Gathering Darkness

  Lucia nodded. “Understood. I’m not afraid. How do we begin?”

  “Melenia has been working with your father to construct the Imperial Road,” he said. Cleo gasped as Alexius motioned with his hand, sending light spreading out across the floor between them. Finally, the light morphed into a shimmering map, which Cleo recognized immediately as Mytica. Mountain ranges, forestland, beaches, cities, towns, villages, lakes, and rivers—all rendered in exquisite detail on this magical landscape. It was like something from a dream.

  Alexius studied the map. Then a new line of light appeared, etching itself into the landscape.

  “It’s the road,” Lucia said, her eyes wide. “I recognize it from the maps my father studies every day.”

  “The road is important,” Alexius explained. “It was engineered by an exiled Watcher, like myself. The road is infused with his magic, specifically as Melenia has instructed.

  “There are four points along this road, four locations that Melenia determined to be powerful places that hold a more concentrated level of elemental magic than anywhere else in Mytica. She has used the road to join these places of power, threading them together like pearls on a necklace. Three of these locations have been the setting of fateful moments of blood magic. Blood that was spilled on or near the road then triggered elemental disasters, which confirmed them as ideal locations.”

  Cleo stared at Alexius now, barely breathing. Elemental disasters—she’d experienced one herself. A massive earthquake on the day of her wedding right after the slaughter of Jonas’s group of rebels.

  Blood magic. Could it be true?

  “Sounds complicated,” Cleo said.

  He nodded. “The recovery of the Kindred is a complicated, layered process. Nothing this important is ever easy.”

  She had to agree with him on that.

  “So where are they?” Lucia asked. “These places of power?”

  “I can’t reveal that. You must be able to see them for yourself, using your own magic. When you do see them, you will then be able to awaken the crystals and draw them to these magical locations. Your magic is as pure as the magic possessed by the Kindred themselves, and it is only through that spark of magic that they can be physically claimed, piece by piece.” He glanced at Cleo. “The claiming is slightly less complicated than the awakening.”

  “How are they claimed?” she ventured, needing to know everything she possibly could.

  “Through blood magic. To make the crystals appear, the symbols for each Kindred must be drawn in blood at the locations.”

  Incredible. It was all too much, yet she wanted more. “I’ve heard it said that the power of a crystal is so great, it can corrupt one who touches it,” she said. One of Cleo’s beliefs about her ring was that wearing it would protect her from corruption.

  “That warning that applies to Watchers,” Alexius said, his expression distant in the flickering light of the map and the candles. “A warning which has often gone unheeded in the past, I’m afraid.”

  So the crystals wouldn’t corrupt a mortal. Was it true? Could she trust anything this boy said?

  He could be lying. She had no way of knowing for sure what was true and what was false.

  “How do I do it?” Lucia asked, now frowning as she stared at the map. “How do I awaken the crystals?”

  “This will help you. Watch.” Alexius leaned over and took the ring from Lucia, then balanced it on its edge before her, flicking it to set it spinning. “As long as you concentrate on it, it will keep spinning. Clear your mind of everything else. Think only of the ring and the magic it contains. Its power will enhance what you already have.”

  “You learned all of this from Melenia?” she whispered.

  “Yes,” he replied simply.

  “She sounds amazing. So wise.”

  “The ring, princess,” he urged. “Don’t let it stop spinning or we’ll have to start over. I’ll guide you.”

  “All right.” The excitement in Lucia’s eyes had dissipated and was now replaced by steely determination. Cleo was impressed by her willingness to embrace this unexpected turn of events so easily. Then again, it was her destiny.

  Our destiny, Cleo corrected herself.

  Lucia concentrated and the ring spun around and around. The amethyst cast its own light upon the map, turning it violet and sending a cascade of sparkling light onto their faces and the stone walls.

  “Good, princess,” Alexius said. “It’s working.”

  “What do I do now?” Lucia asked, her voice growing strained.

