The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood And Ash Series Book 3)

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  A damp hand clamped around my arm. Letting all those early mornings and afternoons spent with Vikter take hold, I twisted inward and swept out with my leg. The Gyrm hadn’t expected the move, or maybe I had simply moved faster than it could react to. I took his legs out from under him and then brought the dagger down, a direct hit to the chest. Springing to my feet, I turned to find another.

  The creature lifted his sword, and I snapped forward, blocking its blow as I shoved the dagger deep into its chest. Yanking the blade free, I darted to the side as it fell apart. I lifted my gaze to the tall form that had replaced the one who’d now fallen—

  I drew back a step. Casteel’s father stood there, his own cream-colored shirt splattered with purplish-red liquid. How many of these things were roaming about? Surprise radiated from him in waves as his wide gaze swept over me, and that was about when I remembered that I wore nothing but Casteel’s shirt—his now-ruined shirt.

  Gods.

  Could I not meet Casteel’s family under normal circumstances?

  “Hello,” I murmured, straightening.

  King Valyn’s brows lifted, and then he lurched toward me, his sword rising. My heart stuttered as panic seized me. I froze in horrified disbelief. He was going to—

  Grabbing my arm as he thrust out with his sword, he yanked me to the side. Air punched out of my lungs as I stumbled, finding a masked Gyrm impaled on the King’s sword.

  “T-thank you,” I stuttered as the thing shattered.

  Amber eyes flashed to mine. “Did you think my strike was meant for you?” he asked.

  “I…” Good gods, I really had.

  Casteel prowled out of the shadows then, drops of the purplish blood dotting the striking lines and angles of his face. He wasn’t alone. Several guards flanked him. His gaze zeroed in on me, searching for signs of any new injury or wound. There were none, but if there had been, I knew he would’ve found them. He stalked right to me, his sword slick with whatever existed in those creatures lowered at his side. His star-bright eyes snagged mine and held. My breath caught as he curled his arm around my waist, drawing me hard against his chest. The heat of his body quickly seeped through our shirts. It was like no one else was in the garden as he lowered his mouth to mine—surely not his father, because the kiss was fierce and deep, making my heart race.

  When Casteel’s mouth left mine, my breath came out in short pants. He pressed his forehead against mine, holding me tightly. His voice was rich and smoky as he asked, “How many of them did you kill?”

  “A few,” I answered, curling my free hand into the front of his shirt.

  His lips brushed my ear. “A few?”

  “A decent amount,” I amended.

  Casteel kissed my cheek. “That’s my girl.”

  A throat cleared, and I suspected it had come from Casteel’s father. My cheeks heated and then caught fire as Kieran said, “You have no one to blame but yourself for Cas’s inability to remember that he isn’t alone.”

  King Valyn chuckled roughly. “Good point.”

  Casteel kissed the center of my forehead. “You okay?”

  “Yes. You?”

  “Always.”

  I smiled faintly at that, but it quickly faded. I wiggled free of Casteel’s embrace and turned to the wall, scanning the entire length of it.

  Dammit, the wall was empty.

  “He’s gone,” I bit out.

  “Who?” Casteel asked.

  Frustration burned through me. “There was a man with these things. He knew about Lockswood.”

  “Lockswood?” Casteel’s father echoed.

  “It’s near Niel Valley in Solis.” I twisted toward Casteel. He’d gone unnaturally still, and I could sense his throbbing anger. “The inn my parents stopped at for the night—the one the Craven attacked—was in the village of Lockswood. Where my parents died. Alastir obviously told this Descenter about that night.”

  “That was no Descenter,” King Valyn remarked, and both Casteel and I turned to him. He bent, picking up one of the masks that had fallen from the creature. “And those things wearing these masks? Gods, not only do they not belong here, the masks they were wearing have nothing to do with the Descenters.”

  Confused, I looked at Casteel. He frowned as he glanced down at what his father held. “The Descenters wore those masks in Solis to hide their identities,” he stated.

