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“I don’t need to be saved.”
“Yes, well, how was I supposed to know that? You disappeared from Auranos. You could have been dead for all I knew. You didn’t send me any messages to let me know you were safe.”
“And where should I have sent them? To some tree house in the Wildlands? Or should I have sent them through Nerissa and put her in further danger?”
“If there’s anyone who can handle herself, it’s Nerissa.”
“So can I.”
“Yes, I see that now. It seems you’ve managed to tame the darkest of beasts.” He tried to smile, but Cleo saw that his expression was strained. “And here I thought you loathed each other.”
“We do. I do.” Enough of this, she didn’t have much time with him, and she wanted to spend it discussing more important matters. “Jonas, I know you received my most recent message. The instructions to go to the Temple of Cleiona . . .”
“I did. And I followed them, exactly. In fact, we were still there when you and your entourage arrived.”
“You . . . what?”
That mischievous look had reappeared, and his grin seemed much less strained than before. “I know it was risky to stay behind, but I couldn’t resist the chance to see the disappointment on the prince’s face when he realized someone had gotten there before him to claim the earth Kindred. Priceless.”
A wave of relief fluttered in her chest, and she ignored the dig against Magnus. “So you have it.”
“Oh, yes.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out an obsidian orb small enough to sit on his palm.
Somehow, she’d forgotten how to breathe. “That’s it,” she managed to get out. She reached for the orb with a trembling hand. “The earth Kindred! It’s real!”
“And it’s yours.” He took her hand and placed the crystal in her palm. “I’ve been keeping it safe for you. And warm. So warm I thought it might hatch.”
This reality was more than she could have hoped for—more than she was letting herself hope for. The earth Kindred, right here, endless earth magic at her fingertips. With this in her possession, she could easily take her throne back. She felt the tingle of magic run up her arm as she stared at its glossy surface, and she was certain she saw an ebony shadow swirling within the orb.
She was breathless. “Jonas. . . . Thank you. I promise to reward you handsomely when this is all over—you’ll have riches beyond your wildest dreams. And what about the air and fire Kindred? Did you claim them, too?”
“Well, princess, we did travel to both of the locations you described, drew the symbols on the ground in blood just like you said . . . but it didn’t work. Not like it did with the earth Kindred. This is the only one I have. I’m sorry.”
“No, Jonas, please don’t be sorry. Finding just one is miracle enough. This is wonderful.” She squeezed the orb, finding that the mere weight of it in her palm gave her strength. “Now, how does it work?”
Jonas’s brow wrinkled up with uncertainty. “I have absolutely no idea. You had such clear instructions for how to find it . . . don’t you know how to use it, as well?”
She stared at him for several stunned moments, then started to laugh. “I have absolutely no idea either!”
“That is unfortunate. I was completely prepared for you to transform into an all-powerful earth goddess tonight and vanquish us all.”
Though Cleo was disappointed that, after all this, she still didn’t have access to all the secrets and powers of the Kindred, she also felt a large wave of relief. If she didn’t know how to unlock the earth Kindred’s power, that meant Amara probably didn’t know how to unlock the water Kindred either.
“Princess, I have a plan,” Jonas said in an unusually serious tone. “I believe I’ve now proven myself worthy of your trust, so I do hope you’ll listen with care.”
Cleo shook her head. “I’ve never doubted you.”
“Never? Really?”
She felt her cheeks grow warm. “Well, after you kidnapped me—twice—and tried to kill me, we did eventually come to a mutual understanding.”
“I’d feel so much better about things if you could forget about the kidnappings. At least the first one.”
She raised her brow. “Those days I spent trapped in your sister’s shed were very unpleasant for me.”
“I dug you a very nice makeshift chamber pot. I wouldn’t do that for just any royal hostage, you know.”
She grimaced. “Thanks for providing that memory. I do want to forget that.”
