The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

“That is correct,” he answered.
“The Atlantians present are loyal to Casteel, and I do not
believe he feels they will betray him,” I said, still holding the
Queen’s gaze. “Am I right, Casteel?”
“You are,” he confirmed, his tone not nearly as dry as
Kieran’s. Still, there was an undeniable smokiness to it.
“With the exception of the King, the remaining
witnesses are dead, and it can be safely assumed they will
not be sharing the events of the night anytime soon,” I
continued, my fingers beginning to ache from how tightly I
clasped them. “But in the rare, off chance that what
happened that night becomes widely known, I am still
unsure what there is to be concerned about. The Atlantian
people appear to be intelligent enough to realize that since I
have no fangs and can walk in the sun, I am not a vampry.
Or am I overestimating the people’s common sense?”
No one responded.
It was so quiet in the room that a cricket could have
sneezed, and we would have heard it.
Casteel broke the tense silence. “You have not
overestimated the people, and not only is this conversation
pointless, it’s also offensive, considering she was attacked
by our people.”
“We had no knowledge of Alastir’s plans or that the
Unseen were active and involved in this,” the Queen stated.
“Nor did he give us any indication that he was plotting such
a thing.”
“When Alastir came with Kieran to alert us of the
Ascended’s arrival in Spessa’s End,” his father said, “he told
us about your intention to marry, and his belief that it was
tied to…Malik.” He took a quick drink, clearing his throat. I
felt it though, push through the walls around my senses,
before it vanished—the burst of tangy, almost bitter agony.
“He said he was unsure how committed you two truly were
to each other.”