Enzo and Milo both shook their heads.
Selia went to the pale king’s side as he made his way to a chair to sit down. “Gaius, darling, what are you doing out of bed?”
Magnus ignored them, his attention fully on Nic, who had remained silent. While the others argued about the location of the prince, Nic slipped out of the room. Magnus immediately followed him down a hallway toward the front door.
When Nic noticed that Magnus was close, his shoulders tensed.
“Looking for someone?” Magnus asked, his arms crossed over his chest.
“I want to go outside to get some fresh air.”
“He took both of the crystals, didn’t he? And he told you his plans.”
Nic shook his head but didn’t make eye contact. Magnus had no more patience for lies tonight. He grabbed the front of Nic’s tunic and shoved him against the wall.
“Where is Ashur?” he snarled.
“You’re drunk.”
“Extremely, not that it makes any damn difference right now. Answer me! Ashur stole the crystals, didn’t he?”
Nic gritted his teeth. “You think the prince tells me anything?”
“I have no clue what the prince whispers in your ear, but I’m not blind. I know there’s something between the two of you, that you’re closer than you’d like to let on. And I know that you know more about this than you’re telling me.”
Jonas approached from around a corner, his expression tense. “What are you doing to him?”
Magnus didn’t release his hold on the boy. “Nic knows Ashur’s secrets, and I’m going to find out what they are.”
“Answer the question, Nic,” Jonas said, his arms crossed over his chest. “Do you know where Ashur went?”
Nic scoffed. “What? Are the two of you working together now?”
“No,” Magnus and Jonas both said in unison, then glared at each other.
Nic sighed. “Fine. The prince left not long ago to go to his sister. I tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn’t listen to a word I said. He’s determined to do what he can to talk sense into her and if he can’t, he’ll claim the title of emperor.”
Magnus’s stomach dropped. “And he’s taken her the air and earth Kindred. What a lovely gift, considering Amara has the water Kindred.”
A glimmer of worry finally moved through Nic’s gaze. “He wouldn’t do that.”
“Wouldn’t he?” Magnus tried to keep his grip on Nic’s shirt so that the fool couldn’t slip away, but his vision had started to swim. Too much wine, too quickly. It would take till the morning for its effects to wear off. “Perhaps Amara magically summoned the crystals out of their hiding places and they flew on the wings of summer butterflies to reach her.”
“I’ll say it one more time.” Nic’s eyes narrowed. “Let go of me.”
“And if I don’t? Will you call out for the princess to come and save you?”
“I hate you. I yearn for the day when I see you dead and buried.” He sent a dark look at Jonas. “A little help?”
“Nic, you need to think,” Jonas said evenly. “If Magnus is right about Ashur—”
Magnus sent a withering look at the rebel. “Did you just call me by only my given name?”
Jonas rolled his eyes. “Amara Cortas cannot be allowed more power than she already has. And if her brother’s taken her the Kindred, it’s the worst outcome possible. She could release three elemental gods just like Kyan.”
“I know,” Nic replied. “I get it.”
“Do you?”
“So it’s my fault? Are you going to let his majesty break my neck? For what? Being unable to stop Ashur from doing what he wanted to do? He has a mind of his own.”
“I promise his majesty is not going to break your neck.”
“Now, let’s not be hasty,” Magnus said, enjoying the momentary flash of fear that entered the boy’s eyes.
He’d never kill Nic.
Cleo would never forgive him.
“Here’s what you’re going to do,” Magnus said. “You will go after Ashur and stop him from doing something unforgivably idiotic out of some bizarre and misplaced sense of Kraeshian familial loyalty. And you will retrieve the crystals he stole by any means necessary.”
Nic regarded him with incredulity. “I won’t leave Cleo again.”
“Oh, you certainly will. And you’re leaving immediately. You will return with the Kindred, or my patience with you is at an end.” Magnus wracked his blurry mind to come up with a way to get Nic to do as he commanded. “You may hate me, but you’ve seen for yourself that I’ve kept your precious princess breathing all these months when others have wished her dead. I swear to the goddess I’ll stop protecting her if you don’t do exactly as I say.”
Nic flinched, but his glare remained. “Cleo would be fine even without your so-called help.”
“Perhaps. Or perhaps not. In a time of war—and make no mistake, that is exactly what this ‘peaceful’ Kraeshian occupation really is—no one is safe.”
Nic had no reply to this; all he did was glower.
“Threats or no threats,” Jonas said with impatience, “the prince is right. Nic, you need to go after Ashur. We both do. I should have accompanied Felix and Taran when they left. There’s no reason for me to be here.”