The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

morning and could then take as many days as we have to
explore what you can of Atlantia. To talk to the people. Hear
their voices. See them with your eyes. Learn that not all of
them would’ve taken part in what happened at the
Chambers or would stand by Alastir and the Unseen.” She
reached over, placing her hand over mine. “You don’t have
much time, but you can take what you do have to give the
people of Atlantia the chance you are willing to give our
enemies. My son’s plans and yours can wait a few days, can
they not?”
Casteel was definitely his mother’s son.
I looked at the gently swaying spikes of purple and blue
flowers. I wanted to see more of Atlantia, and not just
because I was curious to see the capital. I needed to
because I had a choice to make—one I’d never planned on,
but one I had to come to terms with sooner rather than
later. I swallowed, turning back to the Queen.
Before I could speak, the sound of footsteps reached us.
We both turned to the path we’d followed and stood. My
hand drifted to the hem of my tunic as Kieran stepped out
from the tall cones of blossoms, only a few feet from me.
“It’s Casteel and his father,” he told me.
“Well,” the Queen said, smoothing her hands over the
waist of her dress, “I doubt they grew bored enough to
interrupt us.”
Neither did I.
A moment later, they rounded the corner, the sun
turning Casteel’s hair a blue-black. A heavy, thick feeling
followed by a tart taste reached me. He was concerned. And
conflicted.
It was not just him and his father who came down the
cobbled pathway. A tall, striking figure was behind them, her
skin the beautiful shade of night-blooming roses and thin,
narrow braids hanging to her waist.
Vonetta.