Gathering Darkness (Falling Kingdoms #3)(55)

This was where Alexius had found the exiled Watcher, crouched at the side of his road, the Forbidden Mountains looming like unfriendly giants behind him.

Alexius approached, unsteady on his newly mortal legs. He knew they were the same legs he’d always had, but now—walking on Mytican soil and knowing he, too, was mortal—they felt different. Weak.

“Alexius,” Xanthus said, a grin lifting the corner of his mouth. “Melenia told me to expect you. It’s good to see you again after all this time.”

“Hard to believe it’s been twenty years.” Alexius scanned the tall man from head to foot. Once eternally youthful, Xanthus had aged during his time here, but his bronze colored hair and copper-colored eyes were still as bright as they ever were.

“Yes.” Xanthus reached for his hand and shook it firmly. “Though it doesn’t feel that long. Welcome to your new home. You’ll like the mortal world. Come, I’ll prepare something for us to eat.” He turned to go, motioning to Alexius to follow, but the younger Watcher didn’t budge.

“I know what you did to Phaedra.”

Xanthus stopped in his tracks.

“She loved you. She missed you all this time. She thought you were lost to her forever. I can only imagine how betrayed she must have felt.”

Xanthus turned with hard eyes to meet Alexius’s. “It had to be done.”

“Because Melenia ordered it.”

“Phaedra was a complication.”

“She was my friend. And your sister.”

Xanthus’s brows drew together. “I had no choice. Melenia commanded it, and I obeyed. But I promise you, she didn’t suffer.”

“Perhaps she didn’t.” Alexius drew out the dagger he had hidden beneath his cloak. “But you will.”

As her gift to him, Melenia had told Alexius what Xanthus had done, and had allowed him this brief opportunity for vengeance.

“You don’t need to do this!” Xanthus ducked and dodged the blade.

“Wrong. I do. Now that the road is complete, you too are a complication. This is also an order from Melenia, but it’s a punishment you deserve.”

Xanthus fought back and managed to slice Alexius’s leg with a sharp piece of wood, which succeeded in slowing him down.

But not enough to stop him.

Soon Alexius’s dagger found its mark, and he watched the life drain from the eyes of Phaedra’s brother and murderer. In all of his two thousand years, Xanthus was the first person he’d ever killed. The thought chilled him, taking away any warmth he had left in his heart. But it also filled him with resolve.

“She commands,” Alexius said, “and I obey. Just like you did.”

“Then may your fate be the same as mine,” Xanthus hissed with his last breath.

Alexius walked away and didn’t look back.

? ? ?

Phaedra’s death had been avenged. He’d completed his journey to the City of Gold. And he’d found his princess. As if she were a beacon calling out to him, it had taken barely any time at all to locate her in a city scrambling for safety in the wake of a rebel uprising.

Suddenly there she was, every bit as beautiful as he remembered.

Seeing Lucia again brought him more joy than he’d thought possible, which helped to balance the pain a little, but not nearly enough. He could never tell her the truth. No matter how much he wanted to, he could never warn her to stay away from him. It was impossible.

After recovering from her surprise, the princess took him to the palace.

Upon their arrival, a herd of guards immediately ushered Alexius and Lucia into the throne room, where both the king and Prince Magnus were waiting. The two turned to look at them as they entered.

Magnus was in front of Lucia in an instant, his expression one of anguish as he took hold of her arms.

“What happened?” he demanded. “One moment you were right there next to me, and the next you were gone. I thought you were dead!”

“By the looks of it,” the king said, “she’s very much alive. Not a scratch. I told you she could protect herself. I don’t know why you always refuse to believe me.”

Magnus kept his eyes on his sister. “Are you all right?”

She nodded. “I got lost in the crowd for a while, but I’m fine. All is well, brother.”

Finally he let go of her, his expression turning icy. “You should be more careful. You were standing too close to the edge of the platform. Anyone could have grabbed you.” His dark eyes shifted to the boy who stood silently at Lucia’s side. “And who are you?”

Lucia had told Alexius plenty about the prince in the time they’d spent together in her dreams. She’d felt comfortable enough with him to unburden her soul and tell him everything about her life, her family, her hopes and dreams. Her disappointments. Her problems. Her fears. Everything.

“Yes, Lucia,” the king said. He drew closer to them and waved his guards away for privacy. “Who is this boy?”

Alexius knew that Lucia was uncertain of what to say about him. She might be a powerful sorceress, but she was tentative when it came to her family.

“My name is Alexius,” he said, seeing that Lucia wouldn’t be providing introductions.

Magnus frowned, studying Alexius’s face as if it held the answer to a particularly difficult riddle. “I know this name. Why do I know this name?”