Frozen Tides (Falling Kingdoms 4)

There was no more conversation, only the crunch of boots on snow as Lord Kurtis departed.

Once he was sure Magnus was alone, Jonas didn’t hesitate another moment. He rounded the corner, drew his sword, and placed it against the neck of Prince Magnus, who shot him a rather gratifying look of shock.

“Now, where were we?” Jonas asked. “I believe the last time we saw one another, I was about to kill you when we were rudely interrupted.”

“I remember. Watchers and magic and elemental wildfires.”

“Indeed.”

Magnus raised an eyebrow. “Nice eye patch, Agallon. And the hair . . . a very innovative look for a Paelsian. I assume that’s supposed to be your masterly disguise?”

“On your knees.” Jonas pressed the blade harder against the prince’s flesh. “Now.”

Slowly, Magnus lowered himself to the ground.

“Are you going to kill me?” Magnus asked.

“I’ve learned my lesson. Why hesitate when you can finish things right away?” Jonas couldn’t help but revel at this incredible victory. “But first, tell me where Cleo is.”

“Cleo,” Magnus repeated. “Yes, of course you’d be one of the privileged few who don’t address her by her royal title, being allies and all. Is she expecting your arrival today?” When Jonas didn’t respond, Magnus ventured to look up, his brow raised. “Oh, please. She confessed everything. I know that she helped you and your little rebels plan the wedding-day attack. Too bad it didn’t play out nearly as smoothly as you’d hoped.” The prince smiled darkly at Jonas’s stunned silence. “It’s all right, Agallon. She’s very convincing when she wants to be. Could wrap a dull-minded boy like you around her little finger as easily as she flips her golden hair.”

o;Lucia! Stop!” he called. “I can help you!”

“Help me?” She gave him a bleak look. “My darling brother, it seems you can’t even help yourself.”

A wall of flames rose up to block his path and obliterated any sight of her.

CHAPTER 13

JONAS

LIMEROS

Finally, after a long, several-days’ journey, there it was: the Limerian palace, just visible in the distance.

As big and ugly as Jonas had always heard it was.

“Your job is to get something for us to eat and find us some rooms for the night,” Jonas told Lysandra and Olivia. They’d just stumbled upon a small village a little more than a mile away from the palace grounds.

“Fine,” Lys said as Jonas handed his satchel to her for safe keeping. “You’re still insisting that I stay behind while you go case the palace? Go ahead then, and lose your head all on your own.”

“I don’t know,” Olivia said. “Jonas is quite notorious. After all of his alleged crimes, I believe they would throw him in the dungeon rather than kill him outright.”

“Good point,” Lys said flatly. “They’d want enough time to draw a crowd of spectators before removing his head.”

Jonas glared at them as he adjusted his eye patch. “Thank you both for your confidence in my abilities. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

He left them without another word and quickly made his way to the palace. He’d been to Limeros before, but never to the palace itself, and he had no idea what kinds of barriers to entry awaited him there.

Unlike the Auranian palace, there was no wall surrounding the castle to separate it from the landscape. Instead, there was a tall watchtower about a quarter mile from the castle gates, along the single road leading toward the massive black granite structure. Any visitors or deliveries would first need to stop here, be questioned by the armed guards, who would log their names and purpose before giving or denying them permission to continue on.

Jonas saw just a sliver of all this from beneath a canvas tarp and between two large sacks of potatoes, in the back of the wagon he’d snuck onto.

The security here paled in comparison to that in the City of Gold. Then again, the kingdom of Limeros had not had waged a battle on its land in . . .

Jonas thought hard. His knowledge of Mytican history wasn’t vast, but he couldn’t think of any significant battle ever fought on Limerian land.

No wall, few guards, and one big ugly black castle that would be very easy to breach.