The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

crates are loaded, you will take them to wherever it is you’re
going. Understand?”
The man nodded, blinking slowly, and then he just stood
there as the other crew surrounded us with their crates. I
couldn’t help but stare at the blank expression on the man’s
face.
“Go,” Perry whispered under his breath as he leaned in
between us. Bottles rattled from the crate Delano and
Kieran placed in the wagon. “And may the gods be watching
over you.”
“May the gods be watching over you,” Casteel replied,
slipping around Perry.
Casteel nudged my shoulder as he brushed past. I
turned, glancing briefly at Perry. “Be careful.”
“I will, my Queen.”
Turning, I kept pace with Casteel as we quickly slipped
into the cloaked and jacketed mass of workers streaming in
and out of the Rise gate. Scanning the crowd, I knew better
than to look behind us for Delano and Kieran. They would
find us. I focused ahead.
The closer I got, the…worse the smell became. Sweat
and oil mixed with the scent of spoiled fish. I knew it would
only grow, increasing due to all those forced to live in the
small homes below the Rise, nearly stacked on top of each
other, where the sun didn’t seem to penetrate. The
stomach-churning smell wasn’t the only thing I noticed. The
condition of the Rise caught my attention. There were tiny…
fissures throughout the massive, thick structure. I’d never
seen anything like it and couldn’t quite think of what could
have done that kind of damage.
“Look at the Rise,” I said under my breath, and Casteel’s
head lifted the slightest bit.
He said nothing as we crossed through the gate with the
throng of workers entering the city. He led us toward the
narrow streets of the business district, where markets
crowded the road covered with the waste that horses and