Текст книги "Born of Blood and Ash"

Автор книги: Jennifer L. Armentrout

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Текущая страница: 16 (всего у книги 63 страниц)

The Dying Woods belonged to Death, as did the Shades. Just like they were mostly prevented from leaving the Dying Woods, I was blocked from bringing life to that stretch of land. But…

I frowned. But neither life nor death was absolute. My thoughts raced. There was something about that. The wards that trapped the lost souls in the woods sometimes weakened, and I had almost brought one back. I had been in the Dying Woods then, touching the Shade. That was the difference.

Death couldn’t break the bond of Life’s touch. That kind of power? It was the same as I’d displayed last night.

I turned away from the Shades and knew that what I had done last night had awakened Kolis.

After spending an ungodly amount of time trying to decide whether to wear my hair loose or in a braid, I finally decided to leave the curls free. Ash liked it that way, and I loved that he did.

I stepped back so I could see myself in the mirror attached to the wardrobe door. The tunic Aios had picked out was fitted at the breasts, almost too tightly, like the measurements might have been off just a little bit, but the cut was flattering, and the stitching Erlina had done was beyond beautiful. I couldn’t remember if I had thanked her for her hard work, and even if I had, I wanted to do so again.

I’d followed Aios’s suggestion and paired the tunic with black leggings, and I didn’t think Rhain would have any reason to complain.

I took a deep breath, nodded at myself, and then walked through the bathing chamber. Tiny knots of anxiety bounced around in my stomach as I headed down the narrow hall to the antechamber. There, I found Reaver in his mortal form, seated on the couch with a pad of parchment.

He looked up as I entered. “You look nice,” he said, and a hint of pink appeared on the cheeks I could actually see through his hair.

“Thank you.” I approached. “Hopefully, Rhain agrees.”

A grin appeared, but it quickly disappeared. “Are you feeling okay?”

“I’m just anxious. That’s all.” I smiled, hoping it eased his concerns as I glanced at the paper in his lap. “Are you drawing something?”

Pale hair flopped over his forehead as he looked down. One shoulder lifted. “I’m supposed to be working on my letters.”

My lips twitched. “And you’re not?”

Wordlessly, he lifted the parchment and showed me. There were letters written in surprisingly fine, sophisticated lines. About half as many as there should be. The rest of the page was filled with swirling ink strokes I quickly recognized. “You’re drawing the design on the throne doors.”

“Trying to,” he mumbled, kicking feet that didn’t reach the floor.

I peered down at the paper. He’d captured the leaves on the ivy-like vines that adorned the throne room doors and decorated my tunic. “I think you’re doing a good job.”

“Thanks.” Another splash of pink traveled across his cheeks. “I don’t think Liora will be happy, though.”

“Liora?” I sat beside him.

“She’s like me,” he said, shading a tiny leaf. “But older. She doesn’t leave Mount Rhee much, but she did come by while you were asleep. All the draken did.” He frowned, appearing to search for a word. “We all felt you rise as the true Primal of Life,” he said, speaking as if that were something entirely normal.

And I guessed it was since I had basically felt Kolis do the same.

I clasped my knees. “Is Liora who watches you and Jadis sometimes?”

He nodded.

“Maybe you should finish the rest of your letters for her,” I suggested. “You’re almost halfway done.”

“I will.” Dragging his lip between his teeth, he glanced over at me. “Do you want to draw? It helps me when I’m anxious.”

“Drawing makes me anxious,” I joked. “But thank you.” My gaze flickered over him. “Why are you anxious?”

“I’m not.”

I raised my brows. “You just admitted to drawing when you’re anxious,” I pointed out. “So, why are you anxious?”

His little nose pinched as he looked away. “I’m anxious because you are.”

I drew back. “What?”

“You’re meyaah Liessa. I…I can sense it,” he said.

“Oh, gods. I didn’t know that.” Uncomfortable, I shifted in my seat. Actually, I did know that. It was just lost in all the other stuff I suddenly knew. “The notam.”

