Falling Kingdoms (13 page)

No, Lucia had held her tongue and would continue to do so.

Sabina was right about one thing. Her father and Magnus had returned from the hunt. They were taking off their muddy boots in the foyer, a cylindrical room that had a ceiling as high as the entire castle itself. The smooth stone staircase cut into the cold stone wall, spiraling down to the main floor from the upper levels. Lucia quietly descended these stairs, keeping her brother directly in her sights. Despite the distractions she’d had since entering the castle, her anger toward Magnus hadn’t decreased even a fraction.

A messenger approached her father and handed him a letter. The king sliced the envelope open and quickly read it.

His brow raised. “Excellent,” Lucia heard him say.

“What is it?” Magnus asked.

“Chief Basilius has officially agreed to join forces with Limeros. He likes my plan.” His jaw tensed. “And he was deeply honored by my sacrifice.”

“Should I offer congratulations now or wait until after you conquer Auranos?” Magnus asked dryly after a moment.

Lucia stopped moving and inhaled sharply. Conquer
Auranos?

“Before, during, after. It’s all good.” The king let out a humorless laugh. “This is all good news, my son. This is an important day that will live in infamy. And all of this one day will be yours. Every last piece of it. It’s my legacy to you.”

Magnus shifted his gaze as if he sensed Lucia’s presence. Their eyes met. There was a hint of something in his expression that Lucia hadn’t remembered seeing there before.

Greed.

It was like looking at a complete stranger. A chill went through her, freezing her in place. But it was only for a split second before his brown eyes regained their normal warmth and humor. She let out the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding as she finally reached the bottom of the stairs.

“Lucia,” he said with a smile.

She chose to pretend that she hadn’t heard anything they’d been discussing. Her father despised eavesdroppers. “We must talk, brother.”

“Oh?”

“I spoke with Michol earlier.”

His dark brows drew together. “Michol?”

“Fine boy,” the king said with a nod. “I believe he’s smitten with you, daughter.”

Clarity shone in Magnus’s eyes. “He visited you, did he?”

“He told me of the talk you had together.” Her words were clipped. “Care to elaborate?”

A smile twitched at his lips. “Not really.”

She glared at him. How dare he find this even slightly amusing?

His smile grew. “I brought something back for you from the hunt.”

Her expression turned to distaste. “Something you killed?”

“Come and see.”

Lucia reluctantly approached, guarded as to what it might be. Despite his proficiency in archery, Magnus had never developed a taste for ending an animal’s life simply for the sport of it. Other boys had mocked him behind his back for this, but he didn’t care. He’d once told her that he’d have no problem hunting if it was to put food on the table but to kill for the simple sport of it would never appeal to him. Lucia was dismayed to think that had changed. The whirlwind of emotions that had been building swirled inside her.

Suddenly, the tall, heavy iron doors behind her father and brother slammed shut.

The king looked over his shoulder with confusion. Then he cast a quizzical look at Lucia .

She averted her gaze, her heart pounding.

Up ahead, Magnus pulled something from a basket. It was small, furry, and had long, floppy ears.

Its nose twitched.

“It’s a rabbit,” Lucia said with surprise. “A baby.”

“A pet. For you.” He handed the animal to her. It nestled into the crook of her neck. She felt its rapid heartbeat beneath her fingertips and her own heart swelled. She’d always wanted a pet, especially when she was just a child, but apart from horses and a few wolfhounds owned by the king, her mother had never allowed it.

“You didn’t kill it.”

Magnus looked at her curiously. “Of course not. A dead rabbit wouldn’t make a very good pet, would it?”

Its fur was so soft. She stroked it, trying to ease the animal’s fear. She looked up at Magnus, her throat tightening. “So you think this excuses you for scaring off Michol—and who knows who else?”

He gave her a wary look. “Does it help a little?”

She hissed out a breath but couldn’t keep the smile from appearing on her lips. “Maybe a little.”

