The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

“I think it is,” I said. “It reminds me of the Ascended.
They used fear, half-truths, and outright lies to control the
people of Solis. They would often create hysteria like the
Duke did after the attack on the Rise. Remember?” I
glanced at Casteel, who nodded. “Placing the blame of the
Craven attack on the Descenters when, in reality, they had
been the ones to create those monsters. But by doing so, by
creating unrest and suspicion among the people, it made
them easier to control. Because the people were too busy
pointing fingers at one another rather than joining together
and looking toward the Ascended as the root of their woes.”
I tucked a strand of my hair back, unused to having so many
listening—so many looking at me.
“I was just thinking that if the Unseen were behind the
destruction of crops and vandalism, they could be doing it to
create more unrest—to get people angry or suspicious, just
in time for them to provide someone to blame for what is
happening.”
“That someone being you?” the King asked.
Tension crept into my muscles. “It appears that way.”
King Valyn inclined his head as he studied me. “Unrest
and unease are two very powerful destabilizers of any
society. No matter how great one is, they can be taken apart
piece by piece from the inside, often weakening the
foundation to the point of collapse before anyone realizes
what is happening.”
“I have a lot of questions,” I announced the moment
Casteel ushered me back into our room, and King Valyn left.
“Not a single person in the entirety of either kingdom
would be surprised by that,” Kieran stated as he closed the
veranda doors behind him. “Not even remotely.”