Gathering Darkness

  “Kidnapping. Right. You’ve tried that before, haven’t you? Snagged Princess Cleo herself. How’d that work out?” Before Jonas could respond to his snide comment, possibly with a fist to his jaw, Felix’s gaze shifted away from him. “Well, well. The sleeping beauty awakens. Welcome, sweetheart.”

  Jonas turned to see Lysandra standing behind him. He opened his mouth to speak, but she held up her hand to stop him.

  “I couldn’t sleep,” she said.

  “I don’t think you were trying very hard,” Jonas replied.

  “Perhaps I thought it would be smarter to stay awake so I could come down here and listen in on what you two say behind my back.”

  “The more the merrier, I say. Come join us.” Felix patted his knee. “Why don’t you sit right here?”

  She regarded him with a bored look on her face. “Why don’t you kiss my arse?”

  “Bring it over here and I’d be happy to consider it.”

  “Over my dead body.”

  “That can be arranged, too, if you ask real nice.” Luckily for Felix, he said this with a jovial grin rather than an edge of menace.

  Jonas groaned inwardly. These two had been squabbling all week, and it was nearly impossible to be around them once they got going. He thought he knew the real reason Felix didn’t want Lysandra around; it had very little to do with the speed at which she was recovering from being the king’s prisoner, and a lot to do with him disliking being challenged by a girl.

  Lysandra pulled up a chair and glared at Jonas. “Why do you put up with him?”

  Yet again, he had to be the intermediary, a job he’d never asked for. “Felix is an arse, but, like you, he’s an asset and a friend.”

  “I agree with you on the arse part.” She regarded Felix, scrutinizing him from head to toe. “But do you really know anything about him?”

  “I know enough,” Jonas replied, although silently he had to be more honest. He knew next to nothing about the boy sitting across the table.

  “What can I say? I’m a private guy. But if you have concerns, Lys,” Felix said, “I’m happy to answer any questions you have. Or you can continue to talk about me like I’m not even here.”

  Lysandra pursed her lips, giving him a sour look. “Fine. To start, where do you come from?”

  Felix smirked. “Everywhere and nowhere, sweetheart.”

  “See?” She shot a glance at Jonas. “He’s cagey and dodgy. Smarmy, too.”

  Felix’s smirk vanished. “Smarmy?”

  “He saved my life,” Jonas countered. “And yours as well.”

  “Fine. But we have no idea where he came from or what really motivated him to join you.”

  “Hey,” Felix said. “Still sitting right here.”

  “Well, what’s your story, Felix?” Even though Felix had proven himself trustworthy to Jonas time and again, he had to admit he was curious to know more about him. “Seriously. Share a little of it tonight.”

  “My story? Extremely handsome. Renowned troublemaker. Entertaining and delightful to be around. Apparently, a bit smarmy. What more do you need to know?”

  Just then Bruno appeared with a drink for Lysandra. “Here you go, honey. Some nice wine for a nice young girl.”

  Lysandra stared into her glass with distaste. “You two boys get ale and I get wine. I don’t even like wine.”

  Jonas was still looking at Felix, who studied him back just as intently. The subject had been raised, and Felix had given vague answers to direct questions. Now he wanted more than ever to know everything

  “I need to know your story, Felix,” Jonas said. “Tell me something real. You’re not much older than I am. How did you get into this kind of life? Where is your family? Friends?”

  “Honestly? You want to know where my friends are?” The last glimmer of humor had faded from Felix’s eyes. “They’re at this very table right now. Every last one of them.” He swallowed a mouthful of ale before continuing. “Pathetic, I know. But I’ve never had friends. Wasn’t raised that way.”

  Lysandra frowned. “And what about your family?”

