SWNOVELS The Crown of Gilded Bones: Chapter 32
“There’s just the one carriage and four guards,” Vonetta told us as we walked across the courtyard, passing the spot where Casteel and I had knelt and exchanged vows. She had her braids swept up in a tight bun, and her hand rested on the golden short sword at her hip. “The remaining Ascended have stayed back.”
“Are they Royal Knights?” Casteel asked.
Vonetta nodded as the lit torches along the wall rippled from the breeze.
Spying the Guardians on the wall, I spotted the thick, blonde braid in the moonlight. Nova stood there, two swords in hand. Beside her, another Guardian held a bow at her side. “My brother?”
“He hasn’t been seen, but we believe he remains in the carriage.”
The endless roiling of my stomach threatened to return, but I forced myself to stay calm. The last thing I needed was to start glowing.
As we neared the gates, I saw several men armed with swords and crossbows. I recognized a few as those I’d aided after the siege. They bowed as we approached. Kieran and Delano prowled out of the shadows in their wolven forms. “Did you all rest?” I asked Vonetta.
She nodded as we caught sight of her father and several other wolven. “We did. I hope you two did.”
There was a ghost of a smile on Casteel’s face, one I hoped Vonetta didn’t notice. “I’m sorry about this,” I said to her. “This stress is the last thing the people of Spessa’s End need.”
“It’s not your fault, Your Highness,” she started.
“Poppy,” I corrected her. “We’re…friends, right?” A flush crept up my neck. “I mean, I did wear your gown to my wedding, and—” I trailed off as old insecurities reared their bitchy heads. Vonetta had been nothing but kind and welcoming to me, but she was friends with Casteel, and she’d met me when I was positioned to become a Princess. And now that I was their Liessa? It felt like Tawny all over again, and I felt even more foolish. Because, seriously, this was not the time for this. “Just ignore me. I don’t even know why I’m thinking about this when there are Ascended waiting for us beyond the gate.”
“I think some would call that avoidance,” Casteel murmured.
I shot him a look of warning, and a dimple appeared.
“We’re friends,” Vonetta said, grinning. “At least, I thought we were. So I’m glad to hear you think so, too, because boy, it would’ve been awkward if not.”
Relief swept through me. “I think it’s already awkward. At least, for me,” I said as amusement radiated from the general direction of where Kieran waited. Jerk.
“Don’t worry about it.” She reached over, squeezing my arm. If she felt the weird static charge, she didn’t show it. “And don’t apologize for what is happening tonight. Everyone here knows the risks. The Ascended could come at any time. We’re prepared.”
Based on how quickly they’d come together before the Ascended attempted to overtake Spessa’s End with the Duchess, it was obvious that they truly were.
Having come down from the wall, Nova joined us. The blonde Guardian placed a fist over her heart and bowed at the waist, the moonlight glinting off the golden band around her upper arm. “What is the plan?”
Casteel glanced at me. I remained quiet because I believed she was looking for a more detailed plan beyond me not losing control of my emotions.
“Kieran and Delano will go with us,” Casteel decided. “Netta, I know you’re quick with a blade, so I want you with us. You, too, Nova.”
Both of the women nodded, and then Nova advised, “We have archers on the wall, and several wolven already beyond the gate, hidden in the woods.”
“Perfect,” Casteel replied, and I started to speak but stopped. Cas took note of it. “What?”
“I’m just…I’m curious about why you chose only Kieran and Delano in their wolven forms, and Vonetta and Nova,” I admitted, cheeks warming as I looked between the two women. “Not that I doubt you two are skilled. I know for a fact that you both are, so please don’t take my question that way. I’m just curious to understand the strategy.” And that was the truth. I wanted to know why he would approach the Ascended without the entirety of the wolven present and every armed soldier we had.
“There are two reasons,” Casteel explained as I quickly reached out with my gifts, relieved that I didn’t feel anger or irritation from Nova and Vonetta. “They don’t need to know how well-organized we are. The less they see, the better. It gives us the element of surprise if needed.”
I nodded. “That makes sense.”
“And as you know, the Ascended nor the people of Solis expect females to be as skilled as men when it comes to battle,” he continued. “That’s something so inherently ingrained in them that even those who have heard of the Guardians’ fighting skills still won’t view them as a threat.”
I should’ve realized that. “They’d be sadly mistaken to hold that belief.”
“And that is a mistake we intend to exploit,” Nova stated, and I hoped the Guardian no longer viewed me as a possible distraction to Casteel or a weakness.
