My lip curled as a mixture of anger and unwanted empathy rose. “Well, now I know why I suddenly felt something profane.”

Callum halted ahead of me, the painted wings on his face twitching a second before his expression smoothed into a smile as well-practiced as Kolis’s. I didn’t like the Revenant for a whole slew of reasons. The feelings were mutual, but what wasn’t was the sorrow I couldn’t help but feel for him. Sotoria’s brother was a tragedy.

“Seraphena,” he said, his tone level. Courteous, even. “I see you are as charming as ever.” His eyes, which were such a pale shade of blue they were almost lifeless, drifted over me. “And as inappropriate.”

“How so?”

“You’re dressed worse than a common tavern wench and not fit to meet with the King,” he replied. “And you were supposed to wait outside.”

“Two things.” I quickly glanced at the sheath and the golden hilt of the dagger on his left arm as I held up two fingers. “I got tired of waiting.” I lowered my pointer finger, leaving the middle one still raised. “And I’m meeting no King today.”

Callum’s mouth tightened. “Charming.”

I turned my hand around so my middle finger faced him.

“Very charming.” He clasped his hands behind him. “But not as much as the last time I saw you. How are your arms feeling?”

Muscles throughout tensed. “Perfect.” I smiled. “How is Kolis feeling? Last I saw, he had a few extra holes in him.”

Callum tilted his head. “You will see for yourself soon enough.” He stepped to the side and turned as he said, “Come.”

I kept smiling, even though it hurt my face as I followed Callum through the doors, making sure I walked on his left side. We entered a wider hall lined with marble statues of… I saw a chiseled jaw and features similar to Ash’s. “Kolis has statues of himself as decoration?”

“Of course he does.” Callum stared ahead. “He is the King.”

“Of tackiness?”

“And what are you the Queen of?” Callum responded, his chin tipping up a notch. “The Queen of Nothing? No, that doesn’t sound right. How about the Queen of Lies?”

“To be honest, Queen of Lies has a nice ring to it.” On my other side, Aydun frowned. “I kind of like it.”

“You would.” Callum’s steps slowed as the hall curved. “I knew you were lying the whole time.”

I said nothing as we passed more statues of Kolis.

“My sister…” His chest rose with a deep breath as stale air flowed in through an open window. “She had everything you will never have, starting with class.”

“And yet, Kolis sought to dress her in a manner that exposed every part of her body?” I replied. “So classy.”

Callum’s jaw flexed. “Perhaps, deep down, he knew the truth.”

“Ah, yes. That’s exactly why.” Anger pulsed. “He would never treat her that way. Never mind the fact that he sought to hold her captive again and force himself upon her.”

Aydun’s brows rose.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Callum shot back, the veneer of civility cracking.

Just like before, disbelief rose. “I will never understand how you can justify Kolis’s actions toward someone you clearly loved.”

Callum went quiet.

“Then again, I will never understand how you can stand by while Kolis collects his favorites in an attempt to replace her, either.”

“They were all sad attempts. Especially you. You were the saddest of them all.” Callum’s smile was sharper as he glanced at me. “Guess what I heard?” His voice lowered as if he were sharing a juicy secret. “Kolis is already building another cage.”

My skin heated from the inside.

Callum chuckled as a rounded archway appeared, leading to a hall I recognized as the one we’d entered before. “Wonder who he plans to put in this one. You?”

My fingers twitched.

“Perhaps his nephew. Yes, it will likely be Nyktos.” Callum nodded. “We know what will happen to you.” He winked. “It’s all Kyn can talk about.”

The control I had on my temper snapped as we passed another fucking statue of Kolis. I pictured it doing exactly what I wanted to do to Callum and Kyn.

The statue shattered with a clap of thunder. Callum jumped as the Ancient jerked to a stop.

Slowly, both turned to look at me. “What?”

“You know what?” Callum spat. “That was disrespectful.”

“Was it?” I angled my body toward Callum’s.

“It was.” A faint glow of eather appeared behind his pupils. “But not nearly as disrespectful as lying about Sotoria.”

“Did I lie?”

“You’re really going to try that route again?” Callum laughed. “It won’t protect you.”

I met his stare as my muscles loosened. “It wasn’t your fault, you know. What happened to Sotoria was Kolis’s fault and his alone. I wish you knew that. You likely would’ve led a normal life and passed on to the Vale. But everything done to her beyond that? You’re just as complicit.” I lowered my voice as he had. “And she feels the same as I do when it comes to you. She feels sorry for you, but she really fucking hates you.”

Callum jerked his head back as if my words were a slap.

“That rule you spoke of,” I said to the Ancient. “Does it apply to everyone?”

Aydun’s lips actually curved up. “No, it does not.”

“Good.” I snapped forward, wrapping my hands around the grip of Callum’s dagger.

His eyes widened as he twisted, grabbing for me, but I was faster than he was even before I Ascended.

And I was way faster now.

I yanked the dagger free and grabbed a fistful of his hair, jerking his head back so I could thrust the shadowstone blade through the underside of his jaw.

Callum was dead before I even tore the blade free.

“Gods,” I said, watching him hit the floor like a sack of potatoes. “That felt good.”

“What a strange thing for the true Primal of Life to say,” Aydun stated dryly, glancing down at the crumpled form. An eyebrow rose. “And do.”

“He had it coming.” Kneeling, I quickly wiped the blade clean on his tunic. “And he’ll come back.”

“Unfortunately.”

I looked at him as I rose. “Do the Ancients not approve of Kolis’s creations?”

Aydun glanced down at the Revenant. “It’s kept the balance.”

I shoved the dagger into the back of my pants in case I needed it. “That’s not an answer.”

His gaze met mine. “What has kept the balance is a mockery of life. Reanimated flesh and bone and little else. This one is something more.”

Yeah, he was.

I glanced through the door, past the shadowy alcoves to the golden curtains at the end of the hall. “What of the Ascended?”

“They are only a slight improvement,” he answered. “They have souls.”

My gaze flew back to his. I wasn’t expecting him to say that.

“But neither were enough to keep the balance once you were born,” he continued. “If you had died during your Ascension, taking the last true embers of life with you, what Nyktos saw in his vision would’ve come to fruition.”

A chill broke out across my skin.

“He would’ve caused the Ancients in all the lands, both here and beyond the Primal Veil, to awaken,” Aydun said. “Between him, his father, and his uncle, Nyktos is the one who came the closest to destroying the realms.”

I stiffened. “But he didn’t.”

“He could have.”

“He did what he did because he loves me,” I insisted, anger rising once more.

“Selfishly,” the Ancient tacked on. “He loves you selfishly, therefore risking the lives of nearly all who walk these realms.” Stars burned in his eyes. “We got to where we are today because of another who loved so selfishly.”

I stepped toward the Ancient without thinking. “Do not ever compare him to Kolis.”

“I am not comparing them,” he replied, utterly unbothered by my fury. “I’m pointing out what that kind of love is capable of.”

“How…how can someone so old be so wrong?” I said, shaking my head. “What you’re trying to compare? What Ash and I feel for one another and what Kolis felt for Sotoria? They are two very different things.”