Magnus was challenging, annoying, opinionated, and relied on his masks to hide his true feelings from the world far too much. But she still loved him and knew without a doubt that she would do anything for him, even when he tested her patience.

And she would tell him her secret the next time she had the opportunity. Maybe then he’d tell her what had been troubling him lately. Even now as he gazed down at her holding his gift, there was a deep and bottomless sadness in his eyes.

C
leo was absolutely certain her father would say yes. She waited until he was alone in his study and launched into a nonstop explanation about everything—although she didn’t touch on the topic of Emilia being romantically involved with Theon’s father.

The king didn’t interrupt. He let Cleo speak for as long as she required.

Finally, she summed things up as simply as she could.

“No healer seems able to help her, and she’s only getting worse. I know I can find this woman—the one who’s an exiled Watcher. She holds the magic to save Emilia. But I have to leave soon, before it’s too late. Theon can go with me for protection. I don’t think we’ll be gone very long at all.” She wrung her hands. “I know this is the answer, Father. I
know
it. I can save Emilia’s life.”

The king regarded his youngest daughter for an entire minute of silence with a bemused expression.

“An exiled Watcher,” he said. “Who possesses magic healing seeds.”

She nodded. “Someone in one of the villages must know where to find her. If I must search every village in Paelsia, then that’s exactly what I’ll have to do.”

He templed his fingers and watched her through hooded eyes. “The Watchers are only a legend, Cleo.”

For the first time since she’d entered the king’s meeting room, she felt a twinge of doubt about the outcome of their talk. “Well, that’s what I thought too, but if there’s a chance . . . I mean, you don’t know that for sure.”

“That there are those who watch us through the eyes of hawks, searching for their precious Kindred is a story that helps keep children in line and fearful enough to behave themselves lest they be witnessed acting naughty.”

Her gaze flicked to the royal coat of arms on the wall, which bore two hawks, one golden, one black, beneath a single golden crown. It was as familiar to her as her own name and she knew it had to mean something. It was a sign she was right. “Just because you haven’t seen something doesn’t mean it isn’t true. I’ve been wrong to take that stance until now.”

He didn’t look angry, just weary. His face was etched in more lines than Cleo remembered. “Cleo, I know how much you love your sister—”

“More than anything!”

“Of course. I love her too. But she is
not dying. She is simply ill. And this illness, while severe, will pass if she gets enough rest. She will recover.”

Frustration twisted in her chest. “You don’t know that for sure. You have to let me go.”

“I have to do no such thing.” The king’s expression only grew more tense. “It’s unwise for you to even consider visiting that place again for any reason. Troubles have increased, not decreased, in the time that has passed since the Agallon boy’s death.”

“What kind of trouble?”

He sighed. “The kind that you need not concern yourself with, Cleo. I’ll deal with it.”

She squeezed her hands into fists. “If there’s trouble
growing
, then I need to leave soon or I might not get the chance later.”

“Cleo.” There was a warning growl to her father’s words now. He’d tolerated her up until now, but she knew he was tired and in no mood for anything he considered a waste of time.

But saving her sister’s life wasn’t a waste of time.

She crossed her arms over her chest and began pacing the grand room. “I mean, if I’m wrong, then I’m wrong. But I have to try. Why can’t you see that?”

The king’s lips thinned. “All I see is my sixteen-year-old daughter making up far-fetched stories so she can escape from her new fiancé’s attentions.”

She sent a look of horror at him. “You think that’s what this is about?”

“I know it’ll take a while for you to get used to this. By the time the wedding is planned, all will seem better. By then, Emilia will be well again and she can help you prepare.”

That wasn’t at all what this was all about. But since he’d brought it up...

“You didn’t make
Emilia
marry someone she didn’t love.”

He hissed out a long breath. “That was different.”

“Why was that different? Because she threatened to kill herself? Maybe I’ll do the exact same thing!”

The king just looked at her patiently, seemingly undisturbed by the threat. “You’d never do such that.”

