A shadow in the ember

Ahead, the trees still encased the road, but more of the wall became visible, as did the gate. There was something on the wall—several somethings I couldn’t make out. We rounded a slight bend in the road. The wall also appeared to be made of shadowstone, the surface not nearly as glossy or smooth. Instead of reflecting the starlight, it seemed to swallow any and all light, which was what made those shapes so difficult to discern until the massive, iron gate silently began to open.

My gaze crept over the wall, over the shapes, and I started to feel lightheaded. The shapes on the wall were that of a cross. My breathing was too shallow, even though my chest heaved with each breath.

They were people.

People stripped bare and impaled on the wall with some sort of stakes through their hands and chests. Their heads hung limply, and the stench of death filled the air.

Bile climbed my throat as my grip tightened on the pommel. “Why?” I whispered. “Why are those people on the wall?”

“They are gods,” Ash answered, his voice flat and as cold as the waters of the lake. “And they serve as a reminder for all.”

“Of what?”

“That life for any being is as fragile as the flame of a candle—easily extinguished and stamped out.”

Two of the draken circling the palace descended on either side of the gate, stirring up a gust of wind. They landed on the Rise. Neither the shuddering impact nor the deep, rumbling sound they made penetrated the horror of what I’d seen on the Rise.

I sat in stu

Ash had gods impaled to his wall.

The cruelty and inhumanity of that and his words left me numb and confused as we entered the brightly lit stables. For someone who’d once said that every death should leave a mark, his actions told a different story.

A man approached from one of the stables, bowing before taking Odin’s reins. If he spoke, I didn’t hear him. If he looked up at us, I didn’t see it.

I felt like I might be sick.

I didn’t protest when Ash dismounted first and lifted his hands to help me down. I barely felt the touch of his hand on my lower back or the soft straw under my feet as he led me outside and toward a side entrance to the castle, tucked behind a staircase.

The windowless door opened to reveal a man with golden-red hair and the same rich, wheatish skin tone. He looked at me with dark brown eyes—eyes that carried a silvery glow behind the pupils. A god. Those luminous eyes shifted to Ash and then back at me. “I have so many questions.”

“I’m sure you do,” Ash answered dryly, looking down at me. “This is Rhain. He’s one of my guards. Like Ector and Saion.”

I forced my lips to move as I looked up into Rhain’s dark eyes. “I’m—”

“I know who you are,” Rhain said, startling me. He raised a brow at Ash. “Which is why I have so many questions. But I know. They have to wait.” He paused as Ash guided me into a shadowy interior stairwell. “Theon and Lailah are inside,” the god added quietly as he followed us.

Ash sighed. “Of course.” He stopped in the narrow space, facing me. “I’d hoped there’d be time before anyone realized you were here. Very few people have…known of you. The ones you’re about to meet, don’t. And I’m sure they will have questions, too.”

“Most definitely,” Rhain agreed.

“Questions that will mostly go unanswered,” Ash stressed, shooting the god a look. “You will be introduced as my Consort, and that is all. Okay?”

Any other time, I would have asked many questions. Instead, I nodded. My hands were trembling slightly as Ash reached around me and pushed open a second door.

The unexpected, intense light caused me to take a step back. I blinked until my eyes adjusted. The light was as bright as sunshine, and for a moment, I thought it had been Ash glowing again with power. But it wasn’t.

I looked up at a glittering chandelier of cascading glass candles hanging in the center of an entryway. There was no flame. The candles glowed a bright yellow, nonetheless, as did the sconces on black pillars that stretched upward onto the second floor.

“It’s Primal energy,” Ash explained, seeing what I stared at. “It powers the lighting throughout the palace and Lethe.”

Speechless, I dragged my eyes from the lights. A curved staircase sat on each side of the space, facing one another. Their railings and steps were carved from shadowstone. Beyond the staircases and through a wide, sharply pointed archway was an expansive room.

“Come.” Ash nudged me forward, and I took a tiny step when two people drifted out from the room and walked under the arch.

What I saw stopped me from moving another step and had me really considering if I had, perhaps, unintentionally smoked the White Horse.

A tall male and female stood before me, dressed in the same clothing style as Ash, except their silver-brocaded tunics were long-sleeved. The male wore his hair in neat, braided rows along his scalp, and the female’s was braided straight back and cascaded beyond her shoulders. They were of the same height and shared the same rich black complexion and wide-set, golden eyes. Their features were nearly identical. The male’s brow was broader, and the cheekbones on the female were more angular, but it was clear they were twins. I’d never seen twins before—not even fraternal twins—but it wasn’t them I stared at.

