Page 252 of Born of Blood and Ash

Kars jerked the sword and sekyaback. Turning, he kicked it free of his blade. The creature fellface-first onto the ground.

“Thank you.” I sat up, wiping at my face.

“You’re welcome.” He offered me his hand.

Taking it, I stood. Behind Kars, I saw Bele straightening,her eyes widening. I turned.

All around us, the fallen sekyarose, shaking dirt from their feathered bodies and wings.

Bele looked over at me, her brows raised.

“What?” I threw up my hands. “I don’t know how they’re notdead!”

But I should, shouldn’t I? I knew what they were called andwho had created them, but I didn’t know how they could be killed.

“Because I assumed I knew how. Obviously, I was wrong,” Imumbled to myself. The skin behind my ear tingled as my thoughts raced, and a sekya lunged toward a guard, avoiding the sweep ofhis sword, and another took to the air.

“I…I can’t kill them,” I whispered, my hands falling to mysides.

Kars cursed, darting to the side as I scowled. He glanced atme. “For real?”

“That can’t be right. I’m the fucking true Primal of Life.”Annoyed, I spun toward a sekya and summonedthe essence. It responded in a hot rush, joining my will. “How can I not killone of these things?”

A flash of eather funneled from mypalm, slamming into the sekya’s chest,knocking it to the ground. I didn’t retract the eatheras I stalked toward it. I kept the stream of power bearing down on it until Ireached where it had fallen.

I closed my hand, able to see the charred edges of itsnow-split rib cage and the ground through the massive hole in its chest. “Let’ssee you get up from that.”

“They shouldn’t be getting up at all.” Bele fired anotherblast of eather and then jumped from the boulder,narrowly avoiding a swooping sekya. “Hey, meyaah Liessa.”She crouched. “To your right.”

“Don’t call me—damn it!” I jumped to the side as a sekya dove at me. The thing swept backup, cackling as I glanced down to make sure the one on the groundwasn’t moving. The unblinking stare looked dead to me. “I think I got—”

The eyes changed.

It was barely noticeable, just a faint glow returning to itsgolden eyes. The sekya gave me a bloodysmile.

“Son of a bitch!” I shouted as the sekyarose, its wings spreading as it lifted into the air. “I can see Karsthrough your godsdamn chest! How is this possible?”

Kars turned, his head jerking as he blinked. “Well, that isnot something you hear or see often.”

“Their head!” Rhain shouted as he rounded the side of thepalace. “You have to destroy their heads!”

“Now, you tell us?” Bele snapped, the crackling bowdissipating as she reached to her hip and drew a shadowstonesword.

“I just got here.” Rhain skidded to a stop, his jawunlocking as he saw me. “What are you doing out here?”

“Being unhelpful,” Bele retorted.

Lifting an arm, I extended my middle finger toward her. “Thehead, you said?” I grinned tightly. “All right, then.” My chin dipped as Isummoned the eather. Thrusting out my hand, spittingand hissing eather streaked out.

The eather split the sekya’s head right down to its neck. My lip curledas it once more landed in a messy heap—an even messier heap. “I think I mightvomit.”

Rhain rushed to my side. “What are you doing out here?” herepeated.

“Killing sekya.” Ifrowned. “Or trying to.”

“Yeah, I see that.” He stepped in, lowering his voice. “Youshouldn’t be out here.”

I ignored him, not taking my eyes off the thing on theground for more than a second. “I know. There’s no way this thing is going to—”

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