The Primal of Blood and Bone (Blood and Ash, #6)

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Without the capability to love and hate, rejoice and mourn, gain and lose, there could be no balance. For every hardship, there must be prosperity. Hate could not exist without love. There could be no joy without knowing grief.

I saw it all: the great power that rose as heir to the lands and skies; she, the first Chosen to fail, who was the true Primal of Life; and what the union between the bringer of life and the bringer of bone would unleash. Two daughters. Two Kings. And the Great Conspirator. It was inevitable. The end would come.

Every beginning has an end. But for every end, there must be a new beginning. That’s what the ten dreamed. The fall of ruin and wrath. And the rise of blood and bone.

I couldn’t say exactly why I felt that way, but it probably had something to do with the essence I could feel moving around in me. It was too powerful to be a false god’s or even a false Primal’s. It was cold and infinite. Ancient.

Concentrating on the hum of eather, I willed it forward. It pulsed behind my pupils and expanded until the strands churned through my irises, no longer just silver. My skin cooled and hardened, then thinned until I saw the essence gliding beneath it.

It wasn’t like the Primal mist I’d seen surrounding Kieran. His had been gold and silver. Mine was silver and crimson.

The essence that had transferred from Poppy to us wasn’t the same. Somehow, the two she had within her had split between us. Life. Death. And I had no idea what that made us. Or what it meant for the future.

I’d heard from Kieran that Reaver had located Jadis—or what he seemed to believe was her—a day ago. Maybe it had been two days. I didn’t know. Either way, she was where Ires had said, deep beneath Ironspire, the citadel located in the Willow Plains. The female draken was entombed in stone, much like Nektas had been when we first arrived outside the City of the Gods to speak with Nyktos. According to Reaver, the act was unheard of since it left them vulnerable, and it would’ve taken something drastic for her to self-entomb.

“There’s no way, Cas,” he said, his voice turning sharp and strained. “None. That, right there.” He jabbed a finger in the direction we stared. “Is impossible.” It should be. But it wasn’t. Because we were both looking west, watching the sun rise above the Stroud Sea, where it should have been setting by day’s end—not rising now.

and the final verse of that damn prophecy came to mind. Beware, for the end will come from the west to destroy the east and lay waste to all which lies between.

“Finally, you’re making some sense,” Reaver said. My head whipped around to face the draken, a sharp hiss of air seeping through my clenched teeth. Reaver’s eyes narrowed. “You’re so…catty.”

“You should ask yourself why she asked me to make such a promise,” Kieran said. I closed my eyes. But it did nothing to prevent him from landing a blow that hurt worse than any fists could. “And not you.”

He stared back at me through her eyes. “You remind me of someone I once knew.” The other side of the lips tipped up. “He, too, loved her.”

“Oh.” I played with the strap on his shoulder. “I thought the Queen named me.”

He focused on me. “I want you to remember this. She didn’t choose your name.” His lips thinned, and I thought I saw a flicker of the pretty silver light behind his pupils. “You were not named by the Queen. You were named in honor of the Queen.”

“I don’t know how much longer I can wait—that any of us can, but…I need her to wake. I need to see her eyes open again and see only her staring back at me. I need her beside me, even if she doesn’t remember me—even if she never remembers me. As long as it’s just her,” I swore, my voice thick and strained. “If you bring her back to me…” Eyes stinging, I did nothing to stop the tears building in them as I filled my thoughts and voice with all the love I had for Poppy. “I will do anything. Give anything. Please, Seraphena. Bring your granddaughter back to me.”

The gleam of eather brightened to a point where it was almost too painful to look at. The roots then shuddered, and as the luminescence of eather faded, they broke apart, shattering into a fine, shimmering dust that vanished before it touched the floor or any of Poppy’s skin. Pushing to my feet, I staggered toward the bed on weak legs, knowing that the… The Queen of the Gods had answered my prayers.

