“What do we have here?” he asked. Her gaze shot to his sword, which dripped blood to the marble floor. “Pretty little thing, aren’t you?”
“Let go of me,” she snarled. “Or you’re dead.”
He laughed. “You have spirit. I like that. Won’t last long, but I like it.”
Then, astonishingly, he let go of her and staggered forward. Out of the corner of her eye, Cleo watched his companion fall to the ground, collapsing at the same time as her attacker. Both bled out onto the floor.
King Corvin stood there, his face a mask of fury, his sword covered in blood to its hilt.
“Father!” she gasped.
“It’s not safe here.” He grabbed her arm and half-dragged her down the hall.
“I was looking for you. Those men...”
“I know. This shouldn’t have happened.” He swore under his breath. “I don’t know how they got through the doors.”
“I was told they were enforced by a witch’s spell. Is that true?”
He eyed her. Her heart lurched to see that he’d been hurt. There was a vicious cut on his temple and blood dripped steadily down his cheek. “They were.”
All her life, Cleo had never realized her father believed in witches or magic. He’d turned his back on the goddess after her mother had died, so she’d never asked. She wished she’d known the truth. He pulled her into a small room at the end of the hallway. He closed the door and pressed his back against it. A small window let in just enough light to see.
“Thank the goddess I found you,” she said, finally allowing herself a measure of relief. “We need to get to Nic and Mira. We need to keep hidden until we can find a chance to escape.”
“I can’t leave, Cleo.” He shook his head. “And we can’t leave Emilia here by herself.”
And just like that, the tears that hadn’t spilled since she’d left her sister’s room began to flow like an endless river. “She’s gone. Emilia’s gone. I found her earlier in her chambers.” She struggled to find her breath as she sobbed. Her chest hitched. “She—she’s dead.”
Grief flashed across the king’s expression as well as something darker and more bleak. “I was wrong, Cleo. I’m sorry. I should have sent my men to find this exiled Watcher you told me about in Paelsia. I should have believed what you claimed was possible. I could have helped save her life.”
She had no response to that. She wished he’d done so too. So much. “It’s too late now.”
He reached out and clutched her arm so tightly that she yelped in pain. It was as effective as a slap to bring her to her senses and stop her tears.
“You need to be strong, Cleo.” His voice caught. “You are now the heir to my throne.”
Her stomach lurched. She hadn’t even thought of that. “I’m trying, Father!”
“There’s no choice anymore for you, my darling girl. You must be strong. For me, for Auranos, for everything you hold dear.”
Panic tightened her chest. “We need to go right now.”
There was deep pain on the king’s face. His eyes shone with tears. “This isn’t right. I’ve been a fool. Such a blind fool. I could have prevented this, but it’s too late now.”
“No, it’s not too late. Don’t say that!”
He shook his head. “They’re going to win, Cleo. They’re going to take it all. But you must find a way to take it back.”
She looked at him with confusion. “What are you talking about?”
Sweat dripped from his brow. He felt at his neck, pulling a long gold chain from underneath his shirt. He tugged to break it. On the end was a gold ring with a purple stone that he pressed into her hand. “Take this.”
“What is it?”
“It belonged to your mother. She always believed it had the power to help find the Kindred.”
“The Kindred,” Cleo breathed. She remembered Eirene’s words. Four crystals that held the essence of elementia. It was what had been stolen by the two goddesses and split between them. Fire and air, earth and water. “But why would my mother have something like this?”
“It was passed down through her family line from a man who was said to have been involved with a sorceress. It was so many years ago that it became legend. Your mother still believed it was true. I was going to give it to Emilia on her wedding day.” His voice broke. “But since that never came to be, I held on to it. You must take it. If you can find the Kindred, you’ll be powerful enough to take back this kingdom from those who seek to destroy us all.”
She looked up into his face, clutching the ring tightly. “I never knew you believed in magic.”
“I believe, Cleo. Even when I didn’t believe, I believed in your mother’s faith in it.” He gave her a pained smile. “But please be careful. Whatever weapon King Gaius used to breach the protection spell must be powerful and dangerous.”
“Come on, we need to move,” Cleo urged. “We’ll find the Kindred together. We’ll take back this kingdom together.”
He pressed his hand against her cheek, his expression one of aching sadness. “I wish that were possible.”
“What are you—” Cleo’s words cut off. There was something in the way he was standing, pressed up against the wall. His other hand was now tight against his side. Her gaze moved to the floor, where she finally saw the pool of blood that had formed there.