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Gods, the battle between him and Ash had even damaged structures within the City of the Gods.
What would an actual war between them do?
Shuddering, I looked up, noting that the blue of the sky was darkening, moving toward violet. It reminded me of the minutes before dusk arrived.
“Will it be night soon?” I asked.
“In about a week, it will be,” Kolis answered, the warm breeze lifting the strands of his hair from his shoulders.
“How long does the sun stay out here?”
“It’s only night once a month, which is equivalent to roughly three days in the mortal realm.”
It’s only night once a month… I nearly tripped, earning a sharp look from Elias. I steadied myself. “I’ve been here for three weeks?”
“Roughly,” Kolis replied, looking over his shoulder at me. “You seem surprised.”
“I… I had no idea that much time had passed.”
“After you decided to sightsee by yourself,” he said, “you slept for several days.”
Holy shit, I’d slept for days? I shot Elias a scathing look. After all, he had knocked me out.
The god quickly averted his gaze.
Eyes narrowing, I faced forward. That still didn’t account for all the other days. Gods, it had been hard to tell the passing of time, but I hadn’t realized it was that difficult. Still, how in the realms had I slept that long without going into stasis? It had to be because of what the ceeren did, but—
I now knew that I had been right about how Kolis had incapacitated Ash. Did that mean he’d kept Ash…impaled with a weapon crafted from the bones of the Ancients? Gods.
Anger simmered as a tall, diamond-encrusted marble wall came into view, similar to what Ash and I had seen before. Kolis moved to his left, and I saw a wide colonnade through the trees. As I turned, I finally caught sight of the sweeping, crystal towers of the rest of the city.
“It’s beautiful,” I’d said to Ash upon seeing the sprawling diamond-bright city for the first time.
“From a distance, it is,” he’d responded.
My skin chilled despite the warmth, just as it had when I first looked upon the city. The wind picked up, carrying the metallic scent of blood and the sickly-sweet stench of decay.
The embers faintly hummed. I couldn’t see the source of the smell, but I knew what caused it. I’d never forget the bodies I’d seen strung through the trees and between the pillars of a colonnade just like the one before us.
“How many live within the city?” I asked, remembering what Callum had said.
Speaking of that asshole, where was he?
Kolis halted, turning back to where I stood. “Not that many.”
“What happened to them?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer. Still, I wanted to hear what he’d say.
“They died,” he stated bluntly. “But not by my hand.”
I shook my head at his back. Did Kolis accept responsibility for anything? “By whose, then?”
“The Fates.”
My brows flew up as he turned away. Was he seriously blaming the Arae? I looked at Elias, but he stared at the many buildings dotting the landscape. The scent of blood and decay rose on the wind once more before fading.
I told myself to stay silent.
I didn’t listen. “And who is responsible for the stench of death?”