  “Dead,” he said, not looking at her. “My parents and brothers were killed by a pack of thieves and assassins employed by a very important, very dangerous man. They broke into our villa when I was six. On a whim, they spared my life. Raised me as one of their own. Taught me how to steal, fight, kill, and how to use those skills to make money for the man in charge.” He paused and gave Jonas a tense look. “And they taught me how to collect reward money for capturing Paelsian rebel leaders and alleged murderers.”

  Jonas’s mouth went dry. “So that’s how you found me.”

  He nodded. “I’m a great tracker. I could find anybody, anywhere. But no, I never planned to collect that reward. If I had, you’d be dead by now.”

  It clearly caused Felix great pain to relate all this. These were the kinds of memories most people chose to repress.

  “So where are the people who raised you now?” Jonas asked. “And this employer of yours?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine. I ran away last year. Been on my own ever since, looking for work. Looking for trouble.” Finally his smile returned, curling up the edge of his mouth. “I have a talent for finding it without searching too hard.”

  “I don’t doubt it for a moment,” Lysandra said, her careful eyes still on him.

  “Was that enough information for one night?” Felix asked. “Did you enjoy that walk down my own personal memory lane?”

  Lysandra was quiet a moment. “It’s enough for now.”

  “Good.”

  “I still don’t like you.”

  “Alas, the feeling’s not entirely mutual.” Felix’s grin widened. “You’re a bit too cute to earn my total dislike, despite you being a pain in my arse. But don’t worry, I won’t try anything. I know Jonas wants you all for himself.”

  Jonas choked and sputtered halfway through a sip of his drink. “What?”

  Felix shrugged. “You’re in love with her.”

  In love with Lys? He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “No, I’m not.”

  “We nearly killed ourselves busting her out of that palace square. You were just upstairs tucking her into bed and singing her lullabies. And you’ve defended her to your last breath to keep her in this trio. Please. I’m not blind, friend.”

  Lysandra laughed, a low chuckle in the back of her throat. “Sorry to break it to you, Felix, but Jonas isn’t in love with me. He’s too busy being in love with Princess Cleo.”

  Felix blinked. “As in, her royal highness, Princess Cleo, wife of Prince Magnus? She whom you met in that temple cloaked by shadows and mystery? The princess you kidnapped—what was it, three times?”

  “Twice.” Jonas glared at Lysandra for even bringing up the subject.

  She looked at him innocently. “Problem?”

  “I’m not in love with the princess.”

  “Why not?” Felix laughed, then drained the rest of his ale. “Half of Auranos is. Why wouldn’t you want to kneel before the golden princess’s skirts and beg for her attention like the rest of us?”

  “I’m not sure I can picture Jonas kneeling,” Lysandra said, raising an eyebrow.

  Jonas couldn’t keep the grin off his face at this sudden, and rather unwelcome, change of subject. “For the right girl I just might. However, there’s nothing to discuss when it comes to Princess Cleo. She’s a princess, and I’m a . . . whatever I am.”

  Lysandra scrunched up her nose. “She’s a royal. That’ll never change.”

  “And she’s married,” Felix added.

  “Thanks for the reminder.” Jonas thought back to the note he’d received from the princess. He felt it was time to share its contents.

  “Do either of you believe in legends?” Jonas asked after a silence had fallen between the
m.

  “What kinds of legends?” Felix signaled to the barkeep for another round of drinks. Lysandra peered into her wine glass, finally taking a tentative sip.

  “Of magic—the magic that is said to have history here in Mytica,” Jonas said. “And . . . of Watchers. And the Kindred.”

  Lysandra drew in a shaky breath. “What about Watchers?”

  “That they really exist.” Lysandra trembled at his response and, alarmed, Jonas reached across the table to squeeze her hand. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  She took a long sip of wine. “I didn’t say anything to you about this before, because I’ve tried to block it all out. But Gregor claimed that a Watcher used to visit him in his dreams—it’s why the king kept him alive so long. So he could question him. The king believed his story; I saw it in his eyes. He believes in magic, and he’s greedy for it. When Gregor couldn’t give him the answers he wanted to hear, the king had him killed.”

