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CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
The release of energy came in a flash of intense whitish-silver light.
It wasn’t a destructive discharge of power, but it still threw Ward back and knocked the air out of me.
I’d been wrong.
Ward hadn’t sliced Kolis’s head completely off. And I wished I hadn’t been wrong for several reasons. The least important one—but the only reason I could focus on at the moment—was the fact that Kolis’s head had flopped to the side, lying against his shoulder, exposing torn sinew and bone. His head was only hanging on by threads of flesh.
He blinked at me, his mouth stretched wide in a silent, bloody snarl.
I would never unsee this. And there was a good chance I might vomit, but I needed to snap out of it. He staggered to his feet, and mist poured from him, opening a tear in the realm. I groaned, rolling onto my side and trying to stand. Kolis was severely weakened, and that kind of injury wouldn’t heal right away. The tomb in Oak Ambler wasn’t ready, and we didn’t have enough Ancient bone to hold him. But if we could keep him—
The entire realm seemed to flicker into nothingness—either that or I passed out because the next thing I knew, Ward was hovering over me, his sandy-blond hair damp with fallen snow. Concern was clearly etched into the sun-weathered lines of his face.
“Say something,” he said, his cold hand on my cheek.
I swallowed, wincing as pain flared in my throat. “Hi?”
His brows shot up. “Say something a little more complex than that.”
“You almost cut Kolis’s head off.”
“Feels strange to be relieved to hear you say that,” he said. “But yes, I did.”
“He’s gone, isn’t he?”
Ward nodded.
I swore, squeezing my eyes shut. Kolis would likely be down for the count, but…
“Thank you,” I said.
“No need to thank me.”
But there was. If he hadn’t shown up…
Ward worked an arm under my shoulders and apologized. I winced. “You need to get out—” He cursed, ducking his head when a large, green-and-brown-scaled draken landed on the edge of the ruined chamber. “Godsdamnit,” he muttered, glaring at the draken, who stared back at us with vivid sapphire eyes.
“What is it with…you and draken?” I asked as he helped me stand. The…the imprint of that draken was familiar. Aurelia? Attes’s draken?
“They breathe fiery eather,” he quipped. “Enough said.”
I figured he had a point. “Aurelia?”
The draken nodded.
“She won’t hurt you,” I said, taking a deep breath that hurt my ribs, spine…everything.
“Sure.” Ward sounded doubtful.
The valley below was illuminated with streaks of eather once more, drawing my attention. I stiffened. Aurelia’s neck swiveled gracefully. She peered down into the valley, letting out a low whimper. I pulled away from the viktor and limped toward the edge of the atrium. Snow continued to fall in heavy sheets, coating the rooftops and the once rain-slicked streets. It wasn’t the only thing that littered the tops of buildings and roads. Bodies did, too. Lotho residents moved in the streets, seeing to the fallen.
I turned away from the sight. The reminder of the true extent of Kolis’s power was painful. “Is it Attes and Kyn?”
Yes, came Aurelia’s response. It wasn’t as loud or clear as when I heard Nektas or even Reaver, but the worry in her soft voice was evident.
My hands closed into fists. “I need to get down there and help Attes.” I tried to summon the eather, but the pulse of power was weak. “I don’t think I can shadowstep.”
“Going down there would be unwise,” Ward stated.
“Agreed,” another voice intruded, snapping my head toward the still-standing interior wall.
Thierran strode forward, the hood of his cloak shielding his head from the precipitation. The footprints the oneirou left in the snow were red. Blood. He carried a short sword at his side, the tip also dripping blood.
“How did you get here?” I demanded, tensing as I reached out, taking the bone dagger from Ward’s hand. Ash said Thierran could be trusted. Somewhat. But I wasn’t taking any chances.
“Trust no one. Smart girl,” he murmured, eyeing the dagger. His gaze lifted to mine. “I could sense…something going on down here, other than the obvious,” he said. “Since I am from Lotho, I can enter without it causing a stir. No one else from the Shadowlands could do that, so Rhain sent me.”
It made sense, but I kept the dagger in my hand. “You had trouble coming in?”
His head tilted. “More like I figured it was time to settle some old scores on my way up.”
Ward grunted something under his breath and crossed his arms. I eyed the oneirou. What had Ash said? He’d called Thierran an opportunist. A low laugh left me.
The oneirou’s violet eyes glittered with amusement. “You’re wounded.” He paused. “And you smell of Death.”
“Thanks,” I murmured. “Kolis was here.”
“That’s who did this?” He looked over the side of the mountain and his jaw tensed. “He finally almost succeeded.”
“In what?” I noticed the snow had slowed.
“Eradicating the oneirou.” He sheathed his sword. “I am the last.”
Gods. The weight of that was almost too much to bear as it stacked on top of all the other losses. “I’m sorry.”