Reaver nodded.

It was the bond all draken had with the true Primal of Life. “So, all the draken can feel when I’m anxious?”

Swinging his feet, he nodded. “The older ones know how to block it out. I just haven’t learned how to do that yet.”

“What about Jadis?”

“I don’t think she can feel anything yet,” he answered. “She’s too young.”

That was kind of a relief, but not really. I didn’t want my almost constant state of anxiety affecting Reaver. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” He tilted his pointy chin up. “It’s not real bad.”

I wasn’t sure I believed that, which meant I needed to get my anxiety under control.

“I think you’ll do fine today, by the way. The people already like you, and after what they saw this morning? They have to love you. So, you have no reason to be anxious,” he said earnestly and with a seriousness far beyond his age.

“Thank you.” I ran my hands over my knees. My anxiety at the moment had little to do with the speech, but I was sure that would rear its head sooner or later.

Once Reaver finished his letters, we moved out to the daybed on the balcony. He was telling me about Mount Rhee and some of the draken I hadn’t yet fully interacted with when I felt Ash near the bedchamber.

He joined Reaver and me, striding out onto the balcony, the hair at his temples damp.

“You two kind of match,” Reaver said, kicking his feet off the base of the daybed.

We did.

Ash wore a sleeveless, black tunic trimmed in the same silver brocade. It stretched across his broad shoulders and was perfectly tailored to his tapered waist. He looked magnificent.

“Great minds think alike,” he murmured, bending to kiss me.

Reaver groaned. “You two do that a lot.”

Ash chuckled as he straightened. “One day, you will understand why.”

“Nuh-uh,” Reaver denied, his lip curling in disgust.

“I’ll be sure to remind you of that when the day comes.” Ash reached over, the silver band on his upper arm glinting in the sunlight as he ruffled Reaver’s mop of blond hair. “Mestra will be here shortly to take you back to Mount Rhee.”

Reaver had briefly mentioned the other draken I had yet to meet. Besides Jadis and Reaver, she was the youngest of the draken, a little over a century old.

“I’d rather go with you all,” Reaver said.

“I know,” I told him. Reaver had mentioned wanting to go with us no less than two dozen times since we decided to talk to the people. “When you’re older, I’m sure it will be fine for you to be with us.”

He wrinkled his nose. “Why am I not old enough now? You two are just giving a speech.”

“Yes, we’re only giving a speech, and nothing should happen,” Ash said, his tone gentle. “But you are too important to take that risk. Understand?”

Reaver nodded, clearly unhappy, and I felt for the little guy. Considering what he’d been through, it was no wonder he wanted to stick close to our sides.

“Rhain wanted to show us something.” Ash offered me his hand. “He’s waiting for us downstairs.”

“Hopefully, it’s not an example of appropriate attire,” I muttered, taking Ash’s hand.

Reaver snickered.

“What?” Ash’s brows knitted.

“Nothing.” I shot the draken a look as Ash pulled me to my feet. “Did he say what he wanted to show us?”

He shook his head. “Only that it was important.”

“Probably has to do with gowns,” Reaver commented.

Ash’s head tilted as he tugged me to his side. “I feel like I’m missing something.”

“You are,” I confirmed. “But it’s nothing interesting.”

“I’ll have to take your word for that.” He looked back at Reaver. “You’re walking us down, right?”

The smile that came across Reaver’s face was brief but beautiful before he ducked his head and the sheet of golden hair obscured his face.

“Lead the way,” Ash instructed Reaver, keeping his hand wrapped firmly around mine.

I grinned as Reaver took Ash’s request very seriously, skirting us. “Can you give Ash and me a moment, though?”

Reaver stopped in the doorway, crossing his arms over his chest. “You guys are going to have a serious conversation you don’t want me to hear.”

“Now, why would you think that?” Ash questioned.

“Because every time something serious needs to be said that no one wants me to hear, I’m either sent from the room, tasked to look after Jadis, or others speak in a weird way like they’re leaving out words and stuff.”

