My insides flashed cold, and our eyes locked. I thought I heard footsteps, but I had to be imagining it because he didn’t react.

“And because I am a kind and gracious King, I will allow you two to leave this existence together,” he said, eyes burning like coals. A shadow moved out of the corner of my eye. He was zeroed in on me and only me. “But by then, I imagine both of you will be begging for death.”

He shifted his lower body, and my entire being flinched. “Should we start now?”

I refused to look away from him. I refused to cower—to beg or disappear.

“I’m going to ask you once more,” he said, slipping his hand from my chin and running it down my chest. I clamped my jaw as he squeezed, swallowing the cry of pain. “Do I scare you?” His hand twisted, and I kicked my head back. A wave of agony washed over me. “Do I?”

I panted through the pain. My head was spinning. Another flash of lightning radiated through the sky, reflecting off a blade of dull white. I didn’t understand what I was seeing in the falling snow until my eyes locked with ones the color of the Stroud Sea. “No,” I rasped. “You don’t scare me anymore. I feel absolutely nothing when it comes to you.”

Kolis lifted his head, eyes narrowing. “We’ll have to change that, won’t we?”

I smiled. “I think…I’ll pass on that offer.”

Crimson eather flared in his eyes, and I knew he was about to do something terrible.

He didn’t get the chance.

The bone dagger I’d dropped sliced clear through Kolis’s throat as his head was jerked back. Hot, shimmery blood sprayed my face, and the Primal reared, his shout ending in an abrupt crunch of bone as Ward, the first viktor, cut the fucker’s head clean off his shoulders.

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

The release of energy came in a flash of intense whitish-silver light.

It wasn’t a destructive discharge of power, but it still threw Ward back and knocked the air out of me.

I’d been wrong.

Ward hadn’t sliced Kolis’s head completely off. And I wished I hadn’t been wrong for several reasons. The least important one—but the only reason I could focus on at the moment—was the fact that Kolis’s head had flopped to the side, lying against his shoulder, exposing torn sinew and bone. His head was only hanging on by threads of flesh.

He blinked at me, his mouth stretched wide in a silent, bloody snarl.

I would never unsee this. And there was a good chance I might vomit, but I needed to snap out of it. He staggered to his feet, and mist poured from him, opening a tear in the realm. I groaned, rolling onto my side and trying to stand. Kolis was severely weakened, and that kind of injury wouldn’t heal right away. The tomb in Oak Ambler wasn’t ready, and we didn’t have enough Ancient bone to hold him. But if we could keep him—

The entire realm seemed to flicker into nothingness—either that or I passed out because the next thing I knew, Ward was hovering over me, his sandy-blond hair damp with fallen snow. Concern was clearly etched into the sun-weathered lines of his face.

“Say something,” he said, his cold hand on my cheek.

I swallowed, wincing as pain flared in my throat. “Hi?”

His brows shot up. “Say something a little more complex than that.”

“You almost cut Kolis’s head off.”

“Feels strange to be relieved to hear you say that,” he said. “But yes, I did.”

“He’s gone, isn’t he?”

Ward nodded.

I swore, squeezing my eyes shut. Kolis would likely be down for the count, but…

“Thank you,” I said.

“No need to thank me.”

But there was. If he hadn’t shown up…

Ward worked an arm under my shoulders and apologized. I winced. “You need to get out—” He cursed, ducking his head when a large, green-and-brown-scaled draken landed on the edge of the ruined chamber. “Godsdamnit,” he muttered, glaring at the draken, who stared back at us with vivid sapphire eyes.

“What is it with…you and draken?” I asked as he helped me stand. The…the imprint of that draken was familiar. Aurelia? Attes’s draken?

“They breathe fiery eather,” he quipped. “Enough said.”

I figured he had a point. “Aurelia?”

The draken nodded.

“She won’t hurt you,” I said, taking a deep breath that hurt my ribs, spine…everything.

“Sure.” Ward sounded doubtful.

The valley below was illuminated with streaks of eather once more, drawing my attention. I stiffened. Aurelia’s neck swiveled gracefully. She peered down into the valley, letting out a low whimper. I pulled away from the viktor and limped toward the edge of the atrium. Snow continued to fall in heavy sheets, coating the rooftops and the once rain-slicked streets. It wasn’t the only thing that littered the tops of buildings and roads. Bodies did, too. Lotho residents moved in the streets, seeing to the fallen.

I turned away from the sight. The reminder of the true extent of Kolis’s power was painful. “Is it Attes and Kyn?”

Yes, came Aurelia’s response. It wasn’t as loud or clear as when I heard Nektas or even Reaver, but the worry in her soft voice was evident.

My hands closed into fists. “I need to get down there and help Attes.” I tried to summon the eather, but the pulse of power was weak. “I don’t think I can shadowstep.”

“Going down there would be unwise,” Ward stated.

“Agreed,” another voice intruded, snapping my head toward the still-standing interior wall.

Thierran strode forward, the hood of his cloak shielding his head from the precipitation. The footprints the oneirou left in the snow were red. Blood. He carried a short sword at his side, the tip also dripping blood.

“How did you get here?” I demanded, tensing as I reached out, taking the bone dagger from Ward’s hand. Ash said Thierran could be trusted. Somewhat. But I wasn’t taking any chances.

“Trust no one. Smart girl,” he murmured, eyeing the dagger. His gaze lifted to mine. “I could sense…something going on down here, other than the obvious,” he said. “Since I am from Lotho, I can enter without it causing a stir. No one else from the Shadowlands could do that, so Rhain sent me.”

It made sense, but I kept the dagger in my hand. “You had trouble coming in?”

His head tilted. “More like I figured it was time to settle some old scores on my way up.”

Ward grunted something under his breath and crossed his arms. I eyed the oneirou. What had Ash said? He’d called Thierran an opportunist. A low laugh left me.

The oneirou’s violet eyes glittered with amusement. “You’re wounded.” He paused. “And you smell of Death.”

“Thanks,” I murmured. “Kolis was here.”

“That’s who did this?” He looked over the side of the mountain and his jaw tensed. “He finally almost succeeded.”

“In what?” I noticed the snow had slowed.

“Eradicating the oneirou.” He sheathed his sword. “I am the last.”

Gods. The weight of that was almost too much to bear as it stacked on top of all the other losses. “I’m sorry.”

Thierran’s gaze met mine. There was nothing to be gained from his expression. “Thank you,” he said finally, bowing his head.

Kyn tucked tail and ran, Aurelia said through the notam, each word laced with disgust. Even left his wounded draken here.

The draken.

I sucked in a shrill breath when images of the falling draken filled my mind. “Lotho had how many draken?”

“Ten, I believe,” Thierran answered.

There were only two now. I shuddered.

Aurelia lowered her head when Attes appeared. He looked as bad as I felt. The armor across his chest was dented, fresh blood coursed down his arms, and his leather pants were charred in several places.

“Where the fuck is Kolis?” he growled.

“Likely gone to ground.” I sheathed the bone dagger. “Ward here snuck up on him and nearly decapitated him.”