Page 93 of Born of Blood and Ash

“Fuck,” I whispered, and Ash’s hand momentarily haltedbefore continuing. Opening my eyes, I faced Ash. “It’s Kolis.”

The tendrils of eather stilled inhis eyes as he curved one of his hands around mine. “Talk to me,” he said.

“I sensed Kolis.”

Those wisps of eather brightenedas intensely as stars. “I’m going to need more details.”

As I told him what happened, his jaw clenched and became ashard as the shadowstone around us. “It was weird, butI know he’s been in a stasis until now.”

“Do you still feel him?”

“No.” I frowned as I thought twice. “I mean, I don’ttechnically feel him.”

Frigid air blew off Ash. “What does that mean, Sera? Do youhear him? Feel anything?” His flesh thinned as his head dipped until we were ateye level. “Please, do not lie to me about this. I beg of you.”

“It’s more an awareness of him, of him being conscious,” Iquickly clarified. “And that is all.” I squeezed his hand. “I swear.”

His chest rose with a heavy breath. “I didn’t know that waspossible.”

“I didn’t either. Well, I did but didn’t realize I knew,” Isaid, knowing that made little sense. “There’s a lot of stuff in my head. Toomuch, really. But it’s quite possible that no one else knew about that, noteven Nektas.”

Ash nodded, his flesh gradually thickening. “If he did, hewould’ve said something.” His jaw loosened. “Well, now we know why he has beenso silent. Stasis was the true cause of his absence and lack of action.”

I wanted to deny it, but it would be foolish to do so.

“This doesn’t change our plans.” He cupped my cheek.

“I know.”

“You done in here?”

I nodded, and worry started to fester as Ash led me from thebathing chamber. I took a deep breath, reminding myself that nothing hadchanged. We’d been operating as if Kolis had been awake this entire timeanyway.

But even I knew that was a whole lot of bullshit becauseKolis was awake, and that changed everything.

The following morning, I knew I should be with Ash asthe security for today’s speech was discussed, but instead, I was on the Rise,walking toward the wall facing Lethe. It was the easiest way for me to see theDying Woods. Something had occurred to me.

The Shades.

The slight heels of my leather boots clapped softly on thestone as I glanced down, seeing lush grass filling the courtyard and Rhahar’s lurking figure just beneath me. He wasn’t alone.Kars, the fair-haired and muscular guard who had once offered to train me, waswith him. They had been following me since the moment Ash left.

Something odd had happened when I’d spotted Kars as Iclimbed the Rise. I’d never been able to tell before if he was a god or agodling—the child of a mortal and a god—but I’d known right then that he wasone of the rare godlings who entered the Culling and survived. It was similarto what had happened when I saw the guard on the Rise yesterday.

The vadentia sure wasstrengthening quickly.

However, the embers inside me since birth had alreadymatured to an extent, which likely explained why things were happening fasterfor me.

But that rapidly developing ability wasn’t why I was on theRise.

When I used the essence to fill the riverbed, I’d beenfocused on bringing water back to the Shadowlands. But I’d restored a lot morethan that.

The Shadowlands were virtually unrecognizable.

A pleasant breeze swirled along the Rise, lifting a straycurl as I continued on. I thought I had a good idea how this had happened. WhenI tapped into the essence, I had also willed life to return to the Shadowlands.That was how the fields of poppies and grass had appeared. How the trees alongthe road into the Shadowlands straightened and sprouted glossy violet and greenleaves. It was why the soil was a rich, dark brown. I did more than I hadintended to. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, except that there were deadthings moving about in the Shadowlands.

The Shades.

Had my will impacted them?

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