“Thank you for explaining,” I said, filing the information away.
Casteel nodded. “You ready?”
Drawing in a shallow breath, I nodded, even though I wasn’t—because I had to be. “Yes.”
“Your promise.” He stepped closer to me, lowering his chin. “Don’t forget it.”
“I haven’t,” I whispered, the wolven dagger strapped to my thigh suddenly becoming a heavy weight. It would be nearly impossible to walk away from Ian if he’d become what I feared, not knowing when I’d get the chance again.
“You can do this,” he told me. Kissing the center of my forehead, he then took my hand and turned to the men at the gate. With a nod, the heavy doors opened with a groan of stone against stone.
Torches had been lit on both sides of the road, casting an eerie glow over the crimson, windowless carriage that waited, the side embossed with a circle with an arrow piercing the center. The Royal Crest.
Ian traveled in a carriage used by the Blood Crown. Nausea rose in my throat.
Two guards in black armor with matching mantles swept over their shoulders stood beside the carriage’s horses. Another two stood by the closed door, their grips on their swords firm. These knights had a new piece of attire. Their helmets were adorned with combs made of horsehair and shone red in the moonlight. Red-painted masks with slits for eyes fitted tightly to the upper parts of the knights’ faces and hid their identities. It reminded me of the masks worn during the Rite.
“The masks,” Vonetta murmured from behind us. “Are an interesting choice.”
“The Ascended are dramatic in all things,” Casteel said, and he was right.
My heart thumped crazy-fast as Casteel threaded his fingers through mine, and we walked forward, joined by Kieran and Delano and flanked by Vonetta and Nova.
I sensed nothing from the Royal Knights as pebbles crunched under our boots. We stopped several feet from the carriage. Having taken a vow of silence, the knights didn’t speak. At least, these didn’t. The ones who’d come to New Haven had had a lot to say.
“You called,” Casteel spoke first, an air of nonchalance oozing from his tone. “We answered.”
A beat of silence passed, and then a soft rap came from inside the carriage. My breath seized as one of the knights reached forward, opening the door.
Time seemed to slow as one cloak-covered arm extended from the carriage, and a pale hand clasped the door. My heart seemed to stop as a long, lean body unfolded from the interior, stepping out onto the road. The black cloak settled around legs wrapped in dark breeches. A white shirt peeked out from the folds of the cloak. I ceased to breathe as the body turned to where I stood, and I lifted my gaze. Hair a reddish brown in the firelight. A handsome, oval-shaped face and smooth jaw. Full lips not tilted up in a boyish smile like I remembered but settled in a flat line.
Ian.
Oh, gods, it was my brother. But as my gaze continued tracking up to settle on his face, I saw the eyes that’d often shifted from brown to green depending on the light were now a fathomless, pitch-black.
The eyes of an Ascended.
He said nothing as he stared at me, his expression utterly unreadable, and the strained silence stretched between us like a widening gulf.
I felt a crack widening in my chest. My fingers went limp, but Casteel’s hold on my hand didn’t falter. His grip tightened, reminding me that I wasn’t alone, that he believed I could handle this because I could. I forced air into my lungs.
I can do this.
Lifting my chin, I heard myself speak. “Ian.”
There was a twitch of movement around his mouth that could have almost been a flinch as he blinked. “Poppy,” he said. And there went another tear in my heart. His voice was soft and light as air. It was his voice. The corners of his lips tipped up in an almost familiar smile. “I have been so worried.”
Had he? Truly? “I am fine,” I said, surprised by how level my voice sounded. “But you? You’re not.”
His head cocked to the side. “I am more than well, Poppy. It is not I who has been taken by the Dark One and held hostage—”
“I am not a hostage,” I interrupted as a red-hot arrow of anger pierced me. I latched on to it, as it was far better than the rising grief. “I am here with my husband, Prince Casteel.”
“Husband?” Ian’s voice roughened, but the inflection was forced. It had to be. The Ascended may be prone to extreme emotion like anger or lust, but concern? Sympathy? No. He stepped forward. “If this is a farce, I—”
A rumble of warning came from my right as Kieran inched forward. Ian halted, his eyes widening on the fawn-colored wolven. “Good gods,” he exclaimed, and he really did sound surprised…maybe even awed. “They really are huge.”
Kieran’s lips peeled back in a snarl as his body tensed. I focused on him, opening that cord—our connection. It’s okay.
I feared Kieran couldn’t hear me and would launch himself at Ian, but the growling faded.
