The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

But how could that happen? If Casteel and I were
successful in overthrowing the Blood Crown, Solis would
remain as it was, only safer for mortals because only the
Ascended who agreed to control their thirst would survive.
But the power remained with the wealthy. And the
wealthiest were among the Ascended. They thrived in a
stratified system, which would be harder to break than
stopping the Rites and the murders of innocents.
And could the majority of the Ascended be trusted to
change? Would the new King and Queen who replaced the
ones who currently ruled the Blood Crown even agree?
Would Solis really be any different? We had to try, though. It
was the only way to avoid war and prevent further
destruction and countless deaths. First, we had to convince
Queen Ileana and King Jalara that, unlike what the Duchess
had claimed about my union with the Prince, it would be the
Ascended’s undoing and not the downfall of Atlantia. Both
the Duchess and Alastir were wrong—and dead.
In a way, the Ascended had kickstarted their downfall by
creating the Maiden and convincing the people of Solis that I
had been Chosen by the gods—gods the mortals believed
were very much awake and constantly vigilant. The
Ascended had made me their figurehead and a symbol of
Solis to the people they controlled through manipulation. My
marriage to Casteel would serve two purposes. It would
prove that the Atlantians were not responsible for the
plague known as the Craven—another lie the Ascended had
spun to cover their evil deeds and to incite fear to make
controlling people easier. And the people of Solis would
believe the gods had approved of the Chosen joining with an
Atlantian. Because of their lies, we held the upper hand. The
only way any Ascended could remain in power was if they
understood that. Because if they turned against me, their
entire kingdom of lies would crack underneath them.
Casteel had been right when he’d said that Queen Ileana
was clever. She was. She had to agree. We would prevent a