Gathering Darkness

by Morgan Rhodes

  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.

  He approached, and she took one shaky step backward.

  His brows drew together and he raked a hand through his bronze-colored hair. “I thought you’d be happy to see me.”

  “But . . . how is this possible?” The words piled one on top of one another in their hurry to get out. “I’d all but convinced myself that you were a figment of my imagination. But you said we’d see each other again. That you’d find me.”

  “And here I am.” He took her by her arms and drew her close. She was so dumbstruck by the sight of him that it didn’t occur to her for a moment to summon her magic, which had quickly become a natural instinct when she was startled or afraid. “I’m sorry it took so long, but I came as soon as I could.”

  But this didn’t make any sense! “Watchers can’t take mortal form in Mytica. You should be a hawk. I’ve been searching for hawks all this time!”

  Alexius grew serious. “We can take mortal form here if we exile ourselves.”

  She actually stopped breathing for a moment.

  He nodded, registering her shock. “I’ve left the Sanctuary permanently. That’s what took me so long. It’s rare to leave that realm voluntarily, believe me. One must be very certain that he wants to embrace the life of a mortal.”

  He’d given up his immortality, could never return to his true home. “But why would you do such a thing?”

  “You really don’t know?”

  She shook her head.

  He leaned closer and whispered to her, “Because I’m in love with you.” He grinned in response to her stunned expression. “Yes, princess. I’m here because there’s no other place I want to be than by your side. Now, shall we make our way to the palace?”

  All she could do was stare. The explosions, the rebel escape, the confrontation between Amara and the arsonist, and now . . . now Alexius was confessing his love for her.

  It was barely midday!

  “The palace . . .” She grappled to find words. “Oh, yes, let’s march into the palace and introduce you to my father as my new suitor—an exiled Watcher from the Sanctuary who visited my dreams when I was asleep for months.” She nervously scanned the clear sky, her gaze drawn toward the slightest glimpse of the golden spire. “He’ll begin planning the wedding immediately. No, more likely he’ll have you thrown into the dungeon!”

  The smile remained fixed on Alexius’s handsome face. “Let me handle your father, princess.”

  That smile quickly eased its way into her heart.

  This was real.

  Only yesterday everything had been bleak and unpleasant. Now Alexius was here, and hope once again bloomed all around Lucia.

  CHAPTER 16

  ALEXIUS

  THE SANCTUARY

  He’d been gone from the Sanctuary a whole week before he found Lucia.

  “Alexius!” Timotheus had called out to him as he was leaving the Crystal City for the last time.

  Alexius tried very hard to ignore him.

  But he had stopped when Timotheus laid his familiar hand on his arm. He turned to face his mentor, who looked at him with a drawn brow. “I’ve been told you plan to exile yourself today.”

  “You were told correctly.”

  Timotheus shook his head. “Don’t do this. We can talk. We can work this out. I know Melenia’s filled your head with all sorts of plans and promises, but—”

  “This has nothing to do with her.” Alexius’s throat hurt from all the lies he’d had to tell since aligning with Melenia. Abandoning the only home he’d ever known was difficult enough, no matter if it was as much a prison as it was a paradise. But having someone who cared enough to try to stop him made everything worse. “I can’t stay here. I’ve fallen in love with a mortal. My place is by her side.”

  Timotheus’s fingertips bit into his shoulder. “There’s another answer.”

  “I’ve thought long and hard, and this is the only way.”

  “You can never return. You won’t be able to take hawk form once you leave here. You will forfeit your immortality. If you die out there, it’s the end for you. You’re giving up everything.”

  He looked into Timotheus’s eyes. This was his friend, the one he knew he could tell all his secrets to without being judged. They had so much history together, but Melenia had forced an immovable wedge between them.

  The merest thought of defying her command caused Alexius so much pain he couldn’t function, couldn’t think. Melenia’s obedience spell had sunk its claws deep into his throat and wouldn’t let go.

  “I’m sorry.” Alexius embraced him for the briefest of moments, ignoring the sting of tears in his eyes. “Farewell, my friend.”

  Timotheus didn’t say another word. With his eyes on the elder, who watched him now with a bleak and solemn expression, Alexius shifted to hawk form one last time. He flapped his wings and took flight, heading toward the ancient stone portal that would grant him entrance into the mortal world.