Note to self: Reaver is far too observant. “We weren’t going to talk,” I told him. “I was planning to do more kissing.”

There was no hesitation. Not even a second. “I’ll wait in the hall.” Reaver pivoted and disappeared in a heartbeat.

“Wow,” I murmured. “I didn’t think it would be that effective.”

“Well, I, for one, am not disturbed by the idea of more kissing.”

“I hate to disappoint you,” I said, “because Reaver was right. It’s something I didn’t want him to hear.”

“What is it?”

“Something I realized this morning,” I said. “I think I figured out what woke Kolis—no, I know. It was me.”

Ash’s eyes searched mine. “I’m sure you had nothing—”

“I didn’t do it on purpose,” I cut in. “It’s what I did last night when I brought the river back and, well, everything else. That power? It was a lot.”

“Yeah,” he said, straightening the collar of my tunic. “It was.”

“And I’m sure it was felt all across Iliseeum. That’s what woke him from stasis. He felt it.”

Ash appeared to think about that for a moment. “If that is the case, do you regret what you did?”

“No,” I said without hesitation.

“Then it is what it is,” he said softly. “It’s not your fault he woke.”

“I don’t…” I fell silent upon his knowing look. “I don’t regret it, but I do feel a tiny bit responsible.”

“I get it,” he said. “But you know he would’ve woken eventually.”

“Would’ve been nice if he still remained in stasis, though.”

“Maybe.” He tucked a curl back behind my ear. “But I personally enjoy knowing that it was you being a powerful Primal that possibly woke him sooner than he would’ve naturally.”

My brows lifted. “I hadn’t thought of it that way.”

“Now, you have,” He dipped his head and kissed me.

“We should join Reaver before he becomes traumatized by something we’re not even doing.”

That brought a faint grin to his lips, and by the time we joined the youngling, he appeared calmer.

“How are you feeling about the speech?” Ash asked as we entered the hall with Reaver several feet in front of us.

“I’m good.” I paused and then admitted, “And a little nervous.”

“You’ll do perfectly,” Ash assured, dipping down to press a kiss to the top of my head.

“That’s what I told her,” Reaver called from the top of the staircase, where he waited.

“She should start listening to you, then,” Ash responded and then glanced down at me. “You look beautiful, by the way.”

“Thank you.” I smiled up at him. “You don’t look too bad yourself.”

Ash chuckled. “I believe you’re underplaying how extraordinarily handsome you find me right now.”

“Perhaps.”

I could see Rhain waiting for us beneath the crystal chandelier as we reached the second floor of the grand staircase, and then Reaver shocked the hell out of me by doing the most childlike thing I’d ever seen him do. He hopped from the next to last step to the floor. When we followed suit, minus the hopping, I caught sight of Rhahar waiting near the vacant marble pedestal with Kars.

I frowned at that damn pedestal. I really needed to find something to put on it.

“You said there was something you wanted to show us?” Ash asked, drawing my attention back to the god.

Rhain nodded, and this time, there was no stopping the concern from taking root at the sudden tension hardening his features. “It’s the crowns.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Reaver and I followed Ash and Rhain as we passed the throne room, Rhahar and Kars keeping pace behind us. I had no idea where the crowns were kept. If I had been told, I’d definitely forgotten. At first, I thought we were heading toward the war room, but it was an antechamber of it, accessed through a door that led to a narrow hall. “I was going to have them polished and made the discovery,” Rhain told us, holding the door.

The chamber was small, and everything was white—the marble floor, painted walls, the ceiling, and the two pedestals in the center. The crown was the only thing that wasn’t white.

Wait.

A crown.

Ash halted as I turned halfway, thinking I’d missed something, but there was nothing else in the space.

“What the…?” Rhahar exclaimed from behind us, his eyes going wide and filling with essence as Ash approached the pedestal.

“Where is your crown?” Reaver asked as he peered up at a pedestal as empty as the one in the foyer.

