Page 286 of Born of Blood and Ash

My heart shattered again.

But I would fix it. I was the true Primal of Life.

I could bring them back.

All of them.

My clever, fair sister and her kind, loyal wife. My mother,who had named me after the brave and revered Queen of the VodinaIsles. The small ones in the gutters. Those in the sea, lying in the streets,and beyond Lasania. I would return them to what theywere, just as I had with the villagers in Terra.

I moved fast, summoning the eatherto draw the spikes from the bodies of those impaled and gently lowered them tothe ground. I kept Ezra and Marisol side by side, not changing the direction inwhich Marisol looked. It didn’t feel right as I knelt beside my sister.

Purpose filled me, and the humming eatherrose once more. I reached for Ezra’s hand—

“Sera?”

I spun, eather crackling from myfingertips.

Awash in a fiery glow, Holland stood before me, the heatedwind tugging at the white linen pants and tunic he wore. Somehow, the pristinematerial remained unblemished as he stood among the dead—those he’d sharedsuppers and stories with. His ageless face mirrored those scattered around him.His expression showed horror. He wasn’t looking at me. He was looking ateverything around us.

Seeing him stunned me and conjured a wealth of emotions andmemories—from when I was just a young girl holding a blade for the first timeup to the last time I’d seen him in the throne room. In an instant, I was someother version of me. A mixture of that young girl and the woman he’d raisedlike a daughter.

The eather fizzled out. Painflared all along the length of my body, and I took a stumbling step toward him.

His head turned back to me, and I saw that his oncehickory-hued irises were now like Aydun’s—bursts of silver sprinkled throughthe colors, appearing like the stars they had come from. “What have you done?”

I jerked to a halt with a wince. I didn’t understand what hewas asking. “What have I done?”

“You killed a Primal, Sera.”

I drew back in disbelief. That is what he had to say to me? That?After everything? It took several moments for me to snap out of my stupor. “Doyou not see what Kolis did? To everyone here? To my mother? To Marisol andEzra?” My voice cracked, and, gods, it hurt. It hurt even worse to seeHolland’s gaze flicker behind me and witness his flinch. “I gave him a chance.I made him an offer. This was his answer. He nearly killed everyone in thecity. He acted, and I am reacting.”

Holland’s chest rose with a deep breath, and he returned hisgaze to mine. “And you killed nearly as many.”

My head jerked back as if I had been slapped, even though Iknew I had unleashed ruin upon those here and beyond. I inhaled through mystinging nose. “I’m fixing that.” I started walking backward. “I’m going toundo—”

Holland took a step forward. “You cannot do that. You havealready brought Marisol back once,” he said. “You cannot do it again. Her soulis now beyond your reach and can only be released by Death—the true Primal ofDeath. Why do you think Eythos hid Sotoria’s soul?”

Shaking my head, I looked back at Marisol, unable to seepast how she had turned her head toward Ezra in her final moments.

“It is how the balance is kept,” Holland continued. “Youalready gave Marisol a second chance. The realms prevent that from happeningagain.” His voice roughened. “She is gone.”

I didn’t want to believe Holland, but instinct told me hewasn’t lying. My shoulders curved inward, and a heavy ache settled in my chest.Only Kolis could release Marisol’s soul now. I briefly closed my eyes as sorrowthreatened to overwhelm me. I couldn’t allow that. My hands fisted, and eather pressed against my skin. I opened my eyes and turnedmy attention to Ezra. I could almost believe she was sleeping if I didn’t lookat her face. “He doesn’t hold the souls of the others.”

“You cannot bring them back, Sera.”

I whipped around. “I can’t? I’m the true Primal of Life.”

“I know what you are, but just because you can dosomething doesn’t mean you should.”

I inhaled sharply. “Do not start with that philosophicalbullshit, Holland. My family is dead.” Anger pulsed through me. “My city isnearly gone.”

“I know. I know this hurts.” He lifted his hands, and whenhe spoke next, his voice had gentled. “And I’m sorry. I truly am. Thisshouldn’t have happened. It’s not fair.”

“You’re right. This shouldn’t have happened, and it’s notfair. That’s why I’m going to make it right.”

“But you won’t, Sera. You will just end up repeatingeverything that led to this very moment. You’ve already started to with thoseyou brought back.”

“This is different,” I insisted.

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