“I wouldn’t? I—I could do it tonight. I could throw myself down the stairs. I could stop eating. I could...well, there are many, many ways I could end my life if I wanted to!”

He shook his head. “You wouldn’t, because you don’t really want to die. You don’t just live, Cleo. Life itself sings from your existence.” The smallest smile appeared on his lips. “I know one day when you’ve finally outgrown this tendency to be overly dramatic to gain attention, your true self will come forth. And that Cleo will be a remarkable woman—one who deserves to bear the name of a goddess.”

She glowered at him. “You don’t even believe in the goddess!”

His expression shuttered. He’d been patient with her up until now, but she’d gone too far.

Ever since her mother had died in childbirth, the king had turned his back on any kind of prayer or worship, and his subjects soon followed suit. Emilia was the only religious one left in the Bellos family.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“You’re young and you speak before you think. That’s how it’s always been with you, Cleo. I expect no better.”

She ran a hand under her nose. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“Don’t worry about me. Worry about yourself. I do. I worry about you constantly when compared to your sister. You’ll get yourself in trouble one day, Cleo, and I just hope that you’ll be all right. It’s one of the reasons I think a marriage to Aron, even at your young age, is a good idea. The duties of a wife will give you some well-needed maturity.” When she flinched, his gaze softened. “I’m trying to help you.”

“How is this helping? By reminding me that I have no control over my own destiny?”

He reached down to take her hand in his. “You need to trust me, Cleo. Trust me to make the right decisions for you, for our family.”

“Family is the most important thing to me. That’s exactly why I need to go to Paelsia,” she said softly. “Please say yes.”

His cheeks tightened. “No, Cleo.”

Her eyes burned. “So instead you’ll sit back and watch Emilia die? How is that making the right decisions for your family? You don’t care about her. You don’t care about me. All you care about is this hateful kingdom.”

He sighed wearily as he sat down at the table and turned his attention to the papers in front of him.. “It’s time you left, Cleo. I have work to do. This conversation is over.”

Cleo’s heart slammed against her rib cage. “Father! Please, don’t be like this. You can’t be so cruel and uncaring that you’d deny me this!”

When he shot a look at her of barely bridled rage, she staggered back a step.

“Go to your chambers. And stay there until dinner. Theon!” Theon stepped into the room a moment later. He’d been waiting just outside. “See that my daughter returns to her chambers and please ensure that she makes no foolish attempt to travel to Paelsia in the coming days.”

Theon bowed. “Yes, your majesty.”

There was nothing left to say. There was more that Cleo wanted to say, but even she knew when to hold her tongue. All that could be gained from more arguing was to summon her father’s anger even more. He might move up her wedding to Aron to a week from now as a punishment. Or even tomorrow.

The king didn’t believe that Emilia was dying. But Cleo believed more than she had before. She felt the truth of it deep in her heart. Only something magical could save her.

“I’m sorry, princess,” Theon said under his breath as they left the king’s presence.

Cleo’s cheeks were hot and her feet thudded against the floor as she unconsciously made her way through the labyrinthine halls and back to her chambers. She thought she’d been out of tears before, but there were buckets left. She cried them all when Theon left her, closing the door behind him.

But when her tears finally dried, their departure brought a slow and steely resolve.

The whole world—including her father—could repeatedly tell her no. In the end, it made no difference to her.

Cleo would fix this. No matter what it took or where she had to go, she would save her sister’s life before it was too late.

• • •

After dinner, Cleo gathered her closest confidents together—Nic, Mira, and Theon. “I’m going,” she said after she explained everything to them.

Nic blinked. “To Paelsia.”

“Yes.”

“To find an exiled Watcher to beg for some magical grape seeds.”

She knew it sounded absolutely preposterous, but it didn’t matter. “Yes, exactly.”

A grin broke across his face. “That sounds fantastic.”

“Are you joking?” Mira exclaimed. “Cleo, what are you thinking? Do you know how dangerous traveling there again could be?”

