The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

“I can summon Nyktos’s guards, and I will. Isbeth may
have her Revenants, her knights, soldiers, and those who
support her.” My grip tightened. “But I will have the draken.”
Visibly shaken, it took Eloana a few moments to
respond. “Can you even—? I’m sorry. You can. You are a
god.” She smoothed a hand over her gown, a nervous habit,
I realized. “But are you sure? The draken are a fierce
bloodline. There is a reason they went to sleep with Nyktos.
Only he can control them.”
“I am his grandchild,” I reasoned, but I really had no
idea how the draken would respond. I could only assume
that what Nyktos had said also meant that they’d do so
favorably. “And I don’t seek to control them. I just need their
help.”
Understanding flickered through her. “I thought you and
Casteel wanted to prevent war. You won’t once the draken
are awakened.”
“By holding Casteel, she thinks she can stay my hand.
But, sometimes, war cannot be prevented,” I said, echoing
her words—ones I knew the Consort had whispered to me
before when I first entered Saion’s Cove.
And that was something I’d realized on the journey back
to Atlantia. There would be no more talks or ultimatums.
What was to come couldn’t be stopped. It never could be.
And in a way, the War of Two Kings had never ended. There
had just been a strained truce, like Isbeth had said. All the
years Casteel sought to move pieces behind the scenes, to
free his brother and gain land for Atlantia hadn’t been
wasted. It had given Atlantia time to gain what they didn’t
have before.
“No,” Eloana agreed quietly, sadly. “Sometimes, it
cannot.”
I glanced to where Hisa stood beside Naill. “Can you
please send word to the Blood Crown that I will meet with
them in the woods outside of Oak Ambler by the end of next
week?” I told her. “Make sure they understand that whoever