Immortal Reign (Falling Kingdoms #6)(90)

“Where is Valia?” Magnus asked, scanning the dark tavern. “Did you get her a room at the inn?”

“She’s not here,” Ashur replied.

Magnus’s gaze shot to the Kraeshian. “What?”

Then he noticed the bloody bandages wrapped around both of Ashur’s hands.

“I tried to summon her,” Ashur said. “Multiple times. I followed the instructions perfectly, but she never arrived.”

Magnus hung his head, pressing his hands to his temples.

“Where is Bruno?” he asked. “Is he here?”

Ashur nodded. “He’s here.”

“Who’s Bruno?” Cleo asked.

“Bruno!” Magnus yelled at the top of his lungs.

The man in question appeared from the kitchen area, wiping his hands on his dusty apron. Deep lines fanned out from the corners of his eyes as he smiled broadly at the sight before him.

“Prince Magnus, such a great delight to see you again!” He looked at Cleo, and his eyes widened. “Oh, and you’ve brought your beautiful wife with you this time. Princess Cleiona, it is a true honor.”

He bowed deeply before her.

“And it’s lovely to meet you too,” Cleo said kindly when he rose from his bow, absently tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear.

Magnus was dismayed to see that the blue lines had extended further along her left temple.

He tore his gaze from Cleo to look at Bruno. “Where is Valia?”

“Prince Ashur asked me the very same question last night,” he replied. “And I have the same reply for you: I’m afraid I don’t know.”

“Ashur tried to summon her, but it didn’t work,” Magnus said.

“Sometimes it doesn’t. Valia chooses when and where to appear.” At the furious expression that fell over Magnus’s face, the old man took a step backward. “Apologies, your highness, but I don’t control her.”

“We didn’t even know if she could help,” Ashur said. “We were only hoping.”

“Hoping,” Magnus muttered. “There’s that useless word again.”

“It’s not useless,” Cleo said. “Hope is powerful.”

Magnus shook his head. “No, a sorceress is powerful, and that’s what we need. Valia was useless too, a waste of time. I need to find Lucia.”

“Where?” Ashur said, his tone sharp. “She’s been gone a week with no message. She is on her own quest, Magnus, one that doesn’t align with ours.”

“You’re wrong!” Magnus threw the words at Ashur like weapons, hoping to inflict injury. “My sister won’t abandon us. Not now. Not when I need her the most.”

But he had to admit, in his heart, he didn’t believe this anymore.

Lucia was gone, and he didn’t know when and if she’d ever return.

And Cleo . . .

He turned to her. Her earnest, hopeful expression crushed his heart.

He roared out in anger, grabbed hold of a heavy wooden table, and flipped it over.

Bruno staggered back, horrified.

Magnus’s current increased strength—strength he’d had since crawling out of his own grave—was courtesy of the bloodstone.

Powerful death magic existed within the ring on his finger. But death magic couldn’t help Cleo.

“Magnus,” Cleo said sharply, pulling him from his thoughts. “I need to speak with you in private. Now.”

He knew she was angry with him for scaring Bruno, for acting disrespectful and ungrateful toward Ashur. For wanting to crush anything that stood in the way of finding the answers he needed to save the girl standing before him.

To hell with rest of the world; Cleo was all he cared about.

Sullenly, he followed her to a room in the inn that Bruno swiftly provided for them.

“What do you have to say to me privately?” he said when she closed the door. “Do you wish to scold me for my behavior out there? To make me see reason and embrace hope like you do? To make me believe that we still have a chance to make this right again?”

“No,” she replied simply.

He frowned. “No?”

Cleo shook her head. “There’s nothing right about this.”

Magnus inhaled deeply. “I acted like a bully to Bruno.”

“Yes, you did.”

“I think I scared him.”

She nodded. “You can be very scary.”

“Yes. And I can also be scared. And I am, right now.” Magnus took her hands in his, his gaze locking with hers. “I want to help you.”

Tears welled in her eyes. “I know.”

“What do we do, Cleo?” He hated the weakness that had crept into his voice. “How am I supposed to save you from this?”

She frowned. “It’s talking to me right now—the water Kindred. It wants me to leave you, to return to Kyan. It says that I’ve made him incredibly angry for leaving when he’d been trying to help me.”

Magnus took her by her shoulders and stared deep into her blue-green eyes. “Listen to me, demon. You need to get out of my wife now. Do so of your own volition and find another body to steal—I don’t really give a damn who it is. But leave Cleo alone, or I swear I will destroy you!”