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)
“No, there wasn’t.” I looked over at her. “I’m not going to make Sotoria be reborn again. Once Kolis is entombed, we want to give Sotoria a choice. Either to be reborn or to cross into the Vale. I’m hoping that will be something Ione will be able to assist us with.”
“She will be able to.” Keella was still looking at the sky. “I’m not surprised to hear you say that. I didn’t think the idea of forcing her to be reborn with the sole purpose of destroying Kolis would sit well with you.”
I nodded. “So, what was it you wanted to discuss?”
Her gaze lowered to mine. “It is Sotoria I actually wanted to speak with you about—her and the prophecy.” She glanced back at the chamber. “It’s something I didn’t say when you two were here last—something Eythos told me, and my…my impressions of what he planned.”
Curiosity rose. “What is it?”
Keella was silent for several moments. “Eythos spent a long time trying to decipher the prophecy and its true meaning. He even managed to speak to Delfai. I imagine the God of Divination didn’t share that with you and Nyktos.”
“No,” I stated. “He did not.”
A wry grin appeared. “When Eythos spoke with Delfai, it was when Etris Balfour—the last oracle—was still alive.”
My brows shot up. I wasn’t expecting her to say that.
“I don’t know exactly what Etris or Delfai said to Eythos, but whatever was shared led Eythos to place the embers and Sotoria’s soul into your bloodline. That was no random chance of opportunity.”
I frowned. “But Roderick Mierel summoned him to save his people.”
Keella nodded. “And Eythos was waiting for that moment. He knew Roderick would do so. You see, this prophecy had begun to fulfill itself before Sotoria was born. It started with the Silver Knight.”
“The warrior Queen,” I said, immediately thinking about what Ward had told me. “I’m named after her. Ward—the first viktor—saved who turned out to be my ancestor.”
“She was, as one would say, promised by the Fates,” she said. “Just like you.”
Tiny bumps pimpled my skin. “So, you’re basically saying Etris, or possibly even Delfai, told Eythos Roderick would summon him? It makes sense. The prophecy spoke of the desperation of golden crowns, but this really doesn’t tell us anything new.”
“No, but it does remind us how much needed to happen for us to be right here, right now,” she said, pausing to inhale deeply. “What Eythos did was never just about stopping his brother. Yes, the prophecy spoke of Kolis, but also of greater dangers.”
“The awakening of the Primal of Blood and Bone,” I surmised.
“Yes, and what Eythos learned convinced him of who that Primal would be.”
My fingers dug into my knees. “Do I even want to know?”
A wan smile appeared. “Sotoria.”
“What?” I half-laughed. “How? She was mortal.”
“So were you.”
“Yeah, the moment that came out of my mouth, I realized how unwise it sounded,” I admitted. “But this is different. I don’t understand how that’s possible.”
“Neither do I. Eythos never said, but I do know that is why he put her soul in your bloodline,” she said. “Eythos was trying to circumvent the prophecy, Sera. He hoped she would be reborn with the embers of life in her—allowing her to stop Kolis and make way for Nyktos to rise as the true Primal of Death. It would have also prevented her from rising as the Primal of Life and Death since he believed the prophecy referenced his son and Sotoria coming together in love.”
A deep frown pulled at my lips at the idea of Sotoria being the one meant for Ash, even though that would’ve still technically been me. I rubbed my temples, thinking this was going to give me a headache.
“That is why he asked for the firstborn daughter of the Mierel bloodline,” she continued. “And if he was right, then in his mind, there would be no threat of Sotoria rising as the Primal of Blood and Bone. To do so, it would’ve required her to kill Nyktos—something she would not do if she loved him.”
“Okay,” I said, following what she was saying. “But that didn’t work. I’m not Sotoria, and her soul is in The Star.”
“Correct. His plan worked, except for that.” She looked at the pastel-colored clouds. “And his plan should’ve worked completely. My involvement ensured that. But something went impossibly wrong, and for that to have happened, there can only be one reason.”
“The Fates got involved.” My brows knitted. “They prevented Sotoria from being reborn in my bloodline. Why would they do that, though? They cannot want the Ancients to awaken.”
“You must remember that prophecies are the dreams of the Ancients.” Her eyes searched mine. “And you also know what that means.”
I did. Dreamt by the Ancients meant dreamt by the Fates, and Keella was old enough to know exactly who the Fates were. I didn’t speak any of that aloud, opting for a nod as the safest choice.