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

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  “Am I wrong?” Kieran crossed his arms.

  “Yeah.” I nodded while Casteel appeared to do his best not to burst into laughter. “That so wasn’t where we were going with that, and by the way, the Joining isn’t necessary, right? I’m a deity. I have an incomprehensible lifespan now.”

  “Well,” Casteel drew out the word.

  I looked over at him, and then it struck me—what I’d worried about when I first learned that I could be immortal or the closest thing to it. “I’ll outlive you, won’t I?”

  “Deities have double the lifespan of Atlantians, maybe even longer if they take the deep sleep,” Casteel explained. I didn’t feel a single ounce of worry coming from him while I was five seconds away from throwing myself onto the floor. “But we have a very long time before we have to stress over that.”

  “I’m stressing over it now.”

  “Obviously,” stated Kieran. “I’m bonded to you—all the wolven are. Not in the same way the bonds worked with the elemental lines, but a wolven would still be the connecting piece that fuses two lifelines together.” He frowned. “Or three, I suppose. It’s just your life that his would be bonded to.”

  I stared at him.

  “Anyway, it could be any wolven.” Kieran shrugged.

  I continued staring at him.

  “Okay. That’s good to know.” Casteel patted my shoulder, and I sat down on the thick, black cushion of a chair. “But that really wasn’t what we wanted to discuss with you.”

  “No shit,” Kieran said.

  Blinking, I shook my head. We were about to ask him to be our advisor. Tomorrow, we would travel to Iliseeum and then into Solis. I so did not need to think about any of that right now.

  “We wanted to ask if you would do us the honor of being the Advisor to the Crown,” Casteel began. “I had this whole speech planned in my head about how you have been a brother to me and that there is no one I trust more, but now things are just kind of awkward, so…yeah. We would like for you to be our advisor.”

  Now it was Kieran who stared at us, his eyes wide, and I felt the coolness of shock from him—something I didn’t think he often felt.

  “You’re…you’re surprised,” I said. “How can that be? You have to know that Casteel trusts you. As do I.”

  “Yeah, but…” Kieran rubbed the heel of his palm down the center of his chest. “The Advisor to the Crown is usually someone far older than me, with more experience and connections.”

  “The King and Queen are usually people far older than us,” Casteel replied dryly.

  “I know, but…why wouldn’t you choose my father?” he asked. “He would serve you well.”

  “But not as good as you,” Casteel told him. “You don’t have to accept—”

  “No, I accept,” Kieran confirmed. “It would be an honor.” His wide, pale blue eyes darted between us. “I just…I really thought you’d ask my father.”

  I was shocked that he’d thought that.

  “Literally no one else entered my mind.” Casteel stepped forward, clasping the back of Kieran’s neck. “It would always have been you.”

  What I felt from Kieran warmed my chest. He was surprised but proud and swimming in that warmth. I swore tears glimmered in his eyes as he said, “It will be my honor to serve as advisor to both of you,” he repeated. “From this moment to the last moment.”

  “It is our honor,” Casteel said, pulling him in for a one-armed hug. “Seriously.”

  Kieran returned the embrace. Seeing them hug it out brought a smile to my face. Friendship was a far stronger bond than even something the gods could create. “Okay.” Kieran cleared his throat as he stepped back.

  “I know there’s normally a ceremony,” Casteel said, glancing over at me. “It’s like the one we did in the throne room of the Temple.” He turned back to Kieran. “We could do it when we have the larger coronation.”

  Kieran nodded. “I would like for my parents and my sisters to be there.”

  Sisters. My smile grew. He was already thinking of his baby sister.

  “As would I,” Casteel said.

  He dragged a hand over his head. “I feel like I need a drink. Or five.”

  Casteel chuckled. “I think all of us could use one after today.” He turned to the credenza where several bottles and crystal glasses with vines carved into them sat. “What would you like?” he asked of me.

  “Whatever you’re having.”

  An eyebrow rose. “Intriguing.”

  I shook my head.

