Total pages in book: 362
Estimated words: 347293 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1736(@200wpm)___ 1389(@250wpm)___ 1158(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 347293 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1736(@200wpm)___ 1389(@250wpm)___ 1158(@300wpm)
“It’s too late for that.”
I inhaled sharply. “No, it is not.”
Aydun held my stare. “Yes, it is, and you know it. A part of you has always known that,” he said, and my heart skipped. His voice lowered. “Fate always finds a way, Seraphena.”
A harsh, biting laugh escaped me. “Yeah, because fate keeps fucking things up.”
Aydun arched a brow.
“Okay. I’m missing some vital information,” Attes began. “And honestly, I don’t give a fuck at this point. Eythos had his plans. They didn’t turn out exactly as he’d planned, but Kolis was entombed. He has been dealt with. Sotoria is Sotoria. Sera is Sera. That is old news, and all I want is for Sotoria to be free.” His voice cracked a little on the last word. “For her to either choose peace or live a normal life.” He moved toward the Ancient. “And don’t you dare fucking deny her that.”
“A normal life?” Aydun repeated. “Sotoria has never lived a normal life.”
“Yeah, thanks to Kolis,” I snapped. “And you all messing with her life.”
“You misunderstand, Seraphena.” He eyed me curiously. “Have you never wondered why Sotoria?”
“Of course, I’ve wondered that,” I said, struggling to keep the essence down.
“There was a reason Kolis was so drawn to her. Her bloodline is old and managed to carry just enough essence no matter how many generations passed.” Aydun gave Attes a tight smile. “It’s the same reason you found yourself drawn to her.”
“What the fuck?” rasped Attes.
“Sotoria is a direct descendant of the first mortal created by the blood of Eythos and the first draken,” Aydun said. “And I don’t mean in the way all mortals are descended from the first. Eythos created more than one mortal.”
“Obviously,” Ash drawled.
“He created several, but she descended from the first, who also happened to give birth to the first mortal children—a son, a daughter, and then a second.”
I tensed.
“Sotoria descends directly from that second daughter, born in a shroud. Chosen even before Kolis first saw her picking flowers for her sister’s wedding, just like every single second daughter of her bloodline afterward.” Aydun cocked his head. “Until you.”
My mouth dropped open, and Ash’s head jerked toward me. “You cannot be saying what I think you are.”
“That you and Sotoria are of the same bloodline? Yes. That is what I’m saying. Sotoria was never randomly reborn into anyone. She was always reborn in the Mierel bloodline,” he told us as if it was something we should’ve always known.
And granted, now hearing it, it was something we should’ve figured out, especially after Keella told me that Eythos answering Roderick Mierel’s summons was no random opportunity.
“And that is where your father”—he paused to look at Ash—“made his mistake.”
“He asked for the first daughter,” Ash murmured, his arms unfolding and falling to his sides.
“Eythos was brilliant. He knew what Sotoria descended from. He’d figured out what she would one day become, but for some absolutely mind-numbing reason, he and Keella believed that having her soul reborn in a first daughter was the key to everything.” Aydun rolled his eyes, and, oh boy, that was a weird sight to witness, given those kaleidoscope eyes. “That was why she was not reborn. To be honest, I’m surprised Eythos didn’t damn the realms with that one act of stupidity. You were a first daughter, never meant to carry much essence in you, let alone embers of life. You should’ve died.”
A growl ripped out of Ash’s throat. “What did you just say?”
“It was no threat,” Aydun replied calmly. “Just a statement of fact. First sons and daughters are never meant to be, well, of much importance in the grand scheme of things. Which is why it always amuses me that mortals place so much emphasis on firstborns.” He shrugged. “But somehow, your tenacious little self survived, and here we are.”
The three of us stared at him, and for some idiotic reason, I blurted out the very next thing that entered my mind. “I’m actually related to that fucker Callum?”
Aydun frowned. “Distantly related, but yes.”
My upper lip curled. “Ew.”
“As disturbing as that realization may be,” Ash said after a moment, pulling his gaze from me to focus on the Fate, “and as interesting as this little history lesson has been, it doesn’t change why we summoned you. We want The Star.”
“Thank you for finding my history lesson interesting,” Aydun replied. “But as I said, it is too late.”
“No, it’s not,” I snarled. “All you have to do is go and get it from wherever one of your fellow assholes stashed it.”
Aydun blinked at me. “Look, you succeeded in preventing a full-scale war between the Primals. Barely,” he tacked on. “Many gods and Primals were lost, but a true war would’ve lasted years, if not decades or longer. So, congratulations.”
Attes snorted at that.
“You managed to stop the Ancients from being too disturbed,” Aydun went on. “But Eythos failed to stop the prophecy, as did you.”