Crystal Storm
Page 47

“Yes, I saw that.” She exhaled shakily. “How did he learn it was Magnus who killed Theon?”
Nic shrugged. “I told him, of course.”
Her stomach sank at the exact moment her anger began to rise. “Of course you did.”
“I should have stayed by your side.” He took her hand in his, his drunken expression growing very serious. “I’m sorry I left you alone with him all this time.”
Nic didn’t know about her feelings for Magnus. Of course Nic didn’t know—she’d spent her every breath denying her growing feelings for the prince for a year. “It’s all right. I’ve . . . managed.”
“Where should I put him?” Felix indicated his burden when they reached the inn.
“I’m sure we can find a deep hole,” Magnus said.
Cleo glared at him, then looked at Felix. “There are empty rooms on the second floor,” she said.
Felix disappeared, returning quickly without Taran.
They sat down in the meeting hall, and as Cleo looked around at the group, she couldn’t tell whether she was thrilled or horrified by how this night had turned out.
Nic sat next to her at a table, and across from them were Jonas and Olivia. Felix and Magnus sat near the fireplace on the other side of the room near the bookcase, while Enzo remained standing near Cleo.
“When did you arrive?” Magnus asked.
“Today,” Jonas replied. “We’re still quite in the dark about what’s happening here. The only information we have comes from a single Kraeshian soldier who was willing to talk.”
“And?”
“He knew very little. Or, at least, very little that would help us. It appears, though, that you are on the run, your highness. And that your father is rather unhappy with how you handled things while he was away.”
“That would be an understatement, yes.”
Cleo watched Magnus with mild surprise. Despite how drunk he had to be by now, he seemed as sober as a Limerian priest.
“The soldier,” Jonas said, nodding somberly at Cleo. “He told us that you were dead. That it happened after you escaped from Amara. That you froze to death.”
“I very well could have had I not found shelter at the exact right moment.” She averted her eyes, trying to keep from making eye contact with Magnus, but she could still feel his gaze burning into the side of her face.
“You were always a survivor,” Jonas said. “Nic despaired, but I had hope. And here you are.”
Nic shrugged. “I despair. It’s what I do.”
“There’s so much to tell you,” Jonas said. “And I’m sure there’s much you have to tell us.”
“Far less than you might think,” Magnus said. “Amara thinks she’s ruling this kingdom now. But she’s wrong. And she will be defeated.”
“And how do you think you will defeat her?” Jonas asked.
“I thought we might start with the earth Kindred you gave the princess,” Magnus said, and Jonas’s shoulders tensed. “Do you still have that shiny little chunk of obsidian squirreled away somewhere, princess?”
Oh, yes, she thought as she flinched. This was the Magnus she’d once despised—the one who would announce to everyone, seemingly out of spite, that she possessed the Kindred. She’d have to thank him for the reminder.
Nic grunted out a sound of disgust. “Cleo, how have you maintained your sanity being around him this long? To have sustained this unnatural alliance with him . . . there must be some reason behind it that you haven’t told me.”
“Please, Nic,” Magnus said. “We’re all friends here. Feel free to speak your mind.”
“I just did.”
Magnus rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry your carrot-stained head, Nicolo. The princess continues to tolerate me—just barely—focused solely on reclaiming her throne as soon as Amara is defeated and sent on her merry way. I recently suggested your Golden Princess return to Auranos, but she refused. Don’t try to tell me that this was my idea.”
Cleo shot him a look as he met her gaze with something like defiance. Then she realized what he was doing.
Nic hated him. Jonas was barely allied with him. And Theon’s twin had just tried to kill him.
To reveal that she and Magnus were more than begrudging allies could cause unnecessary stress, especially now that they were all together.
“Believe me, Nic,” she finally said. “I look forward to the day when I return to my kingdom. But that day is not today.”
“Well, now that that’s settled,” Magnus said, “let’s discuss how to proceed, shall we?”
Felix raised his hand. “I enthusiastically volunteer to kill the empress.”
Magnus eyed him with interest. “How do you plan to do that?”
“Now, I know some of you are probably going to suggest I use an arrow, aimed from afar,” Felix said eagerly. “But I’d really prefer to do it up close and personal. With my bare hands, if possible. I just want to see the look on her pretty face.”
Magnus blinked. “I just remembered that you’re the one who sent me the flayed patch of your skin to prove your loyalty.”
“I certainly did, your highness.”
Cleo watched this young man warily, shocked by his words. Was he insane?
However, he had saved Magnus’s life back at the tavern, and she was deeply indebted to him for that, so she supposed she would have to spend a bit more time around him, watching him, to see what he was truly like.