Страница 71 из 216
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Aydun’s confusing warning haunted the back of my thoughts, but there wasn’t time to really dwell on it. He took my hand once more and shadowstepped us smack-dab into the front courtyard of Cor Palace.
“A heads-up next time would be nice,” I muttered, pressing a hand to my roiling stomach as the eather throbbed, alerting me to another Primal.
Aydun arched a brow. “I’ll take that into consideration.”
Not for one second did I believe him as I looked up. Four staggered crystal towers rose from the center of the palace. Cracks in the crystal fractured the sunlight. My gaze lowered to the diamond-encrusted stone fortress. Large and slimmer fissures ran the length of the columns and the walls behind them.
Someone must’ve done some housekeeping. There weren’t bodies staked to the walls of the fortress or hanging from the trees this time. If there had been, there was a good chance I might’ve vomited all over the Ancient.
“You okay?” Aydun asked, glancing at my hand.
“Shadowstepping sometimes makes me nauseous.” I dropped my arm. “This whole place nauseates me.”
His left eye narrowed slightly, then the other side of his mouth curved up. “Interesting.”
I shot him a look. The Ancient was…an odd one. I started for the colo
“We must wait,” Aydun stated. “To be allowed in.”
Stopping, I blew out an aggravated breath. “And how long are we to wait?”
“As long as it takes for someone to receive us.”
A low, rough laugh escaped me. “Oh, I know exactly what Kolis is doing.”
“Hmm?”
“By making me wait outside, he’s making it known that he doesn’t consider me his equal,” I bit out. “My mother used to do that when nobles she wasn’t fond of from other kingdoms visited.”
“Your mother sounds like a lovely person.”
I snorted.
“Does this reception surprise you?”
“No.” Temper rising, I crossed my arms before I used them to do something that would change Aydun’s mind on who was the calmer one between Ash and me. There were no guards on the colo
It was kind of insulting that it wasn’t.
“It shouldn’t take long,” Aydun said.
“Yeah, well, I’m not a patient person.”
“It’s something you will eventually learn to be,” he replied.
I turned halfway to him. “Exactly how old are you?”
Aydun’s head tilted sideways as his forehead creased. “How long has this realm existed?”
I frowned. “I have no idea.”
“Neither do I.” He shrugged. “But I’m that old.”
My mouth dropped open. “Gods, you’re even older than Nektas.”
“All of us are,” he stated.
I jerked, unable to even think of Holland as being that old. My brain simply couldn’t process that as I turned back to the gold-trimmed doors. I shifted my weight back and forth from one foot to the other, wishing I had some sort of weapon on me.
Then I remembered. I did.
The eather.
I rolled my eyes at myself.
“Are you…dancing with yourself?” Aydun asked.
“I’m not dancing, you—” Eather throbbed intensely before fading out, warning me. I inhaled sharply. “Another Primal has arrived.”
“They have.”
I spun toward the Ancient. “I was unaware of other Primals being here.”
Aydun plucked off a wilted leaf that had landed on his shoulder. “Only Nyktos was prohibited from attending.”
“That’s bullshit,” I hissed, the wind picking up.
His eyes flashed to mine. “The summoner sets—”
“The rules. I heard you the first time.” I turned back to the still-closed doors, not liking this one bit. Any number of Primals could’ve just arrived. My mind flashed to Kyn, then Veses, and the essence stirred wildly inside me. “What are the rules regarding the other Primals and fighting?”
“There can be no violence of any kind among the Primals.” He came to stand beside me. “You have nothing to worry about.”
“I’m not worried.” I stared at those doors. “I’m disappointed.”
His head swung toward me.
Fuck it.
I climbed the steps and crossed between two columns.
“What are you doing, Seraphena?”
“I’m not waiting.” Focusing on the doors, I summoned the eather. The gold-plated doors swung open, slamming into the walls with a crash as they snapped off their top hinges. “Oops.”
Aydun sighed.
Smiling a little, I strode into the palace. We hadn’t entered this way when Ash and I came before. Attes had led us past some bungalows and brought us into the hall that led to the atrium, where I assumed Kolis would be. I glanced at the gold-cushioned settees lining the walls of the entryway. The foyer split into two wings.
I turned left. There really wasn’t a reason for my choice, so I hoped it was the vadentia leading the way.
“We really should wait,” Aydun suggested, following me.
“We’ve waited long enough.” I entered a hall, passing several closed doors on one side and windows facing a courtyard on the other. Two doors were at the end of the hall. Of course, they were gold-plated, as were the ceiling and the wall sconces, the handles on the doors, and the windowsill trim. Gold veining even streaked through the marble floors.
