The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

breeze from the sea. The center was a wide structure with
numerous windows and doors, several stories tall, with a
domed glass ceiling and spires that I’d seen upon my
arrival. Sweeping, two-story wings connected by vinecovered
breezeways flanked each side. Balconies jutted
from the second floors, the curtains swept to the sides and
cinched to pillars. Underneath, private verandas separated
by walls covered by ivy and tiny pale blue blossoms rested.
The Cove Palace wasn’t half the size or nearly as tall as
Castle Teerman and would be dwarfed by Wayfair Castle,
where the Queen and King of Solis resided. But it was
beautiful, nonetheless.
Behind me, Casteel had stiffened. “The guards are
new,” he said to Kieran.
Guards weren’t usually posted at the entrances to
where the King and Queen were currently staying?
“That they are.” Kieran drew his horse closer to ours as
he eyed the guards. “But not entirely a surprise.”
“No, they are not,” Casteel agreed.
The guards bowed deeply, but they watched the wolven
with wary gazes. Suspicion tinged with curiosity radiated
from them as we rode through the breezeway. I didn’t pick
up on any outright hostility as I guided Setti past them, but
they were definitely watchful as we entered the courtyard
where a tiered fountain gurgled water. Crimson roses
climbed the basin, scenting the air as we dismounted from
the horses. Several stable hands appeared, taking the reins.
Placing a steadying hand on my lower back, Casteel
guided me toward the rounded steps. A man dressed in a
golden tunic stood at the door, bowing before opening both
sides. My nervousness resurfaced with a vengeance as we
entered a short hall that opened to a circular chamber. The
last of the sunlight shone across the numerous rows of
empty benches, and light spilled from electric-powered wall
sconces inside alcoves on either side of the vast chamber.
The space could easily accommodate several hundred, and I