn’t choose for herself. Tension eased out of his neck and shoulders when he understood that she would find rest. He slouched a little in his chair as I told him that Kolis would never see Sotoria again.
“He will remain entombed, and we will do everything to make sure of that. And Sotoria will have a choice.”
“That is…” Attes’s eyes closed as he tipped his head back, raising his arms. He dragged his palms down his face, then up and through his hair. Turning his head toward us, tears glimmered in his eyes. His voice was rough and thick when he spoke just three words. “That is everything.”
I inhaled swiftly, fighting back a rush of my own freaking tears. Ash folded an arm around my waist from behind. He hauled me out of the chair and into his lap as he said, “You do love her.”
Attes’s laugh was shaky as he shook his head. “Sotoria could’ve killed two Primals if she had the chance.”
Gods…
I squeezed Ash’s arm, biting my lip.
“I’ve always known she would never be mine. I was okay with that. I could live with it. All I’ve ever wanted was for her to have peace.” Clearing his throat, he smiled a little. “I guess that’s the purest kind of love.”
“Yeah,” I whispered, blinking rapidly. “I believe so.”
His eyes met mine and then Ash’s. “Thank you.”
“There is no need for thanks,” Ash said. “None at all.”
I swallowed the knot in my throat. “I was thinking it would be best to wait to release her until after Kolis is entombed.”
“Agreed.” He rubbed his palm over his chest. “I want to be there when we do it.”
“Of course. You would be there even if you didn’t have The Star,” I told him.
He nodded again and cleared his throat once more, appearing to rein in his feelings. “You said something earlier, Sera. About the plans being brutal. You’re wrong.”
“I am?”
He was quiet for what felt like a small eternity. “When people think of war, they imagine endless, grand battles fought across many landscapes. They think it’s nonstop violence stretching from one kingdom to the next the moment conflict erupts, leaving hallowed ground behind. In their minds, they see cities sacked and burned, left to rot along with the corpses of those who would’ve died for peace but perished for being in the way. One speaks of war, and mortals hear the pounding of warhorses’ hooves, the clash of swords, the cries of the wounded and dying, and the whistle of arrows piercing the air. They picture men who were once loving fathers and sons, gentle husbands and tender lovers, becoming blood-hungry beasts, knowing that no one, neither King nor servant, will return without pieces of them forever lost. That’s the kind of war mortals expect—that the young, in their naïvety, romanticize. Bloody, brutal, and unforgiving in its indiscriminate slaughter. That’s not the kind of war Primals and gods were meant to engage in,” he said, causing small bumps to rise along my arms. “However, that is the kind of war Kolis has started.”