“My wife is here of her own free will,” Casteel spoke then, his tone losing its hint of boredom. “And while I entertained this meeting, I will not tolerate insinuations regarding the legitimacy of our marriage.”
“Of course, not.” Ian’s dark stare slid its way to the Prince. There was a hardness to his features that had never been there before. “What does Atlantia truly hope to gain by taking my sister?”
A wave of awareness curled down my spine as the knight to Ian’s left turned his head toward him. I was surprised that he didn’t refer to me as all the Ascended did. As the Maiden. A tiny spark of hope returned.
“Atlantia has many things to gain from it,” Casteel responded. “But I have gained everything from the union.”
Ian stared at him, his brows knitted. He then looked at me, tentatively taking several steps forward. The wolven allowed it. “Am I supposed to believe you willingly married the monster responsible for our parents’ deaths?”
“I happily married the Prince, who you and I both know had nothing to do with our parents’ deaths.”
Ian shook his head, his brows raised. “I can only imagine what you have been told that led you to stand beside the enemy—those responsible for such terror and pain. I will not hold it against you,” he said. “Neither will the Crown. The Queen and King are so very worried about you, and we had so much hope that we would free you in the Wastelands.”
“I do not need to be freed.” Wrapping myself around the anger I felt, I smirked. “I’m sure they’re very concerned to have lost their blood bag.”
“Poppy, that’s not—”
“Don’t,” I interrupted him, sliding my hand free from Casteel’s. “I know the truth about the Ascended. I know how the Craven are made, and I know why they are holding Prince Malik and what they planned to use me for. So, let’s not pretend that I don’t know the truth. That you don’t. The Blood Crown is the root of the evil plaguing the people of Solis. They are the oppressors, not the heroes.”
A heartbeat passed. “The villain is always the hero in their story, aren’t they?”
“Not in this one,” I retorted.
He didn’t speak for a long moment and then said, “I would like to speak with you.” His dark eyes flicked to the storm brewing beside me. “Alone.”
“That’s not going to happen,” I said, my heart cracking a little more.
“Because you don’t trust me?” A muscle twitched near Ian’s mouth. “Or because the Dark One will not allow it?”
A midnight laugh rumbled from Casteel. “You don’t know your sister all that well if you believe anyone can stop her from doing what she wants.”
That was the thing, though. Another fissure streaked across my heart. Ian only knew me as his baby sister and then as the Maiden. He only knew me back when I did what I was told. And, gods, I wanted him to know me now—know the real me.
But seeing that inhuman coldness etched into his features, I knew that would never happen.
I wanted to cry.
I wanted to sit down right there and crack wide-open. It wouldn’t change what was standing in front of me, but it would make me feel better. At least temporarily. But I couldn’t do that. Not here. Not anytime soon. So, I thought of Casteel’s mother, and I did what she had done in front of me. I stitched myself back together so tightly that only a thread of grief coursed through me.
Once I was sure I had it under control, I took a step toward Ian. “You are my brother. I will always love you.” My voice caught. “But you have to know what they do to those children given over to the Rite. They serve no gods. How can you be okay with that? The Ian I knew would’ve been horrified to know that children are murdered—that innocent people are slaughtered in their sleep—all so the Ascended can feed.”
Something flickered across his face, but it was gone too quickly for me to know if it was really even there. His features smoothed out. “But I am an Ascended, Poppy.”
I drew in a ragged inhale as I stiffened. The warmth of Casteel’s body pressed against my back. “And Tawny?” I rasped.
“Tawny is safe,” he stated flatly. “As is the Dark One’s brother. Both are well taken care of and provided for.”
“Do you truly expect us to believe that?” Casteel demanded, his anger rising to the surface.
“You don’t have to. Both of you can see for yourselves,” Ian replied. His words fell like frozen rain. “That is why I am here.”
I suppressed a shudder as the spark of hope died. There was nothing familiar about Ian’s tone now, and his words meant more than what was spoken. He wasn’t here out of concern. “The message from the Blood Crown?” I managed.
He nodded. “The true Queen has requested a meeting with the Prince and Princess of Atlantia.”
True Queen? I almost laughed. I was surprised that Casteel didn’t. I glanced at him. His striking features had sharpened. “Funny, we wish to speak to the false Queen, as well.”
“Then she will be pleased to hear that you will meet with her in a fortnight to discuss the future. At the Royal Seat in Oak Ambler,” Ian told us, referencing a small port city just before the Wastelands. “Of course, she extends this offer with a promise that no harm will come to either of you in hopes that you will honor her offer and leave the armies you have gathered to the north.”