“I was asking the same thing.” Rhain moved to stand behind the pedestals.

“Shit,” Ash murmured, placing his palm on the flat surface. “Kolis.” He turned to me, his eyes brightly lit. “Touch your crown.”

“What?” I glanced at the beautiful crown I’d only worn once, taking in its shadowstone spires and glittering crescent moons.

“Just touch it,” he insisted.

“I’m glad I understand the context of this conversation for once,” Kars commented under his breath.

Rhahar turned to the godling. “Seriously?”

Kars shrugged.

“Wait.” Ash stopped me. “Better yet, stand still.”

I did as he asked. Reaver watched avidly. “I’m standing still, so will you tell me what your missing crown has to do with…?” I trailed off as the knowledge started to come to me. My eyes went wide.

Ash nodded.

Heart thundering, I watched Ash lift the crown and turn to me. Silently, he placed the crown on my head, and before I could even register its weight, the crown shuddered. The room was suddenly awash in bright, golden light.

Rhahar’s hand fell from the hilt of his sword. “Holy—”

“Shit,” Kar whispered as Rhain staggered back a step.

The fading golden glow warmed Ash’s face as he reached for the crown again. His broad hands carefully lifted it from my head, and even though I knew what I was about to see, I couldn’t believe it.

“Whoa,” Reaver murmured.

Ash held the crown I’d last seen upon Kolis’s head. “The Primal crowns are almost like a chora,” he said, referencing the type of animal that used to be formed from a Primal. “An extension of the Primal that can be summoned to them at will but only called to the true bearer of that crown.”

I stared at the nine shining golden swords and the sun rising from the middle one, glittering with diamonds. As if seeking to confirm it was real, I touched the center sword. The gold turned luminous, casting soft light across the walls.

“Kolis must’ve tried to summon the crown,” Ash said. “And what he got was likely not what he wanted to see.”

Pulling my hand back, I looked up at him. “Your crown is now his,” I whispered.

“And your head will bear the true crown of the Primal of Life,” he replied.

“But yours—”

“It returned to its rightful owner,” he cut in.

I didn’t like that. Not for one second. “At least for now.”

Ash’s gaze met mine. “For now.”

Much to Rhain’s displeasure, I didn’t wear the crown as Ash and I left the House of Haides. It just didn’t feel right with Ash missing his.

Besides, I didn’t believe a crown—no matter how glittery—made a Queen or King.

But all thoughts of crowns quickly fell to the wayside when the sweeping colonnade and endless archways of the City Hall came into view.

It seemed like it had only taken minutes, even though Ash had summoned the warhorse Odin from the silver band around his biceps instead of shadowstepping. That method would’ve been quicker. We wouldn’t have needed nearly every guard on duty to surround us or the three draken that flew above us. But the moment it came time to leave, my stomach began dipping and lurching. My thoughts raced, telling me I would sound completely idiotic when I addressed the people. I knew without a doubt that Ash had picked up on my anxiety and had chosen to travel this way to give me time to, well, find my footing again.

He was too damn perfect because, even though I was still nervous, I was far calmer than I thought myself capable of.

Odin slowed as the draken glided toward the open coliseum, extending their wings to slow their descent. I watched as Ehthawn and his cousin Crolee landed on the colonnade. Pallas, a large, striking gray-and-black draken, followed, landing on the other side of the colonnade. I was pretty sure he was the one I’d spotted when I surveyed the armies.

But several more draken of various sizes were already perched on the columns. I quickly counted them. Ten. Nektas wasn’t here yet, and I knew Mestra had taken Reaver back to Mount Rhee. I bet Liora was with them, along with two more draken, who would likely remain at Mount Rhee to watch over the younglings. I swallowed, having never seen so many draken in one location before.

As Odin came to a stop, I picked up on the hum of conversation coming from within the City Hall. I dragged in a deep breath of fresh air. There was no scent of burning oil as my gaze lowered and swept over the rows of armored soldiers. I didn’t remember seeing the headpieces the last time I’d seen them standing before the City Hall. The steel-and-shadowstone helmets weren’t something easily forgotten.

