Page 120 of Born of Blood and Ash

I looked around at the trees Aioshad created as if they held the answers. They didn’t.

“You are what has been snipping those threads—ending someand weaving new ones. Trust your instincts,” he said. “For if what comes fromthis meeting is war, it will not end, not until there is blood and bone.”

CHAPTEREIGHTEEN

Aydun’s confusing warning haunted the back ofmy thoughts, but there wasn’t time to really dwell on it. He took my hand oncemore and shadowstepped us smack-dab into the frontcourtyard of Cor Palace.

“A heads-up next time would be nice,” I muttered, pressing ahand 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. Fourstaggered crystal towers rose from the center of the palace. Cracks in thecrystal fractured the sunlight. My gaze lowered to the diamond-encrusted stonefortress. Large and slimmer fissures ran the length of the columns and thewalls behind them.

Someone must’ve done some housekeeping. There weren’t bodiesstaked to the walls of the fortress or hanging from the trees this time. Ifthere had been, there was a good chance I might’ve vomited all over theAncient.

“You okay?” Aydun asked, glancing at my hand.

“Shadowstepping sometimes makes menauseous.” I dropped my arm. “This whole place nauseates me.”

His left eye narrowed slightly, then the other side of hismouth curved up. “Interesting.”

I shot him a look. The Ancient was…an odd one. I started forthe colonnade steps.

“We must wait,” Aydun stated. “To be allowed in.”

Stopping, I blew out an aggravated breath. “And how long arewe to wait?”

“As long as it takes for someone to receive us.”

A low, rough laugh escaped me. “Oh, I know exactly whatKolis is doing.”

“Hmm?”

“By making me wait outside, he’s making it known that hedoesn’t consider me his equal,” I bit out. “My mother used to do that whennobles 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 todo something that would change Aydun’s mind on who was the calmer one betweenAsh and me. There were no guards on the colonnade, but there hadn’t beenbefore. I looked over my shoulder, but the purplish-pink tops of the treesblocked my view of the Rise around Dalos. Witheverything that had happened, one would think the place would be teeming withguards.

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,” hereplied.

I turned halfway to him. “Exactly how old are you?”

Aydun’s head tilted sideways as his forehead creased. “Howlong has this realm existed?”

I frowned. “I have no idea.”

“Neither do I.” He shrugged. “But I’m that old.”

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