“Step away from her,” an unfamiliar voice demanded, the rich tone carrying an accent that reminded me of Cas’s but was stronger. “Now.”
“Or what?” Kolis huffed that cold, brittle-as-dry-bones laugh. “What are you going to do, Theon?”
The breath I took—the too-thin and too-shallow breath—halted.
Theon?
The Primal God of Accord and War? Could it bethatTheon?
I tried to force myself to move, but I was stuck lying on my stinging back. All I could manage was to turn my head, and the effort blurred my vision, making everything swim. I blinked until the haze cleared enough for me to make out the shape of a tall, broad-shouldered man dressed in dark clothing. His skin was a rich brown, and his hair hung in tight braids beneatha bronze-and-black helmet. My eyes couldn’t focus enough to make out his features, but I knew it was him.
A bolt of silver eather arced through the Hall, and stone cracked to my left, sending a cloud of dust into the air.
“I’ll make you,” Theon said, wisps of mist spilling from his fingertips.
“Oh,thatI would love to see.”
Theon’s arm shot out, and a burst of eather left him, streaking through the space between Kolis and me.
“Guess what? You missed.” Kolis’s laugh was deeper, thicker, and echoed through the chamber. “Want to know what else?”
“Not really.” Theon’s head turned slightly.
I thought he might be tracking Kolis, but I couldn’t lift my head from the floor to see if the true Primal of Death was moving.
“You’re a fool,” Kolis said. “To have come alone.”
My gaze flickered over the blurred shapes of couches and lounges. I couldn’t see anything in the shadowy alcove.
Theon said nothing.
“You’re taking a huge risk facing me alone. You think you can take me?” Kolis asked, moving into my line of sight. “I expected you to be less reckless.”
I felt a sudden dull throb of awareness.
A…a draken was near.
I didn’t think I had enough essence left in me to tell who it was.
“I mean, look at Attes,” Kolis went on, his blood-streaked white pants rippling as he neared one of the pillared entrances to the alcove. Dark crimson shadows twisted under the skin of his stomach and chest. “It took nothing to take him out.” He twisted his head from side to side, as if working out a kink. “Then again, he is no longer a Primal of a Court. That weakens him.” He paused. “Sheweakens him.” He huffed as I flinched. “Idiot.”
“Are you done talking yet?” Theon asked.
Kolis stopped.
“Good. Maybe you’ll realize it’s awfully quiet out in the hallway.” I couldn’t see the smirk on Theon’s face, but I heard it. “And you would also notice that Attes is no longer here.”
Kolis’s head whipped toward where Attes had been lying. His nostrils flared.
A thunderous impact shook the manor, sending thin fissures racing down the domed ceiling. Then, a low, rumbling growl came from above.
The shadows stilled beneath Kolis’s flesh as he looked up.
“I didn’t come alone.” Eather spat from Theon’s fingers as he cocked his head. “And you should’ve known that. Sensed it.”
The swirling darkness beneath Kolis’s flesh deepened.
Theon’s laugh was low and throaty. Challenging. “Seems like someone’s been cast from Iliseeum.”
