Crystal Storm (Falling Kingdoms #5)(81)

“Who’s Olivia?”

“Never mind that.” He looked down at Lucia, still sprawled on the ground. “Get up.”

She tried to push herself up. “Um . . .”

“You can’t stand up, can you?”

“Give me a minute. My belly is a bit awkward at the moment.” Lucia glared at him. “No, please, don’t even think about helping me.”

“I wasn’t.” He watched as she slowly and painstakingly rolled onto her side, then rose to her feet, brushing off her cloak to free it from the pine needles and dirt it had picked up. “Aren’t you used to your condition by now? I’ve seen pregnant Paelsian women only days from giving birth chop down a whole tree’s worth of wood and carry it back to their cottages.”

“I am not a Paelsian woman,” she said, then blinked. “Well, not exactly. And I haven’t had time to get used to my condition, as you call it.”

Such a strange girl. “How far along are you?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but . . . a month or so.”

Jonas scanned her full form with disbelief. “Is this the way it is with evil sorceresses? Their unborn spawn grow much swifter than normal babies?”

“I wouldn’t know.” Lucia crossed her arms over her belly, as if trying to shield it from him. “I understand your hatred for me. I understand everyone’s hatred for me. What I’ve done since . . . since the father of this child died is unforgiveable. I know that. But this child is innocent and deserves a chance at life. The fact that you, of all people, came to the aid back there of someone like me—someone marked like an immortal, someone who doesn’t claim to be a witch or an exile—that must mean something. You speak of prophesies. I’m well aware of being the subject of prophesies. To me, it means that this child matters to the world.”

“Who was the father?” Jonas asked. He didn’t want to feel sorry for what she’d been through or allow the catch in her voice to move him.

“An exiled immortal.”

“And you say he’s dead.”

She nodded once.

“How did he die?” Jonas asked. “Did you kill him?”

Lucia was silent for so long that he didn’t think she’d answer. “No. He took his own life.”

“Interesting. Is that the only way to escape from your dark clutches?”

Lucia’s look of sheer hatred made him flinch. But the look was more than that. Her eyes were pink-rimmed, a mixture of exhaustion and sadness.

“Apologies,” Jonas said before he had a chance to think about his response. “I suppose that was unnecessarily harsh.”

“It was. But I’d expect no less from someone who thinks I’m sheer evil. What Kyan did to your friend . . .”

“Lysandra,” he choked out. “She was incredible: the bravest and strongest girl I’ve ever known. She deserved the life that Kyan stole from her without a second of hesitation. He was aiming for me—I’m the one who should have died that day, not her.”

She nodded sadly. “I’m so sorry. I’ve come to realize that Kyan isn’t a person, isn’t someone with feelings and needs like mortals have, and he isn’t someone who can be reasoned with. Kyan sees every fault and imperfection in this world. He wishes to be the one to burn it to ashes so it can begin again. I’d say that he’s insane, but he is fire. Fire burns. It destroys. That is its reason for existing.”

“He wants to destroy the world,” Jonas repeated.

She nodded. “It’s why I left him. Why he nearly killed me when I said I wouldn’t help him anymore.”

Jonas took a moment to absorb this. “You say fire destroys. But fire also cooks food, it warms us on cold nights. That kind of fire isn’t evil—it’s an element we use to keep us alive.”

“All I know for sure is that he needs to be stopped.” She reached into the pocket of her cloak and drew out a small amber orb, the exact same size as the earth Kindred. “This was Kyan’s prison.”

Jonas found himself momentarily speechless. “And you think you can put him back in there and save the world?”

“I plan to try,” she said simply.

He looked at Lucia’s face, determined and serious as she gazed at the crystal orb. She sounded so sincere. Could he believe her? “Given what I now know about the fire Kindred, the empress doesn’t seem like much of a threat at all, does she?”

Lucia slipped the orb back into her pocket. “Oh, Amara has definitely shown herself to be a threat. But Kyan is far worse. So think me evil, rebel. Consider me someone who needs to die for my crimes. Fine. But know also that I want to try to fix some of what I’ve done, now that I’m able to think clearly again. First, I need to see my family. I need to—” Lucia’s words cut off as she doubled over and cried out.

Jonas rushed to her side. “What’s wrong?”

“Pain!” she managed. “This had been happening far too often since I left. Oh . . . oh, goddess! I can’t . . .”

She dropped to her knees, clutching her belly.

Jonas stared at her, feeling completely helpless. “Damn it. What can I do? Is the baby coming already? Please don’t tell me the baby is coming.”