  “Think of the Kindred. Four crystals containing the purest essence of elemental magic. Amber for fire, moonstone for air, aquamarine for water, and obsidian for earth. Picture them in your mind. See them.”

  “I can see them,” Lucia whispered.

  “Now you should be able to feel where each belongs—the chosen place of power in Mytica where the element is meant to be awakened.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  Cleo watched them both tensely, her gaze moving back and forth between sorceress and tutor.

  “Trust your magic, princess. It is ancient, as ancient as the Kindred itself. It knows what to do. Let it guide you.” He hesitated. “And if you can’t, then we know it’s not yet time. We can wait a day, a week—”

  “I can do it,” Lucia insisted. She kept her gaze on the spinning ring. “I can see it. I can see the earth crystal . . . where it will be awakened . . .”

  And so could Cleo. The spinning ring moved across the map of Mytica. The light then transformed before Cleo’s eyes, giving the image more dimension and depth. She suddenly had the sensation that they were hawks, flying high above the land, looking down at the surface. The spinning ring moved along the line of the Imperial Road until it stopped at a point near its origin in Auranos. Cleo recognized it immediately.

  “There,” Lucia whispered. “The Temple of Cleiona . . . it’s the chosen place of power for earth.”

  The earthquake. Earth magic.

  “I awaken the earth Kindred,” Lucia said softly, but with the weight of a command.

  Amazed, Cleo watched the display before her, which now showed the outline of the temple itself. Then a symbol appeared, burning, as if it had just been physically branded onto the magical landscape.

  A circle within a circle.

  Alexius inhaled sharply, his gaze snapping to Lucia. “You did it, princess. You’ve awakened the earth Kindred.”

  Lucia’s mouth stretched into a shaky smile. “That felt natural. Hardly any effort at all.”

  Cleo could tell she was lying. Whatever she’d just done, it had taken a lot out of her. The sorceress trembled, her forehead damp with perspiration.

  Cleo couldn’t help but be amazed.

  “So all it will take,” Cleo ventured, “is to do what you mentioned—draw the corresponding symbol in blood at the actual site—to claim the crystal.”

  “Yes,” Alexius said, but his attention was fully on Lucia. “Can you continue, princess, or do you want to stop?”

  “I can go on.” Lucia didn’t blink, her attention still fixed on the spinning ring. Cleo realized with sudden shock that Lucia’s eyes had turned amethyst—the color of the gemstone, and they were bright with light.

  The map shifted to another location along the road, one in central Paelsia. It looked like a small village enclosed by a wall.

  “The former compound of Chief Basilius,” Lucia said.

  “You know this place?” Cleo asked with surprise. Her own knowledge of geography was not nearly as vast.

  “I didn’t before.” Lucia smiled shakily. “And yet, now I do. I know it with such clarity . . . Cleo, I can’t even explain it.”

  “You don’t have to. This is amazing, Lucia.”

  “Yes . . .” Lucia’s brow furrowed and her eyes brightened. “The air crys
tal shall be awakened here, in the wake of a tornado that swept across this location. Air, hear me. I awaken you.”

  The air symbol—a spiral—branded itself upon the location.

  Earth and air, Cleo thought. For so long she’d waited, and now everything was happening so quickly.

  “Princess,” Alexius said, watching Lucia with concern. “Be careful. You are expending more magic than I thought you would need to, and it could hurt you. Let’s stop for today.”

  “No. This is my destiny.” Lucia’s eyes blazed with light. “I can do this. I am doing it. We shall find the Kindred. All four crystals will be returned to the Sanctuary, and my prophecy will be fulfilled. And all of this struggle will be over. I will be free. Please, let me continue.”

  She didn’t wait for permission. The map shifted again as the spinning ring moved along the bright line of the road, east into Paelsia, near the Forbidden Mountains.

  “This,” she began, her voice becoming hoarse, “is where Magnus fought against the rebels. A road camp . . . where there was a massive fire. Fire is the Kindred that can be awakened here . . .” She frowned as she trailed off. “Wait. It’s so odd. . . .”

