Gathering Darkness

A flash of worry crossed his gaze. “I think you’re right. There are probably many who would use someone with your abilities, your prophecy. You must be careful.”

His confirmation surprised her. “Alexius, I should have told you this already, but I did the spell again, by myself, to awaken the last crystal.”

He went very quiet. “What?”

“I know you wanted to be there, but I succeeded on my own. With no problems,” she lied.

A shadow crossed his expression. “I asked you to wait, princess.”

“I know you did. But everything is fine. The spell worked perfectly. The water Kindred is waiting to be claimed as we speak.”

He let out a long breath, his face still set in stern lines. “Very well, it’s done. Tell me where you awakened it.”

“The Temple of Valoria.” She didn’t see any flicker of surprise in his eyes, which told her she was right. The temple was without a doubt Melenia’s fourth place of power.

It all made sense. On the maps she’d seen her father studying, the Imperial Road terminated close to the temple.

“There’s been no disaster there,” Alexius said. “No blood has been spilled. And yet you believe this is the place.”

“I’m certain it is,” she said. But then a shadow of worry clouded over her confidence. “I shared this information with Cleo, to get a reaction. To see in her eyes proof that she’d been the one to betray us.”

“And if she does, and her rebel friend, Jonas, claims the crystal?”

“Then I’ll steal it back.” As soon as she said it, she felt the truth of her conviction. Her doubts disappeared again.

“Good.” A smile played at his lips before his gaze grew pensive. “The Temple of Valoria is an excellent place for other important events as well, I think.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s the perfect place for us to be married.”

She couldn’t help but laugh at his persistence. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

“Of course I am. Unless you were waiting for an official betrothal to a lord, that is. I’m not sure a lowly tutor could ever compete with that.”

She wanted Alexius more than any lord who’d ever existed. “You’re impossible.”

He took her face in his hands again. “Say it. Say we can run away to Limeros today to be married and claim the last crystal as ours, and no one has to know until we want them to.”

Today? She stared at him, a million thoughts racing through her mind. A million doubts, a million questions, all swirling about into a storm of confusion.

But there was one thing she wasn’t confused about.

“Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you, Alexius.”

CHAPTER 27

MAGNUS

AURANOS

“The king summons you.”

Cronus stood at the archway of the palace library like the looming shadow of a mountain. Magnus was there to search the shelves for more information about the Kindred and, due to his father’s recent claims about his true birth mother, he was also researching quite a bit about witches.

“Does he, now. Immediately, or at my leisure?”

Cronus crossed his arms. “Immediately.”

“I was joking, Cronus.” Magnus threw the book he’d been flipping through onto a large pile in the center of a long oak table. The librarian—a strange little woman with bright red hair and high arched eyebrows—would put them back where they belonged eventually.

“Of course. Shall we, your highness?”

“Oh, you’ve been officially assigned to usher me to him today, have you? That must make it extra important.”

Cronus eyed him. “You’re in a rare mood today.”

“You think?” Actually, Magnus was in an apathetic mood. He’d boiled with anger for two full days about getting to the temple, only to find the treasure gone.

Now he was trying to focus on what he could control. He’d sworn to keep an extra vigilant watch over Alexius from that day forward. He knew the exiled Watcher was responsible for the missing crystal—it had to have been him. Who else could it have been?

Perhaps the king still trusted Melenia and the boy she’d sent in her stead, but Magnus didn’t. Not for a single, solitary moment.

“Lead the way,” Magnus said to the captain of the guard.

Today could turn into a good day, if he could only convince the king to separate Alexius and Lucia until further notice. A good day, at least, until he was required to attend Lord Gareth’s daughter’s wedding feast with Cleo that evening.

He’d rather forget about that obligation if he could. Another “opportunity” for him to socialize with hundreds of guests who’d likely rather be anywhere else. Well, at least they had that in common.

When the throne was his, he thought, he wouldn’t jump at the chance to throw feasts for the daughters of every nobleman who asked nicely. He preferred privacy and solitude, a life in which public speeches were required only rarely and with much advance notice.

It took ten minutes to reach the throne room through the labyrinthine hallways of the palace. Magnus would never tell anyone, but he’d gotten lost in these hallways far too many times before he’d finally taken the time to sketch a map to help him find his way.

Every hallway looked exactly the same. Lit by lanterns, with marble or brightly tiled mosaic floors, and paintings and tapestries adorning the walls.