The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

“Did you still want to see Kirha before we leave?” he
asked.
I nodded. I’d mentioned this morning that I wanted to
thank her for the clothing and her hospitality before we left
to meet with the current Queen and King of Atlantia. Casteel
had already sent word ahead of our impending arrival. With
his hand folded around mine, he led me out into the
breezeway, where ceiling fans churned overhead, stirring
the scent of cinnamon and cloves that seeped out from the
open windows of rooms facing the pathway.
If it weren’t for the faded, oily stains on the walkway
and the darkening of the dirt every couple of yards, it would
be hard to imagine that those faceless creatures had been
here two nights before. But they had, and Casteel and I
were prepared in case the Gyrms appeared once more. I
carried the wolven dagger hidden beneath my tunic, and
Casteel had two short swords strapped to his sides. We also
weren’t alone.
A wolven with fur as dark as Stygian Bay prowled along
the top of the courtyard wall, tracking our progress. I had a
feeling he or she wasn’t the only wolven nearby as we
stepped out from the breezeway and onto an earthen path
lined with tall palms. The fan-shaped leaves provided
adequate shade from the late-morning sun as we followed
the winding walkway. Bursts of color from tiny wildflowers
and vivid pink and purple blossoms peeked out from the
tangled vines that swept over the walls in some sections
and blanketed most of the garden floor. The garden was
nothing like the showy and wildly diverse ones in
Masadonia, but I liked the earthy, natural feel of it. And I
had a feeling that no matter how many times one walked
the pathways, they would find something new among the
foliage.
We rounded a bend, and a patio became visible. Several
stone benches and wooden stools that appeared to have
been crafted from the trunks of trees encircled a large fire