The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

walls. But here? One could potentially walk right to the very
entry points of the palace.
It was clear that the ruling class welcomed interaction
with their citizens. Yet another stark difference from how the
Ascended ruled Solis.
I almost dropped Storm’s reins at my first sight of the
courtyard. “Night-blooming roses,” I whispered. Velvety
black petals, now closed against the rays of the sun,
climbed the pillars at the front of the palace, creeping
across the onyx walls and up over the towers and spires.
Casteel’s gaze followed mine. “I wanted to tell you
about them when you mentioned that they were your
favorite, but I couldn’t.” His brow creased. “They kind of
slipped my mind since then.”
I blinked, a bit shook by the sight of them. What a
coincidence that the flowers I had always been drawn to
covered the palace walls I would now call home.
“Cas!” a voice called out, drawing my attention to the
stables. A young man strode across the courtyard, dressed
in fawn-colored breeches and a white shirt like Casteel’s but
untucked. A wide smile broke out across the rich brown of
his face. The smile only halted a fraction of a heartbeat
when the wolven noticed him. “Is that really you? Or some
bizarre hallucination?”
The casual use of Casteel’s name signalized that this
man must be a friend—someone Casteel trusted. As he grew
closer, I saw that his eyes were a clear amber. He was an
elemental Atlantian, and he was quite handsome, his
features broad and warm, hair cropped close to his head
much like Kieran’s.
“That would be a strange hallucination,” Casteel joked
as he reached down, clasping the man’s hand while I urged
Storm to slow and then stop. “It’s been too long, Perry.”
The Atlantian nodded as a tan wolven crept close,
watching the man closely. Luckily, Storm had shown no real
reaction to so many wolven being close by. “It truly has