The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

golden, shining bone. I hadn’t seen the crown since the
Chambers of Nyktos. Eloana and Valyn stood in silence as
we approached them, Casteel’s mother’s hands clasped at
her waist.
“Mother,” Casteel said as we stopped before the steps
of the dais. Kieran and the others hung back several feet.
“Father.”
“We are glad to see that you have both returned,” his
father replied, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
“Not without interruptions.” Casteel tilted his head. “We
were accosted by members of the Unseen.”
“Were there any injuries?” his mother asked.
“No.” Casteel looked at me. “My wife made sure of
that.”
“We all made sure of that,” I added.
“I’m relieved to hear that,” she said. “But it shouldn’t
have happened.”
No, it shouldn’t have.
But it did.
“Arden arrived safely, I assume?” Casteel queried.
His father nodded. “Yes. He is resting in one of the
rooms. All the wolven told us was that the meeting went
well.”
“Your brother?” His mother’s gaze touched mine, the
crown such a stark contrast to her dark hair. “Was he how
you remembered?”
“He wasn’t,” I said. “And yet, he was. But he’s not like
other Ascended.”
Her chest rose sharply behind the ivory gown she wore.
“I don’t know if that is a good or a bad thing.”
“I don’t either,” I admitted.
“There must be much that you both need to share with
us,” his father began, and I saw movement out of the corner
of my eye. In the shadowy alcoves of the dais, several
people stood. My senses stretched out, finding an array of
emotions, everything from curiosity to faint distrust. “But we