The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

Led by Valyn and the Guardians, they rode out in groups of
several hundred, their gold and silver armor shining under
the morning sun. The sound of a thousand hooves clacked
off stone and echoed around us as banners were lifted all
the way down the line. My breath caught as I saw the
Atlantian Crest. The arrow and sword now crossed over the
center.
I inhaled sharply, eyes stinging as the banners rippled
in the Atlantian sun. I closed my eyes, telling myself that
Casteel would see them.
A low rumble came, a sound similar to thunder. Another
higher-pitched, keening call followed. I opened my eyes as
the wolven stopped, lifting their heads to the sky. Their ears
perked. My one-handed grip on the reins tightened as Setti
pranced nervously beneath me as I reached down, placing
my hand over the small pouch at my hip. The ridges of the
small toy horse pressed against my palm. I stared at the
banners, at the crest that represented Casteel and I, as
large, winged shadows fell over the armies of Atlantia as
they rode west.
Four days later, we waited in the forest outside of Oak
Ambler, among the bowed trees. When the last of the sun
reached us, and stars came to life in the night sky, I slipped
the horse into the pouch and rose from where I’d been
sitting on the raised, flat surface of a rock.
“You should’ve slept some,” Delano murmured as he
came over to me.
“I did.”
Concern seeped from every one of his pores. I hadn’t
lied. Not really. I had slept for an hour or so, and then I was