  Jonas stared at her, shocked. The king was after magic—just as Cleo had informed him.

  Felix watched them both in silence.

  “When Phaedra stopped visiting his dreams, it broke his heart,” Lysandra whispered.

  Hearing that name felt like a hand gripping Jonas’s throat.

  “At the time,” Lysandra continued, “I thought he’d gone mad, but maybe it was true. Maybe she was real.”

  “Did you say . . . Phaedra?” Jonas asked.

  “Yes. Why?”

  Phaedra. The name of the Watcher who had healed Jonas at the brink of death. “This is impossible.”

  Felix leaned back in his chair and pushed his hands through his short dark hair. “Wow. We definitely need more drinks. Barkeep! More drinks for my friend here, please. He needs one very badly.”

  Bruno hobbled over, his permanent smile still plastered to his face. However, instead of drinks, he held just a folded piece of paper sealed with wax. “I almost forgot all about this! Your lovely lady friend Nerissa delivered this message a few days ago. She worried you wouldn’t be back for weeks! Oh, she’ll be so pleased you were here to receive it. She said it’s quite urgent. What wonderful timing you have.”

  Lysandra watched the man warily as he slapped the message down on the table and then wandered away without another word. “He’s delightful, isn’t he?”

  “Very,” Felix agreed. “But look here. Another message, with the same seal as the last one. A perfumed love letter from the princess, you think?”

  Glancing at Lysandra, Jonas picked up the message.

  “Open it,” she urged.

  He nodded, then broke the seal and unfolded the paper.

  “What is it?” Felix asked. “What does it say?”

  Jonas’s eyes lit up with every word he read. “It’s a request.”

  “A request from her royal highness,” Lysandra said, and, for the first time when speaking of Cleo, her voice held no palpable animosity. “And are you planning to grant her request?”

  There was a time he would have thrown the note away and laughed about such a ridiculous appeal.

  He wasn’t laughing now.

  “Oh, yes,” he said. “All three of us are. At first light tomorrow, we’re setting out to do exactly what her royal highness wants.”

  CHAPTER 22

  MAGNUS

  AURANOS

  Alexius. The name Lucia had whispered like a prayer as she’d slept for weeks.

  Alexius. The Watcher who’d preyed upon Lucia in her dreams when she’d been unconscious and defenseless.

  Alexius. Now here with the king’s full permission, and officially appointed as Lucia’s private tutor. They’d barely left Lucia’s chambers since he’d arrived here a week ago.

  The boy was a problem and a threat. But no one seemed to believe this except Magnus. He’d taken it upon himself to keep an eye on the Watcher and make sure he behaved himself.

  Today, the king had given permission for Alexius, Lucia, and her new friend Cleo to leave the palace on a journey to a festival in a nearby village.

  Magnus was not surprised that he hadn’t been invited to join them. But that didn’t stop him from going anyway, following them on horseback at a discreet distance.

  It was no secret that he didn’t trust Alexius—or Cleo, for that matter. Lucia was a fool to trust either of them, even in the company of guards.

  He followed their carriage for hours, until finally it came to a stop. Magnus directed his horse into the shelter of the forest line so he could watch unseen as the three stepped out into the sunshine. Lucia said something to a guard, and then headed off with the Watcher and the other princess into the forest. The guards didn’t follow.

  How odd.

  Magnus waited until they’d disappeared before he approached the guard Lucia had consulted, who stiffened at the sight of him.

  “Your highness,” he said, his voice strained.

  “What’s this?” Magnus asked. “Where are they going?”

  “Princess Lucia requested that we stop here, then asked us to stay behind and wait as they go for a—a stroll.”

  “A stroll.”

  “Yes, your highness. She was adamant that we give them privacy and said they’d return when they were done—”

  “Strolling,” Magnus finished. “Yes, of course.”

  “If you want us to go after them . . .”

  “No, don’t bother. I’ll go. Stay right where you are.”