Lirian sighed, folding his arms over his broad chest. “You were right earlier when you said an Ancient is capable of destroying a realm. They can do so with one hand and create a new one with the other. Those of us who became the Arae can no longer harness that type of power. But you were also wrong. You can.”

“Life always prevails,” Holland said. “But you.” Thorne stepped forward, his swirling eyes meeting mine. “Only you can liberate bone and ash. Only you can liberate death.”

Aydun lifted a plate as if he would find something other than wood beneath it. “The love between mates of the heart is incredibly strong. All-consuming. Inevitable. There is a strength in that, but there is also a weakness. It is believed that not even death can sever that type of bond.”

“The death of an unbroken mate bond cannot sever that connection. The souls will reunite,” he said after what felt like five minutes. “But that bond can be broken at any point, no matter the…extenuating circumstances. Just as your people seal your vows, it can be rejected by one or both.”

CASTEEL Bone and Ash. A strange sensation echoed through me, reverberating in my blood and bones. I rubbed my chest, having no idea what had caused it.

“The Primal God of War and Accord to be exact,” I said. Kieran blinked. “Setti—” “Is the name of Attes’s…vellám. The extension of Attes’s will, his essence. Each Primal god who oversees a Court gains the ability to summon their bloodsteed.” I frowned, having never heard nor spoken that word before. “Setti was Attes’s bloodsteed.”

“But how is that possible?” he asked. “Unless Lailah and Theon are lies.” “They’re not.” I drifted toward him. “The only thing I can think of is that Attes…abdicated his throne and gave it to Theon.”

“Did Casteel ever say why he named his horse that?” “Ego,” he said with a snort. “Only Cas would name his horse after a Primal God of War’s steed.” “How did he acquire Setti?”

“Setti is a sirtian—a breed of Atlantian horse rumored to have originated from Iliseeum. Who knows how true that is? But sirtians, if taken care of, live for many decades.” His brow pinched. “Anyway, he was part of Elian’s herd.”

Setti was a colt, alone in the field, filling himself with orchard grass—which was odd. Normally, you don’t see a young horse by itself.” I’d have to take his word on that. “The moment he saw us, he started following.” Kieran tilted his head, and his eyes narrowed. “I forgot about that.” A wry grin tugged at his lips as he glanced down.

“Cas,” Kieran said quietly. “And what?” Casteel’s flesh thinned, revealing the gray shadows beneath that I’d seen earlier. But also something…else. “That’s it.” My mouth dried as I stared at him in the flickering light of the swaying chandelier. I caught the gleam of something silver under his skin as the shadows pulsed up his neck, swirling into the same pattern I’d seen on the Ancients. “Casteel,” Kieran said louder. “You need to calm.”

“Kolis will not take my essence,” I told him, eather pulsing through me. “It won’t happen.” The sudden whoosh of wings and the sound of fluttering feathers startled me. “What the fuck?” Kieran gasped, ducking as black birds—ravens—filled the chamber. Dozens of them. They flew in tight, spiraling circles around one another, their glossy midnight wings cutting through the air and whipping it into a frenzy. “You’re right,” Casteel said as a raven landed on his shoulder. Tiny bumps erupted on my skin as I saw the shadowy essence gathering around Casteel’s eyes and forming in the hollows of his cheekbones. Holland’s and Lirian’s warnings struck like a hammer as I heard the essence of death and…ruin in his voice.

The raven’s head turned exactly when Casteel inclined his. A faint silver glow ignited in the bird’s eyes as it let out a sharp, echoing call that vibrated the air. It didn’t sound even remotely normal as a new scent reached me, one that reminded me of damp soil and moss.

Casteel’s voice thundered, yet I didn’t see his lips move as another raven landed on the back of his chair.

Cas’s skin continued to thin, and silver gleamed under it around the deepening shadows.

I lifted my hands to my lips, tasting…bone and ash. Ruin.

I’d tasted the ruin on his lips. The Arae’s warning crept through my thoughts as I leaned back.