Thierran’s gaze met mine. There was nothing to be gained from his expression. “Thank you,” he said finally, bowing his head.
Kyn tucked tail and ran, Aurelia said through the notam, each word laced with disgust. Even left his wounded draken here.
The draken.
I sucked in a shrill breath when images of the falling draken filled my mind. “Lotho had how many draken?”
“Ten, I believe,” Thierran answered.
There were only two now. I shuddered.
Aurelia lowered her head when Attes appeared. He looked as bad as I felt. The armor across his chest was dented, fresh blood coursed down his arms, and his leather pants were charred in several places.
“Where the fuck is Kolis?” he growled.
“Likely gone to ground.” I sheathed the bone dagger. “Ward here snuck up on him and nearly decapitated him.”
“Wouldn’t have been able to do it if he hadn’t been so focused on you,” Ward replied.
Attes’s gaze shot to mine, and I looked away. He reached out and ran his palm over Aurelia’s scaled jaw. “Come on.” He came to my side, and Aurelia took off, rising into the sky. “Let’s get you home before any other asshole decides to show up.”
I nodded but then turned to the oneirou. “Are you coming back?”
“Eventually. No need to rush now that Embris is no more.” A grin appeared, curving the straight lines of his scars. “Can’t say I am even remotely upset about that.”
“We can agree on that,” Ward said gruffly, and my chest hollowed. He bowed his head toward me. “If you will excuse me, I would like to check on Penellaphe.”
“Thank you again,” I said, weariness settling in. And now that the adrenaline was gone, I could feel the cracks in my restraint starting to form.
Ward waved my gratitude off, walking away. Attes folded an arm around my waist and told Thierran, “Stay out of trouble.”
The oneirou smiled in a way that told me he pla
Attes shadowstepped us back to the House of Haides, and as the mist around us faded, I saw familiar faces in the palace’s foyer. Solemn expressions. Worried eyes.
It was Rhain who stepped forward. “Sera?”
“Where is Nyktos?” Attes demanded.
“He’s still at the Pillars,” Rhain said, his gaze fixed on me. “Rhahar joined him to help. There’s been…”
There had been even more souls passing through the Pillars.
Because of me.
Because of Kolis.
A tremor coursed through me.
“I’ll have fresh water sent to your chambers,” Aios said, drawing away from a shockingly quiet Bele. “We’ll get you cleaned up.”
I said nothing, just started to go with Attes and Rhain as they led me toward the stairs. Some distant part of my brain clicked back on, and I remembered what the events of tonight actually meant. I needed to keep it together. For just a little bit longer.
“Are the Shadowlands secured?” I asked, barely recognizing my voice.
“Yes,” Lailah answered. “Soldiers are on the Rise surrounding Lethe and the palace since this…this began.”
“Has Theon been notified to watch for any movement?”
“Yes,” she said.
“Good.” I pressed my hand to my lower stomach, my mind racing. “We…should send someone to Mount Lotho,” I said, truly having no idea how much Holland would intervene if there was another attack. “There are only two draken remaining. Penellaphe’s Court will be vulnerable until she awakens.”
Lailah’s inhale was swift. “Only two?”
“Kolis,” I said, and that was all I could say about that.
“I’m already on it,” Attes assured me. “Aurelia will send Elias and several of my most trusted guards.”
“Sera.” Saion moved into my line of sight. “What are the orders if we see ships entering the Lassa Sea?”
I met his stare, but all I saw were the people of Lotho leaping to their deaths. “If they do not swear allegiance to the true Queen and King, destroy them.”
“Are you sure?” Attes asked.
“I think she was pretty clear,” Bele growled, eather pooling in her eyes.
Rhain turned to me. “There will be no turning back if that is what we do.”
“We are already past that point, and that was before Kolis had my family slaughtered,” I hissed, and Bele gasped. The shock radiating through each of their faces told me they hadn’t learned about that yet. Energy ramped up inside me. “We were already past that point. I just didn’t see it until now.”
“Fates,” Rhain rasped.
Attes hung his head in shame that didn’t belong to him.
“I will no longer risk the lives of those I care for,” I told them. “If any forces are perceived as a threat, destroy them.”
Saion nodded, anger mixing with the disbelief in his expression. “Understood and agreed.”
Lailah joined him, thumping her fist off her chest. “We will gladly follow those orders.”
I inhaled through the burning in my throat and eyes.
“Bele,” Attes said. “You need to protect your Court’s boundaries.”
Bele’s nostrils flared. “I need to protect my Queen—”
“You will be doing just that by making sure your Court doesn’t fall into Kolis’s hands,” I said.
Bele’s jaw flexed, but she nodded. “I promise that will not happen.”
“I know.” I forced a swallow. “Kolis is wounded. He will be out, but I don’t know for how long. And I assume Kyn isn’t in much better shape.”