  “You know,” Kieran said, looking over at me as he sat in an identical chair, “I’ve never heard of a response like that to a crowning before. The people are happy. That’s what they’re celebrating.”

  “I imagine they’re relieved that there’ll be no more tension over how long Cas’s parents have ruled.” I sat back as Casteel sent me a heated look while pouring three glasses of something I would probably regret later.

  “I think it has more to do with you,” Casteel said.

  “Because I’m special.” I rested my chin on my fist and rolled my eyes. “A unique snowflake.”

  He laughed deeply. “Hell, yeah, you are.”

  Still not as special as those who could shift forms. I would never get over that, but the reaction was probably also in response to the fact that their Prince Ascended—

  My eyes widened as I sat up straight. “Oh, my gods. I just thought of something.”

  “Can’t wait to hear this,” Kieran murmured.

  “Nyktos is protected by guards,” I said, remembering what had been said during the Council meeting. That wasn’t exactly breaking news. “The…draken either went to sleep or protect the resting place of the gods, right?”

  Kieran took the drink that Casteel offered him. “Yes.”

  My stomach dropped to my toes. “And the guards that Ian told us we need? Would they happen to be the ones protecting Nyktos’s resting place?”

  Casteel put my drink in my hand. “Are you just now realizing who and what Nyktos’s guards are?”

  Yes.

  Yes, I totally was.

  “We’re supposed to get the draken to help us?” I exclaimed. “Those who are basically able to take the form of a dragon?”

  Casteel stared at me, nodding slowly. “I thought you realized that.”

  “No!” I shouted, and Kieran’s brows flew up. “Yeah, I remember being told that, but I’ve also been told a lot of things since then, and…good gods, I’m going to get to see a draken?”

  “Yes, my Queen.” Casteel sat on the arm of my chair. “You may get to see a draken.”

  “I don’t know why you look so excited,” Kieran remarked. “The draken were a notoriously…unfriendly bloodline, with temperaments that would make yours look like a small, cuddly animal’s.”

  I lifted my right hand and extended my middle finger. He smirked. “But I have the blood of Nyktos in me,” I pointed out.

  “And they can also breathe fire.” Kieran tipped his glass at me. “So, let’s hope none of us pisses them off.”

  Chapter 39

  The following morning, I stood in the foyer of the Temple of Nyktos beside Casteel, fiddling with the chest strap I’d found among Casteel’s weapons. I’d also helped myself to the iron dagger I’d found in the depths of the chest, and it was now secured to my harness. The bloodstone dagger was strapped to my thigh. Neither of us wore the crowns, having left them in the bedchamber. We stood with Kieran and his sister, Emil, and Delano. Naill was sitting this one out, opting to spend time with his father. As I watched Delano adjust the strap holding his swords to his sides, I hoped he’d found time to let Perry know that he had returned to the capital.

  “Kieran and I are pretty confident that the tunnel that leads to the mountains is the one underneath,” Casteel said. “It’s a narrow one with nothing really exciting.”

  By really exciting, I assumed he meant the lilac-filled cavern.

  “You guys did really weird things as kids.” Von
etta stood between her brother and Emil, her arms crossed. Two short swords were secured at her hips. She’d swept her long braids back from her face, and they hung down her back. “Just thought I’d share that.”

  I grinned.

  “I didn’t even know there were tunnels.” Emil glanced at the jet-black floors.

  “There are.” Hisa strode forward, two guards flanking her. “They’re accessed by the crypts.”

  Crypts.

  I shuddered.

  “Sorry.” Casteel gently squeezed the back of my neck. “The good news is that it’s nothing like what you were kept in.”

  “It’s okay,” I told him, and it would be. It wasn’t like we’d be spending any amount of time in them.

  Carrying a heavy ring of keys, Hisa continued toward a narrow door. Turning the key as she twisted the handle, the door creaked open.

  Faint light lit our way down a staircase that made awful sounds under our weight. The temperature dropped at least five degrees with each step, and the familiar musky scent turned my stomach.

  Hisa proceeded forward, passing several stone tombs. Casteel stuck close to me, his hand slipping to my shoulder. He was right. The crypt was clean and well-kept, flower garlands piled on the lids of the tombs.

