Gathering Darkness (Falling Kingdoms #3)(53)

“Are you going to question him?” Amara said. “Or let him stare adoringly at you all day?”

“A fair point,” she agreed.

Amara looked at her not with awe or fear at her very real magic. Rather, she seemed pleased and impressed.

It was a nice change from the terrified reactions her elementia usually received.

“All I want to know is why,” Lucia said to the boy. “Why would you assist the rebels today? Do you wish to defeat my father for reasons of your own?”

“Your father . . .” Petros’s brows drew together before recognition dawned. “You’re Princess Lucia.”

“Give the boy a prize,” Amara said with a smirk.

“I am,” Lucia said to him. “Now answer me.”

“They asked me to help.”

“Who asked you to help?”

“Jonas Agallon. He wanted to rescue his friends. He saw my fire displays and thought I could help. For me, any chance to work with fire—to watch it rise up and destroy anything in its path. . . . It’s what I love the most. And I can tell you like it too, princess.”

Jonas. That name had been coming up an awful lot lately. Jonas Agallon, the rebel leader accused of murdering the queen. Which was all fine with Lucia. It had saved her from having to do the deed herself.

Such dark thoughts, a voice said inside her. To use your magic is to summon malevolence. Be careful or it might consume you.

“I need to leave,” Lucia said, her voice small and uncertain as doubt descended.

She lost her focus for a moment, and Petros managed to break free of her air magic. He pushed off from the wall, shoving her out of the way in his haste to get to the door. But Amara was there, blocking his way.

He glared at her. “Get out of my way or I’ll kill you.”

“I doubt that.” She reached into the folds of her gown, pulled out a dagger, and sank it into his chest.

The boy looked down with shock. He touched the hilt with trembling fingers, then fell hard to his knees and crumpled fully to the ground. A pool of blood began to seep out and surround him.

Lucia’s eyes widened. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

Amara reached down and yanked the dagger from the boy’s body, wiping off the blade with a clean white handkerchief. “I’m sure he wasn’t, either. No loss to the world, I’d say. Kraeshians like to deal with criminals swiftly and with finality. We don’t tend to waste much time on incarceration and public executions.” She glanced over at Lucia. “I hope this isn’t a problem for you. He was going to get away . . . and he knew your secret.”

Lucia had thought Amara merely a spoiled princess from another land. But she was much more than that.

Lucia eyed her now with wariness.

“If you’re worried I’ll tell anyone what I saw here”—Amara tucked her weapon away and moved closer to Lucia—“don’t be. I can be very discreet.”

“What do you want from me?” Fire magic crackled down Lucia’s arms, ready for summoning if Amara said the wrong thing.

Amara wasn’t the only one willing to end a life today if there was no other choice. She would protect herself—and her family—at any cost.

Confidence flickered on the foreign princess’s face. “I want to be your friend, Lucia. That’s all I’ve wanted since I arrived in Auranos. I hope you’ll give me that chance.” She smiled. “The crowd must have dissipated by now. It’s time to make our way back to the palace.”

“You go without me,” Lucia said. “I need time to think.”

Amara didn’t argue. “Very well. Be safe, Lucia. I’ll see you again soon.”

She turned and stepped over Petros’s body, not looking back at Lucia on her way out of the bakery.

Lucia let her go but stood at the doorway and watched the princess until she disappeared from view. Amara knew what Lucia was capable of. She would be wise to keep such knowledge to herself.

Lucia glanced down at the dead boy’s face, feeling nothing in her heart but relief. Finally, she left the shop. By now, the streets had cleared and she found herself nearly alone in the city.

In the distance she saw the golden spires of the palace, and she turned down one crooked lane after another in an attempt to head toward it. The city was a maze—much like the halls of the palace itself. One could easily get hopelessly off course if one wasn’t careful.

And even though she could see her destination, she knew she was lost and alone here. No one understood her. She couldn’t trust anyone—not even her family.

A sob caught in her chest as an unexpected, overwhelming wave of sadness swept over her. She was on the verge of tears when she turned the next corner.

And there he was. Standing in the middle of the cobblestoned road, as if he’d been waiting for her to arrive.

“You’re a dream,” she whispered. “I’m dreaming right now.”

Alexius’s silver eyes met hers and he smiled. “Not this time.”

But it had to be. This couldn’t be real. “You’re not here.”

“I’m not?” He looked down at himself, holding out his hands and inspecting them back and front. “Are you sure about that?”

The road lined with lush green trees, the sparkling stones that paved the walkways, the storefronts glittering under the sun . . . they all fell away and Lucia saw nothing—nothing but him. Only Alexius.