Page 142 of Born of Blood and Ash

Kars’ mouth dropped open. “Five minutes ago, you shoutedthat very same word.”

“I did not.”

“Really?” Kars replied dryly.

I had, in fact, yelled it. At the top of my lungs, too. Butthat was because I’d decided that my time was better spent training instead ofpacing and waiting for Ash to return so we could go to the ThyiaPlains and speak with Keella—who he’d sent word tothis morning. When I first approached Bele and asked her to train with me, shehad, without warning, thrown a godsdamn dagger at myhead right before running back into the palace like some kind of psychoticwoodland nymph—

Which reminded me of those Nektasand I had seen when we returned from the Vale. I wondered if they had changedafter the balance was restored. Returning to…well, non-psychotic versions ofthemselves.

I needed to check on that later.

“You must be imagining things,” I said.

Reaver giggled, and the sound was so unexpected that it drewKars’ and my attention.

The godling’s lips curled into a smile. “By the way.” Karspointed his sword at Reaver. “I do not stink.”

“You can’t smell it, but I can.” Reaver pulled a glisteningred apple from the sack—his fourth or fifth of the morning. “Your scent becomesmore…bitter.”

I wondered if I should intervene with his snacking becausethat seemed like a whole lot of apples. But apples were healthy, weren’t they?

“You are the Queen and the true Primal of Life. None of themwill want to fight you,” Reaver said, sounding far too wise for his age. He bitinto the apple with a crunch. “And he’s worried what Nyktoswill do.”

I faced Kars, raising an eyebrow.

“Someone needs to fight with her,” Reaver added before Karscould respond. “If not, she’s gonna start pacingagain.”

I would.

“It’s because she worries a lot,” he went on betweenmouthfuls of apple. “Even though she’ll say she doesn’t.”

I opened my mouth.

Half the apple was already gone. “I can sense when you lie,too,” he said, which I already knew. I was trying not to be anxious around him.“Your sweat changes, too.” His upper lip curled. “It becomes tangy.”

I stared at the draken, resistingthe urge to sniff myself. “You know—”

A shrill screech interrupted us as one of the palace sidedoors opened, and Aios stepped out with Bele.

Well, I finally knew where Jadis had gotten that piece ofsilk. It matched the missing lower section of the blue gown Aioswore.

I shifted my attention back to Reaver. The little brat hadbeen mostly correct with his earlier statement about my pacing. If I didn’t dosomething, I would get stuck in my head, and I didn’t want to be where I wouldstress over how things were going between Ash and Attes,if I had made the right choice by offering Kolis a deal, and how the upcomingmeeting with the Primals would go. And if I wasn’tthinking about any of that, I was half-afraid my mind would end up revisitingmy time in Dalos.

And I didn’t need that in my life.

I also didn’t need Reaver pointing out every time I lied.“Perhaps you should assist with Jadis,” I suggested.

Reaver’s eyes widened. “I’d rather not.” He clutched theburlap sack. “She’ll want to eat all my apples.”

“You mean there are actually some left?”

He nodded earnestly. “She always eats my apples.”

“And would that be a problem? I think you’ve had enough,” Isaid. “For a lifetime.”

“Nek said you can’t ever eat too many apples,” he argued.

I started to explain that Nektasprobably didn’t mean he should eat a dozen of them but decided against it. Ihad a feeling I’d have an even harder time convincing Reaver of that thangetting Kars to fight me.

---