The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and Ash 3)

“But this will,” I finished, sheathing the sword. “Fire of the gods, right? That will kill you.”

“Good fucking gods, is that—?” The Revenant stumbled, tripping over his feet. He caught himself just as Reaver’s spiked tail slammed into his chest.

Well, that was not a part of the plan, I thought as I watched the Revenant fly sideways, crashing into rock. He hit it with a fleshy smack. Sliding onto his knees, he pitched forward onto his hands with a groan.

Slowly, I looked over at Reaver. “Really?”

He made a chuffing sound as he swung his tail back, narrowly missing taking out Kieran in the process. The wolven’s ears flattened as he growled.

“Calm,” I warned him as I stepped over Reaver’s tail. “That’s not a battle you’re going to win.”

Everything about Kieran’s stance said he’d like to try as I approached the moaning Revenant. He quieted as I knelt in front of him, clutching his chest.

“That was part of the message that I want you to deliver to your Queen,” I said, and it was the kind of message Casteel would send.

The Revenant looked up, blood leaking from his mouth. His gaze only left me long enough to see what Delano had dropped at his feet.

It was King Jalara’s head.

“Fuck,” the Revenant groaned.

I took the ruby crown Delano handed me. “I want you to deliver that to her. Let her know that I have his crown. It’s mine now. I want you to thank her for me, for teaching me to fight like a god. Tell her that was for Ian.”

The Revenent’s flat eyes met mine.

“Now this is the really important part. I need you to make sure she understands that I’m coming for her. That I will burn every Revenant that stands between her and me. I will strike down every Ascended who defends her. I will topple every castle she seeks to hide in. Make sure she understands that her survival hinges on Casteel. She will release him, or she will see each and every one of her cities leveled. If she touches him again, I will destroy her precious Malec, and I can. I know where to find him. He lives. For now. And if she kills Casteel? If anyone kills him?” I tilted my head, catching his gaze as he tried to find where the draken had flown off to. “I will make sure her death is a slow one that will take hundreds of years to complete. If not thousands. You understand?”

“Yes,” he wheezed.

“Good.” I rose then, the ruby crown dangling from my fingers. “Make sure she knows that I am the Chosen, the One who is Blessed, and I carry the blood of the King of Gods in me. I am the Liessa to the wolven, the second daughter, the true heir, owed the crowns of Atlantia and Solis. I am the Queen of Flesh and Fire, and the gods’ guards ride with me. Tell the Blood Queen to prepare for war.”