She shrugged defiantly. “I must do this. There’s no other choice.”

Her father would be furious to find that she’d gone against his wishes; she knew that. But she wouldn’t be gone for very long. If she got the right lead, asked the right questions of the right people in the right village, then it would be a no bigger deal than her trip to Paelsia to help Aron buy wine.

She grimaced at the memory. Perhaps that wasn’t the best example of a successful trip.

“The thing is, you can’t tell anyone,” she said. “I’m just telling you so you don’t worry about me while I’m gone.”

“Oh, no.” Mira cast up her eyes. “Why would we worry? Oh, Cleo, I love both you and Emilia dearly, but you’re making my brain hurt with all of this ridiculousness.”

Nic crossed his arms. “I don’t understand how the seeds work. They grow vineyards that create amazing wine...and they also cure diseases.”

“It’s earth magic.”

“Ah, I see. Perhaps you can ask this Watcher where the Kindred’s been hidden for a thousand years. That would be very useful information, wouldn’t it?”

She glared at him. “You’re looking at me like I’ve gone completely crazy.”

His smile stretched. “You
are
crazy. But in the best way possible. However, you going alone? Now, that’s really crazy.”

She shook her head. “I’m not going alone. Theon is coming with me.”

“No, I’m not,” Theon said quietly.

He’d been standing a bit behind her so he hadn’t been in her direct line of sight as she spoke to Nic and Mira.

She spun around to face him. “Of course you’re going with me.”

He looked at her sternly. “Your sister never should have told you any of this. It put ideas in your head.”

“And now that the ideas are there, I have to find out if they’re true. Don’t you see? This is the answer. This is what’s going to save Emilia. If I don’t go—if
we
don’t go—she’s going to die. I know it.”

His face was tense. “Your father didn’t give his permission for this trip.”

“I don’t care what my father said!” Her cheeks blazed with anger. “You heard him yourself. He doesn’t understand. He doesn’t believe. But I do. He’ll be angry, but when he sees that this works, then he’ll be grateful that we went against his wishes.”

“He only wants to keep you safe.”

“I will be safe. Besides, you’ll be there to protect me.”

“You might be ready to ignore your father’s wishes, but I can’t. He’s the king. His word is my command. For me, for everyone in this kingdom. Do you know the penalty for going against a direct order from the king? It’s death, your highness.”

Cleo’s heart pounded. “I wouldn’t let anything happen to you. I swear it. You don’t have to be afraid.”

He bristled. “I’m not afraid. You’re just being stubborn. Do you always get what you want?”

“Yes,” Nic said at the same time that Mira said, “Actually, she does.”

Cleo turned to Theon. “If I have to order you to come with me, I will. Don’t make me.”

“You can order me all you like, but the answer will still be no,” he growled, giving her a dangerous look that reminded her a little too much of her angry father. “I answer to the king, not to you. He said no, so I must also say no. We’re not going. Please, princess, try your best to accept this. Anything else will only make everything more difficult for you.”

Her eyes burned, but no tears spilled this time. She was all out of tears. Now she just had boiling-hot anger to fuel her.

She turned to Nic. “What do you
think?”

“That’s a good question,” Nic replied. “While I’m not sure it’s the wisest idea I’ve ever heard, I know your heart’s in the right place. You love your sister more than anything.”

“Enough of this,” Theon said sharply. “The discussion is over. There will be no trip to Paelsia today.”

“I wasn’t even planning to leave for two more days.” She let out a slow, shaky breath. “Maybe by then you’ll have changed your mind.”

“Two days,” Theon repeated, his hard gaze finally softening. “A lot can happen in two days.”

“I know.”

“The same goes for you, princess. Think about this for two days. We can discuss it again. I hope that your commitment to this foolhardy plan will ease by then. Do you think that’s possible? Will the idea of Watchers and magic seeds seem a little less ideal when some time has passed?”