The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

are wrong about is our lack of empathy toward the people of
Solis. We know that they are victims. At least, the vast
majority of us know that.”
“I hope that is true.”
“But?”
I said nothing.
One side of her lips curled up. “You haven’t had the
greatest experiences with the people of Atlantia. I can’t
blame you for doubting that.”
That did factor into my disbelief, but it wasn’t the only
reason. “If the Atlantians are sympathetic to the people of
Solis, then they should be willing to try to prevent war.”
“But again, the ones who make that decision are those
who have lived through the last war or grew up in its
aftermath. Their thirst for retribution is as strong as an
Ascended’s hunger for blood,” she countered, and once
more, her word choice snagged my attention.
“What are you really saying to me, Your Majesty?” I
asked.
“Call me Eloana,” she offered, and I blinked, not exactly
understanding at what point in our conversation we’d gone
from formal titles to intimate names. “What if your
ultimatum fails?”
The fact that she didn’t answer my question didn’t go
unnoticed. “Then, like you said, sometimes war cannot be
prevented.” A chill that was hard to ignore swept over me as
I said those words. “But at least we tried. We didn’t just take
our armies into Solis and set the kingdom on fire.”
“And that’s what you think we will do?”
“Isn’t it?”
“We want to be able to make use of those lands,
Penellaphe. We do not want a dozen more Wastelands on
our hands,” she pointed out. “But we would burn
Carsodonia. Cut the head off the snake. It is the only way.”
I stared at her, aghast. “Millions of people live in
Carsodonia.”