The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

My heart pounded as we entered a street crowded with
people. They stood in front of homes and on cobblestone
sidewalks, their unease and grief sinking into my skin as my
gaze settled on a plain white carriage left unattended in the
road.
The father drew his horse to a halt in front of a narrow,
two-story home with windows that faced the glittering bay.
As Casteel brought Setti to a stop, a wild mix of emotions
rose from within the wrought-iron-enclosed courtyard and
slammed into me, knocking the breath from my lungs. I
twisted to find Kieran at our side. He reached up, grasping
my arms.
“Do you have her?” Casteel demanded of Kieran.
“Always,” he replied.
Casteel’s grip on me slipped away, and Kieran helped
me down. The moment my feet were on the ground, Casteel
was beside me. I glanced at the carriage, seeing strands of
hair tangled in the wheel—I quickly looked away before I
saw anything else.
“Through here,” the father said, his long legs carrying
him over the sidewalk and through the gate.
A man dressed in gray stood at the entrance to the
garden. He turned to us. A satchel hung from his shoulder,
and several pouches were clipped to the belt around his
waist. I knew at once that he was the Healer.
“Your Highness, I must apologize for this disruption,” the
man said, the sun glinting off the smoothness of his bald
head. His eyes were a vivid gold. The Healer was Atlantian.
“I told the parents the child was beyond our care and that
she would soon enter the Vale. That there was nothing to
do. But they insisted that you come h-here.” He stuttered
over the last word as he looked at me. His throat worked on
a swallow. “They had heard that she—”
“I know what they heard about my wife,” Casteel stated
as Delano prowled ahead. “This is no disruption.”