  Cleo studied the map, which had closed in on a section of land that looked to be smoldering and smoking. A symbol had already been etched into the map’s light. A triangle.

  Fire.

  “It’s different here. I feel that this crystal has already been awakened.” Lucia shook her head. “But that’s impossible, isn’t it?”

  “Of course it’s impossible.” Alexius studied the map with a concerned expression. “Princess, this could be a sign that your magic is growing weak—”

  “Fire,” Lucia said, ignoring him. “I awaken you. I awaken the fire Kindred here in this chosen place of power.”

  Three crystals. Cleo couldn’t believe it. But it was true: Three crystals had been awakened, ready to be claimed.

  “One more,” Lucia whispered, her voice weaker now, though her eyes were as bright as tiny suns. “I can do this.”

  “Lucia.” Alexius reached for her and grasped her wrist. “This is too much for you.”

  “You’re wrong.” She tried to pull away, but failed. “I’m strong enough!”

  “Yes, you’re strong. But this is enough for now. I insist.”

  Cleo watched as Alexius’s hand began to glow. Lucia drew in a ragged breath, finally breaking her concentration. The purple light in her eyes faded as she turned a furious look upon Alexius. But then, the next moment, she collapsed in his arms, unconscious.

  The ring stopped spinning and its magical light went out.

  The map disappeared as if it had never been there in the first place.

  “You did that,” Cleo said, her voice hushed. “You stopped her.”

  Alexius glanced at her. “She was harming herself, pushing herself too far. I couldn’t let that happen.”

  Lucia began to rouse. She blinked and looked up at Alexius, who cradled her in his arms. “How long was I asleep?”

  “Only moments. And before you ask: No, we will not be trying again today.”

  “But we were so close! The water crystal—”

  “Can wait until I deem it’s time to do this spell again,” he said, more sternly than any tutor Cleo had ever had.

  Cleo leaned over and picked up her ring. She held it tightly as they all rose to their feet, Alexius assisting Lucia. She wanted to pinch herself, to know for sure that this had really happened, that it hadn’t only been a dream.

  Earth, air, fire. She knew where they were and how to claim them.

  Three out of four wasn’t bad at all.

  But she knew she had to do something that couldn’t be postponed a moment longer.

  “Lucia,” Cleo said, moving toward the princess. “I’ve seen for myself that what Alexius said is true. I don’t know how this ring came into my family, but now that I know what it really is, what it can do . . . I want you to wear it.”

  She pressed the ring into Lucia’s hand. The other princess looked down at it with amazement.

  Lucia could have taken this from Cleo easily, but it was best to give it up of her own free will before the sorceress had the chance.

  It was the hardest thing she’d ever had to do.

  Lucia looked at her, her blue eyes filled with genuine gratitude. “This ring is proof that we were meant to meet. It was fate that our paths crossed the way they did. You’ve proven yourself to be a true and loyal friend today. Thank you.”

  Oh, it was definitely fate. Of that, Cleo had no doubt. “I ask only one thing in return,” she said.

  “What?”

  Cleo forced confidence, bravery. She would not show any weakness.

  “That when you go to claim the first crystal,” she said, “you’ll let me join you.”

  Lucia slipped the ring onto the middle finger of her right hand and stared down at it, transfixed.

  Then she grasped Cleo’s hands in hers before pulling Cleo into a tight hug. “Of course. You’ll be with us, I swear it.”

  CHAPTER 21

  JONAS

  AURANOS

  Tarus’s parents, still in mourning for their younger son who had died after being forced to fight in the battle for the Auranian palace, received him with tears in their eyes and words of gratitude toward Jonas and his friends.

  After a full week of travel to and from Paelsia, Jonas, Felix, and Lysandra returned to the village of Viridy, and they went immediately to the Silver Toad. After several nights of sleeping outside under the stars and braving the elements, Jonas decided they’d stay at the inn for the night.