  “But they weren’t the first,” his father stated. “The Unseen were.”

  Chapter 19

  “The Unseen?” I repeated.

  “You’re fucking kidding me, right?” Casteel demanded. “I was under the impression that the Unseen were either disbanded or had died out long before the War of Two Kings.”

  “That’s what we all thought,” King Valyn said. “Until lately.”

  “What exactly are the Unseen?” I asked.

  The King glanced over his shoulder, and it was then that I noticed a woman. She was tall and muscular, her skin a light brown with golden undertones, her hair jet-black in the floodlight, pulled back in a tight, singular braid much neater than the one I usually wore. She was dressed in white like the Crown Guards, but golden scrollwork crossed the center of her chest. She held a sword in one hand, and the hilt of another was visible from her back. A silent command passed between her and the King, and then she nodded. Turning, she sheathed her sword and then let out a low whistle.

  Several guards drifted out of the trees’ shadows, and from the spaces the floodlights didn’t penetrate.

  “Search the premises,” she ordered. “Make sure no one is here that does not belong.”

  I watched the guards hurry off, splitting up and heading in different directions, passing Jasper as he prowled toward us in his wolven form. Whoever this woman was, she held a place of command. Within moments, she was the only guard remaining.

  The King turned to us—to me. “Would you like to head inside?” he offered. “It appears you were caught unprepared for battle and visitors.”

  Mindful of the dagger I held, I crossed my arms over my chest. “Putting on more appropriate clothing won’t change the fact that you’ve already seen me in nothing more than a shirt,” I said, surprising myself. I wasn’t at all used to so much exposed skin, but then again, I’d just faced down a bunch of creatures who had no face. My legs being visible didn’t even make the top fifty things I was currently concerned about. “I’m fine if you are. I would like to hear about whatever the Unseen are.”

  Amusement radiated from both King Valyn and his son. A familiar half-grin appeared on the King’s face, and damn if there wasn’t a hint of dimples. “I am fine,” he said, handing the mask to the female guard. He sheathed his sword. “This is Hisa Fa’Mar. She is one of my most trusted. Commander of the Crown Guard.”

  The woman drifted forward, and I knew the moment I saw her that she was an Atlantian, possibly even an elemental. She bowed slightly at the waist, first at the Prince and then to me.

  “I do not believe we have met before,” Casteel said.

  “No. We have not.” Her smile was quick as golden eyes shifted to me. “You are quite skilled at combat. I saw you briefly,” she added. “You have been trained?”

  “I have. I wasn’t supposed to be, but I didn’t want to be helpless like I was the night a group of Craven attacked an inn my parents and I were at,” I explained, when the crisp, fresh taste of curiosity reached me, conscious that King Valyn was listening intently. “One of my personal guards trained me so I could defend myself. He did it in secret at great risk to his career and possibly even his life, but Vikter was brave like that.”

  “Was?” King Valyn asked quietly.

  The knot of heartache lodged in my throat like it always did when I thought of Vikter. “He was killed by the Descenters in the Rite attack. A lot of people died that night—innocent people.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” Empathy flowed from him. “And to know that those who support Atlantia were the cause.”

  “Thank you,” I murmur
ed.

  He stared at me for a long moment and then said, “The Unseen were an ancient brotherhood that originated at least a thousand years ago or so, after several generations of Atlantians were born, and other bloodlines took root. Roughly around the time the…” He drew in a deep breath. “Around the time the deities began to interact more with the mortals who lived in lands far from Atlantia’s original borders. The ancients began fearing that the Atlantians and the other bloodlines were not entirely supportive of their decisions regarding mortals.”

  “And what kind of decisions were they making?” I asked, half-afraid of the answer based on what I’d already been told.

