Page 360 of Born of Blood and Ash

“She was, as one would say, promised by the Fates,”she said. “Just like you.”

Tiny bumps pimpled my skin. “So, you’re basically sayingEtris, or possibly even Delfai, told Eythos Roderick would summon him? It makes sense. Theprophecy spoke of the desperation of golden crowns, but this really doesn’ttell us anything new.”

“No, but it does remind us how much needed to happen for usto be right here, right now,” she said, pausing to inhale deeply. “What Eythos did was never just about stopping his brother. Yes,the prophecy spoke of Kolis, but also of greater dangers.”

“The awakening of the Primal of Blood and Bone,” I surmised.

“Yes, and what Eythos learnedconvinced him of who that Primal would be.”

My fingers dug into my knees. “Do I even want to know?”

A wan smile appeared. “Sotoria.”

“What?” I half-laughed. “How? She was mortal.”

“So were you.”

“Yeah, the moment that came out of my mouth, I realized howunwise it sounded,” I admitted. “But this is different. I don’t understand howthat’s possible.”

“Neither do I. Eythos never said,but I do know that is why he put her soul in your bloodline,” she said. “Eythos was trying to circumvent the prophecy, Sera. Hehoped she would be reborn with the embers of life in her—allowing her to stopKolis and make way for Nyktos to rise as the truePrimal of Death. It would have also prevented her from rising as the Primal ofLife and Death since he believed the prophecy referenced his son and Sotoria coming together in love.”

A deep frown pulled at my lips at the idea of Sotoria being the one meant for Ash, even though thatwould’ve still technically been me. I rubbed my temples, thinking this wasgoing to give me a headache.

“That is why he asked for the firstborn daughter of the Mierel bloodline,” she continued. “And if he was right,then in his mind, there would be no threat of Sotoriarising as the Primal of Blood and Bone. To do so, it would’ve required her tokill Nyktos—something she would not do if she lovedhim.”

“Okay,” I said, following what she was saying. “But thatdidn’t work. I’m not Sotoria, and her soul is in TheStar.”

“Correct. His plan worked, except for that.” She looked atthe pastel-colored clouds. “And his plan should’ve worked completely. Myinvolvement ensured that. But something went impossibly wrong, and for that tohave happened, there can only be one reason.”

“The Fates got involved.” My brows knitted. “They prevented Sotoria from being reborn in my bloodline. Why would theydo that, though? They cannot want the Ancients to awaken.”

“You must remember that prophecies are the dreams of theAncients.” Her eyes searched mine. “And you also know what that means.”

I did. Dreamt by the Ancients meant dreamt by theFates, and Keella was old enough to know exactly whothe Fates were. I didn’t speak any of that aloud, opting for a nod as thesafest choice.

“And that means most of those Fates expect all that is saidin the prophecy to happen,” she said softly. “I don’t know why they would wantthat, but their involvement ensured it is still possible.”

My heart started pounding. “I don’t understand how it canbe possible. If Sotoria were reborn, she would be asshe was before. A mortal.”

“Unless the Fates intervene once more,” she said. “It’simperative you follow through with what you plan regarding Sotoria.She needs to be freed as soon as it is safe to do so.”

“Well, it’s a good thing we already planned to do that,” Isaid. “But what will stop the Fates from intervening even then—?” Then itstruck me. “Because what is shown in the prophecy happens in the future. Thatis what Penellaphe said. If Sotoriawere reborn now, she would live and die as a mortal long before what Penellaphe saw in the future could happen.”

“Correct.”

Something big still didn’t make sense, and that came back toher. Sotoria. “Why Sotoria?Why would the Ancients dream of a mortal becoming such a powerful being? It’snot because of what Kolis did to her. That dream happened long before that.”

“That, I don’t know,” she said. “And if Eythosknew, he never said.”

Closing my eyes again, I took a deep breath and exhaledslowly. I needed to release Sotoria’s soul the momentKolis was entombed and not a second after. If not?

Opening my eyes, I looked at her. “Do you believe the futureis already written? That the threads that last cannot be unbroken?”

“I do not know,” she said after a moment. “I hope to knowthe answer once I reach Arcadia.”

Gods, I hoped so. Because if I failed now, and the threadsof Fate kept stretching and expanding, Kolis wouldn’t be the only problem Ashand I would one day face.

Lost in our thoughts, the Primal and I sat there brieflyuntil Keella patted my arm. “It’s time.”

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