Gathering Darkness (23 page)

“That's strange. Didn't you just hear Lucia say that the Kindred belong to the Sanctuary? And I thought I heard you agree with her.”

“As if I believe you'd willingly let it go.”

“To do my part to save the world? Why wouldn't I?”

“Mark my words.” He leaned closer. “If you try to steal the crystal, we will have a very serious problem, you and I.”

She sighed with impatience. “Well, I wouldn't want that, especially since we've gotten along so well up until now.”

“Tread carefully, princess, or this will end very badly for you.”

Her gaze turned to ice. “How ashamed I am that I could have ever thought for one tiny moment that you were anything more than what you appear to be.”

“And what's that?”

“A hateful, selfish monster with no kindness in his heart.”

He repressed a wince, despising the fact that sharp words from this particular girl could succeed in wounding him. “Hear me well, princess. I'll say this only once. Keep your hands off any treasure we find today or I swear I'll reduce you to nothing but ashes to scatter on the wind.”

Before he could hear Cleo's rebuttal, he walked off toward Lucia and Alexius, who waited at the temple's entrance. He'd expected something cutting and sarcastic, but she said nothing.

He supposed this was his way. When someone pushed him, he responded by crushing them.

“We need to go inside,” Alexius said.

Magnus eyed the shattered rooftop and the crumbling beams waiting for them at the top of the stairs. “So it can collapse on our heads?”

“Magnus,” Lucia said sternly. “We'll do as Alexius says.”

Lucia's decision to defend the Watcher without hesitation annoyed him deeply. “Fine. Then please show us the way, Alexius.”

The Watcher led them up the broken stairs to the grand entrance. Sunlight shone through the damaged roof. Cleo peered around with a pinched expression on her beautiful face.

“So this ritual. What does it involve?” Magnus asked.

Alexius pulled out a dagger. “It's a blood ritual.”

Magnus almost laughed aloud. “Isn't it always.”

Without hesitation, Alexius pressed the blade against his palm, letting crimson blood drip to the floor.

Watchers bled the same shade of red as mortals. Interesting.

Alexius knelt on the ground and used his blood to make a mark on the temple floor. A circle within a circle.

It was the symbol of earth, the element associated with Goddess Valoria's magic. Magnus recognized it well.

When Alexius completed the symbol, Lucia bound his hand with a handkerchief.

“Now what?” Magnus asked.

“We wait.” Alexius frowned as he turned around, scanning his surroundings.

“We wait for what?” Magnus prompted, but the others were silent.

They waited. Nearby, a skull-sized chunk of marble dislodged from a pillar and crashed to the ground—Magnus noticed it had been ornately carved into the shape of a rose. A glance confirmed these rose sculptures adorned many spots in the temple. Strangely, he hadn't noticed that detail until now, when it was all toppling down.

Magnus looked up warily at the roof. “How long must we wait?” he growled.

“I don't know,” Alexius said.

“I'd think a wise and magical Watcher like you would know these things.”

“And yet, I don't know everything.” Alexius looked impatient, perhaps a little bit desperate, as if he'd expected things to go differently.

Then something caught Magnus's eye. A mark on a clear patch of floor behind Cleo.

“What is
that
?” The sinking sensation in his gut was enough to tell him he already knew the answer to his own question.

“It can't be,” Alexius said under his breath. “It
can't
. How could they know?”

Drawn on the pristine surface was another symbol identical to Alexius's. The blood was still red and fresh.

Someone else had gotten there first.

JONAS

AURANOS

I can only hope this message finds you in time. You must go the Temple of Cleiona, as quickly as you can. There you will use your blood to draw the symbol of earth on the floor. This will reveal the earth Kindred. However difficult you find this to believe, you must trust me and do what I say.

Claim the crystal and keep it safe until we meet again.

J
onas, Lysandra, and Felix had set off for the temple the very next morning. Jonas nearly stumbled at the crumbling site of the first rebel battle, which had gone so horribly wrong. Of the two dozen rebels who'd volunteered to stand with him that day, he alone had walked away. Crawled away, really.

Lysandra touched his shoulder. “Jonas, are you all right?”

“Perfectly fine.”

“Why don't I believe that?”

Her concerned gaze made him grin weakly. “It's funny . . .”

“What?”

“You never used to look at me the way you are now. You used to look at me like you wanted to kill me.”

“I did want to kill you. Still do, sometimes.” She offered him a smile.

“Come on, you two,” Felix urged, marching ten paces ahead of them. “Let's go find some treasure.”

Lysandra grabbed Jonas's arm. “Are you absolutely sure you trust him?”

