The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and Ash 3)

I inhaled sharply as Ian closed his eyes, lowering his chin.

“So that’s it?” Casteel stepped forward. “You really want war?”

“I want Atlantia,” she replied.

“Then it’s war,” I stated.

The ruby crown glinted as she shook her head. “Not necessarily.”

“I don’t see how there is any other option,” Casteel returned. “You’ve rejected our offer.”

“But you haven’t rejected mine.”

Casteel laughed darkly. “It’ll be a no.”

“You haven’t heard what I have to say.” The Blood Queen held her glass with both hands. “You will claim Atlantia in my name and swear sovereignty to me. You may retain your titles of Prince and Princess, but you will ensure that several of my Dukes and Duchesses are able to safely cross the Skotos to establish Royal Seats throughout Atlantia. You will dismantle your armies and convince the people of Atlantia that this is for the best, of course.” Her head cocked to the side. “Oh, and I want the former King and Queen brought to the capital, where they will be tried for treason.”

Malik showed no response as he now stood beside the Handmaiden. Not a flicker of emotion for what would be a death sentence for his parents.

“You’re out of your mind,” Casteel breathed, and he was right. There was no other explanation for why she would think we’d ever agree to that.

“If you refuse, then war is inevitable,” she continued as if Casteel hadn’t spoken. “But first, I do believe you should understand what you’ll be up against if your armies cross the Skotos. We have over a hundred thousand guards who have sworn an oath to the Royal Crown. They may be mortal, but they want coin and a lifetime of riches—which I can provide. They’re more than willing to fight and die for that, than hedge their bets on Atlantia being any different than what they have now,” she told us. “We have several thousand knights, and they will not be nearly as easy for you to fight in combat as you think. But that’s not all we have.”

“The Revenants?” I finished for her.

Queen Ileana’s brows lifted and then smoothed out. “Interesting,” she murmured, and my heart skipped a beat. I didn’t dare look at Ian. “But do you know what a Revenant is?” When none of us answered, she shifted her glass to one hand and summoned the Handmaiden forward.

Malik’s jaw hardened as the Handmaiden went to join the Queen. It was brief, and I wasn’t even sure if his reaction had anything to do with the summoning or not. The Handmaiden sheathed her swords along her thighs and stood perfectly still beside the Queen.

“A Revenant is an amazing thing.” Queen Ileana angled her body toward the Handmaiden. “A very old thing that fell out of favor all the way back when the gods walked among man,” she said, picking up the young woman’s braid and draping it over her shoulder. “They are faster than most Atlantians could hope to be. Perhaps even faster than a wolven. They are incredibly strong, even those vertically challenged as this one beside me.”

The young woman had said that she was many things when I’d questioned if she was a Handmaiden. She was also a Revenant, and we’d seen just how fast and strong she was.

And she didn’t look even remotely pleased at her height being referenced.

“They are exceptionally trained fighters, born with inherent skill. They are good for one thing.” The Queen smiled as she drew a thumb across the red-painted mask. “And that is killing.”

The Revenant’s strange eyes remained open, fixed on some point beyond us.

“Any mortal can become skilled at killing, can they not?” Queen Ileana asked. “But a Revenant isn’t really mortal. They are something else entirely.”

Queen Ileana nodded at a nearby knight. He strode forward, unsheathing a long-bladed knife. I stiffened as a sudden rush of desperation burned through me, leaving behind the choking smoke of hopelessness. It came from her—the Revenant—even as she stood there, expressionless, her gaze vacant. She didn’t want—

Malik jerked as if he were about to take a step forward but stopped himself a second before the knight thrust the knife into the female’s chest—into her heart.

Tawny cried out, smacking her hand over her mouth as I stepped back out of shock, bumping into Casteel. His eyes were wide as he watched the knight yank the knife free. Ian had turned his head away as the knight stepped aside. The lace of the Handmaiden’s tunic quickly became wet as she stumbled to the side and then went down on one knee.

Blood trickled out of her mouth as she stretched her neck back. “Ouch,” she rasped and then toppled to her side.

“She’s a fighter, too,” the Queen commented as a pool of red rapidly spread out from under her prone body. She looked up at Vonetta. “You. Check to see if she lives for me?”