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They discuss Veses a bit and what to do about Kolis. They also talk about what happened, and Sera has to soothe Ash’s anger. She tells him he needs to take her somewhere safe and remove the embers.
Elias comes in, and they discuss where his loyalties lie. Ash keeps from killing him—barely—and Elias swears his fealty to Sera. He says he sent word to Attes and insists he can take Kolis somewhere that will buy them some time.
Attes arrives and urges them to get a move on. When Ash moves to attack him, Attes pleads his case, and Sera tells Ash the other Primal can be trusted. Says he saved her life.
She gets dizzy, and Attes says she was shifting into her Primal self. When Elias once again says he can get Kolis away, Sera asks if it’s safe for him, and he’s honored she’s worried about him.
Attes conjures Setti, and they get Kolis onto the horse. As they’re about to leave, Sera remembers The Star. She tells them they need to get it and they discuss how. She reveals to Ash that his father’s soul is in the diamond, and he asks if she’s sure. She says she is.
After she summons the diamond, Ash says he can’t feel the soul. Sera wonders how they can put Sotoria’s soul in the stone, and Ash says Keella should know how to get a soul out and in.
Ash shadowsteps them to a beautiful cavern of hot springs in the mortal realm, and she tells him the story of Kolis and Eythos, leaving out the part about his mother. When he asks to hold The Star, she doesn’t let him, explaining that she doesn’t want him to see what she did.
As they clean up, one thing leads to another, and they have sex. Losing themselves in each other for a bit.
As they spend time together, they talk about everything that’s happened and catch one another up, talking about what things mean and what’s next. They discuss his nota and Primal forms, then Ash leaves to get her some clothes.
When he returns, he tells her that he went to the Bonelands, and Sera asks about Bele and Aios. They talk more about freeing Eythos’s soul, and Sera wonders if Ash will be able to interact with it.
As talk turns to Attes, and Ash makes it clear that he still doesn’t trust him, Sera tries to make him understand why Attes could never be loyal to Kolis. Then, she tells him what Phanos did. When she sees the wheels of his mind turning, she has to stop that train of thought and insist that nobody else will give their life to save hers.
They go to the Bonelands, and Ash tells her how the Ancients became displeased with advancement and were connected to all living things. So, when they realized that mortals and the land could not coexist, they chose to cleanse the land. They then created the Primals, splitting their essence between them and creating a shared balance. The Primals and gods eventually joined the mortals to battle the Ancients.
Ash asks Sera how she’s feeling, and she admits that she’s tired and achy. Bele arrives and hugs Sera, something she’s never done, then thanks her for saving Aios. She asks about Kolis, and Sera tells her she gave him a beat down.
They discuss Bele’s new status and what was done with Elias, and Bele tells Sera that Veses is free. She tells the new Primal that she knows.
Sera sees Elias tied to a pillar and watches as a draken knocks a rock onto him. When Ehthawn moves in for pets, Sera asks about Orphine, finding out that she didn’t make it. Sorrow fills her and she apologizes.
Sera struggles to ascend the steps. Ash finally helps her, and Saion and Rhahar come, both embracing Ash. Then Lailah joins with Rhain. Sera is filled with gratitude that Ash won’t be alone after she’s gone.
She sees Crolee, and Saion and Rhahar greet her. Ash says that Sera saved him, and Rhain says many of them wouldn’t be there if it weren’t for her.
Attes arrives with his draken, and Sera watches the draken interact. There’s some aggressive flirting going on between Aurelia and Nektas, and Sera remembers Reaver saying he thought Nek was sweet on the female. When she turns her attention to the Primal, she witnesses some aggressive flirting between him and Lailah, as well, and finds out that Lailah is originally from Attes’s Court.
They discuss The Star, and Keella comes forward, telling them what they need to do. Sera pulls Eythos free and then falls unconscious.
When she wakes, she finds herself in Keella’s Court. She asks about what happened and Ash tells her all is well. She apologizes to him for cutting his time with his father short and he tells her he was ready to go. He tells her what Eythos said to him before leaving.
Sera realizes that Ash gave her blood and chastises him, saying she doesn’t want him weakened. They bicker as usual, and Nektas arrives, laughing that they’re arguing. He tells her that the time gained by Ash giving her his blood is never time wasted. He then goes on to say that he can scent her death, and the two share a sweet moment.
Attes, Ash, and Sera argue about Sotoria’s soul, and Sera makes them understand that the soul is alive. Attes mentions how he met her after Kolis brought her back. Then they all discuss what happens if the embers die with Sera. They talk about The Star being able to hold both the embers and a soul, and what needs to happen in order to end Kolis.
Sera says there will be war, and Ash insists he only cares about her. Attes says it’s way bigger than that, and Ash says she matters. She finally realizes that it’s time. She tells him she loves him. Attes chimes in and asks if Nyktos’s kardia was removed properly.
Keella explains that a soul cannot be brought back twice. Without the Arae intervening, at least—which never ends the way one intends. She wonders if the Fates are the reason she was born with Sotoria’s soul and not as Sotoria.
Keella asks if Ash has sensed dual souls. He says he only ever feels Sera’s. Keella tells him he needs to anchor himself to his Consort’s soul. She calls forth the soul and Sotoria worries about Sera, making Sera worry. Finally, they get her out and transfer her to the diamond. As she leaves, she tells Sera in her mind that they’ll meet again.
In the Bonelands, Attes promises Sera he will support Ash. Elias wakes up and asks how things went with the diamond. They tell the god it went well. They talk a little more until Rhain arrives. He says that even when the rest of them didn’t really see her to her core, Ash always did. Ash walks up, and Sera thinks how he’ll make a great father someday. He reads her emotions, and she tells him to stop.
Saion comes then and jokes that they’re fighting again. Rhahar joins, and they settle a bet. Saion said they couldn’t go more than an hour without arguing. She turns to Ash and jokes that they’re his friends. He says they were. It melts Sera’s heart to hear him acknowledge them as his friends.
Sera looks around and wishes she had more time. She thinks of everyone and looks for each of them. Then, she tells Ash to take her to the lake, reminding him that he promised.
Saion tells her to have safe travels, and Rhain moves forward. He kneels and holds his sword out. The others follow suit. The draken bow their heads. Rhain says the oath, ending with “forevermore,” and they all destroy their swords.
Seems with the right intention, not all eather is blocked by shadowstone, and it can be affected by more than itself.
