The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

Nektas’s skin had hardened into scales. “Are you ready,
daughter of Ires, the son of Nyktos and his Consort?”
A tremble coursed through me. “Yes.”
“Then speak the words and receive what you’ve come
for.”
My skin tingled, and my chest throbbed. Kieran’s hand
closed around mine. He squeezed. A soft breeze came from
nowhere, swirling across the diamonds. The scent of lilacs
reached me, and then I heard her voice among my thoughts
—heard the Consort speaking the words Nektas waited for.
“I...I summon the flesh and fire of the gods, to protect me
and those I care for. To ride at my side and stand guard at
my back. I call upon the bloodline birthed of flesh and fire to
awaken.”
Nektas turned his head to the side, the vibrant blue of
his irises a stark contrast to the pitch-black of the vertical
pupil.
The ground trembled and gave a low rumble. Kieran’s
grip on my hand tightened as we took several steps back.
Dirt and small diamonds spilled into the air around the base
of the Temple. Chunks of crystal exploded out to the sides.
Gleaming talons stretched out from the dust, sinking into
the black stone. A large, leathery shape cut through the
cloud of debris, arcing high as dozens of claws carved into
the tower from all sides. They erupted from the earth below,
pulling their scaled, winged bodies out of the soil. They
climbed the sides of the tallest spire, one after another,
their grayish-black tails whipping through the air. The first
reached the top— its deep-purple-black scales glimmering
under the sun as it shook the dirt from its body. Stretching
out its long neck, frills of spikes opened around its head as
its wide mouth dropped open, and a deafening roar rattled
my bones.
Nektas faced me. “From this moment to the last
moment, they are yours, Queen of Flesh and Fire.”