The Bone Temple lined the horizon, a sprawling structure built upon thousands of heavy blocks of stone which held the bodies of the entombed Priests and Priestesses. The Temple was as tall as the Rise itself, with marble and limestone pillars that stretched even higher, and steep steps that climbed the north and south sides. Vines smothered the ones to the east and west and had even begun to climb the pillars.
“Well,” Naill drawled as the grounds beyond the Temple came into view. “It looks like the Blood Queen brought a few friends along with her.”
“She most definitely did,” Casteel murmured. “Not unexpected.”
And it wasn’t. There was no way Isbeth would meet us in the open like this without substantial forces. Just as we hadn’t.
In the rising moonlight, the ground looked red beyond the Temple, blocking the northern gates and spreading as far as the eye could see. Soldiers in black and crimson armor stood shield to shield, their faces covered by helmets or gaiters.
“What are we looking at?” Casteel asked as we drew closer.
I let my senses sweep out. A mixture of varying degrees of emotion came back to me. Salty resolve. Vast nothingness. Fear. A shallower emptiness from those shielding their emotions. “Mortals, knights, and Revenants,” I told them.
“How incredibly diverse of the Blood Queen,” Kieran murmured.
My gaze swept to the floor of the Temple. I couldn’t see who was there. Was Millicent with our mother? Would she intervene on her behalf once it became clear what we planned? Or would she aid us?
Casteel gave the signal, and the horses slowed before stopping as we neared the foot of the Temple. He looked over at me, and I took a shallow breath, nodding.
Loosening my grip on the reins, I dismounted as Casteel did the same. The others who would join us at the Temple followed as Casteel went to where the generals waited. “Remember the plan,” he said. “The wolven will alert you when it’s time.”
General Aylard and Sven nodded as Naill and Emil carefully unloaded Malec’s casket from the wagon.
“Be careful,” Sven called to us.
Remembering what I’d heard before, I replied with, “But be brave.”
Hisa caught my eye and grinned as she helped Naill and Emil. I smiled as Casteel caught Malik by the arm. The curve of my lips faded.
“Stay close to me,” Casteel spoke, his voice low as he met his brother’s stare. “Don’t do anything that could jeopardize what we’re doing here or your life.”
Malik’s expression was stoic, but he nodded.
“You could at least smile,” Kieran said to Malik as Casteel let go of his arm. “At least you have a sword this time.”
“Gee, thanks,” Malik muttered as Casteel shot him a look a wise person would’ve shut up upon receiving. “You know, for allowing me to have the bare minimum protection.”
“How about you stop bitching and help us?” Naill grunted. “For a sleeping god, the fucker sure is heavy.”
Cursing under his breath, Malik went to the front of the casket. “Maybe it’s not that he’s heavy. It’s just that you are all weak.”
“Say that again,” Hisa warned, her eyes flashing a sharp amber from above the face guard of her helmet, “and I will kick your ass.”
Malik said nothing as he helped lower the casket to the ground, but his lips twitched as a sugary taste gathered in my mouth.
“What is it with the Da’Neer men and being amused when women threaten them?” I asked.
Kieran snorted, taking my hand and turning me to face him. “It probably has a complicated answer,” he said, carefully taking hold of my crown and lifting it so it didn’t snag in my hair. Neither Casteel nor I would wear our crowns. We would already be targets on the field, and we didn’t need anything making it easier to pinpoint us. “Buried in deeply rooted issues that span many generations.”
“I find that deeply offensive,” Casteel remarked, coming to us as I smiled.
“Sure, you do.” Kieran took my crown, placing it in the box that a Crown Guard held—a much more ornate, wooden, engraved thing with the Atlantian Crest. I supposed people had gotten tired of seeing the crowns in a cigar box. He then turned to Casteel and removed his crown with the same gentleness, placing it beside mine. He looked between us as the guard mounted his horse and rode off to keep the crowns safe. “Are we ready?”
Casteel looked down at me. “My Queen?”
My pulse increased slightly, and a flutter of nervous anticipation bloomed in my chest. The essence thrummed. “Yes.”
“Then it’s time.” Casteel’s mouth brushed mine. His lips tasted of the salty breeze as he took my left hand. His thumb ran over the dazzling, golden swirl. “We will end this tonight, one way or another. And then, I’m going to find that diamond I told you about.” He kissed me again. “But before that, I’m going to get what I want. You. In the armor.”