“Now,” she said, turning back to Jonas, “about that earth Kindred you stole from me.”
Jonas had heard all about Lucia’s visit to Limeros, and he didn’t underestimate the sorceress for a moment. “Sorry,” he said, “but I don’t have it.”
“Oh, please, Jonas. Do you really think you can fool me so easily? Let’s try again.”
“Princess Lucia . . .” he began, but then he was interrupted by a sudden crackling of lightning above. The storm had begun to gather again. A sickening feeling seeped into his stomach. This storm was made from magic, he realized. Summoned by a sorceress who could conjure darkness and evil without even a single crack to her calm, collected exterior.
“Yes, Jonas?” Lucia replied, a menacing smile creeping over her beautiful face.
“You want the earth Kindred?” His mouth was dry, his heart was pounding, but he tried to keep his voice steady and confident.
“Obviously.”
“Then I propose a partnership.”
She raised a brow. “And I propose that you hand over the Kindred before I light you and your friends on fire.”
“All right, all right.” He held up his hands, wracking his mind for the right way to deal with this dangerous girl. “Not the time to consider a partnership. Understood.”
“Trust me on this, rebel. You have no idea what you’ve stolen.”
“Kill her!” came a shout from the crowd. “The King of Blood’s daughter deserves to die!” A chorus of cheers and cries for justice followed, and Jonas turned to scowl at his unwanted and vastly unhelpful audience.
This was all his fault. He’d just had to intervene when he saw that thief snatch a bag of coins from a pretty girl.
Good deeds had never served him well.
Jonas looked up again at the roiling storm clouds above. “Princess, listen to me,” he said. “I am not your enemy.”
A roll of thunder rumbled. “Everyone is my enemy.”
“I want you to know that I wasn’t the one who killed the queen.”
“I’m disappointed to hear that,” she said. “That was the single thing I liked about you before now.”
“Enough talk,” Lysandra growled. “My parents are dead because of your father. Because of your father, my village was enslaved. Because of your father, my brother was executed right in front of me!”
“I am sorry for your loss, Lysandra. Truly. But King Gaius is not my real father. Queen Althea was not my real mother. I hate the Damoras every bit as much as you do.”
Surprised by this sudden admission, Jonas sent a furtive glance at Olivia. Could she help if this got out of control?
Most likely she would only prove herself to be nothing more than a common witch, powerless against a prophesied sorceress with her heart set on vengeance.
But he knew there had to be a way to resolve this without anyone getting hurt.
“If that’s true, then I have an excellent suggestion for you,” Jonas said slowly, evenly. “You should become a rebel.”
Amusement flickered in the princess’s sky-blue eyes. “And bumble along with the lot of you, failing at every turn? What a brilliant suggestion.”
Jonas ignored the bite in her words. “Well, why not? By joining us you could help bring peace back to Mytica, end the suffering of its people.”
“And how do you think you’re going to do all that? By using me and my magic to achieve your goals? Apologies, rebel, but my charitable days are over.”
Jonas had to bite back the snarky, smug responses to this incredibly abrasive girl as they shot through his mind. He took a deep breath. “If King Gaius’s daughter were to stand up in defiance against him, everyone all over Mytica will wake up and begin to see through his lies. Not only would even more Auranians and Paelsians band together and rise up against him, but Limerians, too. It’s Limeros that’s been trapped under his thumb for all these years, and it’s those citizens who would benefit most from the demise of his regime. It will be a revolution of both body and spirit, and your magic would have very little to do with it.”
“Jonas,” Nic growled. “Look at her. She’s clearly not interested in listening to reason.”
“Now, now, Nicolo, be nice,” Lucia said. “I’m perfectly capable of thinking and answering for myself.” She turned back to Jonas. “You make excellent points, Jonas. But you mistake me for someone who cares about peace or ending the suffering of common citizens. Don’t look so surprised. After all, even if I don’t share their blood, I was raised a Damora.”
Jonas searched her expression for a hint of something soft, something other than vengeance. But all he found was rage, and suddenly he felt pity for her. “What happened to you to make you so angry? So bitter?”
“Perhaps I was born this way.”
Jonas shook his head. “I doubt it. No one is born with such hatred in their hearts.”
“How dare you presume to know anything about me, Jonas Agallon.”
“I know more than you might think, and I have a very reliable gut. You’re a good person, princess. You could improve so many lives with your magic. You could change the world. Make it better, brighter, happier. Don’t you see that?”
“I don’t care about any of that. All I want right now is for you to hand over the earth Kindred.”
Jonas was about to respond when a voice cut through the conversation, interrupting them. “What was that?” A young, fair-haired man approached Lucia, his expression fearless and quizzical. “Did I hear you say something about the earth Kindred?”
Lucia pursed her lips and glanced at him. “I didn’t expect you back from your errand so soon.”
“I move quickly.” The man looked at Jonas, his brow furrowed. “Am I to understand that you are in possession of the obsidian orb?”
“Jonas,” Nic whispered in a warning tone. “That’s the man who was at the palace with Lucia. He nearly killed Prince Magnus. Say nothing.”
“Let me handle him on my own, Kyan,” Lucia said.
Kyan kept staring at Jonas. “You’re wrong,” he said to Lucia, his eyes still on Jonas. “He doesn’t have the orb. I know I’d be able to feel its magic if it were really this close.”
“Perhaps not on him, but he did claim it,” Lucia pressed. “Where is it, Jonas?”
“No idea,” Jonas said evenly. “Sorry I couldn’t be more help.”
The young man narrowed his eyes, and in a sudden flash of light and heat, a ring of flames shot up from the ground, enclosing them in its circle. Jonas started and heard the crowd beyond the fire scream and scatter, abandoning the market.
Jonas shot a tense glance at his friends. “Olivia, tell me you can do something.”
Her eyes were wide and staring, filled with fear he’d never seen from this brave witch. “Oh, no,” she whispered. “Not now. Not here.”
“What are you talking about?” The heat from the flames grew ever more intense around Jonas.
“It—it’s too soon,” she said, clearly stunned and in a daze. “I’m not ready. I’m not strong enough.”
“Do what you can, then!” Jonas urged. “We’ll help!” He looked back to Kyan. “What are you?”