The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

echoed around me as a faint silver glow emanated from my
hands.
“Good gods,” someone rasped. The sound of boots
sliding over pebbles and dirt sounded.
Closing my eyes, I searched for memories—good ones.
It didn’t take me as long as it had before. Immediately, I
recalled how I felt kneeling in the sandy dirt beside Casteel
as he slipped the ring on my finger. My entire being had
been wrapped in the taste of chocolate and berries, and I
could feel that now. The corners of my lips turned up, and I
held onto that feeling, taking that pulsing joy and happiness
and picturing it as a bright light that funneled through my
touch to the child, wrapping around her like a blanket. All
the while, I repeated over and over that it wasn’t too late,
that she would live. It’s not too late. She will live. It’s not too
late. She will live—
The child jerked. Or the mother did. I didn’t know. My
eyes flew open, and my heart stuttered. The silver light had
spread, settling over the child in a fine, shimmery web that
blanketed her entire body. I could only see patches of her
skin underneath—her pink skin.
“Momma,” came the soft, weak voice from under the
light, and then stronger, “Momma.”
Gasping, I drew my hands back. The silvery light
twinkled like a thousand stars before fading away. The little
girl, her skin pink, and her eyes open, was sitting up,
reaching for her mother.
Stunned, I leaned back as my gaze swept to Casteel. He
was staring at me, golden eyes filled with wonder. “I…” He
swallowed thickly. “You…you are a goddess.”
“No.” I folded my hands against my legs. “I’m not.”
Sunlight glanced off his cheek as he tipped forward,
bracing his weight on the hand he’d placed on the ground.
He leaned in, brushing his nose across mine as he cupped
my cheek. “To me, you are.” He kissed me softly, scattering
what was left of my senses. “To them, you are.”