A fire in the flash

“I serve the Primal of Life,” Elias answered.

“There’s your answer,” Ash stated, his brief warmth dissipating. “He will die, too.”

“I misspoke,” Elias amended as he lowered himself to one knee.

My heart thumped heavily in my chest. “Not this again.”

Ash frowned.

“I serve the true Primal of Life.” Crossing his sword over his chest, he bowed his head.

“It is this again,” I muttered as Ash eyed the god.

“With my sword and my life.” Elias lifted his head. “I swear to you, the One who is born of Blood and Ash, the Light and the Fire, and the Brightest Moon, to honor your command.”

Ash stiffened. “You’re pledging yourself to Seraphena?”

Elias nodded.

“It’s just the embers,” I explained, the dull ache returning to my temples as I wondered if Elias was working alone against Kolis, with a Primal like Attes, or possibly even Keella, who clearly was not a Kolis fan. “That’s what he’s swearing his allegiance to.”

“No.” Ash’s brows knitted, then he angled his body toward me. His gaze swept over me. “It’s you.”

I opened my mouth, but I didn’t get a chance to argue the semantics of the god’s loyalty. Ash dipped his head, kissing me, and honest to gods, the entire chamber disappeared around us because his mouth was on mine, and I didn’t care that I could taste the blood of those he’d fed on. I’d feared I would never feel this again. That I would leave Iliseeum, never to experience the touch of his lips on mine outside of a dream again.

Ash lifted his mouth from mine, whispering, “Tell him to rise, liessa.”

Feeling even more weak-kneed, I blinked. “Huh?”

His lips curved against mine. “He’s still kneeling.”

“Oh.” I cleared my throat. “You can rise.”

There was a hint of a smile on Elias’s face as he stood. “I’ve sent word to Attes,” Elias said, answering my question of who he was working with. “He is coming—”

The center of my chest lit up as Ash tensed beside me. “I think he’s already here.”

Elias sighed.

“Of course, I’m already here,” came the Primal’s voice from outside.

A second later, he crossed into view, the breeze lifting his sandy-brown hair as he skirted Nektas. The draken tracked his movements, his crimson eyes alert.

As Attes drew closer, I saw that blood stained his armor. “I got a bit held up.” He passed Elias, looking at Ash and me. “I know you two would probably like to continue this reunion, but I suggest we make haste and get out of here. I’m confident one of the gods shadowstepped their ass to Vathi to alert Kyn, and those fucking Revs you got are doing their reanimation thing. Basilia has Diaval and Sax on retreat, but that won’t last long, especially if Naberius decides to…” He trailed off, coming to an abrupt halt as he got an eyeful of Kolis.

I had no idea who Basilia or Sax were, but since Attes had mentioned Diaval, I felt it safe to assume that Basilia was one of Attes’s draken. Sax must be another of Kolis’s.

Attes swallowed thickly as he stared at Kolis. “I was right.”

Aware of the frigid air blowing off Ash, I said, “You were.”

Ash’s gaze cut to the false King and the gilded bone protruding from his chest. He inhaled sharply, and I figured what he saw and what it meant had finally caught up to him.

Storm-hued eyes swept to mine. “I knew it,” he whispered.

“That I wasn’t really her?” I asked.

“Those questions need to wait,” Attes interrupted, and Ash’s expression became emotionless. “You really need to get her out of here, Nyktos. She ca

Ash glanced at Attes and then dipped his head, speaking into my ear. “You okay?” When I nodded, he pressed his lips to my temple. “Stay put. We’ll leave here soon.”

I started to frown as he released me. My legs felt a little wobbly, so it took some effort to keep that from showing as Ash strode away from me.

Attes faced him. “Nyktos, I know you likely don’t trust me, but I have never been loyal to Kolis.”

“Is that so?” Ash said, his voice soft.

Warning bells immediately went off. When he spoke like that, things got bloody.

“Your father was like a brother to me—even to Kyn at one time. I would never truly stand behind Kolis after that. I did everything I could to run interference and protect what your father pla

That was all he got to say before Ash’s fist slammed into the Primal’s jaw. My eyes went wide as Attes staggered back.

“Uh,” I murmured as Elias shifted nervously by the doorway.

I wasn’t sure what propelled the god’s anxiety more: the two Primals or Nektas’s entire head right behind him. Smoke wafted from the draken’s nostrils as he blew out a breath.

“Fuck.” Attes spat blood. “Okay. I deserved that.”

Tendrils of eather-laced shadows gathered at Ash’s feet as he grabbed hold of Attes’s breastplate, dragging the Primal to him. They were nearly eye to eye, and I thought I should intervene, but Attes was right. He had deserved that, but…

“Attes can be trusted,” I said.

“He had better hope so,” Ash said, and I heard the smile in his voice. It wasn’t a friendly one. “You and I?” There wasn’t even an inch of space between their faces. “We’re going to have a little chat.”

Holding Ash’s glare, Attes nodded. “Yeah, we will, but not here. If Kyn arrives, he’ll—”

“I know what he’ll do,” Ash snarled, and my knees locked. “So you know what I’m going to do.”

“I do.” Attes’s voice had roughened, and his gaze darted to where I stood.

My knees unlocked, and I started toward them. “We should—” A wave of hot dizziness hit me, immediately causing a fine sheen of sweat to break out across my forehead. The entire chamber seemed to tilt, and I squeezed my eyes shut as my stomach churned.

“Dear Fates,” Attes rasped.

Ash was at my side in a heartbeat, one hand on my shoulder to steady me. “Sera?” His cool palm cupped my cheek. “Talk to me.”

I clamped my jaw shut, fighting the rise of nausea as I focused on the relief his cold touch brought forth.

“Is it your breathing?” Ash’s voice dropped to a whisper, and he stepped into me.

Gods, the fact that he’d even thought of that and made sure only I could hear him… I inhaled through my nose as the nausea receded. “No, I…I was just dizzy.” I opened my eyes to see his concerned stare latched on to me. “I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not.” Attes’s voice was closer.

Ash’s head snapped to him. “Do you want to get punched again?”

“Not particularly,” the Primal responded, his skin blanching. “You saw what I did.”

“What did you see?” I demanded, glancing between them. Neither answered. “What?”

“You appeared as if you were shifting,” Elias answered as the distant, angry roar of a draken sounded.

“Shifting?” I said while Nektas pulled his head from the breezeway, sca

A dimple appeared as Attes cracked a grin. It was probably a good thing Ash hadn’t seen that.

“We could see the embers.” Ash tucked a strand of my hair back. “In your flesh. But only for a few seconds.”

“Oh,” I whispered, thinking of the tiny dots of silvery light I’d seen in my skin.

“You… You looked beautiful,” Ash said, a flicker of awe crossing his features before concern settled in his gaze. “We need to leave.”

Wordlessly, I nodded as I glanced over at Attes. The concern was evident on his face, too, but I knew it wasn’t reserved only for me. I swallowed, searching for Sotoria’s presence. I… I felt her where the embers had been, quiet but aware.

“But we also need time,” Ash went on. “As much time as possible with Kolis out of commission.”

Elias jerked his chin at Kolis. “I can get him out of here. Hide him and make his recovery a bit more…taxing.” A brutal smile appeared, and I had a feeling a taxing recovery involved growing back limbs. “His loyalists will be concerned only with finding him. That will give you some time.”