The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

There was that word again. It tugged at the memories of
my time in the crypts with Jansen. “When you say ‘realm,’
what are you talking about?”
“The Lands of the Gods, that realm,” Casteel answered
as his hand wandered to my upper back and slid under my
braid. “It’s called Iliseeum.”
“Iliseeum?” My breath caught as what Jansen had said
finally came back to me. “Jansen mentioned a place called
Iliseeum—and a place called the Shadowlands. I thought he
was making stuff up.” I glanced around the room. “Both are
real?”
“They are.” Casteel reached over, straightening the
collar on the robe. “Iliseeum is the Lands of the Gods. The
Shadowlands are where the Abyss is located and how the
Vale is accessed.”
“He also…he also said that Nyktos was known as…the
Asher? He said he was called the One who is Blessed, the
Bringer of Death, and the Guardian of Souls,” I said,
frowning. “And he said that Nyktos ruled over the Land of
the Dead and that he was the Primal God of Common Men
and Endings.”
“Technically, Nyktos is those things,” Jasper answered.
“As the God of Life and Death, he rules both the
Shadowlands and the realms of the living, but he is not the
God of Common Men. And I never heard of him being
referred to as the Asher or the One who is Blessed.” He
looked over at me, brimming with curiosity. “Although,
weren’t you called that? Blessed?”
I nodded.
“Interesting,” he murmured. “I think Jansen told some
truths and then made things up to sound more
knowledgeable and important, just like the Unseen were
often known to do.”
My brow rose. Jansen did have an inflated sense of selfworth.
“But how have I never heard of Iliseeum until now?”