Gathering Darkness (Falling Kingdoms #3)(81)

Not until later.

“Idiot girl,” the queen would snarl once the guests had left. “You embarrassed me.”

“I’m sorry, Mother. I thought I knew it. I—I didn’t mean to forget.”

“You need to practice more. Don’t give in to laziness. It makes all of us look bad. Tonight you were nothing but a disappointment.”

Such belittling words had shrunk Lucia’s affection for the woman, and she grew to hate her.

That harsh but important lesson had stuck with her. Perfection was all that mattered, at any cost.

Heart stinging with disappointment over the failure at the temple, Lucia returned to her chambers to be alone with her thoughts. She stood on the balcony and let the warm breeze dance through her hair and across her skin.

The ring on her finger—Cleo’s ring—brought her only a modest amount of peace. Perhaps without it she would have already set something on fire to let out her frustrations.

But the day wasn’t yet over.

She hadn’t been wrong about the temple. The earth crystal had been awakened there—she knew it. But they were too late.

Someone had stolen it before they arrived.

But it made no sense. Who else could possess the magic to figure out where to go and what to do?

She’d wanted to go to Paelsia immediately to claim the air and fire crystals, but Alexius had refused and had made her promise not to tell Magnus any more of their secrets. He already knew too much, he’d said. Besides, the king had given permission for a day trip, not for a lengthy journey to dangerous neighboring lands.

Reluctantly, Lucia had agreed to stay put for the time being.

And whoever stole the first crystal will beat you to the next two as well, a nasty, dark voice inside of her said. How kind of you to give them a head start.

Alexius had stopped her before she could locate the fourth crystal. He’d told her to wait, to allow herself to get stronger and continue their lessons without tapping into the deeper magic necessary for the awakening spell.

She’d also agreed to this. That spell had been much more intense than she’d anticipated, but she’d done it. Yet now Alexius made her doubt her abilities. Perhaps he was right—perhaps she wasn’t ready.

But, no. She was ready.

Was it possible that she could awaken the last crystal on her own?

Practice. Do it again. Don’t stop—don’t give in to weakness. Don’t embarrass me, you idiot girl.

It was her mother’s voice, still in her head after all these years.

The queen had thought Lucia’s magic was evil, but it wasn’t. It was pure. It was life itself. Alexius had insisted on this, and she’d begun to believe it.

And now with Eva’s ring on her hand, she finally had a measure of control over it. Lucia was no longer its victim. Her magic was a part of her. Her magic was her.

The realization gave her new strength. She shuttered the windows, lit a dozen candles and placed them in the middle of the floor. Feeling bold and rebellious, she sat down, neatening her skirt and crossing her legs. She pulled the amethyst ring off her finger and studied it carefully in silence, then set it spinning in front of her. Just as Alexius had instructed her, she concentrated on it to keep it spinning, never stopping.

Alexius had only been her guide the last time, her tutor. But his presence wasn’t necessary. This magic was hers alone to command.

With great focus, she created a map of Mytica out of magic and light and spread it across the floor before her like a blanket unfurled for a picnic.

Very good.

She homed in on the final piece of the Kindred—the aquamarine water crystal—letting go of any final doubts and fears.

“Where is your location?” she asked aloud.

The spinning ring sped along the Imperial Road, past the temple in Auranos, past the air crystal in southern Paelsia, and further east toward the Forbidden Mountains, where it paused at the location of the fire crystal. The mountain peaks were tall and jagged and frightening, even in this magical representation.

“No, not this. I’ve seen all of this already,” she murmured.

Suddenly, the mountains lit up with a gigantic triangle. It blazed like an ember, then with blue, orange, and white flames, so bright that Lucia nearly lost her concentration.

Fire.

She felt herself especially drawn to this symbol, so close she was certain the flames would burn her.

Then something shoved her backward, sending her spinning swiftly and wildly away from the symbol until she grew dizzy. She struggled to maintain her hold over her magic so she wouldn’t lose the map. The ring nearly stopped spinning, but she grasped hold of it with her mind again, just in time.

She refused to accept defeat. She was strong—especially with the ring now in her possession. She could do this.

Her elementia washed over her once again, taking hold of her, a dark beast stretching its limbs and sharpening its claws. But this time she chose to embrace it. It was wild and dangerous, but with the ring as her anchor, she knew it would obey her.

The brightness of the map intensified again, so much that her eyes began to sting. The spinning ring sped along the Imperial Road on until it reached its northernmost point.

She recognized the location of the final place of power immediately. The Temple of Valoria in Limeros.

Before coming to Auranos, the temple had been like a second home to Lucia. She had gone there once a week for her entire childhood to worship the goddess.