Total pages in book: 247
Estimated words: 231436 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1157(@200wpm)___ 926(@250wpm)___ 771(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 231436 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1157(@200wpm)___ 926(@250wpm)___ 771(@300wpm)
Back in the mortal realm, Reaver and Kieran immediately become antagonistic to each other. Reaver almost bites Kieran when he gets too close to him while Reaver is resting, and they engage in an epic stare-down outside of Oak Ambler.
When Poppy delivers her message to King Jalara, Reaver accompanies her. He lands before the Revenant, letting out a deafening roar and hitting them in the chest with his spiked tail.
While in Cauldra Manor’s banquet hall, Reaver is amused by Poppy and Kieran’s interaction. Like usual, he spends his time staring at Kieran—likely because he knows it bothers the wolven. Kieran snaps at him, and Poppy scolds Kieran, making Reaver laugh. She chastises him, too, and he puffs out some smoke, affronted.
Vonetta asks how he managed to get into the banquet hall, and he simply thumps his tail on the floor in response.
Later, Reaver tells Poppy that she’s filled with worry and every draken can feel it, even those not there with them. He confirms that all the draken are bonded to her and is surprised she didn’t realize that. He then tells her that she can’t communicate with them telepathically like she can with the wolven, but they will know and answer her will, adding that it’s always been that way with Primals.
Reaver explains that a god can kill another god, and shadowstone to the head or heart will do, as well. He then says that a mortal stabbed with shadowstone will normally die, adding that Tawny is obviously alive for a reason.
He tells Poppy that she’s the first female descendant of the Primal of Life—the most powerful being known, and that she’ll become stronger than even her father, Ires, in time. He says that Ires left Iliseeum while the draken slept, though he woke one to accompany him. Reaver just became aware of what happened eighteen years ago when the Primal woke. He then tells Poppy that her birth was felt, and that’s when they learned that both Malec and Ires were gone, as was Jadis.
Reaver explains about Ires and Malec and what Malec would have to do in order to stay strong and in the mortal realm—he’d have to feed and often. He tells Poppy she won’t have to feed as often as Malec and Ires once she comes into her power…unless she’s injured. However, until then, she needs to make sure she doesn’t weaken since she hasn’t finished her Culling, adding that he would feel it if she had.
He tells her that nobody can feed from the draken. It would burn the insides out of most, even the Primals.
When Reaver calls Poppy meyaah Liessa for the first time, it stuns her. He takes the time to tell her about the balance of power and how the fire the draken breathe is essentially the essence of the gods, though using it weakens them and slows them down. He says that even Primals had weaknesses and that only one is infinite.
As Poppy talks, Reaver tells her she sounds a lot like the Consort and confirms the Consort will wake when Ires returns. He says the gods will eventually wake, too. When asked what the Consort’s name is, his reply is that it is a shadow in the ember, a light in the flame, and a fire in the flesh, and to speak it is to bring the stars from the sky and topple the mountains into the sea.
When Isbeth’s gift is delivered, Reaver is there and emits a strange staggering call when he sees Poppy’s reaction to Casteel’s finger. Later, he accepts Poppy’s request to join her and Kieran on their mission to save Cas.
During Vessa’s storm, Reaver watches, stunned, and lets out a low, mournful sound when the draken die and fall from the sky. When Poppy goes to heal them, he tells her she cannot bring back the dual-natured and explains that only the Primal of Life can restore life to a being of two worlds. When they tally the dead, he tells everyone it was no storm; it was an awakening of death.
He explains that Vessa smells of death, saying that the Primal of Death’s stench is oily, dark, and suffocating, and that’s how she smelled—which doesn’t make sense. When talk turns to the god of death, he tells them that he knew Rhain before he was the god everyone recognizes, and that he wasn’t a god of death. There is no god of death, only a Primal of Death. He then adds that Nyktos isn’t the Primal of Life and Death, and he was never the true Primal of Death, either—that was Kolis. However, they wouldn’t know that because Kolis erased the history. He goes on to say that Kolis was interred, that no one would be alive if he hadn’t been. The only way he can be freed is by the Primal God of Life.