Instead of a decorative ridge of dyed horsehair, the steel and shadowstone had been shaped into a crown of horns that bore a resemblance to Nektas’s. The cheek pieces swept out and up into draken wings. The helmets were as fierce as they were beautiful and were surely a fearsome sight in battle.

Rhahar and Kars had already gotten down from their horses and were waiting for us, along with Rhain. I knew Saion, Bele, and the twins were already inside the City Hall.

Along with likely everyone who called Lethe home.

Ash dismounted with a swift and graceful motion, landing lightly on his feet. His eyes caught mine as he reached up. Heart thudding, I took his hands, and he helped me down without pointing out how hard I was gripping his fingers.

He lowered his head to mine and whispered, “Breathe, liessa.”

I hadn’t realized I had been holding my breath for over five seconds. It seemed I wasn’t as calm as I thought I was. I sucked in a long, deep breath, drawing in his fresh, citrusy scent. Neither of us moved for a few moments. Could’ve been minutes. I stood there, shielded by his body and Odin’s. He didn’t move until my breathing steadied. Then he pressed his cool lips to my forehead.

He stepped back, and I gave Odin’s glossy black mane one last pat, thankful that he didn’t attempt to nip at my hand today. He hadn’t last night either.

Apparently, he’d gotten over the whole me-trying-to-kill-Ash thing.

With my hand folded firmly in Ash’s, we turned to the entry house as the three guards stepped to our sides.

Every soldier moved in perfect harmony, kneeling as they thumped their fists off their armor while two rows of about three dozen more faced one another, unsheathing shadowstone swords. They raised them high, creating a walkway.

“Wow,” I murmured, my eyes wide as I realized the echo of their fists had silenced the chatter coming from within the City Hall.

One side of Ash’s lips curved up as his thumb moved back and forth over mine. “You liked that?”

“It was rather impressive,” I said as we walked forward.

I could hear the hiss of swords slicing through the air, lowering behind Rhahar, Kars, and Rhain as they followed us. That was how quiet the City Hall had become.

We passed through the doors of the entry house, and my gaze immediately flicked to the rounded archway leading to the City Hall’s main floor. I remembered exactly how long the walk was from that doorway to the dais.

It felt like it took ten years.

“I’m going to head out,” Rhain said, glancing between us as the doors of the entry house closed. “And announce your arrival.”

“I wish we could just enter without it being a big deal,” I admitted as Ash’s thumb continued to sweep over my hand.

Rhain arched a brow. “It’s tradition, Seraphena.”

“Sera,” I murmured, eyeing the archway.

“And Rhain also likes to make the announcement,” Rhahar commented, his shoulder brushing Rhain’s as he moved to a narrow table along the opposite wall. “Because he’s good at it.”

The auburn-haired god’s cheeks turned pink. “I’m excellent at it,” Rhain corrected.

Rhahar snorted as he picked up a pitcher and then came to our side with two bronze chalices. “I believe it’s mulled wine.”

“Thank you.” I accepted the chalice and took a hasty gulp. I barely tasted the spice.

Ash took a far more sedate drink as Lailah appeared in the archway, her braids swept back into a knot at the nape of her neck. “Everything should be ready in a few minutes.”

Only a few minutes?

I took another drink, this time only a sip. “How many people are here?”

Lailah glanced back over her shoulder. “Everyone.”

“Everyone?” I squeaked. That was a hundred thousand. My grip tightened on the chalice. Well, it would be more than that, actually, if one counted the new arrivals.

Holy shit.

“Go ahead and make your way out there,” Ash said. “Just give us a couple of minutes before you make the announcement.”

Rhain nodded, glancing briefly at me. He started to turn but stopped and spoke in a low voice, “You will do fine, Sera.”

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“Us, too?” Rhahar asked as Rhain passed him and entered the main floor.

“If you would,” Ash requested.

