The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

deity and an Atlantian had abilities that manifested so
strongly in them as they have for you. What you did at the
Chambers is something not even the most powerful
elemental Atlantian can do,” he said, sliding a thumb along
his jaw as he looked between Casteel and me. “You asked
me in the Temple of Saion if I could explain what happened
to you when Casteel Ascended you.”
“And you told us that you didn’t know,” Casteel replied.
“That wasn’t entirely a lie,” he said, glancing at his wife
before turning to Casteel. “The past that your mother spoke
of plays a role in this—what you’ve become. But it doesn’t
explain how.”
Icy fingers of unease touched the nape of my neck,
sending a shiver down my spine.
“Your parents?” his mother asked as she tipped forward
slightly. “You believed them both to be mortal?”
“I did,” I said, shoulders tensing. “But I’m not so sure
now. I don’t even know if they were my birth parents.”
Her throat worked on a swallow. “And you have a
brother?”
Alastir had definitely informed them well. “I do. He is
older by two years.”
“And he Ascended?” she asked, and I nodded stiffly. She
clasped her hands lightly in her lap. “Are you sure of that?”
“He has only ever been seen at night,” Casteel
confirmed. “Beyond that, there is no way of knowing. But he
has been seen multiple times. I do not believe they are
using him for blood—in the same way they intended to use
Penellaphe.”
I knew what his parents were thinking. That Ian was
either my half-brother or not my brother by blood at all. If
either were the case, I didn’t care. He was still my sibling.
Just as my parents, who had given their lives to protect us,
would always be the only mother and father I knew.
“I believe that we can answer some of the questions you
have,” his mother stated, her gaze briefly meeting her