“The fuck?” I choked out as I flung my arm to the side, throwing them as hard as I could across the cell.
They slammed into the wall, howling. Crimson-streaked smoke exploded from them as they shattered, swirling with an unnatural intensity as they surged toward the curtain-draped wall. The air filled with the sickly-sweet stench of death. The smoke pressed against the fabric, the crimson tendrils pulsing like living veins. The curtains began to peel back, their edges curling and graying with rot. A foul hiss filled the air. Cloth disintegrated into ash as it slithered along the wall, tracing every crack and crevice with eerie determination.
“Essence,” Attes groaned as they reached the iron door. The tendrils hesitated. “His will.”
Kieran scrambled to his feet, the bone dagger still in his hand as I slid off the blankets, drawing Poppy farther away. He jerked his arm back and let the dagger fly.
The essence dropped, pooling at the base of the door. The blade pierced straight through and struck iron, the hilt vibrating from the impact. Kieran shot forward and skidded to a stop. The mist had already scattered, disappearing like fog with the first rays of the sun.
Kieran took a step back and whipped around. “Serpents?That’swhat hisaru’lislooks like?”
“No, that was hisvellá—how his will reveals itself,” Attes muttered as I carefully laid Poppy onto her back. “That wasn’t hisaru’lis.It was his essence, the eather that is an extension of his will.”
“He can project his will like that?” Kieran muttered.
“How do you think he’s been jumping from Ascended to Ascended?” Attes drew in a thin, pained breath. “He is the true Primal of Death. There are no limits to how he chooses to project his will, especially as he grows stronger.” Grunting, he pushed himself back until he hit the wall. “He’s gone for now.”
Yeah, neither of us thought for a second that had killed the fucker.
I looked down at Poppy’s pale face and checked her pulse. It was silly. The imprint was still on my hand, and I could see the rise and fall of her chest, but I needed to feel her heart beating.
And it did, once more in tune with mine.
The relief was brief but sweet as my gaze flickered down. I swallowed hard at the harsh sight of her chest. Some of the blood was hers. Some belonged to Attes, but a few smudges shimmered faintly. I had no idea if that was Attes’s blood or the draken’s. Rising onto my knees, I looked over my shoulder at Kieran, my thumb remaining where I could feel her pulse. “There is some clean linen on the table and a water pitcher. Grabthem for me.” My gaze cut to Attes as Kieran hurried to the table. “Need one?”
His head was tipped back against the wall; his eyes closed as he lifted his arm. The flesh had burned straight to the bone. Only two fingers remained. “You think a cloth will help?”
I was going with…no.
“You can at least cover it up.” Crossing the cell, Kieran tossed a cloth in Attes’s direction.
Kieran dropped onto his knees on Poppy’s other side, blocking her from Attes’s view. He inhaled sharply as he glanced at the skin between her breasts.
“It’ll heal,” I told him, even though there was no way to know what draken blood would do to the skin of a Primal that had never existed before.
His gaze met mine as he quickly wet the cloth before handing it to me. Without saying a word, he lifted the robe and gown. Both would have to be removed in case any blood had gotten onto them.
“When he…possesses the Ascended? Or the Revenants?” Kieran asked, looking at the Primal. “Is it like this? He takes control?”
Attes started to respond, then snapped his mouth shut. A moment passed. “He can see through them and take control for a limited period. Like a compulsion.”
“A compulsion only lasts minutes—if you’re lucky,” I said. “This has been a day. Maybe two.”
He was quiet again. When I looked at him, he was staring at Kieran’s back. “She was in stasis, far more vulnerable to…a deeper possession.”
Something about that seemed like a lot of bullshit. I didn’t know why, though. And I couldn’t come up with a reason for the lie. “Can he get to her again?”
“As long as she’s in stasis, she’s vulnerable.”
I closed my eyes, pushing down the rising anger. I wanted to say that wouldn’t happen, but he’d gotten to her without us knowing before. It could happen again.
“What else is he capable of in this form?” Kieran asked.
“In this state, he could influence others by inciting fears,” Attes continued. “Beyond that, I don’t know. I’ve never seen a Primal reduced to such a condition and live.”
Kieran held the pitcher for me to dip the cloth in. Gritting my teeth, I saw that a small piece of charred flesh had flaked off while I carefully cleaned the wound. My gaze flicked to her face. There was no sign that she felt it.
“She’s probably exhausted,” Kieran quietly said as he reached over and lifted the other side of the robe.
