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Once Sera brings Gemma back to life, Ector escorts Bele to the war room, where she stares openly at Sera. She says that no Chosen are Ascended because Kolis no longer has the ability to grant or create life, so he can’t Ascend them. She adds that he can’t stop the Rite, though. It’d raise too many questions, so the unstable balance shifts more toward death.
When they discuss Sera’s plan, Bele says that she doesn’t believe Sera thought becoming Nyktos’s Consort would save her people; she learned how to end the deal in the summoner’s favor.
The dakkais attack, and Bele reminds everyone that most Courts likely felt a ripple when Sera used her powers, and the attack is probably because of that. She, Saion, and Rhahar go to find out what’s happening. Later, they ride down the bluffs and engage the dakkais, Bele standing on her horse to fire her arrows as the others crouch. She punches a dakkai and it explodes, then follows another that made it up the bluff and into the city.
Bele doesn’t think that Sera should be going anywhere after Hamid’s attack, not even to see Gemma. She tells Sera that Nyktos is in Lethe dealing with an incident and then questions Gemma about how she knew Kolis was looking for Sera. When the word graeca is mentioned, Bele tells Sera it’s the old language of the Primals and means life. During discussions, Bele realizes that Hamid thought he was protecting the Shadowlands by killing Sera.
The goddess admits that she knows nothing about the Revenants but has been working hard to find out what happened to the missing Chosen. As talk turns to the Fates, she tells Sera they don’t know everything, though they do know more than most. She adds that the Primals cannot make demands of the Fates. They can’t even touch them—it’s forbidden in order to maintain balance. She says that it wouldn’t have even crossed Nyktos’s mind to go to the Arae—Kolis, either. And he has no respect for the rules.
When the gods attack, Bele throws herself over the staircase at Cressa and fights with her. She’s eventually stabbed in the back with a shadowstone dagger and kicked hard enough in the head that it would have killed a mortal.
The fighting dies down, and Aios removes the dagger. Bele dies, but not for long because Sera brings her back to life. When she wakes, she says she just feels tired and then goes on to say that she saw an intense light—what she thought was Arcadia—before passing out.
After Bele awakens again, she spends some time with Aios. Everyone acknowledges that she’s not a Primal. Still, she’s definitely stronger, and they felt a burst of energy when she healed and rose—not as strong as when a Primal enters Arcadia and a new Primal rises, but she’s still Ascended, and that’s a big deal. The most significant part is that she can challenge Hanan for the Primal position of the Hunt and Divine Justice in Sirta now, and he won’t take kindly to that at all.
When the draken attacks, Bele gives Sera a spear to fight with and remarks that Nyktos will lose his shit when he finds out that Sera is fighting with them. As they set off, Bele calls those they’re fighting for “our people,” referencing Sera.
Bele acknowledges later that she didn’t recognize the god who was talking to Sera—the one Orphine killed, though she imagines that Hanan was behind the attack. She then declares that she needs to leave so no more deaths occur because of her, though she refuses to hide forever. Nyktos tells her that she’s needed in the Shadowlands and it’s also the safest place for her. Sera tries to soothe her, saying it’s not Bele’s fault. It’s hers. Bele thanks Sera for saving her life.
Bele joins the others in the throne room when Nyktos tells them that Sera went after Kolis and reiterates her bravery. Later, when the Cimmerian arrive, Bele takes the younglings to Aios and refuses to leave them.
Sera returns from Lasania, and Bele trains with her for the better part of an afternoon.
Bele is with Rhain in Nyktos’s room when Sera wakes from her mini stasis. She flips off Rhain but goes to get juice and water for Sera. She shares that Sera slept for four days and says it’s a lot like hibernation. She adds that Sera could have been out for weeks. Bele continues to be Bele, oversharing and annoying Rhain. She tells Sera that Nyktos barely left her side and was very worried. She shares that he’s currently at the Pillars, dealing with something. When Sera mentions her nakedness, Bele tells her she’s okay with it.
I just bet she is…
Bele sits with Sera for dinner and tells her that not even the oldest and strongest gods could shake the palace like Sera did when she got angry at seeing Veses. She asks what made Sera so mad. Sera tells her about her Culling and her anger, and Bele calls Sera aggressively assertive. She then reveals that she knows it was the Primal goddess.
Bele says she was waiting for Aios and headed to the kitchen when she saw Veses enter Nyktos’s office. She had hoped the Primal’s visits would stop after Sera’s arrival. She admits that she doesn’t get what’s going on with Sera and Nyktos and doesn’t know about Veses, but she sees how Sera looks at the Primal of Death and has never seen him act the way he does with Sera. She insists it’s not just the embers and tells Sera how he told them all off after the bravery speech in the throne room.
She guesses that Sera saw Veses and Nyktos together and reveals that she’s seen Veses feed from him before—without sex. She doesn’t get it and knows there has to be a reason he allows it, but she doesn’t know what that is. She insists she doesn’t believe Veses was ever good and tells her that the Primal supports Kolis and that Nyktos doesn’t trust or even like her.
Bele and Aios have dinner with Sera in Sera’s receiving chamber, and the goddesses covertly flirt. When Sera heads to her room, Bele charges in to face Veses.
Veses tells Bele there’s a bounty on her head and Kolis will rip out her heart and devour it. She flippantly replies that there are tastier things on her than her heart. After Veses hurts Sera and Reaver, Bele tells her that Sera is Nyktos’s Consort, Reaver is under Nektas’s protection, and things won’t end well for her.
Bele engages Veses, and Veses shatters her sword and throws her back. She summons an eather bow and arrow and fires at Veses, the energy grazing and wounding her cheek.
Once Veses is subdued, Bele tells Nyktos that Veses knows about Sera. He orders her to take Reaver to Nyktos’s quarters. Later, while talking to Sera, she tells her not to thank her for helping. She’s been waiting to get her hands on Veses for ages.
Bele tries to keep Sera still during her gown fitting and does a terrible job. She tells Sera how big the crowd will be for the coronation and remarks how beautiful Sera is in her gown. Despite having to stay at the House of Haides for the coronation, Bele comforts Sera’s worries about a few things and then warns her about dismissing her title while praising her for remaining armed. After Rhain speaks with Sera, Bele sees them off.
Bele joins Rhahar in Lethe to fight the dakkais and isn’t aware of what happened to Aios.
I can only imagine how she’ll take it. The romantic in me hopes it will finally force them to stop dancing around each other.
AIOS
Goddess of Love, Fertility, and Beauty (in Blood and Ash timeline)
Court: Kithreia
Hair: Red.
Eyes: Citrine with thick lashes that turn silver after Ascension.
Facial features: Plump lips. High cheekbones. Heart-shaped face.
