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)
“Sera,” I corrected. Considering everything Elias had seen me go through while being held captive by Kolis, I believed we were well past formalities. “It’s just Sera.”
He nodded in acceptance after a moment.
I angled my body toward the gravesites. “There are thousands of bodies in those pits.”
“Fates.” Elias’s gaze followed mine, his lips parting in disbelief.
“I know their souls have already passed on,” I said, “but I would like for you to gather a team of gods from Midas to excavate the sites and give them proper burial rites. Kars will be able to assist you.”
“I can do that.” His gaze shifted. He was looking at Tindra. “She’s still out there.”
“Her husband is in that fourth gravesite,” I told him. “She said he’s been in there for decades.”
“Fucking Fates,” Elias muttered in disgust. “Some of them will be nothing but bones.”
“I know.” Chilled, I folded an arm over my lower stomach and looked at the god. “I have a feeling this isn’t the only place like this we’ll find. There may be similar ones in other Courts.”
“You wouldn’t be wrong.” Elias ran a hand through his hair. “There are three times this many on the outskirts of Dalos.”
Pressing my lips together, I closed my eyes. I wasn’t surprised to hear that, yet I didn’t know what to say.
Elias left to carry out my request. I saw him stop to speak with Tindra. Did they know each other? The answer started to come to me, but I stopped myself before I saw what was none of my business. Besides, I had already seen into the lives of enough people. It was how I knew that those we’d ended today weren’t just being foolishly arrogant when they refused our offer. They’d had no intention of even attempting to live a different kind of life.
Ash arrived with Attes, the latter informing me they’d discovered one bone spear and some bone chains. It was only one set of chains, not nearly enough to keep Kolis secured, and that included what Penellaphe had managed to locate in Lotho. However, there were still more Courts to search.
My gaze shifted to the bodies filling the City Hall. And there would be more deaths.
Don’t let this leave a mark…
Ash and I returned to the Shadowlands shortly after. We had our dinner in the antechamber after updating the others. I didn’t think either of us was in the mood for company outside of each other.
I’d told him what Keella had shared with me. Parts of it were obviously no surprise since we had come to believe beforehand that part of what had happened had been Eythos’s plan. He was disquieted by the idea of the Fates wanting to wake the Ancients as much as I was, though. In the end, it simply meant there was no room for error. Kolis had to be entombed, and Sotoria needed to be released immediately.
I watched Ash as he rooted through the bowl of sliced fruit, inspecting a strawberry before moving on to another until he found the plumpest one to offer me. He’d done the same with the melon, the chicken, and the vegetables.
“Why do you keep doing that?” I asked, biting into the sticky, sweet berry.
He glanced over at me with a raised brow as he chose a strawberry that looked deformed. “Doing what?”
“Inspecting each and every piece of food before you give it to me.” I caught a drop of juice on my lip with the tip of my tongue.
I waited. Ash didn’t answer. He was…staring at my lips.
“Ash?”
He blinked, lifting his gaze. There was no mistaking the heat in his eyes. “I’m sorry, what were you saying?”
I grinned and asked the question again.
“Oh.” He shrugged as he sat back. “I just want to make sure you have the best there is to offer.”
Now, it was my turn to blink repeatedly at him as I fought off a wave of emotion.
Ash eyed me closely. “You okay?”
I cleared my throat. “Yes.” Leaning over, I wrapped my hand around the nape of his neck and drew his mouth to mine. His kiss tasted of strawberries. “I love you.”
He returned the kiss, and for a little bit, the food was forgotten. So was everything else. It didn’t stay that way, though. Now, I lay in bed beside him, my back nestled against his chest and his leg tucked between mine. His hand rested protectively over my stomach. I loved that. I loved sleeping this way, and I wanted to rest. I needed it. Tomorrow would be another…complicated day. But I stared at the shadowstone walls, my thoughts running from one to another. When I closed my eyes, I saw the bodies in the Callasta Isles City Hall and the disturbed soil outside the colonnade.
I saw Veses’ face.
Gods, Kolis would be pissed when he woke.