Page 361 of Born of Blood and Ash

And it was.

Ash and Ione joined us while Nektasquietly crossed the veranda to walk the manicured lawn. I forced a smile whenAsh sent me a curious look. As Ione moved to a divan across from Keella’s, I pushed all I had learned to the farthestcorners of my mind while Ione knelt, swearing her allegiance to us. Because aslong as we didn’t fail, I would not have to burden Ash with this.

I drank from Ione’s wrist and took what I knew, building awall of shadowstone and Ancient bone in my mind toplace it behind. As my fangs pierced my skin and Ash let out a low growl at thesight, I built a shield. As Ione drank from me, I made myself forget what I hadlearned until I needed to remember it. And while I knelt at Keella’sside and drank from the wound she had created herself, I prayed to the Fates—tothe Ancients—that I would never have to remember.

When I felt Keella’s last sluggishheartbeat, I lifted my head. Her breathing was shallow as she stared at the skyof her Court. Not once since we’d begun had she taken her gaze from it.

I still held on to her hand as I felt the warmth leave her.“Thank you,” I said. I wasn’t sure if I was thanking her for this sacrifice orfor what she’d warned me about. Maybe both.

Ash knelt beside me, folding his arm around my waist. Heplaced his hand over mine and Keella’s. “May the nextjourney bring you peace.”

Tears blurred my vision as Keella’seyes fluttered and then closed. Her chest rose once more and did not fall, andthen my chest flared with heat. I released the breath I held as a draken let out a mournful call in the distance.

“She looks so peaceful,” I whispered. There was a smile onher lips and a tranquil ease to her features.

“She was ready,” he said, catching a tear with the swipe ofhis thumb over my cheek.

I nodded, wanting that to make me feel better, but it reallydidn’t. Letting go of her hand, I started to rise when it happened.

It started with one below her left eye. Then, two more onher chin. Ten along her throat. A dozen appeared on her forearm. They were likefreckled stars, starting out as tiny pinpricks of light until eather seeped from her pores. The shimmery, silvery-whitewave of light swept over her entire body, pulsing with a blinding intensitythat forced both Ash and me to stand and move back.

Strands of eather unfurled,weaving delicate ribbons that stretched with an ethereal glow. I turned towhere Ione sat, tears glimmering on her cheeks as she rose and stepped forward.Tendrils of eather illuminated the space between Keella and Ione as I stepped back into Ash’s arms. I restedmy cheek against his chest as the Primal energy threaded itself with Ione, andI felt the oath Ione had made lodge itself deeply within my chest.

In a loud clap of energy released, the radiant glow where Keella lay was gone.

And so was the Primal.

CHAPTERFIFTY-FIVE

There wasn’t much time to digest what hadhappened or what Keella had shared. Only secondsafter the guards took Ione to her chambers to rest during her awakening, I feltthat same sudden surge of restless, anxious energy I had experienced before.

At the veranda’s edge, my grip tightened on Ash’s hand, myother reflexively going to my stomach. “Kolis.”

A pulse of eather whipped throughAsh’s eyes, and Nektas quickly joined us. “You feelhim?”

“Not as strongly as before,” I told him. “But I think he’swaking up.”

Shadows appeared down his throat, swirling up the sides.“Then we must hurry.” Mist seeped from the stone, churning around our legs ashe pulled me to his side. “Remember what we talked about, liessa.”

“I remember,” I said, leaning into his chest as he placed ahand on Nektas’s shoulder. “You will take the lead.”

“Let’s see how long that lasts,” Nektasremarked.

As the mist thickened and rose around us, Ash lowered hismouth to mine. His kiss was fierce and demanding in the seconds it took us to shadowstep to the Callasta Isles,causing my breath to hitch and heat to pool low in my stomach. I was smiling asthe mist scattered.

Ash had shadowstepped us insidethe Rise, near the main entrance of the sprawling one-level palace. I caught aquick glimpse of our surroundings. Red and white wildflowers bloomed among theknee-high grass. Heavy curtains of moss hung from tree branches that stretchedlike intertwined arms over wide pathways. Ivy covered the trunks of trees andspread along the walkway, cracking the stone beneath our booted feet andsmothering the wall in the distance, revealing only glimpses of the dark redstone of the Rise. There was a surprising beauty in the untamed courtyard, andI couldn’t help but wonder if Veses had intended forher land to remain like this or if it had become like this due to neglect.

A warning shout pierced the air, drawing my gaze to ourright. A group of half a dozen guards adorned in red and gold jerked to asudden stop as they walked along a path.

Ash spun, placing me between him and Nektasas absolute chaos erupted.

A fair-haired guard rushed forward, drawing a shadowstone dagger.

“Idiot,” growled Nektas as Ashunsheathed a shadowstone sword.

Ash caught the guard’s arm, cracking the bone. The man’syelp was silenced as Ash sliced the god’s head from his shoulders. My chestthrobbed with the echo of death, and I knew this was only the start.

There were only two less idiotic guards in the group of six.Their faces paled, and they spun on their heels, running off through the tallgrass. The other three came right at us as horns blared from the Rise. Thewarning rumble of draken came from the sky.

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