Of Bones and Skulls

Of Bones and SkullsBlack Skull Chronicles: Book OneSamantha ZieglerFinished Fiction LLC Copyright © 2023 Samantha ZieglerAll rights reservedThe characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.Cover design by: Cedric Daniel A. Vitangcol | @designsby.cedLibrary of Congress Control Number: 2018675309Printed in the United States of America To my mother.It's always been for you. Contents Title PageCopyrightDedicationContent WarningsPlaylistPrologue Chapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4 Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 7Chapter 8Chapter 9Chapter 10Chapter 11Chapter 12Chapter 13 Chapter 14Chapter 15Chapter 16Chapter 17Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20Chapter 21Chapter 22Chapter 23Chapter 24Chapter 25Chapter 26Chapter 27Chapter 28Chapter 29Chapter 30Chapter 31Chapter 32Chapter 33Chapter 34Chapter 35Chapter 36Chapter 37Chapter 38Chapter 39Chapter 40Chapter 41Chapter 42Chapter 43Chapter 44Chapter 45Chapter 46Chapter 47Chapter 48Chapter 49Chapter 50Chapter 51Chapter 52Chapter 53Chapter 54Chapter 55Chapter 56Chapter 57Chapter 58Chapter 59Chapter 60Chapter 61Chapter 62Epilogue Thank you!Ready for More?Acknowledgements Content WarningsThis book contains content that may not be suitable for all readers, including:-Blood and Gore-Violence and Murder-Attempted Sexual Assault-Abuse of Sex Worker-Suicide-Loss of a Parent/Sibling-Substance AbuseFor more details regarding the content, please visit the trigger warnings page on my website. PlaylistMy wonderful friend, Karina Mancillas (AKA Kiza Reads), created a playlist on Spotify for Of Bones and Skulls. There are far too many songs to list them all, but you can listen to the playlist here. Trust me, it's phenomenal. Prologue King Cyril Vandever III was killed in early spring, on a night when the full moon shone brazenly across the sky. It had been an ordinary day, full of boring meetings discussing the kingdom’s economy, military, et cetera, et cetera. In the evening King Cyril dined with his wife, Queen Andrielle, and his son and daughter, the Prince and Princess of Rhodan. After dinner, the royal family played a game of cards while enjoying a vintage mead. After all, it was a time of peace and had been for decades; there was nothing to keep them from taking their leisure. It was nearly midnight when the king and queen Chapter 1- Elyse -Elyse glared at the paunchy man who had spent the last ten minutes trying to decide if he should buy a rabbit’s foot or a crystal pendant. As she used her mortar and pestle to grind up herbs for a potion, she imagined it was the man’s head she was smashing. He had been so rude to her from the moment he walked into her shoppe. She didn’t appreciate the judgmental way his eyes had lingered on the shelves full of potions and hex bags, nor the way they had lingered on her. Still, she’d politely asked him what he was looking for and pointed him toward