  “Are you sure about this?” Hisa had stopped in front of another door as she thumbed through the keys.

  “We are,” I answered.

  She nodded and then proceeded to unlock the second door. “These tunnels were once used to move goods from different areas of the city, and then they were solely used to transport the dead,” she told us, and Emil’s lip curled. “But they haven’t been accessed in several decades. I have no idea what kind of shape they’re in.

  “It’s unlikely that there has been any type of collapse,” she continued. “But hopefully, the route you seek is still open.”

  “From what I remember, it’s a pretty straight path with only a few turns.” Casteel picked up a torch. Delano stepped forward, striking flint against the top. Sparks gave way to fire. He handed the torch to Kieran. “It should only take an hour to reach the mountains.”

  “And then?” I asked as he picked up another torch. Flames flared to life.

  “That, I don’t know.” Casteel looked at Kieran. “We never went farther than the mountains.”

  “The mountains are tall but not particularly wide through this area,” Hisa said, frowning. “We’re at the foothills here, so I imagine it would be a half-day’s journey. Farther north or south, it would probably take several days.”

  “How far have you traveled into the mountains?” Vonetta asked, and I thought it was probably a good idea that we’d stuffed the bag strapped to Emil’s back with as much food as possible. Each of us carried our own canteens. It wasn’t a lot of water, but we would have to make it last.

  “To where the mist mingles with the clouds in scouting missions. I know we reached the mist faster here than in other areas,” she answered. She glanced at the door. “If I had any idea what waited in that mist…” She trailed off with a shake of her head. “Please, be safe. All of you.” To Casteel and me, she added, “The people want to get to know their Queen and become reacquainted with their King.”

  “And they will,” Casteel promised.

  Hisa blew out a deep breath as she opened the door, and a void of darkness beckoned. “We will wait for your return.”

  I watched the commander join the guards toward the entrance of the crypts. “Thank you all for doing this with us.”

  Vonetta grinned. “It’s not like any of us would turn down an offer to see Iliseeum.”

  “Only because none of us have any common sense,” Emil said.

  “That, too.” Delano grinned.

  “I, for one, am glad that I’m surrounded by those who have more loyalty and thirst for adventure than common sense,” Casteel remarked. “And now for the rules.”

  “Yawn,” Vonetta tossed out.

  I laughed. “Well, these rules will hopefully keep everyone alive. Casteel and I talked some things over this morning—”

  “Is that what you two were doing?” Kieran asked.

  “Yes,” I snapped, cheeks flushing because that wasn’t all we’d been doing. “Anyway, if anyone sees a hint of mist, back away and let me go first.”

  “I didn’t exactly agree to this,” Casteel muttered.

  “Yes. You did. The mist cleared for me in the Skotos Mountains. I would think it would do the same thing here,” I said. “That way, none of you will walk into it and suffocate to death.”

  “Yeah, I want to avoid that,” Emil said.

  “And if we encounter anything, I should probably hold off on using the eather,” I said, remembering what Kieran had said about the gods being able to sense when eather is used. “I don’t know what it will do in Iliseeum, if it will be any different or if the gods can sense it. I’m not sure that’s how we want to wake Nyktos.”

  “How are we going to wake him?” Delano asked.

  “Well,” I glanced at Casteel, “we thought we’d cross that bridge when we came to it.”

  Vonetta lifted her brows. A moment passed. “That sounds like a wonderfully detailed plan.”

  Casteel smirked. “Aren’t you glad you signed up?”

  “Totally,” Vonetta replied, sounding so much like her brother.

  “Ready?” Casteel asked, his eyes meeting mine.

  I wasn’t exactly sure, but there was no point in delaying this, so I nodded, and we followed Casteel into the nothingness.

  Time was a strange thing in the tunnels. With no light but that of the torches, we only knew hours had passed when hunger stirred. We stopped only to meet that need and handle personal ones in earthen rooms I convinced myself weren’t full of six-legged insects. We could’ve been in the twisting, cramped tunnels for hours—or longer—and I didn’t think we’d know.

