The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

Sickened, I forced my hands to relax. “Kill two birds with
one stone?”
He nodded.
“Even if you’re successful, your plan will still fail. You
think Casteel won’t know that you and every other so-called
Protector handed me over to them? That the wolven won’t
know?”
“There is still a risk of an uprising,” he admitted. “But it
is a small one. You see, we will lead them to believe that you
escaped your captivity and fell into the Ascended’s hands.
They will never know that we gave you to them. They will
turn their anger on the Ascended, where it should have
always been. Every Ascended will be killed, and any who
support them will fall beside them. Atlantia will take back
what belongs to us. We will become a great kingdom again.”
Something about how he spoke told me that I would
sense pride and arrogance in him if I could use my gift. I
also had a feeling I’d feel the thirst for more. I didn’t, for one
second, believe that his only motivation was to save
Atlantia. Not when his plan put the kingdom at further risk.
Not when his plan could possibly benefit him if he survived
this.
“I have a question,” I asked as my empty stomach
grumbled. He arched a brow. “What happens to you if Malik
or Casteel becomes king? Will you still be an advisor?”
“It would be whoever the King or Queen chooses.
Usually, it’s a bonded wolven or a trusted ally.”
“In other words, it wouldn’t be you?” When Alastir fell
silent, I knew I was onto something. “So, whatever influence
you have on the Crown—over Atlantia—could be lessened or
lost?”
He remained silent.
And since Jasper was the one who spoke for the wolven,
what effect would Alastir have? And what kind of power did
he want to wield?
“What are you getting at, Penellaphe?”