Page 41 of Born of Blood and Ash

“A mess?” Nektas surveyed thespace. “It actually looks lived in.” He bent, picking up a napkin that hadfallen to the floor. “You remember what it looked like before.”

Cold. Neat. Almost empty and devoid of…life.

“It is actually a relief to see such a mess.” He placed thenapkin on the table. “There is a warmth to it.”

A mix of emotions surfaced as I fiddled with one of thebuttons on my robe. I was at once glad that there was life here and sad thatthere hadn’t been before.

That Ash hadn’t been able to allow that.

“I hate Kolis,” I whispered as a surge of essence rippledthrough me.

Nektas turned his head to me. “Forwhat he has done to Ash and to you.”

My breath snagged. What he’d said hadn’t been posed as aquestion. It was a statement of fact. “Yeah.” I swallowed thickly. “By the way,I heard Jadis tonight through the te’lepe.”

Crossing his arms, he faced me. “I believe we were right inour assumptions regarding the maturity of the embers.”

I nodded.

“I did come here for a reason,” he said after a moment. “Iwanted to apologize for tonight’s interruption. Both Jadis and Reaver were toldto give you and Ash space.”

“Oh, gods. Please don’t apologize. I was glad to see them. Imissed them, and I think they needed to see us to know we’re okay. EspeciallyReaver. And I needed to see them. There was a time I didn’t think Iwould see them again.” Avoiding Nektas’s gaze, Icleared my throat and then did what I had already done more than once thisevening. I changed the subject. “Ash and I discussed Kolis,” I said, giving hima brief rundown of what we’d planned.

“All of that sounds good,” he replied. “Though I have nointerest in speaking for the draken.”

My lips pursed. Who would be better? “But you really dothink it’s a good idea?”

“It’s a change.” He scratched his chin. “But change is good,especially when it’s needed.”

Exhaling slowly, I nodded. “There’s something else.Something I realized after speaking with you.”

He picked up an untouched strawberry. “What is that?”

“The riders. Do you know what they are?”

He finished off the sugar-dusted fruit. “What do you think?”

“I…I think you know more than you’ve shared with Ash,” Isaid after a moment.

Picking up another berry, he went quiet for a moment. “I wasstill of only one form when the riders came into existence, created to bringabout the end.”

“Gods, you are so old,” I mumbled. He shot me a narrowed-eyelook, and I flashed him a quick, bright smile. But he was old, and Iknew what that meant.

“Why do you ask?” he questioned.

“It wasn’t until I was having dinner with Ash that Iremembered all the stuff I’d seen during my Ascension,” I explained. “You knowwho the Fates are, don’t you?”

He nodded, looking out over the courtyard. “I remember theAncients more clearly than the eldest of the Primals.I know what some became.”

“And you never said anything to Ash?”

Nektas shook his head as he wipedhis fingers on the napkin he’d picked up.

“I didn’t either. I almost did, but I had a feeling Ishouldn’t. That there would be consequences if I did,” I told him. “But I don’tknow why. I was wondering if you did.”

“Power. Ancestry,” he stated. “Some gods and mortals wouldseek to follow them instead of the Primals—those whowould always align themselves with those they believed were the strongest—whothey descended from in one way or another. We are lucky the Arae know thetruth.”

“What truth?”

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