There was…a purplish-black, winged creature about the height of a medium-sized dog beside them, flapping its leathery wings as it nudged the female’s hand with its head.

They stopped when they saw me.

I knew my mouth was hanging open. I couldn’t close it because there was a tiny draken standing between them.

“Hello.” The female drew the word out as her widened eyes flicked to Ash. “Your Highness?”

Ash’s hand remained on my lower back. “Theon. Lailah. This is Sera. She is a guest.”

“I sort of figured she was a guest,” Theon remarked. “Or at least I hoped you didn’t decide to start following the family tradition of kidnapping mortal girls.”

Wait. What?

Ash’s jaw hardened. “Unlike some, nothing about that is appealing to me.”

“Is she a special friend?” Lailah asked.

“Actually, yes. She is…” He seemed to take a deep breath and prepare himself. “She is to be my Consort.”

The two stared at us.

Several long moments stretched while the small draken’s head swung side to side.

“I have a question,” Lailah a

Did I look that unkempt? I glanced down at myself. The hem of my cloak ended at my calves, exposing blood-stained feet. Through the halves of the cloak, the night rail hung limply. I didn’t even want to know what my hair looked like or what might cover my face.

“I didn’t throw her into this realm,” Ash grumbled. “There was an incident before we arrived here.”

“What kind of incident?” Rhain asked from where he leaned against one of the pillars.

“One that is no longer an issue.”

Interest sparked in Lailah’s eyes. “Do tell.”

“Maybe later,” Ash answered.

Her brother now raised a hand. “I have questions, too.”

“And I don’t care,” Ash replied. Rhain coughed under his breath. “Do you two have nothing to do? If not, I am sure there is plenty you could be doing.”

“Actually, we were about to take little Reaver-Butt here out for some airtime.” Lailah gri

“The draken’s name is Reaver-Butt?” I blurted.

Lailah laughed softly as she sent me a quick smile. “His name is Reaver,” she said, and he hopped on his hind legs. “But I like to add the butt part. He seems to enjoy it, too.”

“Oh,” I whispered, fingers itching to reach out and pet the small draken. At this size, it was nowhere near as frightening as Nektas.

“Then why don’t you two get on with that?” Ash suggested.

Gri

Lailah gri

I almost blinked because it was clear they were teasing Ash—a Primal who had gods strung up on the walls outside his palace.

“Go,” Ash ordered, and I turned as they moved on, my attention focused on the small draken teetering on Lailah’s shoulder.

“That’s a baby draken,” I said.

Ash looked down at me. “Draken don’t hatch the size of Nektas, and Reaver would be highly a

“I would hope not, considering that would be one hell of a large egg,” I retorted. “I just…” I trailed off, shaking my head and folding my arms over my waist. I felt like my head was going to explode.

“Seeing any draken, large or small, must be a shock,” Rhain commented, and I peeked over at him. His golden-red hair was a flame against the darkness of the pillar. “I imagine it will continue to be a shock for some time.”

I nodded tentatively. “I think it will be.”

The god smiled faintly.

Ash shifted so he halfway blocked Rhain. “Why are you still here?” he demanded of the god.

“I figured since Saion wasn’t here, I would undertake the honor of a

The Primal let out a low rumble of warning. My breath caught. Rhain had to know about the gods on the Rise, as did the twins. Would any of them really want to a

“I actually have a valid reason for hanging around. I need to talk with you.” Rhain pushed off the pillar as I peeked around Ash. His face was set in taut, drawn lines. “It’s important.”

And, obviously, it was also something he didn’t want to speak about in front of me.

Which was a

Ash nodded and looked down at me, about to speak, but he narrowed his eyes. He moved quickly, folding his hand over my biceps. I jerked at the contact. He turned my arm slightly. “What caused this bruise? I meant to ask about it earlier.”

“What?”

“This bruise. It’s an older one,” he stated, and I looked at my arm. Tavius. Gods. I’d forgotten about him and the bowl of dates. “How did this happen?”

“I walked into something.” I tugged on my hand.

“You don’t strike me as the type to walk into things.”

“How would you know?” I demanded, pulling on my arm again.