Kolis was so fucking tacky.
“We waited a few minutes,” Aydun pointed out.
“As I said, we waited…” I paused, sensing something…off. My steps slowed as my skin prickled. It was almost like what I’d felt right before the Ancient appeared, except this felt…wrong. Sacrilegious, even. Almost as if I had entered a Temple and cursed the god it served. My eyes narrowed on the doors ahead.
I didn’t hear footsteps, but I knew something was near, and I was right.
The gold-plated doors swung open, and all I saw was gold—gold clothing, gold-painted wings, and golden hair.
My lip curled as a mixture of anger and unwanted empathy rose. “Well, now I know why I suddenly felt something profane.”
Callum halted ahead of me, the painted wings on his face twitching a second before his expression smoothed into a smile as well-practiced as Kolis’s. I didn’t like the Revenant for a whole slew of reasons. The feelings were mutual, but what wasn’t was the sorrow I couldn’t help but feel for him. Sotoria’s brother was a tragedy.
“Seraphena,” he said, his tone level. Courteous, even. “I see you are as charming as ever.” His eyes, which were such a pale shade of blue they were almost lifeless, drifted over me. “And as inappropriate.”
“How so?”
“You’re dressed worse than a common tavern wench and not fit to meet with the King,” he replied. “And you were supposed to wait outside.”
“Two things.” I quickly glanced at the sheath and the golden hilt of the dagger on his left arm as I held up two fingers. “I got tired of waiting.” I lowered my pointer finger, leaving the middle one still raised. “And I’m meeting no King today.”
Callum’s mouth tightened. “Charming.”
I turned my hand around so my middle finger faced him.
“Very charming.” He clasped his hands behind him. “But not as much as the last time I saw you. How are your arms feeling?”
Muscles throughout tensed. “Perfect.” I smiled. “How is Kolis feeling? Last I saw, he had a few extra holes in him.”
Callum tilted his head. “You will see for yourself soon enough.” He stepped to the side and turned as he said, “Come.”
I kept smiling, even though it hurt my face as I followed Callum through the doors, making sure I walked on his left side. We entered a wider hall lined with marble statues of… I saw a chiseled jaw and features similar to Ash’s. “Kolis has statues of himself as decoration?”
“Of course he does.” Callum stared ahead. “He is the King.”
“Of tackiness?”
“And what are you the Queen of?” Callum responded, his chin tipping up a notch. “The Queen of Nothing? No, that doesn’t sound right. How about the Queen of Lies?”
“To be honest, Queen of Lies has a nice ring to it.” On my other side, Aydun frowned. “I kind of like it.”
“You would.” Callum’s steps slowed as the hall curved. “I knew you were lying the whole time.”
I said nothing as we passed more statues of Kolis.
“My sister…” His chest rose with a deep breath as stale air flowed in through an open window. “She had everything you will never have, starting with class.”
“And yet, Kolis sought to dress her in a ma
Callum’s jaw flexed. “Perhaps, deep down, he knew the truth.”
“Ah, yes. That’s exactly why.” Anger pulsed. “He would never treat her that way. Never mind the fact that he sought to hold her captive again and force himself upon her.”
Aydun’s brows rose.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Callum shot back, the veneer of civility cracking.
Just like before, disbelief rose. “I will never understand how you can justify Kolis’s actions toward someone you clearly loved.”
Callum went quiet.
“Then again, I will never understand how you can stand by while Kolis collects his favorites in an attempt to replace her, either.”
“They were all sad attempts. Especially you. You were the saddest of them all.” Callum’s smile was sharper as he glanced at me. “Guess what I heard?” His voice lowered as if he were sharing a juicy secret. “Kolis is already building another cage.”
My skin heated from the inside.
Callum chuckled as a rounded archway appeared, leading to a hall I recognized as the one we’d entered before. “Wonder who he plans to put in this one. You?”
My fingers twitched.
“Perhaps his nephew. Yes, it will likely be Nyktos.” Callum nodded. “We know what will happen to you.” He winked. “It’s all Kyn can talk about.”
The control I had on my temper snapped as we passed another fucking statue of Kolis. I pictured it doing exactly what I wanted to do to Callum and Kyn.
The statue shattered with a clap of thunder. Callum jumped as the Ancient jerked to a stop.
Slowly, both turned to look at me. “What?”
“You know what?” Callum spat. “That was disrespectful.”
“Was it?” I angled my body toward Callum’s.
“It was.” A faint glow of eather appeared behind his pupils. “But not nearly as disrespectful as lying about Sotoria.”
“Did I lie?”
“You’re really going to try that route again?” Callum laughed. “It won’t protect you.”