Page 106 of The Primal of Blood and Bone (Blood and Ash #6)

Poppy fell back to sleep soon afterward. I remained awake, hoping I was right about the cause of the strange behavior and that it wasn’t what I feared.

That it had something to do with Kolis.

POPPY

“It is unlikely that the incident in Stonehill has spread beyond,” Casteel said. “But I want the entire city checked, just to be sure.”

The meeting I’d wanted with the generals was happening now at Wayfair, though I wished it was under different circumstances.

I looked around the circular chamber on the first floor of one of the castle’s many towers, not too far from the Great Hall.

The room was brightly lit, casting a harsh glow across the bare limestone walls and the faces of those seated or standing near the table.

There had been no overly formal greeting when the generals arrived as there had been outside of Massene, and much to my relief, the generals got down to business the moment they arrived. That’s not to say there wasn’t a lot of staring—at me, Casteel, and Kieran.

Most looks held awe, even a little disbelief.

This was the first time they were seeing the three of us together since I’d awakened.

But I didn’t think it was just our presence that kept drawing everyone’s eyes.

Based on how the Atlantians shifted in their seats or on their feet as if full of restless energy, I suspected it was the impact of the eather coursing through the three of us.

Even the mortals seemed to feel it. The only ones in the chamber who didn’t seem impacted were the wolven and the draken.

Speaking of the draken…

My gaze shifted to Reaver. He rested near the entryway in his draken form, which meant he took up nearly half the space.

He must have been in his mortal form when he entered, as there was no way he could’ve made it inside without tearing down a wall in the process.

I had no idea if he was in his draken form because of what had occurred at Ironspire, or if he just wanted to make the chamber as uncomfortable as possible.

Probably the latter.

Emil and Perry didn’t look all that pleased where they stood against the wall, only about a foot between them and Reaver’s spiked tail.

Right now, he had his vivid-blue stare fixed on a certain fair-haired general I’d once threatened.

My gaze moved to the two mortals. The male stood, and the female was seated. They were siblings. I didn’t know this because they looked similar, because they didn’t. The only trait they shared was their dark hair. I just knew they were brother and sister—which felt as weird as it sounded.

When Casteel stopped them from bowing as we entered, Kieran had explained through the notam that they were the unofficial leaders of the Descenters. They were young, perhaps only in the first years of their third decades of life.

Most involved in the resistance are young , Kieran reminded me when he sensed my surprise.

It made sense. The older generations were either too manipulated or beaten down to consider resisting the Blood Crown, let alone take part in the resistance.

My gaze shifted to General Aylard. He hadn’t been one of those who’d stared at us with awe.

He did so with unease and an unnecessary amount of distrust. Both emotions had lessened in the Elemental general, Gayla La’Sere, and the changeling with the sea-glass eyes, Lord Murin.

But the undercurrents of both were still there.

“My regiment is searching each street of Stonehill,” General Lizeth Damron advised. Her armor, a combination of leather and steel, creaked slightly as she leaned forward and rested an arm on the table. “It will likely take the remainder of the night for them to finish.”

Seated to my right, Casteel leaned back. He had taken the lead for this meeting, mainly because I hadn’t given him much choice. I was focused on two things: stopping myself from letting the banked rage simmering in my chest out and shadowstepping to Pensdurth to find Kolis.

At the beginning of the meeting, my gaze had landed on the dagger strapped to Emil’s chest. I’d immediately seen little hands clutching a much duller blade, and what I felt then was the same as what I felt now.

Pure, unfettered rage.

It blazed through me, leaving no room for the agony of the countless lives lost. Those people didn’t deserve their fate.

Those children never should’ve had their futures stolen from them.

Their bodies shouldn’t have been desecrated in the way they were after death.

It didn’t matter that their souls had already passed on.

What had been done to them…there was no balance in that.

One question had lingered since I realized Kolis was responsible. What was stopping him from doing it again?

Nothing.

But that wasn’t right. An item in the chest in the Solar could stop Kolis. Eather thrummed through my veins.

Additional thoughts swirled. Why in the fuck had he called me so’lis ?

Before I finished my Ascension, I wouldn’t have understood what the word meant. I did now.

My soul.

I glanced at Casteel, knowing he had also understood what it meant. It was part of the reason the tension had remained in his jaw since last night.

Well, that and the fact that he had found me in the middle of the night staring out the glass wall—something I still had no recollection of.

Actually, having no recollection wasn’t entirely true. When I woke this morning, I vaguely remembered standing at the window, but nothing beyond that. It had to be because of what I’d seen in Stonehill. That would mess with anyone’s head.

Delano’s soft fur grazed my arm as he nudged my hand. I reached over and ran my fingers through the fur between his ears. He had wiggled himself between Casteel and me.

“I assume Croft’s Cross has the highest populace,” Casteel stated, his focus settling on the mortals.

The raven-haired woman with the cornflower-blue eyes—introduced as Helenea—cleared her throat.

With her delicate features, flawless skin, and voluptuous body not even the drab cream tunic and brown skirt could diminish, she was the kind of person I would’ve been uncomfortable around while unveiled. Helenea was that beautiful.

“We have never been able to get exact numbers for how many reside in Croft’s Cross,” she said, her voice soft and carrying an air of refinement that hinted at an education rare among Solis’s working class.

“But more souls inhabit Croft’s Cross than any other district.

” Her steady gaze moved to mine before it returned to Casteel and Kieran.

A faint pink hue stained her ivory cheeks.

“If it will take the remainder of the night to check Stonehill, then Croft’s Cross will likely take at least twice that long. ”

“What about Lowertown?” I asked, and Helenea jolted a bit. I realized then that it was the first words I’d spoken since entering. “I know there are more warehouses and taverns there, but I’m unsure how many residents there are.”

“Your Majesty—”

“Penellaphe,” I corrected softly.

Helenea’s brows shot up but quickly smoothed out.

“The total number who live there varies.” She glanced at her brother.

Alaric was as handsome as his sister was beautiful, though his features were rougher, his skin was several shades darker from a life spent in the elements, and his eyes were more gray than blue.

“It all depends on how many merchants have their sailors out to sea. But…”

“I would say roughly two thousand can be found in Lowertown on any given day,” he answered.

“And how does that compare to the Garden District?” Lord Sven asked. The general had trimmed his beard since I’d last seen him, and his golden eyes had also changed. They held a sorrow now that hadn’t been as present before.

I had a feeling he had been to Stonehill.

“As a whole, the Garden District is likely our third most heavily populated area, right behind Stonehill,” Kieran answered from my left.

He’d reclined back in his chair, two fingers curled around his chin as he stared ahead, his brow furrowed.

“With the Luxe holding the least number of mortals. Am I correct, Helenea?”

The pink in Helenea’s cheeks deepened as she nodded her agreement. “Y-yes, you are correct.”

Did her tone sound a little more…breathy? Interesting.

“We need to start with Croft’s Cross.” Casteel’s gaze shifted to Lord Murin and then to Sven. “Have both of your regiments begin checking the residents there.” His stare moved to the dark-haired Elemental general. “La’Sere, you will check Lowertown and then the Garden District.”

“You want to leave the Garden District until after Lowertown?” A frown pulled at Gayla’s brows. She glanced back at General Aylard. “The Garden District populace is greater than Lowertown’s.”

“It is,” he replied. “But considering those who live in this area of the Garden District, I am sure we would’ve been alerted to any activity—even a slight inconvenience—by now.”

Kieran snorted quietly as Alaric smirked.

“Aylard, I want you on the Rise and beyond,” Casteel continued.

The general surprisingly nodded without argument. Then again, someone with a dick was giving the orders.

I shifted, knocking my left forearm against the hard arm of the chair. I winced at the flare of dull pain.

A second later, Casteel’s presence bore down on me through the notam . How is your arm, my Queen?

It’s fine, I assured him. There was barely a mark from where the grul had gotten a hold of me, and it only hurt when I smacked it into something.

“What are we to say when asked about what we’re doing?” Sven questioned, his empty hand resting on the table. “I know Lizeth has been telling those in Stonehill that there was an incident, but if word has spread beyond there, just saying it was an incident won’t suffice.”