The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

“Now”—he grunted as one of the things jumped on his
back. Bending, he flipped it over—“is not the time for
questions, Poppy.”
Good point, but still, how did it breathe with no mouth or
nose?
The Gyrm thing came at me, and I forced myself past
being creeped out. I needed to focus because the one who
apparently had a mouth and could speak, knew about
Lockswood. I would have to freak out about these things
later. I met its attack, shoving my blade deep into the
creature’s chest. I wasn’t as quick as before, and black
liquid sprayed the front of Casteel’s shirt.
Whirling around, I spotted the male on the wall. I stalked
forward, ignoring the sharp stones under my bare feet.
Another Gyrm shot toward me, and I braced myself. He
lifted his sword, but I struck first, jamming my dagger up
under the edge of his mask. I jerked back as he fell, his body
fracturing into nothing within seconds. I turned to see Kieran
jerk his blade through the neck of another. Purple goo
sprayed out as his gaze found mine.
“Your eyes,” he uttered, dragging the back of his hand
over his face. “They’re glowing quite brightly.”
They were?
The hum in my chest was a whisper in my blood as I
turned back to the wall. The man was still there, and the
energy building inside me felt like it had at the Chambers of
Nyktos. My heart tripped over itself as another masked
creature appeared in the bright light. I tightened my grip on
the dagger, resisting the pull of that vibration. I didn’t want
to do that again. Not until I fully understood it and knew I
could stop it.
A damp hand clamped around my arm. Letting all those
early mornings and afternoons spent with Vikter take hold, I
twisted inward and swept out with my leg. The Gyrm hadn’t
expected the move, or maybe I had simply moved faster
than it could react to. I took his legs out from under him and