The Midnight Star (The Young Elites #3)(20)

“Invading the great empire of Tamoura already,” Magiano replies. “Restless so soon? I’ve barely had the chance to unpack all of my possessions.”

I can tell immediately that the lightness in his voice is not real. “You’re not excited. I thought the great Magiano would be intrigued by all the gold that the Sunlands hold.”

“I am intrigued by it,” he says. “And, apparently, so are you. I only hesitate, my love, because of how soon it has been since we were in Dumor. Tamoura’s not a weak nation, even after losing their northern territory to you. They are an empire, with three kings and a strong navy. Are your men rested enough for another invasion?”

“Tamoura will be my crown jewel,” I reply. Then I frown at him. “You still pity Dumor, for what I did to them.”

Magiano’s smile finally drops away, and he gives me a serious look. “I pitied them for losing their country. But I do not pity them for looking down on the marked. The fire in you burns as fiercely as it did when I first met you. You’ll make Dumor a better place.”

“When did your heart turn so soft?” I ask him as I skim the surface of the water with my fingers, creating tiny ripples. “When I first met you, you were a hardened thief who delighted in taking others’ belongings.”

“I stole from vain noblemen and arrogant queens. Drunkards and fools.”

“And do you miss that life?”

Magiano is silent. I can feel his nearness, the warmth of his skin barely brushing against mine. “I have everything I could ever want here, Adelina,” he finally says. “You’ve handed me what feels like the world’s riches, a palace, a life of luxury.” He draws closer. “I get to be at your side. What more do I need?”

But I have taken something away from him. It is on the tip of his tongue, and I can hear it as surely as if he’d said it aloud. Everyone needs a purpose, and I have taken away his. What can he do, now that he has been given everything? There is no more thrill of the hunt, the excitement of the chase.

Magiano lifts one hand out of the water and touches my chin for a moment, tilting it up, leaving a droplet of water to run along my skin. “I’m looking forward to seeing you become Queen of the Sunlands,” he says, his gaze wandering across my face.

What do you see now, Magiano? I wonder. When he first met me, I was a girl cast out by her friends, allied with her sister, intent on getting revenge on the Inquisition Axis. Now I rule the Inquisition. What do you see when you stare at me? Is it the same girl you once kissed by a crackling fire?

Gradually, an old, mischievous light appears in his eyes. I tremble as his lips brush against my ear, and I can’t help but think about the submerged half of him, flushing at the knowledge that I, too, am naked below my shoulders. “I found a secret place,” he whispers. His hand finds mine under the water, tugging on my wrist. “Come with me.”

I’m unable to suppress a laugh. “Where are you taking me?” I say in a mock scolding voice.

“I’ll beg your forgiveness later, Your Majesty,” he teases back, flashing me a grin as he pulls us toward the far end of the pool. Here, the water branches into two narrower segments, each leading into a more private chamber. One of the private chambers has been sealed off for the past few months, though, as part of the archway had collapsed into the water and left it impassable. As we near the bend, I think Magiano is going to lead us into the still-open private chamber on the right. But he doesn’t. Instead, he guides us to the left, toward the collapsed arch. We pause in front of it, a trail of water disturbed in our wake.

“Behold.” Magiano spreads his arms in a gesture of pretend triumph. “Revel in its majesty.”

I wrinkle my nose. “Are you trying to impress me with a collapsed archway?”

“No faith. No faith at all.” He is back to his old self, and it sends a rare thread of joy through my heart. “Follow me,” he murmurs. Then he takes a deep breath and dives down, grabbing my hand as he descends.

At first, I hesitate. There are still a few things I fear in life. Fire. Death. And the last time I was submerged in water, in a canal in Merroutas when my illusions first betrayed me, I did not fare well. When I resist, Magiano resurfaces. “Don’t be afraid,” he says with a half smile. “You’re with me.” His hand tightens around my wrist, tugging me down again playfully. And this time, I feel safe enough to take a deep breath of my own and do as he says.

The water is warm, caressing my face, and as I go deeper, the world disappears into shades of light and muffled sound. Through the water I catch a glimpse of Magiano’s bare body, gliding like a balira down toward the broken archway. Then I catch sight of what he wants me to see. At the very bottom, the archway hasn’t completely blocked off the private chamber behind it. There is still a narrow entrance under the water, one that looks just wide enough for a person to swim through.

Magiano goes first. His movements send up a cloud of bubbles. I follow in his wake. The light in the water darkens, turning black, and for a moment, I feel a suffocating sense of fear. What if I have entered the Underworld? What if I will never surface again? The whispers in my head stir, chittering. What if he is leading you in here so he can drown you?

Then I feel Magiano’s familiar hand close on my wrist again, pulling me up. I surface with a gasp. As I brush wet hair and water from my face, I look up to see a chamber lit only by the faint blue glow of moss on the walls.