The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

“There was supposedly another before me,” I
commented after a moment. “Her name is not known, and it
is said that the Dark One killed her.”
“The Dark One?” she mused. “Is that not what they call
my son?”
“It is, but I know he didn’t kill her. I’m not even sure she
existed.”
“I haven’t heard of another. That doesn’t mean one
didn’t exist,” she said as we neared the jacaranda trees.
“You were raised in Carsodonia?”
Clasping my hands together in front of me, I nodded.
“After my parents were killed, I was.”
“I’m truly sorry to learn of your parents’ deaths.”
Empathy flooded my senses as she turned to the right. “And
they were the ones who cared for you—the ones you
remember. They are your parents, Penellaphe.”
“Thank you.” A knot formed in my throat as I glanced up
at the cloudless, blue sky and then looked over at her. “I’m
sure you know that I spent many years with Queen Ileana.”
Tension bracketed her mouth as she echoed, “Ileana.”
Her nostrils flared in distaste. “The Queen of Blood and
Ash.”