  • • •

  Before Alexius could find the princess, he first had to take care of a task in Paelsia.

  The Imperial
Road stretching from Auranos to Limeros was now complete, but Xanthus had remained behind at the last deserted work camp to ensure that the magic in the stones would hold.

  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?”

  Alexius regarded the prince patiently. This boy was full of bluster, full of doubt and fear and pain. So sad to know that he’d imagined himself in love with Lucia, simply because she’d shown him the kindness that he didn’t receive anywhere else in his cold, lonely life.

  He held no jealousy toward Lucia’s adopted brother, nor did he feel that Magnus was a challenge for Lucia’s affections. In fact, he pitied the prince.

  And Magnus would be wise to stay out of his way.

  “Alexius is important to me,” Lucia said, boldly hooking her arm through his.

  Perhaps she wasn’t that tentative after all—at least not when it came to him. Melenia would be pleased to know that Alexius was already working his way back into the princess’s good graces after such a long absence.

  “Important, is he?” the king echoed. “How so?”

  Alexius couldn’t read King Gaius’s expression, but he knew enough not to underestimate him. The king would never allow Alexius anywhere near his daughter if he believed him to be nothing more than a suitor visiting from another land.

  “Melenia sent me,” he said, pleased to see the king’s eyes immediately widen at mention of her name.

  “Melenia?” Something sharp and dangerous then slid through his gaze, something that could easily intimidate someone less determined than Alexius. “What do you know of Melenia?”

  Alexius loosened the ties on his shirt and bared his chest, showing the royal family his golden mark, the evidence of his heritage. And of his magic. The scars from Melenia’s spell had already healed and vanished, but they were still branded on his soul. “She sent me here because she has been unable to contact you. She apologizes for any confusion she may have caused you, but wants you to know that she holds true to her promises and, going forward, I am to be her representative in the mortal world.”

  Magnus stared at him as if he were a six-legged, horned beast that had just walked into the room. “You’re a Watcher.”

  “I was.” A flicker of pain distracted him—emotional, not physical, this time. Two thousand years he’d spent in the Sanctuary . . . and now the rest of his days were reduced to the lifespan of a regular mortal. He could no longer soar as a hawk. He could no longer dreamwalk, save for when Melenia called upon him.

  If only it had been his choice to come here, rather than one made for him.

>   But it was done, and there was no turning back now.

  “He’s telling the truth,” Lucia said. “When I was asleep for so long, he visited me in my dreams. He showed me his home.”

  Magnus frowned at her. “You never told me this.”

  “And when would I have told you?” she asked sharply. “You’ve been avoiding me like I have some horrible disease.”

  “With something this important, I would have thought you’d seek me out.”

  “I didn’t know for sure it was real. That he was real.”

  “And yet, here he is,” Magnus said, eyeing him with distaste. “In the flesh. And now what are we to do with him? Put him up here at the palace? Feed and clothe him? All so he can sit there and look pretty and relate orders from the Sanctuary?”

  Alexius gave the insolent prince a tight smile. “I can certainly do more to earn my keep. Melenia has suggested that I become Lucia’s elementia tutor. I’m certain that I’m much more knowledgeable than any of her other tutors.”

  “This was Melenia’s idea?” The king’s skeptical expression remained fixed.

  This could all go very wrong. The king was unpredictable. He seemed furious, so disappointed in Melenia for ignoring him for so long that he might have Alexius thrown in the dungeon to keep him from Lucia’s side.

  He could certainly try, but he wouldn’t like the consequences.

  There was only one outcome to this story, and it had been scored into his flesh with Melenia’s magic.

  “It’s an excellent plan.” Lucia nodded enthusiastically. “Alexius would make a wonderful tutor.”

  “I don’t like this,” Magnus said. “Any of it.”

  “What do you like? Ever?” Lucia’s eyes flashed. “Can’t you, just once in your life, try to think beyond what you like? What you want?”

  He flinched as if she’d struck him. Then coldness spread across his features. “Apologies, sister. I’m only trying to look out for you.”

  “Don’t bother,” she replied.

  Oh, yes. They certainly had a complicated relationship.