Total pages in book: 401
Estimated words: 390373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1952(@200wpm)___ 1561(@250wpm)___ 1301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 390373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1952(@200wpm)___ 1561(@250wpm)___ 1301(@300wpm)
“But what you don’t get is that her Ascension was not the only threat to the balance. Penellaphe is the Harbinger. The Bringer.” The color of the ink on the sides of Aydun’s face deepened and began churning as his eyes held mine. “Of Death and Destruction.”
“Kolis,” I bit out.
Aydun smiled faintly. “He is the Great Conspirator.”
My eyes narrowed. “And?”
“And it wasn’t understood what that meant until it was too late.”
I stared at him, waiting for him to elaborate on what sounded like nothing more than disjointed thoughts. He didn’t. “Attes was right.”
“About?”
“That you are all vague as fuck.”
His lips flattened. “We wouldn’t have to be if any of you were even half as wise as Eythos. Which isn’t saying much.”
“What does this have to do with Kolis’s brother?”
“Almost everything.” He sat back. “Either way, what your wife’s Ascension has created will continue to add to the imbalance. It’s started the clock—one that’s ticking and counting down.”
I knew what he was about to say next. The words felt tattooed into my bones. “‘For the end will come from the west—’”
“‘To destroy the east and lay waste to all which lies between,’” Aydun finished with a heavy sigh. “The end has begun. And when it comes, what happened beyond the Primal Veil will seem like a blessing compared to what will happen throughout the realms.”
CHAPTER 14
POPPY
I dreamed of blood and terror, knowing, even in sleep, that what I’d seen and felt before was nothing more than a precursor to what I saw now.
It began with a shockwave rolling down hills and across once-tranquil waters, shattering everything in its path: trees, buildings, people. Blood filled the ruined streets as a current of heat and ash raced across the landscape, igniting everything left standing and burning those who managed to survive the initial blast from the inside. The flow of death traveled wide, forcing hundreds of thousands to their knees as they clawed at their throats, choking.
Large chunks of rock fell from the sky, striking people down where they stood or walked without warning—burying villages and cities in burning ash until it looked like a fiery winter had visited the land.
The very earth itself rattled as more of the Ancients woke, sparking eruptions from other mountains, those above and below the seas. Land broke apart and sank, taking entire cities into watery graves as waves taller than the steel buildings lining the coasts crashed through them.
All the agony, terror, hopelessness, and desperation suddenly stopped, like a candle being snuffed out. One after another after another…
I knew then that what I saw was no dream.
It was the end I couldn’t escape, not even in my unconsciousness. But I couldn’t wake myself or stop what I saw until the last of the agony and terror faded.
Only then was I able to pull myself free. My eyelids fluttered, heavy and reluctant, as dull pain throbbed along the base of my skull and throughout my limbs.
The memory of chunks of earth and rock hurling at me flashed vividly in my mind. I was surprised that all I felt was a dull pain.
Forcing my lips to part, I drew in a shaky breath. The air was fresh, carrying the scent of something woodsy and sweet, like damp leaves and crushed wildflowers, and a faint but continuous hum of energy. My senses immediately sharpened.
I wasn’t in Wayfair.
And I wasn’t alone.
A presence drew closer, bringing a different scent with it—an earthy and smoky one, like rich leather. It wasn’t entirely unfamiliar, making me think of narrow, dusty stairwells and secluded chambers. Of—
My eyes flew open and fixed on a wall of glass and…fluffy, white clouds beyond it. I snapped upright, twisting at the waist. My entire world came to a grinding halt.
All I could think was that what I saw couldn’t be real, but…he was standing a few feet from me, and I couldn’t move—couldn’t even breathe—as my gaze swept over him, searching for any hints that my eyes were tricking me. He was dressed in a way I’d never seen before, wearing loose, white pants and a light-gray tunic instead of the darker colors of a guard and a layer of armor. But his hair was that sandy shade of blond and was, as he would say, in need of a trim. His handsome features were sun-kissed and weathered, and his eyes were the blue of the Stroud Sea.
My hands trembled as we looked at each other. I was breathing again. Maybe too fast. I thought the eather should be going haywire inside me, but it was calm. Practically quiet. I really couldn’t focus on that right now, though.
“Poppy,” he said in that low, gravelly voice.
His voice.
Vikter’s.
One I’d never thought to hear again.
“It’s really me,” he said, and then he gave me that slightly crooked grin of his.
I sprang to my feet, moving before my brain could really catch up with what I was doing. Closing the distance between us, I threw myself at him.