  “The deities wanted to bring all the lands, the seas, and the islands together under one kingdom,” King Valyn said. That didn’t sound all that bad—for a brief moment. “It didn’t matter that some of those lands already had rulers. They believed they could improve the lives of others as they did with the lands just beyond the Skotos Mountains that had already been occupied by mortals. Many Atlantians and other bloodlines didn’t agree with them, believing it was best to keep focus and energy on Atlantian lives. The deities feared there would be an uprising, so they created the Unseen to serve as a…network of spies and soldiers, designed to crush any type of rebellion before it started. That was done by keeping the Unseen members’ identities hidden. That way, they could move undetected among the people of Atlantia like spies. And when it came time for them to be seen and heard, they wore masks carved to resemble the wolven.”

  “In a way, they were mimicking what Nyktos had done,” Kieran added as he wiped the back of his hand across his face. “It was obviously a fairly lame attempt, but whatever.”

  “How did the wolven feel about that?” I wondered aloud.

  “I don’t think it bothered them at the time,” Casteel’s father answered as Jasper prowled around us, constantly searching for signs of intruders. “Both the Unseen and the wolven had the same goals then: protect the deities. Or at least that was what the wolven believed.”

  Had the same goals then. It was obvious that those goals had splintered and changed.

  “The Unseen were nothing like the wolven. They were more like a group of extremists,” Casteel said. “They would attack anyone they believed was a threat to the deities, even if the person was simply raising questions or disagreed with what the deities wanted.”

  “That reminds me of the Ascended.” My bare toes curled against the stone. “You couldn’t question anything. If you did, you were seen as a Descenter, and that didn’t end well for you. But if the Unseen were designed to protect the deities, then why would they come after me?”

  “Because that was how they started. It wasn’t how they ended.” His gaze briefly met mine. “The Unseen swore an oath to the Crown and to the kingdom but not the heads those crowns sat upon. Eventually, they turned on the deities. What caused it is still unclear, but they began to believe that some of the deities’ choices regarding the mortals were no longer in the best interests of Atlantia.”

  Immediately, I thought of Alastir and Jansen. That was what both had claimed. That what they’d done was in the best interest of their kingdom.

  “So they were disbanded,” King Valyn continued. “Or at least that’s what everyone has believed for at least a thousand years.”

  “You really believe Alastir was involved with them?” Casteel asked with a sneer. “A group of men who feel emasculated by the fact that the actual Guardians of Atlantia are all female, so they desperately cling to their special, secret group?”

  “Alastir said he belonged to a brotherhood of sorts,” I reminded Casteel. “He called himself a Protector of Atlantia.”

  “I had no knowledge of Alastir’s involvement in any of this before the attack at the Chambers,” his father said. “But after seeing those masks at the ruins, I began to wonder if it was the Unseen. If they have returned, and if they are behind much more.”

  I thought of what Kieran had shared with me before. Casteel was thinking along the same lines. “You’re talking about the destroyed crops, fires, and vandalism?”

  His father’s lips were pressed into a hard line as he nodded.

  “We don’t think they’ve been active this entire time,” Hisa said. “Or if they have been practicing, they weren’t acting upon any perceived notions of oaths. That’s changed, however. And it changed before news of the Prince’s…” She trailed off, her brow pinching as she appeared to search for how to phrase what she wanted to say next. “It changed before news of our Prince’s entanglement with you.”

  Entanglement sounded vastly less awkward than capture, so I had to give it to her. She knew how to be tactful.

  “How can you be sure they are responsible for the vandalism?” Kieran asked.

  “The mask.” Hisa lifted the one she still held. “We found one of them at the site of a fire that destroyed several homes near the water. We weren’t sure it was connected—there is still no hard evidence. But with this?” She looked around the now-empty courtyard. “And them wearing these masks at the ruins? They have to be connected.”

  “I think it is,” I said. “It reminds me of the Ascended. They used fear, half-truths, and outright lies to control the people of Solis. They would often create hysteria like the Duke did after the attack on the Rise. Remember?” I glanced at Casteel, who nodded. “Placing the blame of the Craven attack on the Descenters when, in reality, they had been the ones to create those monsters. But by doing so, by creating unrest and suspicion among the people, it made them easier to control. Because the people were too busy pointing fingers at one another rather than joining together and looking toward the Ascended as the root of their woes.” I tucked a strand of my hair back, unused to having so many listening—so many looking at me.

