“No,” Poppy said. “I can—or one of us.”
Reaver lowered the apple core. “I know how to…bob and weave.”
The image of his large, winged ass doing that almost made me laugh.
“I know you can.” She softened her voice. “But we could do it from a safe distance. You would have to get close—too close.”
“Then can I burn those who control the spears?” Reaver asked.
Poppy sighed. “Yes, you can burn them.”
With a nod, he returned to nibbling on the apple, getting every bit of remaining flesh.
“We also know that around two hundred or so gods have gathered in Pensdurth,” Kieran added.
“I assume you aren’t outfitted with shadowstone,” Attes stated.
“We have bloodstone and a handful of shadowstone weapons,” I said, moving my thumb in a slow circle on Poppy’s hip. “But not nearly enough of the latter to arm more than a hundred or so.”
“Bloodstone,” Attes murmured. “Angry tears left to petrify in the sun.” He leaned to the side. “It can wound a god. Put them down for a bit if you get them in the head or heart. But it will not kill them.”
Similar to an Atlantian. Well, except for the head.
“Millicent had shadowstone,” Poppy said. “She had to get it from somewhere. Perhaps Malik knows if there is a stash.”
Leaning forward, I pressed my lips to her cheek. “I’ll ask.”
“The ones we arm should be your strongest warriors,” Attes said. “And not just physically. They should only be those immune to compulsion.”
“We can hopefully thin out the gods,” Poppy said, looking at Reaver. “Once we take out the spears, you, Aurelia, and Nithe can hit as many of them as you can. Like in Oak Ambler. Hopefully, we can get some gods in that.”
Reaver nodded. “That, we can do.” A rare smile appeared. “Gladly.”
“Kolis has no draken, right?” Kieran asked.
“No, he has something worse,” Attes said.
“Great,” Poppy muttered. “What?”
“Naberius,” he stated like we knew what the fuck that meant.
“And that would be?” I asked.
“Kolis’svellám,” Attes shared.
“What?” Poppy jerked sideways and would’ve toppled right out of my lap if I hadn’t been holding on. “His version of Setti is a draken?”
“It’s not a draken. Not really,” Reaver said. “Just as Setti is not really a horse.”
This motherfucker knew what Setti was this whole time?
“Naberius is the essence of a dragon,” Reaver stated.
Poppy gaped.
Attes, who was, of course, staring at her, slid his fingers across his mouth to hide his grin. “Speaking ofvelláms, how is Setti?”
“You saw for yourself, didn’t you?”
