The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

“And millions could die,” she agreed, exhaling softly. I
felt a spike of anguish, one I didn’t think had anything to do
with Malik. “I don’t want that. Neither does Valyn. Gods
know we have both seen enough blood—spilled enough of
it. But we have decided, as have the Elders, to go to war. It
is done,” she advised. My heart thumped heavily in my
chest. I hadn’t expected to hear this today. I could sense
that Kieran hadn’t either. His shock was just as potent as
mine as Eloana’s jaw clenched and then relaxed. “Only the
King and Queen can stop war from happening now.”
“Then stop it,” I exclaimed.
Slowly, she turned her head to me, and the next breath I
took hitched in my throat. I knew what she was saying
without vocalizing the words—I knew what she meant when
she continued saying that her generation wouldn’t give the
Ascended the chance to negotiate—that neither she nor
King Valyn could do that again.
Whereas Casteel and I could.
Her focus returned to the roses. “I love my kingdom
almost as much as I love my sons and my husband. I love
each and every Atlantian, no matter how much Atlantian
blood courses through their veins. I would do anything to
keep my people safe, healthy, and whole. I know what war
will do to them, as does Valyn. I also know that war is not
the only thing my people have to fear or worry about. A
different kind of battle will be brewing soon within the Pillars
of Atlantia, between those who cannot trust a stranger
ruling over them and those who see you as the rightful
Queen—the only Queen.”
My hands clenched in my lap once more.
“It wouldn’t matter if you absconded. The divisiveness
will be as destructive as war, and it will only serve to
weaken Atlantia,” she continued, confirming what Casteel
had said and then proving just how well she knew her son.
“Casteel loves as fiercely as his father and I do, and given
what little I know of your past, he will not force this choice