Rhahar turned as Kars bowed curtly. “We will see you out there,” the godling said.

I gave them an awkward wave that earned another grin from Kars.

Then, it was just Ash and me.

Ash set his chalice on a nearby pedestal. “Do you remember the last time we were here?”

“Of course.” My heart skipped, but for a far different reason this time. “It was when I realized I was in love with you.”

His lips parted. “Is that what you wanted to say when you told me you wanted this union between us?”

“Yes, but I was too afraid and thought—”

Ash kissed me.

And gods, it was a wrecking kiss that was beautiful and raw, yet somehow infinitely tender. It was another of his kisses that spoke so much love.

He was breathing heavily as he rested his forehead against mine. “When we were here last, I told you that your beauty captured my breath,” he said, cupping my cheek. “That remains true, is even more so now, but it is your strength and your courage that have truly ensnared me.”

A rush of emotion swelled, stirring the eather.

“And it’s okay to be nervous right now,” he said, his eyes searching mine. “But do not forget how strong and brave you are and what you have faced and conquered. You’ve got this. I have faith in that.” His thumbs swept over my cheeks. “In you.”

A tremor went through me as I nodded. I didn’t think he could ever know how much his words meant to me because the next breath was lighter and easier.

Ash had faith in me.

And it was time I started to have some in myself.

“I’ve got this,” I said.

Ash smiled. “Without a doubt.”

“Bow.” Rhain’s voice suddenly boomed from the City Hall. “For the One who is born of Blood and Ash, the Light and the Fire, and the Brightest Moon, the true Primal of Life, and the Queen of the Gods and Common Man.”

“That’s a really long title,” I whispered to Ash in the silence.

He grinned as he took the chalice from my hand and placed it beside his.

“Bow.” Rhain’s voice came again. “For the Asher, the One who is Blessed, the Guardian of Souls, and the Primal God of Common Men and Endings.”

“Ready?” Ash asked as the silence continued from within the City Hall.

My heart thudded. “Yes.”

Dipping his head, he kissed me once more and gently squeezed my hand, then we shadowstepped onto the dais.

The sound of a collective gasp reverberated through the crowd as the Primal mist receded from around us. I started to look past Rhain, but my gaze flew back to him. He had knelt. So had Saion and Rhahar. I briefly saw Bele, who knelt to our right, along with Lailah, and I felt Nektas drawing closer.

Everyone but Ash and I was down on one knee, their palms pressed to the floor and to their chests. Even the smallest in the crowd knelt, as did the soldiers lining the colonnade, their backs to the iron-gray banners that bore two crescent moons facing one another above the head of a wolf.

Ash had explained this morning what would come next. Briefly meeting his eyes, we turned. Two thrones made of shadowstone stood adorned with intricately carved wings on their backs, much like the soldiers’ helmets, their graceful arches meeting. The banners hanging behind them rippled in the breeze as we approached.

My throat was incredibly dry as we stepped up to the slightly raised thrones, causing me to wish I had drunk more. At least my neck didn’t feel tight as Ash gave my hand one last squeeze and then let go. We turned back to the coliseum floor then sat. I could’ve sworn the sun-warmed shadowstone pulsated with energy as I flattened my palms on the arms of the throne.

A burst of intense, silvery fire rolled across the sky above the Hall. I sucked in a sharp breath as the draken lining the columns of the colonnade lifted their heads, letting out staggering, high-pitched calls. A thick shadow fell over the crowd, blotting out the sunlight. A gust of wind swept over the floor of the Hall, stirring the strings of lights that crisscrossed the entire length of the massive circular structure and lifted the tendrils of my hair as I looked up.

With a graceful sweep of his black-and-gray wings, Nektas descended from above, landing in front of the thrones just as he had during our coronation.

This time, I was prepared for when he swept his wings back over our heads, and his front talons slammed down on the edge of the dais. The thick frills around his head vibrated as a sound like thunder rolled from him. He prowled forward, narrowly avoiding Bele and the twins as his tail whipped across the dais to curl at the foot of the thrones.