  He left his horse with the guards and strode into the forest, following a trail of trampled grass and broken twigs. With every step he took he became more suspicious of the nature of his sister’s day trip. Especially when accompanied by the likes of Alexius and Cleo, both of whom had dubious motives for spending time with the young sorceress.

  He hastened his pursuit. He needed to learn the truth.

  It didn’t take long for him to draw in on Lucia’s party. They were conversing, but the words were indistinct, so he decided to get closer. Then, suddenly, all fell silent.

  Curiously silent.

  What exactly is going on here?

  He stopped and listened carefully.

  “You! Come out!” It was Lucia. “Whoever you are, you’re fearless enough to follow us, so show your face and prove you’re no coward.”

  His adopted sister sounded particularly fierce today. Perhaps this was the influence of the company she’d begun to keep.

  Magnus was no coward. He was ready to confront them about where they were strolling off to in the middle of nowhere, so far away from their supposed destination.

  Magnus emerged from the trees and stood on the pathway. They all regarded him with varying expressions of surprise.

  “I was never told about a day trip,” he said, sliding his gaze from Cleo to Lucia, whose clenched fist blazed with fire magic. Her new and irritatingly attractive tutor stood tall next to her. “You can douse the fire, sister. Don’t worry your pretty little head. I mean you no harm.”

  It took a moment, but she finally tamped out the flame. She watched him with both caution and suspicion.

  “What are you doing here?” she demanded.

  “Following you. Obviously.” Steadily, he regarded each of them in turn. “I hear you’re going to a festival. I hate to break it to you, but it’s a bit of a walk to any village from here.”

  Lucia exchanged a glance with Alexius. “We’re not going to a festival.”

  “I’m shocked. Perhaps the three of you have journeyed out here to commune with nature. Is that it?”

  He felt Cleo glaring at him, but didn’t spare her a glance.

  Their silence spoke volumes. What were they trying to hide?

  “And you.” He turned to Alexius. “What are your intentions today, luring two young girls out into the middle of nowhere, away from their assigned protection? Should I guess? Or sho
uld I go ahead and kill you where you stand?”

  “Magnus!” Lucia cried.

  “Am I being rude? So sorry, sister. But I’m sure you’ll forgive me for showing the caution you seem to lack. What exactly do you know about this boy other than that he claims to come from the Sanctuary as Melenia’s representative?”

  She raised her chin. “I know enough.”

  “But I don’t.” Magnus regarded Alexius, who stood passively, his expression relaxed. “You’re not easily intimidated, are you?”

  “No,” Alexius replied, having the audacity to look bored by Magnus’s barely restrained ire. “Why? Is that what you’re attempting to do? Intimidate me?”

  He smirked. “I’ve been able to coax at least a trickle of perspiration from Lucia’s previous suitors. That’s what you are, isn’t it? In addition to being her so-called tutor? I see how you look at her and I don’t like it. I don’t trust you like she does.”

  “You don’t know me.”

  “I know enough.” Magnus walked a circle around Alexius. He could see no reason to mince words. “Why have you come here today? There’s nothing around for miles besides the Temple of Cleiona.”

  The three exchanged a look, confirming to Magnus all the more that they were up to something.

  Finally, Lucia broke the silence. “We need to tell him.”

  “Lucia,” Cleo protested.

  “He may be a bit brash and rude, but I trust him—I trust him every bit as much as I trust the two of you.” Lucia turned to Magnus. She searched his face and took a deep breath. “We’re here today to claim a part of the Kindred.”

  Every ounce of his bravado and composure Magnus walked into this situation with washed away in an instant. All he could do was stare at her, wondering if he’d heard her wrong.

  “Are you certain of what you’re saying?” he said with a rasp in his voice.

  “It’s true.” She nodded. “Father wants it for himself, but he can’t have it, Magnus. That’s why I had to lie today. He doesn’t know the truth.”