The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

questioning raise of his brows. “I’m sorry,” I said,
smothering a giggle. “It’s just that Casteel would argue that
logic isn’t one of my strong suits.”
There was a faint curve of her lips. “That doesn’t
surprise me. Most men wouldn’t know logic if it smacked
them in the face.”
This time, my laugh was a lot softer, partly due to her
response and Kieran’s reactive frown.
“But because you do appear to be logical, even when
emotions are involved, I feel that I can be blunt,” she
continued, and my humor shriveled up. “And that I can
admit that I did have yet another agenda for speaking with
you privately. My husband wants to go to war with the
Ascended—with Solis. There are many who wish the same.”
“The…the Council of Elders?”
A shadow flickered across her face. “Most of them want
to see Solis destroyed. The Lords and Ladies of Atlantia?
Very many of them, as well. It’s more than just what has
been done to our sons. It is what has been done over and
over to Atlantia. They want blood.”
Casteel had said as much. “I can understand that.”
“You said inside that you wanted to bring death and
destruction to Solis,” she pointed out, and I shivered despite
the warmth. “Valyn was probably pleased to hear that he
may have a supporter in you, but I don’t believe you
understand what that truly means or what has already
begun.”
I flattened my hands in my lap. “What has already
begun?”
“Casteel hasn’t been home to see that we’ve been
training our armies daily outside of Evaemon, nor does he
know that we have already moved a sizable unit to the
northern foothills of the Skotos Mountains,” she told me,
and I sensed Kieran’s cool surprise even from where he
stood. “I’m sure he’s being told this now or will be shortly,
but we are already on the line of war. And if we cross it, we