Nektas surveyed the crowd as he lowered himself onto his belly, his horned head resting on the dais’s edge.

The draken sure did love his impressive arrivals.

I looked up from where Nektas remained. The draken along the colonnade lowered their wings and waited as those below lifted their heads. Their faces were a blur to me, and the next breath I took was a little thinner but not too bad.

Following Ash’s instructions from this morning, I cleared my throat. Eather throbbed throughout my body, and when I spoke, I felt the raw energy in my voice. “You may rise.”

I watched as they rose in silence all across the coliseum floor. My gaze landed on a woman and man near the front. A young boy, maybe ten or eleven years old, stood between them. The adults’ faces were guarded, maybe even nervous, and they each had a hand on one of the boy’s shoulders. But he…

He trembled as he stared up at the thrones, his amber eyes wide. However, he didn’t look afraid. My breath caught as I recognized the emotion on his face.

Part of me had expected to see uncertainty and unease, and I wouldn’t have blamed them if they felt that way. Only those who had called Lethe home knew about me, but none of them expected me to rise as the true Primal of Life. And those who’d just come to the Shadowlands had no idea what to expect from me. They didn’t know if I would be any different. Better. Or worse.

But there was none of that in the expressions of those below.

Many of the faces showed various degrees of wonder and maybe even a little disbelief, echoing the awe I saw in the boy’s expression. The acceptance. The devotion. Seeing that stunned me because, gods, I didn’t feel like I’d done much to earn it.

But I could change that.

We would show them.

But, I couldn’t do it like this. I twisted to Ash, and his eyes immediately met mine. “I don’t want to do this while sitting on a throne,” I whispered.

“We don’t have to,” he answered, a faint curve in his lips appearing. “How do you want to do this?”

“I…I want to be closer to them.”

“Then that is what we shall do,” he replied.

“Okay.” I glanced back at the crowd and rose on slightly trembling legs. I stepped down from the throne, mindful of Nektas’s tail, and waited for Ash to join me.

Holding my gaze, he offered me his hand once more. Together, we crossed the dais.

“Sorry,” I murmured to Rhain as we passed him. He watched in confusion as we stopped closer to the edge of the dais. The people below crowded forward. As I looked out over the gathering, I didn’t take a breath, I didn’t think. I just spoke.

“I’m sure many of you are wondering what we’re doing right now,” I said.

“I know I am,” Bele muttered under her breath.

I pretended I didn’t hear her as I continued. “I didn’t feel comfortable sitting all the way back there and having to yell for any of you to hear me.”

There was a wave of scattered chuckles, and I saw several quick grins and amused looks being exchanged. “Anyway,”—I cleared my throat—“we wanted to thank you all for coming together on such short notice,” I said, ignoring the slight quiver in my voice. “I’m sure my Ascension has come as a surprise to many of you—or actually, all of you.” My cheeks flushed, but I pushed on. “And many of you are uncertain of what is to come. We called you all here today to assuage those concerns.”

I glanced at Ash, and he nodded for me to continue. “First, we wanted to say that we know the risks many of you took to travel to Lethe, and we are…inspired by that.” My gaze flickered over the crowd, and my throat thickened with emotion that even caught me off guard. “And we are humbled. Truly. All of you are welcome here and are under our protection, as are all those who call Lethe their home. We are working on ensuring that each of you will have shelter and food.”

“Land has already been set aside, and fields are being plowed to plant crops while additional housing is built,” Ash continued, his voice far steadier than mine as he surveyed the crowd. “When winter comes, it may be a hard one.”

“But there will be a winter thanks to our Queen!” a god shouted from somewhere in the gathering. Laughs and cheers of agreement traveled through the crowd. “And that is something to celebrate.”

Ash nodded. “That, it is.” He turned his head to me. “And we have Seraphena to thank for that.”

Joyous shouts rose, sweeping over the coliseum and drawing a faint smile from Ash.