Holland nodded with a look of approval. “But since Seraphena is female, the next to rise must be of the same sex.”
“Unless… Unless I abdicate?” My gaze shot to Thorne.
“Correct,” Holland confirmed. “Then it will be possible for them to Ascend. They carry enough eather in them to do so, but unlike with your offspring,” he said, and my stomach dropped to the floor at the thought, “it isn’t guaranteed. They could die in the process.”
“Then your abdication would be null and void,” Thorne commented.
My stomach had plummetedthroughthe floor. It would fall on me.
“There is another,” Holland remarked.
“Kieran,” I murmured, but he would want that even less than I did.
Thorne eyed me as if he knew exactly where my mind had gone. His next words confirmed that. “Most would jump at the chance to have such power over not only the mortal realm but also that of the gods.”
“Yeah, well, that sounds like a lot of…responsibility,” I said. “And it would also mean that my father, uncle, and grandmother would all be gone.”
“You don’t even know them,” Thorne countered.
I stared at him. “And?”
“Their loss couldn’t affect you that greatly.”
“Are you serious?”
“Partially,” he replied. “Still, it is a lot of power.” The essence flared in his eyes. “Some would say you’d be…weak not to take it.”
“Some would say it’s better when you speak less,” I retorted.
Thorne tossed his head back and laughed deeply. “I’m sure you’re right.”
“What about this Court?” I said before they could keep asking about my reluctance to seize such power. “Is there one who can Ascend?”
The corners of Holland’s mouth tightened. “Not that I like to think of that happening,” he replied, “but there is another who can take her place.”
“So, you and Penellaphe have a child?”
His features softened. “We do.”
“That’s…nice,” I said, hoping that hadn’t come out as awkwardly as it sounded. Thorne’s chuckle told me it had. Great. “Anyway…” I cleared my throat. “What’s bad…?”
I didn’t need to finish asking what was so bad about not being tied to a Court. Dividing their powers wasn’t the only reason the Ancients had designed the Courts. Binding a Primal god to a Court was also a means of control. They used the responsibilities of the Court—the impact the Primal’s actions and death would have on the realms—to ensure they remained in check.
But withDeminyenPrimals?
They couldn’t keep us in check, and that made us dangerous.
CHAPTER 16
POPPY
“I think she figured out the bad part of being aDeminyen,” Thorne noted.
I had. But did designing the Courts that way work? Clearly not. All one had to do was point to Kolis to prove it was a failure.
Still, I returned Thorne’s smile with my own close-lipped one. “I’m not sure it’s all that bad.”
Thorne chuckled, and the sound startled me. It sounded so much like—
