The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

The driver’s wide-brimmed hat obscured his features, but I
felt the cool jolt of surprise as he and the younger man, who
appeared barely in his teens, walked alongside the large,
gray horse.
The driver waved, and the young man quickly dropped
to one knee before rising to also wave.
I started to lock up but forced myself to relax and
behave somewhat normally by returning the greeting, along
with Casteel and Kieran.
Feeling rather proud of myself, I smiled at the wolven as
they passed the two on the road. While I wondered which of
the wolven was Lyra, a woman appeared between the trees
several yards ahead, the bright orange tunic flattering
against her deep black skin. She kept an eye on a small
child who chased after a golden-winged bird that hopped
along the tree’s lower branches. Upon seeing us, a wide
smile broke out across her face as she placed her hands on
the child’s shoulders and whispered to her. The little girl
looked over with an excited squeal and immediately started
jumping on one foot and then the other.
Casteel chuckled under his breath as the woman shook
her head and bowed at the waist, patiently coaxing the child
to do the same. They too waved, and this time, I wasn’t
frozen. I waved back like Casteel and Kieran had done, and
it felt…less awkward. Like my arm wasn’t as stiff as it had
been before. But I quickly forgot about what my arm looked
and felt like as the little girl all but rushed from her mother
and nearly tackled the black-and-white wolven. Choked
laughter came from Kieran as the girl wrapped tiny arms
around the wolven.
“Oh, gods, Talia,” the woman exclaimed. “What have I
told you about randomly hugging people?”
I grinned as she gently untangled the girl from the
wolven, who playfully nipped at one of her arms. A riot of
giggles erupted from the child, and a second later, she was