The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

Just curiosity and confusion. I hadn’t expected that. Not
after the Temple. My body sank against Casteel’s, and I
rested my head against his chest. The crowd’s emotions
could change once they learned what I’d done, and what I
may or may not be. But right now, I wasn’t going to worry
about that. I started to close my eyes when deep blue fabric
snagged my attention.
A white-haired woman stood on a balcony of one of the
high-rise buildings, the wind tugging at the blue gown she
wore. Holding onto a black railing, she slowly lowered
herself to one knee and placed her fist over her thin chest.
Her head bowed as the wind whipped her snowy hair. On
another balcony, a man with gray hair in a long, thick braid,
did the same. And on the sidewalks…
Men and women whose skin and bodies bore the signs
of age lowered themselves to their knees, among those who
stood.
“Liessa!” a man shouted, slamming a hand against the
sidewalk, startling me. “MeyaahLiessa!”
Setti’s head reared as two children raced out from one
of the buildings—one of them no more than five years old—
their long, brown hair streaming out from behind them. One
of them shifted right there, pitching forward as white-andbrown-streaked
fur erupted from the skin. The wolven was
so tiny as it yipped and bounced, ears flopping as the older
child by only a year or so ran beside the pup.
Casteel’s grip on Setti tightened as the child shouted,
“Liessa! Liessa!”
Liessa. I had heard that before when I’d had that
nightmare in the Skotos Mountains and heard Delano’s
voice. He’d said those words. Or I had dreamed him saying
them, at least.
An older child grabbed the younger one and turned,
chasing after the one who’d shifted. Younger men and
women appeared on the sidewalks and above, babies held
to their hips as they lowered to their knees. Shock rolled out