The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

their parents were en route to Evaemon with their new
sibling. I’d told Kieran that he should stay, but that had
gone in one ear and out the other, even when I pulled the
Queen card and then the I-am-a-god-obey-me line. He
insisted on accompanying me, claiming that none of the
others would remember the path we’d taken last time.
Maybe he was right. Maybe he just couldn’t sleep or stay
still either, his thoughts swirling from one horrific possibility
to another. What if my plan failed? What if the draken
refused? What if she hurt Casteel? What if he needed to
feed? What if I needed…to feed? What would I do? I couldn’t
even think about drinking another’s blood. What if I lost
him? What if he lost himself again?
And I knew this wasn’t easy for Kieran. Before, he had
been able to tell how Casteel was doing because of the
bond. He didn’t have that now. He just had all the what-ifs I
had.
“Kieran?” I asked as we made our way down the narrow
tunnel.
“Poppy?”
I swallowed, my throat dry. “Are you…are you doing
okay?”
He didn’t answer right away, and I thought the hand he
held the torch with trembled. “No.”
I briefly closed my eyes.
“Are you?”
“No,” I whispered.
We traveled the windy underground tunnels, mostly in
silence after that. There were no jokes, no real conversation
at all. We passed the area of the partial collapse hours
before we had the first time, and I moved ahead of him
when we saw the pinprick of light. I worked my way out, and
then we crossed the barren land. Making our way, I made
sure it was I who stepped under the shadow of the winged
women. The ground didn’t tremble. What I believed were
the Consort’s guards remained under our feet. The city of