We entered another area, and I was immediately distracted by the dozen or so statues lining the northern hall. They were tall, towering at least eight feet high, and held shields shaped like teardrops against their chests, their swords pointed toward the ground. The statues

Casteel captured my wrist. “Why,” he said, his voice low but light with amusement, “must you touch everything?” My lips pursed. “As I’ve said before, I’m a tactile person.” “If you need to feel something up, I have something you can get all kinds of tactile with later,” he remarked, causing my cheeks to flame. “And I believe you know exactly what I’m talking about.” I so did.

Tiny bumps rose all over my skin as I scanned the walls, spying carved marks similar to those I had seen outside the chamber my father had been kept in. For some reason, an image of Leopold formed in my mind—hair a rich, reddish brown and eyes as green as emeralds.

“Did you see how Cas looked?” “Kind of hard not to,” he replied, settling in the armchair. “The shadows in his skin? They matched the marks I saw on the Ancients.” “I haven’t seen them on you.” He looked at me as he slumped back. “Then again, you haven’t gone full Primal since you woke.”

Kieran nodded, falling quiet for several moments before shaking his head. “Of all the birds,” he muttered, unease filling his voice. “It had to be ravens.” He dragged a hand over his chest. “My people see them as an omen—well, not so much any longer. But the eldest of the wolven? They did. It’s because of what they represent to the gods.” His gaze lowered to his glass. “Ravens serve as a warning,” he said. “Of death and destruction.”

Setti nibbled at Poppy’s fingers, bringing a small grin to her lips. He nuzzled her hand, his tail swaying as she tilted her head. “How did no one notice?” she murmured, sliding her hand up his cheek.

“How did you know his name was Setti?” I had to think about that for a moment. “One of the stewards watching over Elian’s estate told me.”

“Setti’s been keeping secrets,” she said. “Secrets?” My brows lifted. I knew people were waiting for us, but I had to ask. “My…horse has been keeping secrets?” “The bloodsteed has been keeping secrets,” she corrected, sending me a quick glance. “I guess I never noticed it—or maybe it’s more like I never felt it—until now.” She smiled as Setti nudged her hand—she’d stopped petting him. “The essence.”

“Setti isn’t a horse—well, he’s not a normal one anyway,” she said. The reins slipped from Kieran’s fingers. “Are you saying he’s…” “He’s not just named after Attes’s vellám. He is Attes’s vellám.”

and fuck if Setti’s ears didn’t flicker at the mention of the Primal god. “I don’t know how or really why, but Setti’s a bloodsteed.”

shook my head in disbelief. “How is this possible? I’ve had him since he was a colt.” My gaze crawled over his shiny coat. “Raised him.” “I…I don’t know.” Poppy frowned as she rubbed the back of her neck. “I don’t think he always appeared as a colt.” My brows shot up. “What?” “It’s hard to explain because it doesn’t really make sense to me,” she admitted. “But I think he chose to appear as a colt when you found him at Elian estate.”

“Didn’t you say he started following you all when you saw him in the pasture?” Poppy asked Kieran. He nodded, and she came to my side. “Maybe he sensed that you’re a descendant of Attes’s bloodline, and that’s why he followed you.” “Maybe,” I said.

Casteel’s features sharpened with wariness, his posture stiffening with coiled tension as Tawny lunged. She’s okay, I assured him quickly, understanding his reaction—knowing why Kieran and the others had reacted so strangely to Tawny when she first arrived in Oak Ambler. Tears clogged my throat as I stared at her. They’d sensed the…wrongness. What went against the fundamental balance of life and death. Without even understanding why.

“I feel like I keep saying this,” she said, her voice hoarse, “but I’ve missed you.” I drew in a stuttered breath and caught the faint scent of…stale lilacs. Death.

“The mortal body can continue without a soul, but the soul makes a person who they are. Without it, they become a…” My brows knitted. “A…” “A thanion

My fingers curled inward, nails digging into my palms as I felt Kieran drawing near. “I took her soul.” Casteel twisted his head to the side. “Oh, Poppy,” he whispered. “And I…I can’t release it.”