Total pages in book: 247
Estimated words: 231436 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1157(@200wpm)___ 926(@250wpm)___ 771(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 231436 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1157(@200wpm)___ 926(@250wpm)___ 771(@300wpm)
When the group escapes, Callum rushes to warn Isbeth and runs into Malik. They get into it.
Callum and a half dozen other Revenants confront the group, and Callum tells Reaver he thinks he knows what he is, then taunts Kieran, saying he wants to keep him since he’s always wanted a pet wolf. Turning his attention to Poppy, he tells her that humanity is a weakness.
The Queen orders Malik to be brought to her, and Callum tries to warn her that it’s not the right time, but she merely silences him. As everyone is distracted, he snaps forward and cuts Kieran’s arm with a blade, whispering a spell as he does. Casteel stabs him in the chest in retaliation, and he remarks that it stings before falling dead.
When he comes back to life moments later, Isbeth is removing her ring, then Callum watches in amazement as Kieran knocks Malik unconscious.
After the Queen kills Clariza and Blaz with power, he tells Poppy not to bother trying to bring the couple back to life because nobody comes back from a death like that, yet he takes clear pleasure in watching her reaction to their demise.
Poppy and the group bring Malec to the Bone Temple, and Poppy makes demands. He taunts her, asking her, “Or what?” When Cas says they’ll set the casket on fire and kill Malec, Callum turns his attention to Casteel.
Approaching Kieran, Callum is shocked to see the curse mark missing. Still, he uses a milky-white blade—a bone of an Ancient—to open Kieran’s skin. Black smoke seeps out of the wound as the curse lifts. He then tells Kieran that not much can do serious harm to him now—indirectly referencing the Joining. The wolven plunges a bloodstone dagger into his heart in thanks.
Callum revives just in time to see Isbeth stab Malec. As things unfold, he thanks Poppy for fulfilling her purpose and doing what she was prophesied to do. He explains the prophecy—sort of—and says that as long as both she and Malec had the Primal God of Life’s blood and were loved, it would restore him—meaning Kolis. He adds that Isbeth just needed someone from Kolis’s bloodline to find Malec, but Ires wouldn’t do it.
Callum didn’t know that Isbeth would kill Malec until she asked for him. He figured it was a fifty-fifty chance who she’d kill—her heartmate or Poppy. He explains that Isbeth is the harbinger, and Millie was the warning. He then says that it’d take Poppy eons to be powerful enough to destroy the realms, then adds that it’s time for them to bow to the True King of the Realms.
As a final taunt, he tells Poppy it should have been her on the altar and that it was always about her and Millie, promising they’d be dealt with later. He also explains that Kolis slept fitfully under the Temple of Theon but was kept well-fed. The extra Rite made him strong enough to wake up. When Poppy Ascended, it woke him completely, and when Malec takes his last breath, he’ll be at full strength. Reciting part of the dark nursery rhyme Poppy heard as a child, Casteel silences him by ripping out his heart.
With a gaping hole still in his chest, he gets up and tells the group that the True King’s guards are coming—the dakkais.
Callum fights with Malik and then runs off as soon as Poppy calls the Consort’s name—he knows what that means.
The group promises to find and deal with him later, and I certainly hope they do. However, I fear there is still more to come as it pertains to Callum. He knows more, has experienced more, and had a stake in more than anyone. His end goal is still very much a mystery.
NEKTAS
The first draken
Court: Dalos to The Shadowlands
Click here to see a full-size image of Nektas by Art by Steffani.
Hair: Long, black, and streaked with red (becomes streaked with silver).
Eyes: Blood-red with a vertical pupil (become sapphire blue with a vertical pupil).
Body type: Tall. Long legs.
Facial features: Copper skin. Broad, proud features.
Distinguishing features: Ridges along his back that resemble scales—can present elsewhere if close to shifting.
Preternatural features: Black and dark gray scales. Spiked tail. The size of three large horses. Long, graceful neck. Head is half the size of a horse’s body. Flat, broad nose. Wide jaw. Pointed horns on his head like a crown. Body is at least twenty feet long.
Personality: Quiet. Reserved. Sage-like.
Habits/Mannerisms/Strengths/Weaknesses: Extraordinary hearing. Can manifest clothing.
Background: Was Eythos’s bonded draken, the very first, and was close to him even before receiving his dual nature. Created the first mortal with Eythos. When Eythos died, it severed their bond, and he ended up bonded to Nyktos by choice.
Family: Daughter = Jadis. Mate = Halayna †. Distant relative = Thad. Bonded Primal = Eythos and then Nyktos.
NEKTAS’S JOURNEY TO DATE: