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)
He adds that Kolis knows all about her and has since the night she was born, then says Sera’s father, King Lamont, summoned the Primal of Life to make another deal. He remarks that it was clever of Eythos to hide embers in a simple mortal, especially someone who would one day belong to his son.
Sera asks why Kolis didn’t just take the embers. Why wait for her to be taken to the Shadowlands? Callum and Kolis reveal the prophecy and reiterate the Blood and Ash bit.
As they talk and explain more, Callum laughs when Kolis says how silly Sera’s question is about wanting more power and then warns Kolis to watch out for Attes. He tells him that the other Primal is trying to trick him and not to trust him. Attes threatens that he knows how to kill Callum—draken blood—and will do so if he disrespects him again.
Callum keeps watch over Sera as she’s held in Dalos. He doesn’t for one minute believe that she’s Sotoria and makes it abundantly clear to her. All the while, they argue and do things to provoke the other.
They really do fight like siblings—if that brother and sister constantly had murdering each other on the brain, that is.
When Kolis reveals that he’s actually Sotoria’s brother, Callum gives his sister the credit she’s due, calling her sweet, and fierce, and caring. But he takes great pleasure every time Seraphena is knocked down a peg and plans to do whatever is necessary to make sure that Kolis rises to the power he was always meant to have. He owes Kolis, after all. The King forgave him for letting Sotoria down and gave him eternal life.
My next sighting of Callum is actually in my more recent visions of Poppy and Casteel. I first saw him entering the dungeon with five Handmaidens and Isbeth when the Blood Queen held Cas. He remarks that Casteel is clever when he figures out what Isbeth is and then takes interest when she asks what Cas knows about Malec.
After Poppy beheads King Jalara, Callum is a bit stunned. He’s careful not to touch his head as he steps forward to confront her.
Later, back in the dungeon, Casteel threatens to kill him, and Callum quips that he’s heard that more times than he can count but confesses that Cas is the first person he thinks might actually succeed. Then, he removes a shadowstone dagger and stabs the new King of Atlantia.
Casteel repeatedly calls Callum Golden Boy, and it irks him. I love it, and I’ve taken to doing it myself. He lashes out and says he’s not a boy. When Cas attacks and stabs Isbeth with the sharpened bone, Callum looks on in captive interest. He tells the Blood Queen that Casteel needs to feed. As they try to force it, he holds Cas still, but the Atlantian elbows him in the chin, headbutts him, and throws him into the wall, causing him to acknowledge how strong Cas still is.
Callum separates Kieran and Reaver and then formally greets Poppy, telling her it’s an honor to meet her. As Poppy tries to read him, she’s met with only thick, shadowy walls.
Poppy threatens Isbeth, and it gives him goose bumps. He remarks that he hasn’t felt power like that in a very long time. When Reaver asks how long, he only responds with, “Long.” I imagine he’s alluding to the fact that she feels like the Consort, Sera, whom he had loads of experience with, as well.
Callum leads Poppy, Isbeth, and Millie to Casteel’s cell in the dungeon and has Poppy blindfolded once they’re underground. He stares at Poppy’s scars and remarks that the wounds must have hurt something terrible. She tells him that he’s about to find out if he keeps standing so close to her. Callum backs away at the Queen’s order.
As he leads Poppy to Cas, he warns her not to stand too close to him as he’s like a rabid animal. Poppy tells him that she’ll make sure he dies and make it hurt. When they see Casteel, and Callum remarks that he’s surprised to see Cas talking since he was only foaming at the mouth the last time, Poppy tells him she’s changed her mind and will kill him the first chance she gets. When she displays some of her power, letting it into her voice, he hisses and straightens his spine.
Later, he asks if she thinks Cas really deserves food, and she stabs him in the heart with his own dagger. He swears, and Millie removes him.
The next day, he tells Casteel that his arrogance is impressive and admits that Poppy stabbed him with his own weapon. He lets on that he’s seen love take down the most powerful beings but has only seen love stop death once—with Nyktos and his Consort. He taunts Casteel with this, saying that love is a weakness for him and that he should have fed from Poppy when he had the chance. He then stabs Casteel, barely missing his heart on purpose, sending him straight into bloodlust. He removes the blade, licks it clean, and then wishes Casteel luck.