My stomach dropped as a cool shower of surprise echoed from the wolven and Casteel. How did they know?
“Yes.” Ian smiled then, and it killed me a little when I saw the hint of fangs along both rows of teeth. “The King and Queen know of the armies gathering. They hope that this meeting can prevent unnecessary bloodshed. He glanced to where Vonetta stood. “You are more than welcome to join.”
My brows crept up on my forehead. Ian had been a bit of a flirt growing up, but wasn’t he married now? Then again, he’d barely spoken of his wife, and it wasn’t like I’d seen a loving relationship between an Ascended pair before.
“Thanks, but I’ll pass,” Vonetta replied dryly as I sensed a rise in Kieran’s annoyance.
“Shame,” Ian murmured. “I had hoped to continue our conversation.”
“Not me,” she muttered, and I so wondered what conversation he was referencing.
“Why, in either kingdom, would we trust that offer?” Casteel had silently moved to stand beside me once more, something that caused the knights to start forward.
Ian held up a hand, halting the knights. “Because the Blood Crown has no desire to start another war,” he responded. “One I hope you realize you will not win.”
“We’re going to have to disagree on that,” Casteel bit out.
“So we shall.” Ian inclined his head. “But you should also know that if you come with ill will, not only will you be destroyed, but so will Atlantia—starting with Spessa’s End.”
Rage coated the back of my throat, and I reached out, curling a hand around Casteel’s arm. A slight tremor coursed through him. His chin had dipped, his features becoming sharp angles. I squeezed his arm, and he briefly glanced down at my hand as if he didn’t know who touched him. It took several seconds for him to wrangle his anger.
“The Blood Crown is rather confident,” I said, taking on the same tone of nonchalance Casteel had had in the beginning. Dark eyes met mine. “Which tells me that the Queen has no real knowledge of what armies are gathering to the north.” Considering that I had no real idea, it was nothing more than a bluff.
“Sister,” Ian purred, turning my stomach. “You could have hundreds of thousands of soldiers, half of them wolven larger than the ones before me, and you would not defeat what the Queen has created.”
Unsettled, I stared at him. “What has the Queen created, Ian?”
“Let’s hope you never need to find out.”
“I want to find out,” I insisted.
“Do you speak of more knights?” Casteel cast a sneer in the direction of those standing behind him. “Because if so, we’re not worried.”
“No.” Ian continued to smile, while the knights showed no reaction to Casteel’s taunt. “The Revenants are not knights. They are not Ascended, mortal, nor Atlantian. They are something far more…unique than that.”
Revenant? I had no idea what that could even be.
“I must take my leave now. It is a long journey back to the capital. I look forward to seeing you in Oak Ambler.” His gaze shifted to me. “I wish to hug you, Poppy. I hope you can look past our differences and grant this favor.”
I locked up as the weight of the wolven dagger reminded me of the oath I’d made to myself and what I’d promised Casteel. Ian was…he was no longer my brother. There were moments when I saw him, but those seconds truly meant nothing. He was no longer in there.
My gaze snapped to the knights. They were shifting uneasily, obviously not excited about Ian’s request or how far away he was now standing from them, and I could feel the wariness coming from all those around me, especially Casteel.
This…this could be my chance. I would be more than close enough to use the dagger. I didn’t think he’d expect it. I could do it. And in my heart, I knew that to be true. But at what risk? Casteel and the others could easily take the four knights. I didn’t doubt that for one second, but what if the Blood Crown took that as an act of war and Ian had spoken the truth about these Revenants? What if my one act spawned the war that Casteel and I were trying to prevent?
I…I didn’t want that.
Relief warred with disappointment so potent that it felt like I’d taken the dagger and used it on myself. However, I would rather carry the guilt of allowing my brother to continue on this way than shoulder the regret of causing countless people to lose their lives.
“It’s okay,” I told Casteel as I stepped forward. “He won’t hurt me.”
Ian frowned slightly, but I hoped Casteel understood what I said. Wariness throbbed from all those behind me, and I swore the wolven dagger did the same. But I ignored both things as I stopped in front of Ian. He didn’t smell like the sea and sun anymore. Instead, I caught the floral musk of an expensive cologne. Ian’s skin was cold, even through his shirt, and it all felt wrong as he folded me in his arms. I closed my eyes and let myself imagine just for a second that this was the Ian I remembered—that I was hugging my brother, and he was okay.
“Poppy, listen to me,” he whispered, and my eyes opened. “I know the truth. Wake Nyktos. Only his guards can stop the Blood Crown.”