The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

“Hell,” Kieran muttered under his breath as at least a
dozen more drifted from behind trees and bushes in the
courtyard.
“I’m guessing these aren’t friendly Descenters?” I
asked.
The Descenter closest to us unstrapped a dagger from
his hip.
“I’m going to go with no,” I answered my own question,
my pulse kicking up as I stared at the blade. “And I’m also
going to assume that they no longer have any intention of
not outright killing me.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Kieran promised.
“No. It won’t.” My grip tightened on the wolven dagger
as I scanned them. From what I could tell, they all appeared
to be male. They had to be part of the brotherhood Alastir
had spoken of, but that couldn’t mean that all Descenters
were involved. Although, if any in Atlantia looked upon me
as the Maiden, a tool of the Ascended, it would be them.
I allowed my senses to stretch out, and what came back
to me was…cold emptiness. “I…I don’t feel anything,” I
whispered, focusing on the one with the dark blade.
Unnerved, I realized I still sensed nothing. “It’s like with the
Ascended.”
“They are not Ascended,” Kieran said, his nostrils flaring
as he scented the air.
There was something…off about the men standing in
the beams of light. Something that had nothing to do with
my inability to read their emotions. Shivers broke out across
my flesh as I stared at them. It was their skin. It appeared
paper-thin and too pale as if not a drop of blood remained in
their veins. My stomach squeezed tightly. “Are they…? They
aren’t Atlantians, are they? Or any other bloodline?”
“No,” Kieran growled. “I have no idea what these things
are.”
Things?