  “I was just thinking that if the Unseen were behind the destruction of crops and vandalism, they could be doing it to create more unrest—to get people angry or suspicious, just in time for them to provide someone to blame for what is happening.”

  “That someone being you?” the King asked.

  Tension crept into my muscles. “It appears that way.”

  King Valyn inclined his head as he studied me. “Unrest and unease are two very powerful destabilizers of any society. No matter how great one is, they can be taken apart piece by piece from the inside, often weakening the foundation to the point of collapse before anyone realizes what is happening.”

  “I have a lot of questions,” I announced the moment Casteel ushered me back into our room, and King Valyn left.

  “Not a single person in the entirety of either kingdom would be surprised by that,” Kieran stated as he closed the veranda doors behind him. “Not even remotely.”

  Casteel’s lips twitched as my glare swung toward the wolven. “I’m sorry, but maybe faceless people is a common occurrence in Atlantia, but it’s not something I’m used to.”

  “That is not a common occurrence,” Casteel replied as he tried to lead me to the bathing chamber.

  “And you and I need to have a quick chat,” I continued, stopping. Casteel sighed heavily.

  “We do?” Kieran raised his brows.

  “Oh, yes, we need to talk about what you tried to do out there.”

  Casteel’s head turned slowly toward the wolven. “What did you try to do?”

  Kieran folded his arms across his chest. “I tried to get her to stay inside and remain safe.”

  A loud, rough laugh burst out of Casteel. “And how did that go?”

  “As painless as you can imagine,” Kieran retorted dryly. “I was only pointing out that you would prefer that she remain unharmed, and that who she is to you, to me, and—”

  “Casteel has never once asked that I not engage,” I cut him off. “And he is my husband.”

  Casteel dropped his head to mine as a deep, rumbling sound radiated from his chest. “Husband.” He pressed his lips to my temple. “I love hearing you say that.” He lifted his head to look at Kieran. “My wi
fe can defend herself. You know that.”

  “I do.”

  My eyes narrowed. “Seems like you forgot.”

  “I didn’t.” Kieran’s jaw flexed as his stare held Casteel’s. “Things are different now, and you know that.”

  “No, they are not.” I pulled free of Casteel. “I am not a Queen, but like I said before, even if I were, I would never be the kind that expects others to risk their lives while I sit back and do nothing. That will never be me, and I seriously doubt Casteel would be that kind of King.”

  “I wouldn’t.” Casteel came to stand behind me, folding his arms around my waist. “Not only can she defend herself,” he repeated, “she needs to be able to defend herself. And that is why she will be allowed to do so, whether she is our Queen or our Princess.”

  My heart swelled so fast it was a wonder it didn’t lift me right to the ceiling. Casteel…he just understood me. Understood my need to never be helpless.

  “You’re the only person I truly trust Poppy with. Only you,” Casteel continued, and my breath halted a little in my chest. “I know your concern comes from a good place, and Poppy knows that, too.”

  My lips remained sealed.

  Casteel squeezed me. “Don’t you, Poppy?”

  I swallowed a curse. “Yes, I do know that.” And I did, but I was irritated and confused about those things that had been outside—bewildered and unsettled about everything the one on the wall had said. “I know it comes from a good place.”

  Kieran rubbed his jaw as his stare drifted to the terrace doors. “I know you’re capable of defending yourself. Stopping you had nothing to do with that. But it’s just that you’re in danger here, and you shouldn’t be. This is the one place you should be safe.” He dropped his hand and faced me. “I know none of that means I should’ve told you to stand down. I’m sorry.”

  The sincerity in his apology was clear in his voice. It tasted of warm vanilla, but I could also taste a hint of something sour, just like I had with Casteel, which caused an ache in my chest. Neither of them was responsible for what had happened here. “It’s okay,” I said, looking up at him. “I will make sure it’s safe for me. We will make sure of that.”