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)
Rhain cleared his throat. “I’m not sure who is aware of what, but many gods have been arriving in the Shadowlands the last several days, coming from many Courts.”
The cloth doubled in size as I spoke around it. “Nyktos mentioned something.”
“They are being vetted to the best of our abilities and then temporarily placed in our insulas—” He stopped himself, noting the confusion surely creeping into my expression. “You haven’t been to Lethe other than the night of your coronation. Right.” A faint pink stained his cheeks. “Insulas are homes several stories tall that house many people—up to forty or so. When you see the lights of Lethe, you’re likely seeing those buildings. I believe mortals would call them tenements, but they’re not as…”
“Poorly outfitted?” I suggested. The tenements in Croft’s Cross, the poorest district of Lasania, had these so-called apartments. They were dark, cramped dwellings not even suitable for rodents. Ezra would change what our parents should have done ages ago. “Are we providing housing because they are planning to stay?”
“Probably, since many of them will have no Court to return to,” Rhain said.
“Not all the Primals allow their subjects to leave their Courts without permission, and I doubt most would’ve sought that,” Bele spoke up. “When I left Hanan’s, it was considered treasonous. They could be imprisoned or killed upon their return.”
“Gods,” I breathed. “How many have arrived?”
“Hundreds,” Rhain answered. “Dozens more with each passing hour.”
My stomach dipped. “And we have enough housing for them?”
“For now,” Ash said. “We do.”
But would we later, if more and more continued to come? Obviously, not. I didn’t know the details of how food had been provided all these many centuries, but it took no leap of logic to assume that the goods had been imported. “What about food—?” I cut myself off. “Crops can grow here now.”
“Yes,” Saion confirmed. “And once we get some really good rainfall and the rivers return, we’ll be able to use them as a source of irrigation, allowing us to plant more. I’ve already begun to survey which areas would be best suited for such.”
“That’s a relief to hear,” I said, ceasing my wiggling in my chair. “I want everyone who comes here to have a home, whether it be temporary or long-term, and for there to be food on their plates. But it’s going to be rough until the crops can grow.” My head cocked. Could I assist with that? I was the true Primal of Life. Did that not extend to plant life? I believed so, but… “There will still be a length of time before we can comfortably provide for everyone.” Worry grew. As someone who had lived a life of limited basic essentials with an ever-increasing populace, I knew how quickly that could take its toll.
“That’s tomorrow’s problem,” Ash spoke softly, snapping me from what was sure to become a spiral of worst-case what-ifs. “One we’re already working on fixing. But we have to get to tomorrow.”
I nodded slowly, getting what he was saying. None of us would go the route of my mother and the former King of Lasania by putting off dealing with dwindling supplies. The Shadowlands wouldn’t do that. But we also had to get to the point where it could be a problem.
Meaning Lethe had to survive until then.
As silence fell around me once more, my tongue felt heavy and unusable. I truly wasn’t suited to leading meetings. Weight pressed down upon my shoulders and chest as seconds ticked by, becoming what felt like hours. My panicked gaze swiveled toward Ash—
“We all know why we’re here,” Ash said, picking up Jadis and placing her on his lap. “To talk about Kolis and what we’re going to do.”
“I already have a suggestion,” Bele said, sliding a slim shadowstone dagger free from its sheath. “Hunt him down.”
Rhahar nodded. “I second that.”
“That’s part of the plan,” Ash replied as Bele tossed the dagger into the air. “But we have to get to that part first.”
As I glanced around the table, no one seemed to care that it had been Ash who’d started the meeting. Or maybe they hadn’t even noticed my inability to speak because it hadn’t actually been minutes or hours that had passed in awkward silence.
Letting out a long, slow breath, the pressure started to lift. I loosened my grip on the arms of the chair and picked up my glass of whiskey.
“And we can’t skip to that part?” Bele asked, throwing the dagger up again. This time, Jadis’s head followed the movement. “Because I know what Kolis will do once he’s done licking his wounds.”
“And what is that?” I asked, finding my voice as I sat back, glass in hand. The moment the whiskey hit my tongue, my stomach churned. I had to force myself to swallow like I was drinking the utter trash often served at some of the gambling dens in Lower Town, a district in Lasania, which made no sense. The Shadowlands had the finest whiskey I’d ever tasted. Weird. I placed the glass on the table.