“I'm sure. Despite any admissions of his past from last night, he's earned my trust, Lys. Again and again.”

She nodded. “All right. If you trust him, then I will too. Your golden princess, on the other hand . . .”

He began to climb the temple steps behind Lysandra. “I know you don't like Cleo, but that she wanted me to do this for her . . . is it stupid that I consider that an honor?”

“No, it's not stupid.” She glanced at him over her shoulder and her light brown eyes met his. “So what happens if we find it?”

A month ago he believed in neither Watchers nor the Kindred, but now they could mean all the difference in the world. All because of some magic rocks.

“Honestly? I have no idea.” He grinned. “I try not to plan too far ahead.”

As they entered the temple, Jonas's grin fell away. A rush of memories pressed at him from every side, making it hard to breathe.

He'd been so blind that day, and so incredibly cocky. For a brief, shining moment, assassinating King Gaius and Prince Magnus and liberating his people had seemed like a true possibility. There had seemed to be so few guards there to protect the royals, but really the guards had been disguised as wedding guests, waiting to crush a rebel attack.

The blood from that day was still there, dried to reddish brown stains on the pale marble floor. The temple was in a shambles and each step they took brought more creaks, more crumbling, as if one wrong move might destroy it completely. Its majesty had been tarnished. What was once a sacred place to worship the Auranian goddess was now a dangerous beast waiting to consume intruders.

“Let's make this quick,” Felix said. “Or this whole place is going to cave in on our heads.”

Jonas found a bare patch of floor and kicked away some ragged shards of stone.

He pulled out his jeweled dagger and cut his hand. The pain was sharp and deep, but he didn't even wince. He squeezed his fist, and blood began to drip to the floor. He crouched and smeared it into a circle with another circle within it.

When he was done, he rose to his feet, his stomach churning nervously.

“Okay, princess,” he muttered. “Now what?”

The ground rumbled. Small chunks of marble came crashing down around them.

Lysandra looked up and grimaced. “You must have triggered something. This place is going to fall to pieces any moment.”

“Wait.” Felix grabbed Jonas's arm, his fingers biting deep enough to cause pain. “Look over there.”

Along the aisle sullied by the blood of his fallen rebels, a narrow shaft of light streamed through a hole in the roof, illuminating a small object. Jonas followed the light and stared down at the object with stunned disbelief.

“It worked,” Felix said, breathless. “I can't believe it, but it worked.”

It was a sphere of obsidian the size of a small plum, and so smooth and polished that it reflected the image of the three of them staring down at it.

Hearing new voices close by, Jonas grew tense. He grabbed the black orb and shoved it into his pocket.

“Let's get out of here,” he said. “Now.”

“No time,” Lysandra whispered harshly. “We need to hide.”

The three rebels ducked behind a pillar and peered out to see four people enter.

It was none other than Princess Cleo, Princess Lucia, Prince Magnus, and another boy Jonas didn't recognize—tall and lean, with golden-tan skin and coppery-brown hair.

Jonas and his companions held a collective breath from their hiding spot as the four made their way deeper into the temple.

“What's the ritual?” Magnus said.

The other boy pulled out a dagger. “It's a blood ritual.”

“Isn't it always.”

As the boy prepared to cut his hand, Jonas indicated to Lysandra and Felix to slip out of the temple while the others were distracted. Following Jonas's lead, they raced down the broken stairs and kept running until they were shielded by the nearby forest.

“Keep going,” Jonas said. “We need to put all the distance we can between us.”

He only wished he could have seen the look on Magnus's face when he realized the crystal was gone.

“I assume they were not friends of yours,” Felix said.

Jonas nearly laughed. “Didn't you recognize his highness, Prince Magnus? And his sister, Princess Lucia?”

“And don't forget Princess Cleo,” Lysandra added. “Jonas's beloved.”

Felix hacked at the thick foliage with his blade as he led the way. “Every bit as beautiful as I've heard.”

Lysandra grunted. “I guess, if you like that type.”

“Rich, privileged, and gorgeous? I certainly do like that type.”

They stopped to rest in a clearing, which was quiet save for a chorus of chirping birds and buzzing insects. Lysandra took a seat on a fallen tree trunk.

“It just appeared. Like magic,” Felix said, shaking his head and grinning. “Which, I suppose, isn't that strange considering it
is
magic. Let's see it.”

The crystal was heavy in Jonas's pocket. He ran his hand over its cool, smooth surface before drawing it out. The obsidian orb glittered under the light shining through the thick canopy of trees.

Jonas shook his head, amazed. “I've stolen a lot in my life, but this is the first magic rock I've ever had my hands on.”

Lysandra drew closer. “It's beautiful.”

“What is
that
?” Felix said, leaning in. “There's something moving inside.”

Inside the orb was an even deeper darkness, a wisp of ebony smoke swirling around in an endless loop.

A shiver shot up Jonas's spine. “Just a guess, but . . . perhaps that's the magic?”

“What does it do?” Lysandra asked.

“No damn idea.”

“Can I see it?” Felix asked.

Jonas handed it to him and Felix went off to the far side of the clearing, holding the crystal up to the meager light to get a better look.

“It's all so incredible,” Lysandra said, reaching to take Jonas's hand and squeezing it. “Isn't it?”

Damn, she was beautiful when she smiled. He found himself distracted for a moment, but then Felix strolled back over, tossing the crystal up and down. He shrugged. “I have no clue how this thing works. Anyone know how to harness the magic?”

“No idea, but you should probably stop playing with it. You might break it.” Jonas held out his hand.

Felix placed the black orb in his palm, but continued to eye it. “I don't know if you should just hand that over to your princess. Do you have any idea what something like that could be worth? I know people, Jonas. They're not
nice
people, sure, but they have mighty deep pockets.”

“Tempting,” Jonas allowed, squeezing the rock and trying to get some sense of its magic, but he couldn't even feel a tingle. “But these crystals have a higher purpose.”

“So you do want to give it to your princess.”

“Again, she's not
my
princess, but yes. I'm leaning that way.”

Lysandra frowned, her arms crossed over her chest. “Did you say
crystals
? As in more than one crystal?”

“I did say crystals, didn't I?”

She gave him a stern look. “Is there something you haven't told us?”

Today felt like a victory already, but this battle had only just begun. Jonas hadn't felt this good in weeks. “The princess's message included more than just
this
location.”

“You know where to find more, don't you?” Felix said.

Jonas couldn't fight back his grin. “Actually, I know where to find three out of four.”

“Where?” Lysandra asked, breathless.

Jonas tossed the earth crystal up in the air, caught it, and slipped it back into his pocket. “Two of them are back home in Paelsia. A fitting place, I think, to hold the power to crush the king.”

LUCIA

AURANOS

I
f there was one lesson Lucia had learned from her mother, it was this: Anything less than perfection is unacceptable.

The queen had been obsessed with appearances and made it a priority for her adopted daughter to look as lovely as possible at all times. To be a perfect princess. She'd made Lucia do extensive memory work as a child, forcing her to learn long passages from the Books of Valoria by heart in addition to her regular studies. Whenever the Damoras would host important guests and local nobles, Lucia was brought out like a showpiece and made to recite her learnings. If ever Lucia stumbled over a word or struggled to recall the next section, the queen would draw her lips into a thin line, but she'd say nothing.

Not until later.

“Idiot girl,” the queen would snarl once the guests had left. “You embarrassed me.”

“I'm sorry, Mother. I thought I knew it. I—I didn't mean to forget.”

“You need to practice more. Don't give in to laziness. It makes all of us look bad. Tonight you were nothing but a disappointment.”

Such belittling words had shrunk Lucia's affection for the woman, and she grew to hate her.

That harsh but important lesson had stuck with her. Perfection was all that mattered, at any cost.

Heart stinging with disappointment over the failure at the temple, Lucia returned to her chambers to be alone with her thoughts. She stood on the balcony and let the warm breeze dance through her hair and across her skin.

The ring on her finger—Cleo's ring—brought her only a modest amount of peace. Perhaps without it she would have already set something on fire to let out her frustrations.

But the day wasn't yet over.

She hadn't been wrong about the temple. The earth crystal had been awakened there—she
knew
it. But they were too late.

Someone had stolen it before they arrived.

But it made no sense. Who else could possess the magic to figure out where to go and what to do?

She'd wanted to go to Paelsia immediately to claim the air and fire crystals, but Alexius had refused and had made her promise not to tell Magnus any more of their secrets. He already knew too much, he'd said. Besides, the king had given permission for a day trip, not for a lengthy journey to dangerous neighboring lands.

Reluctantly, Lucia had agreed to stay put for the time being.

And whoever stole the first crystal will beat you to the next two as well
, a nasty, dark voice inside of her said.
How kind of you to give them a head start.

Alexius had stopped her before she could locate the fourth crystal. He'd told her to wait, to allow herself to get stronger and continue their lessons without tapping into the deeper magic necessary for the awakening spell.

