I knew he hadn’t believed my answer to his question.
The diaphanous golden gown trailed behind me as I paced the length of the cage.
As always, I wasn’t alone.
The Revenant stood a few feet from the gilded bars, his arms crossed over his tunic. Today, he wore black. Somehow, that made the thickly painted, golden mask even creepier.
I looked toward the closed doors, my stomach twisting with knots of anxiety. At least a day had passed since Attes visited, and it’d been two since Kolis agreed to free Ash and the incident happened.
I picked up my pace as I twisted Aios’s necklace between my fingers.
I hadn’t seen Kolis since he left that day, and the most fucked-up thing was that it was the same as learning I would likely be unable to kill Kolis. It hadn’t filled me with any relief. I was too worried about Ash to appreciate Kolis’s absence—and, hopefully, his all-consuming humiliation.
What if Kolis had changed his mind? He can’t, I reminded myself. He’d made an oath, and Attes had said that Ash was waking up. Had something else happened? Had Rhain managed to launch some sort of attack, accidentally stalling Ash’s release? I closed the fingers of my right hand, pressing them into the golden swirl on my palm.
“I don’t believe you,” Callum stated.
I shot him an arch look. “About what?”
“As if you don’t know what I’m talking about.”
I had a few guesses. “Pretend I don’t and enlighten me.”
His pale gaze tracked my brisk movements. “I don’t trust that you won’t attempt to escape the first chance you get, nor do I believe that you’re seriously open to loving Kolis.”
Well, he would be right about both things. “Okay.”
He cocked his head.
“What?” I challenged. “Think whatever you want. You’re insignificant to me.”
“You should care,” he replied, and I rolled my eyes. “Kolis will realize that you’re lying.”
I was worried about that, because if that thing happened again, I didn’t think I’d be able to stop myself from reacting.
And that wouldn’t bode well for me.
“And he will realize it,” Callum added. “Because you’re not Sotoria.”
My heart skipped with unease, but I didn’t show it. The veil of nothingness was back in place. Mostly. “And why do you think that? Because I don’t exactly resemble what you recall?”
“That’s part of it.”
Curiosity got the better of me. I stopped in front of him. “If you knew me from before, you have to be old.”
A narrow smile appeared. “I am old.”
“How old?”
“Very old,” he replied. “And I did not know you from before.”
A trickle of unease that didn’t feel entirely mine tiptoed down my spine. “Clearly, Kolis favors you. You’re important to him.”
He raised his chin, and there was no mistaking the air of smugness in his voice when he said, “I am.”
“So, you know what I think?”
“Can’t wait to hear it.”
Coming as close to the bars as I could without touching them, I mirrored his close-lipped smile. “I think you’re worried I will replace you.”
His laugh carried an undertone of uncertainty. “I’m not worried about that.”
Knowing I struck a chord, my smile grew. “Sure, Cal.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Don’t call me that.”
I smirked.
Callum exhaled noisily, his normally unaffected demeanor starting to show stress. “What I’m worried about is the destruction of the realms due to the charms of a charlatan.”
“Charlatan? What a fancy word.” Pausing, I met his stare. “Cal.”
More of that blasé attitude cracked. “You think you know everything, but in reality, you know so very little of the truth.”
Did he really expect me to believe that he was concerned about the realms when he not only supported Kolis but had also been created by him? Come on.
“You have nothing to say to that?” he challenged.
Having grown tired of him the moment he entered the room, I resisted the desire to reach through the bars and punch him. “What is the truth, then?”
“Kolis is trying to save the realms.”
I blinked blandly at him.
“Or he was,” Callum amended. “Now, he’s more concerned with his supposed great love returning to him.” He shook his head. “See, even now, you can’t hide how much you loathe him.”
He was probably right about that since I could feel my face tightening. “My agreement with Kolis doesn’t mean I’m on board with what he tried to do to me or what he would’ve done to the realms,” I told him, proud of my response. “You were there when Kolis stated very clearly what he planned to do with the embers. At what point between becoming a Primal that’s never existed before, and killing any who refuse to bow to him, does saving the realms happen?”
“Life must be created,” Callum answered. “No matter what.”
I stared at him, thinking of what Kolis had shared about the Chosen I’d killed. He’d Ascended her. Did that count as creating life? The false King apparently thought so. “Is that what Kolis is doing with the Chosen?”
“That doesn’t matter.”
My frustration rose. “I disagree.”
“You’re just trying to change the subject.”
I threw up my hands. “You’re the one who brought it up!”
He shrugged. “I did not.”
“Oh, my gods.” Turning from him, I started pacing again. “Do you not have something better to do?”
“Not particularly.”
“Great,” I grumbled, my attention shifting to the doors. I wasn’t in the mood for this.
However, Callum was in the mood. “His Majesty may have only stated his…personal reasons for wanting to Ascend as the Primal of Life and Death. Blood and Bone,” he said. “But it was not the only reason.”
Since I didn’t believe for one second that Kolis cared about the realms, I wasn’t even going to bother arguing about it.
Callum watched me, his normal pleasant half-smile returning. “It’ll only be worse for you later when Kolis realizes the truth.”
“Sure, Cal,” I muttered. “In case you’ve forgotten, you were standing right there when Ione confirmed that I was speaking the truth.”
“She lied.”
My chest knotted as I made another pass in front of Callum, my hand pressing against the golden rope belt at my waist. The goddess had lied, and dear gods, if Kolis ever discovered that? I doubted she would live long. But I nibbled on my lower lip and reminded myself that Ione knew the risks. She had to either know what had been done courtesy of the Primal she served, or she was one of the many spies loyal to Ash spread across the Courts. It was quite possible that he’d mentioned her name before and I simply couldn’t recall it.
“I think you’re in denial,” I said finally.
“I’m not.”
“You must be if you think any god would risk inciting Kolis’s wrath.”
“You’d be surprised how foolishly the gods can behave,” he remarked. “I know you’re not her.”
I sighed, walking to the table. There were multiple unused glasses. New ones were brought in daily, and I had to assume it was done to prepare for a visit from Kolis. Resisting a shudder, I poured myself some of the bubbly water.
“And you’re right. Charlatan is far too fancy a word for you.” His gaze lowered to my throat. “I can think of another.”