  “Careful,” Casteel warned at some point in the never-ending tunnel, holding the torch ahead of him. “The floor feels weak through this section. Stay close to the wall.”

  I wasn’t sure how he could tell that, but I did as he requested, pressing my body against the cool stone. The canteen dug into my back as I crept along, Kieran close behind me. My chest tightened as I realized that the tunnel had narrowed once more. I’d never had a problem with enclosed spaces, but I had a feeling I would now. I reached out, gripping the back of Casteel’s shirt without really thinking about it. I’d gotten into the habit of doing so whenever the walls or ceiling pressed in.

  “Poppy,” Casteel whispered.

  “What?” I focused on the reddish glow beyond him.

  “You know what I should’ve brought with us?” he asked.

  More food? Maybe a little pouch of cheese? I was hungry again. “No,” I answered.

  “Miss Willa’s journal.”

  I stopped momentarily, and Kieran bumped into me. Thank the gods, he’d given the torch to Delano, or my hair would currently be on fire. “Really?”

  “Yeah.” Casteel continued forward. “We could’ve passed the time taking turns reading from your favorite chapters.”

  “Are we talking about the same Willa?” Vonetta asked from somewhere behind me.

  “Yes. You see, there’s this extremely popular book in Solis. It’s actually Poppy’s favorite—”

  “It is not my favorite, you jerk,” I snapped.

  “Please don’t stab him in this tunnel,” Delano called out.

  My eyes rolled. “I cannot promise that.”

  Casteel chuckled.

  “What is in this book? I have a feeling I’d be interested in it,” Vonetta said, and I heard Kieran groan. “What is—?” A loud crack cut off her words, and then the entire floor of the cavern seemed to rumble beneath us.

  I spun around just in time to see Vonetta step to the other side of the wall and then disappear in a plume of dust. Horror seized me.

  “Netta!” Kieran shouted, his fear sticky against my skin as it mixed with mine.

 
“I got her!” Emil yelled back. “Sort of.”

  Whatever relief I felt from his words was short-lived. Delano moved forward, holding out the torch. The orange glow cast light over the partial collapse and the floor around it. Emil was on his stomach, one arm stretched into the opening. How the Atlantian had been able to move so fast that he’d caught Vonetta was beyond me.

  “I’m still here,” Vonetta called out as her brother scrambled to the other side. “I think.”

  Casteel caught the back of my shirt as I started toward them. “Too much weight on that section,” he cautioned as Delano scanned the floor. The wolven stepped to the side that remained intact.

  He was right, and I hated it because all I could do was stand and watch as Kieran reached inside.

  “Give me your other hand,” Kieran ordered. “We’ll pull you out together.”

  “If either of you two drops me,” Vonetta’s voice trailed out of the darkness, “I’m going to be so pissed.”

  “Netta, if we drop you, I’m going to throw myself in after you,” Emil advised. “And then we’re both going to find out what’s below these tunnels.”

  “We’re both going to be dead then,” Vonetta hissed.

  “Semantics,” Emil replied. “I’ve got you. Let go of whatever the hell you’re holding onto.”

  “I think it’s a root.”

  “Thanks for sharing,” Emil said. “Let go of the root and reach for Kieran.”

  There was a soft grunt, and then Kieran cursed. “I can’t reach him,” she gasped out.

  “Try again.” Emil shifted as if he were trying to position himself to grab her one hand with both of his, which would enable him to pull her up on his own, but I could sense his fear and worry.

  My heart lurched. I could totally understand Vonetta’s hesitation. I shifted restlessly, hands opening and closing at my sides.

  Casteel folded an arm around me from behind. He squeezed. “She’s going to be fine. They’ve got her.”

  I nodded as I glanced to where Delano was looking at the floor once more. His concern tripled, and I had a feeling the section near him wouldn’t remain much longer. Frustration rose within me. What good were my gifts right now? I could harness the eather to ease pain, to heal, and to harm. Why couldn’t I use it now, when help was so desperately needed?