She'd also agreed to this. That spell had been much more intense than she'd anticipated, but she'd done it. Yet now Alexius made her doubt her abilities. Perhaps he was right—perhaps she wasn't ready.

But, no. She
was
ready.

Was it possible that she could awaken the last crystal on her own?

Practice. Do it again. Don't stop—don't give in to weakness. Don't embarrass me, you idiot girl.

It was her mother's voice, still in her head after all these years.

The queen had thought Lucia's magic was evil, but it wasn't. It was pure. It was life itself. Alexius had insisted on this, and she'd begun to believe it.

And now with Eva's ring on her hand, she finally had a measure of control over it. Lucia was no longer its victim. Her magic was a part of her. Her magic
was
her.

The realization gave her new strength. She shuttered the windows, lit a dozen candles and placed them in the middle of the floor. Feeling bold and rebellious, she sat down, neatening her skirt and crossing her legs. She pulled the amethyst ring off her finger and studied it carefully in silence, then set it spinning in front of her. Just as Alexius had instructed her, she concentrated on it to keep it spinning, never stopping.

Alexius had only been her guide the last time, her tutor. But his presence wasn't necessary. This magic was hers alone to command.

With great focus, she created a map of Mytica out of magic and light and spread it across the floor before her like a blanket unfurled for a picnic.

Very good.

She homed in on the final piece of the Kindred—the aqua-marine water crystal—letting go of any final doubts and fears.

“Where is your location?” she asked aloud.

The spinning ring sped along the Imperial Road, past the temple in Auranos, past the air crystal in southern Paelsia, and further east toward the Forbidden Mountains, where it paused at the location of the fire crystal. The mountain peaks were tall and jagged and frightening, even in this magical representation.

“No, not this. I've seen all of this already,” she murmured.

Suddenly, the mountains lit up with a gigantic triangle. It blazed like an ember, then with blue, orange, and white flames, so bright that Lucia nearly lost her concentration.

Fire.

She felt herself especially drawn to this symbol, so close she was certain the flames would burn her.

Then something shoved her backward, sending her spinning swiftly and wildly away from the symbol until she grew dizzy. She struggled to maintain her hold over her magic so she wouldn't lose the map. The ring nearly stopped spinning, but she grasped hold of it with her mind again, just in time.

She refused to accept defeat. She was strong—especially with the ring now in her possession. She could do this.

Her
elementia
washed over her once again, taking hold of her, a dark beast stretching its limbs and sharpening its claws. But this time she chose to embrace it. It was wild and dangerous, but with the ring as her anchor, she knew it would obey her.

The brightness of the map intensified again, so much that her eyes began to sting. The spinning ring sped along the Imperial Road on until it reached its northernmost point.

She recognized the location of the final place of power immediately. The Temple of Valoria in Limeros.

Before coming to Auranos, the temple had been like a second home to Lucia. She had gone there once a week for her entire childhood to worship the goddess.

It pleased her that this was where the final Kindred was kept.

“Water Kindred . . . I awaken you,” she whispered.

On the map, the temple was now branded with the symbol of water. Two wavy, parallel lines began to swirl around and around, growing brighter and more brilliant with each movement.

But this felt different than it had with fire. It wasn't right. She couldn't look away; her gaze was fixed upon the symbol burning bright beneath the amethyst ring. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Enough,” she gasped. “How do I end this?”

Before, Alexius had pulled her free from the spell. How was she to do it on her own? Could she? Or would this blazing light scorch her eyes right out of her head, leaving her blind?

Her heart raced, pounding loudly in her ears. The painful brightness before her eyes continued to grow into a scream building at the back of her throat. . . .

Then everything went black.

There was nothing for her to sense, nothing to feel. Only silence and darkness surrounded her for a small eternity.

Terrified, she blinked rapidly as four human figures took form before her eyes. They couldn't be real; these figures shimmered like the map of Mytica had. Like they were made of light and magic.

What is happening?

One of the figures, a stunningly beautiful young woman with long golden hair and sapphire eyes, spoke. “It's come to this. Give them back to me, Eva. I've won. You've lost. Don't make this any worse than it has to be.”

Eva
.

Lucia drew in a sharp breath in at the sound of the original sorceress's name.

Eva was just as beautiful as the shimmering, golden creature, but she had dark hair and eyes the color of midnight. She shook her head. “You'll have to take them from me.”

“If you insist.” The golden one nodded to two girls next to her—one with dark hair, one with light. “Take them.”

There was something wrong with Eva; she was pale and shivering. But even though she knelt on the ground before the golden one, she looked up at her with defiance.

The girls came forward and snatched up the objects lying on the ground before Eva—four small crystal orbs.