  “This is because of me, isn’t it?” Lysandra said outside her room. “I don’t need a soft bed and a roof over my head. I don’t need to be pampered.”

  Jonas disagreed. Although she’d been making a valiant effort, he knew it would take her much more time to move past her ordeal in the dungeon.

  “Speak for yourself,” he said. “You might not feel like a little pampering, but I do. So we’re staying, no more argument. Just try to get some sleep. I’ll check on you later.”

  He closed the door and descended the staircase to the tavern, which was currently deserted. The owner, a man named Galyn, wasn’t here tonight, but his white-haired father, Bruno, was behind the bar, rubbing it vigorously with a cloth.

  Felix sat at the same table they’d occupied back on the Day of Flames, when they’d recruited Petros to their cause. Jonas wasn’t sure what had become of the boy after the attack, but he hoped never to cross paths with him again. Irresponsible fool.

  “Sleeping beauty’s doing well?” Felix asked, his hand curled around a tankard of ale.

  Jonas nodded. “As well as can be expected.”

  “Good. Sit down, we need to talk.”

  Jonas sat down in a hard chair facing his traveling companion and braced himself for the conversation he had been dreading for some time. “What is it?”

  “You know what it is. Her. She’s a liability.”

  And there it was. What had remained unspoken between them for their week with Tarus had finally risen like the stench of a rotten potato. “You’re wrong.”

  Felix took on a grim expression. “Look, I know she’s important to you. But she’s broken, Jonas. Whatever happened to her in those dungeons . . . she’s no good to us.”

  Jonas’s insides tightened. “The king forced her to watch as her older brother’s head was hacked off. Do you know anyone who could recover immediately from something so horrific? She’s grieving, even if she refuses to admit it. She needs more time to heal and recover.”

  “And just how long do you plan to give her?”

  Jonas knew Felix was impatient, but he had to understand that Lysandra wasn’t just any rebel. She was his friend. And she was an asset, she just hadn’t been given a chance to show it yet
. “As long as it takes.”

  Bruno approached their table, gripping tankards in both hands. “Brought these over for you, boys. On the house! My son admires everything you’ve done for the rebels, and that’s worth some free ale in my opinion. Anyone who’s devoted his life to killing the king is aces in my book!”

  Jonas looked up at him, slightly alarmed. “Thanks?”

  The smiling barkeep set the tankards on the table and slapped Jonas’s back. “Any time, son. Any time!”

  He retreated to the bar without another word.

  “Do you think he would have said all that if we weren’t the only ones in here?” Felix asked.

  “I would hope not.”

  “That makes two of us. But back to the subject at hand.” His paused. “The night we met. Remember it?”

  Jonas nodded. “Vividly.”

  “I never told you, but I made a major decision in my life that night. A major shift in my goals. I thought to myself, I have the chance to help the infamous Jonas Agallon kick arse and change the world. Change the world, Jonas. But so far, what have we done other than rescue a couple of rebels and walk a great deal?”

  “We’ve done much more than that.” Jonas took a gulp from his glass, trying to swallow down his annoyance along with the strong, bitter ale. What was Felix getting at, bringing up his past for the first time since they’d met?

  “And now it seems that your big plan is to wait around for the king to stroll out of his palace and offer you his neck. Genius.”

  Jonas’s eyes narrowed. “Thanks so much for reminding me of my shortcomings. You don’t think I already feel like a failure after everything that’s happened?”

  “I don’t know what you’re thinking.”

  “I have eyes and ears at the palace—three willing spies in place, all happy to tell me anything I need to know to ensure victory over that Limerian bastard and free my people from a future at the mercy of that monster. I will get to him, don’t ever doubt it. My plan to abduct Prince Magnus could still be a sound one—or perhaps Princess Lucia. The king would venture out of his safe little kingdom to save her neck if he thought it was at risk, don’t you think?”