Page 159 of Born of Blood and Ash

Bright, glimmering blue eyes met mine, and that broughttears to my own eyes. I do.

I didn’t think he did, and that was something Ash and Iwould have to make sure he understood. “You’ll keep Jadis safe while I’m gone?”

Always.

“That’s my Reaver-butt.” I pressed a quick kiss to the topof his head, right beneath the nubs of his newly sprouted horns.

“Sera—” Kars began.

I rose. “I’m going to Vathi.” I faced them, pulling theQueen card. “No one else is going, and that is an order.”

Rhahar’s jaw hardened. “Got it.”

“Perfect.” I turned.

“Just one question,” he continued. “Exactly how are yougetting there?”

I stiffened. Good gods, that hadn’t even crossed my mind.

“You haven’t shadowstepped thatfar, right? And even if you have, you don’t know where you’re going to movethat fast. So, you’re on horseback. That will take hours. And that’s theshortest route, which puts you smack-dab in the middle of the territorycontrolled by Kyn,” Rhahar continued. “To go to whereAttes is, you’ve got to cross over Mount Rhee. You’relooking at a day’s ride at least.”

My stomach gave another twist at the mere thought of doingthat alone, especially since it wasn’t the kind of shadowsteppingthat was as simple as moving really fast. It was shadowsteppingthrough the eather, basically tearing open therealms, and I had no idea how to do that. But I knew how to find out. “How doyou shadowstep between realms?”

“I don’t know how to explain it,” Rhaharcaged his response.

But I wasn’t asking him.

I’d asked myself.

The skin behind my left ear tingled, and the knowledge cameto me, much like remembering something I hadn’t thought of in a while.

Shadowstepping between Courts oreven realms was like using the Primal essence for anything else. It was aresult of my will. I just needed to think of where I wanted to go andthen will it.

Except I didn’t know exactly where Ash was in Vathi. Hecould be at the palace or somewhere else, but could I shadowstepto where Ash was?

The answer came to me in an instant.

Running my palm over the top of Reaver’s head, I turned toKars and Rhahar as I pictured Ash in my mind. “Keepan eye on things.”

“Damn it,” Kars exploded.

Smiling, I grabbed onto the image of Ash as I harnessed thePrimal essence.

“Seraphena!” Rhaharlurched forward.

Power surged through me like a fiery torrent as I willedmyself to Ash’s side.

CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR

Strands of gold and silver spilled out fromme, forcing Rhahar back as the tendrils of eather whipped against the air, ripping open a blindingtear.

I walked through it without a second thought.

Eather spun maddeningly as a fierce rush ofpine-and-sea-scented wind enveloped me, tossing the wisps of hair that hadescaped my braid across my face. Awareness throbbed in the center of my chest,and I felt him.

Then I heard Lailah gasp and say, “Fates.” Through theessence, I briefly saw her staggering to the side. I may have nearly shadowstepped into her.

Whoops.

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