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Lucia stood up and found herself in the ice gardens of the Limerian palace. Standing before her was Timotheus, wearing a black cloak, leather boots, and the same hateful expression she remembered from the meadow.
“Now that I’ve proved I’m in control here,” Timotheus said, “we can begin.”
“Begin what?” she snarled.
“What has the fire Kindred told you? What does he say he wants?”
“Fire Kindred?” She offered him a thin smile. “I’m sure I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Does he think you can kill me?”
“Why would anyone want to kill you, Timotheus?” she asked. “I honestly can’t imagine that, given how kindly and respectfully you’ve treated me so far.”
“Has he told you what he plans to do after I’m dead?”
She inhaled deeply, ignoring her racing heart. “Your questions are meaningless to me and I’m not answering any of them.”
“You killed Melenia,” Timotheus said, not a trace of a question in his tone.
“Are you sure about that?”
He studied her, ignoring her deflections. “You drained her of her magic. Alexius taught you that trick. Very clever of him. It seems he had more control over his free will than I thought.”
“How do you . . . ?” But then she stopped herself, because she suddenly realized how Timotheus knew about that night in the temple. In this dream, he could read her mind, so he could also see memories. Could all Watchers do this? Had Alexius possessed this skill as well?
“No, he didn’t,” Timotheus said, answering her silent question. “Though he would have been considered ancient in your world, Alexius was one of the youngest of our kind. I, however, am not so young. I am one of the first immortals created to protect the Kindred and all that lies beyond the Sanctuary.”
“So was Melenia,” she said.
He nodded. “There were six of us in the beginning.”
“Now you’re the only one left.” She cocked her head. “So much for immortality.”
“We are immortal. Not indestructible.”
“Much gratitude for the reminder,” Lucia said, her chest aching as she thought once again of Alexius.
“Kyan misleads you. He doesn’t care for you. He’s manipulating you to get to me.”
“He’s not manipulating me. I agreed to help him.”
“So it seems that Lucia Damora is capable of speaking the truth.” He shook his head, then looked at her with what Lucia recognized as pity. “You are filled with so much anger and pain and grief. Yet instead of letting those emotions run through you and make you stronger, you choose to unleash them on the rest of the world so that others might feel your pain as well.”
ncertainty when she kissed him.
And his pain when she pulled the truth out of him, brutally and against his will.
This is who I am now, dear brother, she thought. This is who I was always meant to be.
With this affirmation, she was finally claimed by a sleep she prayed would be dreamless.
Unfortunately, her prayers were not answered.
In her dream, she stood in a meadow. But not any ordinary meadow. This was a meadow in the Sanctuary, the same one where she’d met Alexius, also in a dream.
Apples as shiny red as rubies hung from the surrounding trees, the sky was as bright as a sapphire, and the ever-brilliant sun shone down on the splendor all around her.
It was the last place she wanted to be.
