Your husband. A pang lit up my chest. Two words I’d never thought would affect me so. Two words I’d never thought would apply to me.
Clearing my throat, I lifted the pitcher. “Would you like a drink?”
“Thank you, but I cannot stay long. Kolis is, well…his movements have been unpredictable of late.”
I snorted.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t come back sooner,” he said. “But I do have news for you.”
I faced him. He was entirely covered from his ankles to his throat in black. He must truly be worried about Ash learning about his nakedness because that was a bit excessive.
“I hope it’s about the husband you’re clearly afraid of.”
Attes was quiet, so much so that I thought I might not have asked the question out loud. I lifted my gaze to his, about to repeat what I’d said, when I saw what he stared at.
My throat.
I stepped back, turning my head as if that could somehow undo what he’d seen.
Heat crept up my cheeks. “Do you have—?”
“Kolis?” he snarled.
I stiffened. “No, it was two very large mosquitos.” My joke went over like a ton of manure-smeared bricks as eather pulsed in his eyes. “I’m okay.”
“Seraphena—”
“I am,” I stressed. “All he did was feed from me.” I lifted my chin. “Do you have news about Nyktos?”
It took a moment, but Attes’s chest finally moved with an exhale. “He is being awakened from stasis,” he said. “It’s taken longer than expected.”
Pressure clamped down on my chest, and my mind became a whirlwind of fear for Ash. It cracked a bit of the veil I’d donned. “Do you know why?”
“I don’t for sure, but…” The angles of his face sharpened. “I have my suspicions.”
I stepped forward. “Tell me.”
He hesitated for a second. “I think he was incapacitated with a weapon made of the bones of an Ancient.”
My hand trembled as I heard what he’d said to me before about such a weapon. They can even put a Primal into years-long stasis. “But he’s no longer incapacitated?”
Attes shook his head.
Relief swept through me, and I squeezed my eyes shut. This was good news. Great news.
“The only reason I can think of for why Kolis would do such a thing is because he plans to free him,” Attes said. “I’m taking that to mean you’ve made progress with your plans.”
“I have.” I opened my eyes. “Kolis has promised to release him.”
Now, Attes’s lashes swept down. “Thank the Fates.”
“Don’t be too thankful yet,” I advised. “Not until he’s released. Until then…” I turned, walking to the bars facing the closed chamber doors. “Until then, I’ll have to be careful not to give him a reason to find a loophole.”
“I can only imagine how hard this must be for you.”
“Actually, you can imagine.” I dragged my thumb across the rim of my cup.
There was a brief silence. “Is this deal like the one you made to free Rhain?”
Tension crept into my shoulders. “I’m guessing Kyn told you about that.” The corners of my lips tightened. “Your brother is a dick, by the way.”
I heard a heavy sigh behind me. “Yeah, he is,” he said. “Though he wasn’t always.”
I turned to him. “I find that hard to believe.”
“I can’t blame you for that, but if you’d known him a couple hundred years ago? You would’ve seen a different side of him.” Attes dragged a hand over his chest. “A peaceful one.”
My brows rose. A couple hundred years ago? “I suppose I’ll have to take your word for it.”
A wry smile appeared. “Did Nyktos tell you anything about why a Primal would either enter Arcadia or go into a deep stasis?”
“He mentioned it,” I told him. “Something about them entering Arcadia when they were ready.”
“When they’re ready.” He laughed roughly. “That’s a nice way of putting it. Granted, some probably were simply tired of this existence and ready for what awaits in Arcadia, but others weren’t ready by choice, Seraphena. They either had to enter Arcadia or go into a deep stasis because they were changing, becoming the worst of what their powers could do.”
Something about what Attes said was familiar. I wasn’t sure if it was something Ash had shared with me, or what the embers knew.
“How each of our essences influences mortals and gods does eventually affect us. For example, Nyktos’s is rooted in death, but benevolent death—a just ending of one beginning. There is another side to that. One more malevolent that seeks death for the sake of death,” he explained. “Maia can evoke love in others and herself, but it can turn dark, obsessive, and destructive. Even the essence that resides in Keella, who sees to the rebirth of all life, not just mortals, can turn wrong. The essence tied to each of us Primals is capable of great good but also terrible malevolence.”
I thought I understood where he was going with this. “So, the vengeance part of Kyn’s essence has a greater hold on him?”
Attes nodded, lowering his hand. “Just as accord will no longer suit me someday, and I will be driven by war. It happens to all of us, and all we can do to prevent it is either enter stasis to quell that side of us, or pass into Arcadia, where we would remain.”
“If it happens to all of you, why is Keella not a raging bitch?” I asked. “Why are you not consumed by war? You and Kyn are the same age.”
“Both Keella and I have entered stasis more than once over the years,” Attes shared, surprising me. “But that doesn’t mean it’s not a struggle to keep from caving to the more toxic side of our abilities. It’s like an infection slowly invading our flesh and blood.”
“So, that’s why Kyn is a dick?”
A wry grin appeared. “Partly. He’s always been a bit difficult. But when Kolis did what he did? That didn’t help. Any of us. The taint spread.” His features tightened and then smoothed out with a sigh. “None of that is an excuse, obviously. I just wanted…” He frowned as if he wasn’t sure what he wanted.
But I thought I might know. “You just wanted to let me know that your brother wasn’t always this way. I understand.” I took a small drink. “Going into stasis helps? Like if your brother went to sleep, would he awaken…less dickish?”
Attes’s gaze flickered to mine, but he didn’t answer for a moment. “I hope so. I hope it hasn’t progressed that far in him.”
And if it had? “How will he respond to Nyktos taking his rightful place as the Primal of Life and the King of Gods?”
His hand fisted at his side. “I can only believe that he will respond wisely.”
As in he couldn’t allow himself to think otherwise, because Attes knew what that meant. Once Ash had the embers of life, he could Ascend another to rule in Kyn’s place.
“I should leave,” Attes said. “If I learn of anything else, I will do my best to let you know.”
I nodded, resisting the urge to ask him to stay. It was nice having someone to talk to whom I didn’t want to murder, even if we discussed things that left me feeling a bit hollow.
Attes turned, but like last time, he stopped. I waited for him to ask about Sotoria. “Are you okay, Seraphena?”
Surprised by his question, it took me a moment to answer. “Yes. Of course.”
Attes exhaled heavily and nodded. He gave me one last look before starbursts swept over him, and he returned to his hawk form.
My eyes closed the moment he left the chamber, but I still saw the look he’d given me. It had been quick, yet I knew…