Lucia watched in stunned silence.

“Such a stupid mistake.” Eva shook her head. “You will regret following her orders.”

“Shut up, you fool,” the dark-haired girl snapped. “You wanted to keep this power all to yourself.”

“No. I wanted to protect you from it. But it's too late now.”

Each girl held two crystals. They swiftly grew brighter in their grips until they blazed like tiny suns.

“What's happening?” The fair-haired girl gasped, staring down at the spheres of amber and moonstone she was holding.

“Stop this.” Panic rose in the golden woman's voice. “No! This
cannot
happen.”

“I warned you, Melenia. Over and over.” Eva clenched her fists at her sides. “But you ignored me.”

Lucia shot her gaze to the golden one, as if seeing her for the first time.

“I—I can't let go!” cried the dark-haired girl, who held aquamarine and obsidian. “It hurts!”

Melenia rushed toward Eva and grasped her throat, digging her fingers in without mercy. “Stop this.”

“I can't. It's too late. This was your choice. Always remember that.”

“I've stolen your magic. You have nothing left. You should be dead already. This is the end for you.”

Eva eyed her with disdain, but didn't attempt to free herself. “Do you honestly think it's that easy? My magic is eternal. My blood on your hands seals your fate.”

“I want him back!” Melenia struck Eva across her face, the harsh sound of it making Lucia wince. “He belongs to me!”

Blood trickled from the corner of Eva's mouth. “He doesn't belong to anyone. He never has and he never will. He used you and you allowed him to, Melenia. If I hadn't stopped him in time, he would have destroyed everything.”

Melenia trembled with rage, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I love him.”

“That is your greatest mistake. The love you felt for him wasn't love at all—it was obsession. Real love means sacrifice, not selfishness.”

The two girls started screaming, shrieks of pain that sent ripples of sympathy through Lucia. But Eva looked satisfied, as if their screams were music to her ears.

The screaming finally ceased and Lucia's eyes went wide with shock.

The crystals were gone. What remained were four symbols, burned into the palms of the girls' outstretched hands.

Earth and water.

Fire and air.

Lucia could barely breathe. These girls were the goddesses Valoria and Cleiona. . . .

Suddenly, before she could soak up the realization any longer, her world crashed into darkness again. She fell backward, tumbling around and around, into a bottomless ebony pit.

“Lucia,” a voice said from the darkness. “Lucia! Wake up!”

She tried to grasp hold of the voice and use it to pull herself back to the real world. She held on tight, until finally she realized she was actually clutching the soft material of a shirt.

“I'm here. I won't leave you, I promise,” the voice said.

Magnus? Magnus had always been there to protect her, had always cheered her when she felt at her lowest, just as she'd always tried to do for him in return.

She forced her eyes open to see it wasn't Magnus who held her. Instead she saw eyes the color of dark silver regarding her with worry.

“Alexius,” she managed.

She was still on the floor, the group of candles before her. Alexius held her against him, stroking her hair away from her face.

“You were asleep. Having a nightmare, by the sound of it.”

The dream had already begun to recede in her memory, but the realization of what she'd witnessed remained.

“I dreamt of Melenia,” she said. “And Eva. And the goddesses.”

He furrowed his brow. “All of them? That's quite a dream.”

“Melenia was . . .” But the words died on her lips. Melenia was evil, horrible, manipulative. A murderer.

But she was also Alexius's trusted leader, the reason he was here. She wanted to return the Kindred to the Sanctuary for the greater good of the world.

Lucia wasn't ready to admit to Alexius what she'd done. Despite being certain that she'd successfully awakened the water crystal, something bad had happened. She knew how close she'd come to being harmed.

Alexius would be furious to learn that she'd attempt the spell without him.

She would tell him soon, but not today. Today it would be her secret.

“I was worried about you for a moment there,” Alexius said after she didn't continue speaking.

The gravity in his voice coaxed a small smile to her lips. “You were worried?”

“Incredibly. I don't want anything bad to happen to you. You're far too important to me, princess.” He leaned in to her and brushed his lips against hers.

Her heart swelled and the darkness that had risen within her, all the fear and despair she'd felt, was washed away in the moment of tenderness.

“I love you,” he whispered. “No matter what happens, please don't ever doubt that.”

When he kissed her again, the horrible memories of the spell and the nightmare swirled away and vanished into smoke.

• • •

Two days passed without incident. Lucia kept the secret of her clandestine awakening spell to herself, but she decided she would soon be ready to swallow her pride and share it. She would accept Alexius's anger at her foolhardy decision to forge ahead without his guidance and protection.