“Kolis aspired to be the true Primal of Life and Death,” Lirian said. “He was stopped before. If he had succeeded, he would’ve upset the balance just as your Ascension did.” He pushed away from the window and straightened. “I doubt his goal has changed. If he succeeds now, drains you of your essence, andtakes it into himself, he will become the Primal of Blood and Bone.”
At least I knew why he’d attempted to control me. He likely wanted to lead me to him so he could take my essence.
“If that happens,” Lirian said, “it will not tip the balance.”
“Well, I guess that’s good news,” I muttered.
“It will only mean your death,” Holland finished.
My mouth dropped open. “Onlymy death?” A laugh threatened to burst free, and once again, it wasn’t a nice one. I knew it would sound crazed. “It’s not just my death. It would mean the deaths of…” The words were hard to speak. To even consider. “It would mean Casteel’s and Kieran’s deaths, too.” My hands opened as the throbbing in my head picked up. “And likely a lot more people.”
“Many would die under Kolis’s rule.” Thorne’s voice drew my gaze. His penetrating stare seemed to have the power to see through me, to examine me from within. “Everyone, from gods to mortals and all that lies between, has the capacity for good and bad within them. A balance of both. Until they don’t. Kolis doesn’t. Any ounce of good left in him is long gone now.”
I imagined so after being entombed for only the gods knew how long—not that he wasn’t already a problem before then, at least based on what little I knew about him.
Gods.
“And that is what Kolis wants?” I asked. “To rule?”
“We can only presume to know what Kolis wants,” Lirian was quick to say. “His future is unknown to us. As is yours.”
Frustration burned through me. “So, you could see up to this point and then…nothing?”
“We saw many possibilities of whatcouldbe.” Holland loosely threaded his fingers. “Getting to this point was just one of them.”
That sounded really convenient to me.
Facing the window, I tried to process everything he’d said, but it was a lot. The weight of it settled heavily on my shoulders as I watched the clouds drift by. Maybe it was too much. The enormity of it all was daunting, and I felt the pressure building within me as my thoughts raced. But I had to deal with it.
There was no other choice.
I needed to prioritize. Focus on the most pressing issue. That’s what Casteel and Kieran would do. It’s what I did when I started the war with the Blood Crown.
“Do you believe more Ancients will Awaken? In other realms?” I asked. “I need to know if there’s a chance something will randomly pull me away again.”
“All who will Awaken due to your Ascension have.”
“They have the power to cross the Primal Veil, right?” My stomach tightened. “What will stop them from doing that?”
“I imagine they will have their hands full,” Thorne stated, crossing his ankles, “with the mortals who survived.”
Imagine? That was the equivalent of hoping. “And what type of life will those mortals face? What will the Ancients do?”
“If the mortals are lucky?” Lirian said. “The Ancients will kill them.”
Pressure clamped down on my chest. “And if they’re not?”
“They will rule them.” Thorne picked up the carafe and filled his glass once more. “Until they grow bored of doing so.”
“You mean until they decide to cleanse the lands,” I challenged. “Again.”
His gaze lifted to mine as he drank. His silence said it all.
“And we’ll do nothing about it?” I looked between the three of them. “You’re going to let them cause untold destruction and then let them rule? Based on what that one just said,”—I pointed at Lirian, and his eyes narrowed—“they will rule harshly until they decide to kill. And all the while, we’re just going toimaginethey won’t attempt to cross the Veil?”
“There are rules, Poppy,” Holland began. “In time, you will understand.”
“Fuck the rules,” I seethed.
