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“He spoke to me. Answered my questions about you,” he continued, the skin between his brows creasing. “He admired you greatly.”
“Really?” I drawled.
“Yes.” Callum’s head shot up, his pale eyes burning. “Sotoria was kind and fierce. She always looked out for me, taking on my chores if I overslept or wasn’t feeling well. She never grew annoyed with me. I loved—” His breath hitched. “Yes, I admired her.”
I didn’t know what to say to that as I closed my fingers around one of the silky tassels on the gown’s belt.
“He grieved your death deeply,” Kolis said. “Felt responsible.”
I looked between them. “Why would you feel responsible?”
Callum didn’t answer.
Kolis did. “He was supposed to be with you when you were picking flowers for Anthea’s wedding. Instead, I believe he was fucking the baker’s daughter.”
Callum turned his head, and my brows inched up my forehead.
“He believed he could’ve prevented the tragedy if he had been there,” Kolis said. “Could have calmed his sister.”
Could he have? Possibly. “But how did he become a…Revenant?”
“Before I took my leave, he asked me to take him to Sotoria to apologize. I explained that was not possible. Mortals who have not passed judgment are not allowed in the Vale. He became distraught.”
Weight constricted my chest, thinning the breath I drew in, and I knew that what I felt was Sotoria’s sorrow—and maybe even a little of mine—because I…I thought I knew where this was heading.
“He withdrew a small knife from his belt and slit his throat,” Kolis said quietly.
“Gods,” I whispered, rubbing the center of my chest.
“I held you as you died.” Kolis’s voice thickened, filling with the heaviness of anguish carrying the sharp, bitter edge of regret. “And then, days later, I held your brother as he, too, took his last breath.”
I sealed my lips together with a firm press, not wanting to be affected by the emotion in Kolis’s voice—by the tragedy. It was hard not to be, though. Back then, it was quite possible that Kolis wasn’t yet such a monster. He had merely been Death…
Well, Death with obsessive tendencies and poor interpersonal relationship skills. Like really, really poor interpersonal relationship skills.
But he wasn’t what he was now.
“I couldn’t allow him to die, and knowing Eythos would not intervene on my behalf, I did what was forbidden of Death.” A wry, humorless smile appeared on Kolis’s features. “I gave life.”
“You…you Ascended Callum?” When Kolis nodded, I frowned. “But he’s not like the one I saw, the one you called an Ascended. She had pitch-black eyes. And he wasn’t a third son—”
“Because they are not the same,” Kolis answered.
My thoughts raced as I eyed Callum. If he wasn’t… “Revenants are demis then?”
Based on how dramatically Callum rolled his eyes, I was going with no.
“No, my dear, they are not.” Kolis smiled, and my skin felt like it was coated in slime. “We will discuss this more later when we don’t have other pressing needs to take care of.”
Needs.
Everything revolving around Callum fell to the wayside. My body locked up with both dread and anticipation, the latter hoping these needs dealt with Ash, and the former… The bite mark on my throat just above Aios’s necklace burned.
I didn’t want to think about the former.
“Please, go ahead, Callum,” Kolis instructed.
Stomach twisting, I almost did the unthinkable and shouted for Callum to stay as I watched him bow and then stalk from the chamber.
