Jonas sat on a carved mahogany chair and rubbed his sore wrists. “If all you wanted was to talk, why bother with the chains? The guards?”
“You had me on my knees with your sword to my throat, believing I was moments from death. This was the least I could do to keep us on even ground.”
Unbelievable, Jonas thought with disbelief. This had all been a show to soothe the prince’s wounded pride.
“Now, back to the business at hand,” Magnus said. “My offer stands, Agallon.”
“What offer?” Cleo said. Her cheeks were now flushed, her fingers gripping the edge of the table.
Magnus’s jaw tensed. “I proposed a truce between me and Jonas.”
Shock crossed Cleo’s expression. “A truce? I . . . I find that very difficult to believe.” Her gaze met Jonas’s. “You agreed to this?”
He nodded reluctantly. “I agreed to discuss it.”
“I don’t undertand.”
“While the rebel has been a painful thorn in my side, I believe he can be useful,” Magnus explained. “He’s agreed to kill my father so he’ll no longer be a threat to me, or any of us. While Agallon has attempted this before and failed, he’ll be much more successful aligned with me.”
Cleo’s brow creased in thought. “With your father dead, that would make you the king of Mytica—all of it.”
“Yes, it would.”
“Well, that’s rather convenient for you, isn’t it? Jonas will do the work, and you will reap all the rewards.”
“I’m sure you have a point, princess.”
“My point is: What happens then? If the king is dead and you have all the power? You won’t need Jonas anymore . . . or me.”
“I don’t particularly need you now. But if you’re fearful for your life, you shouldn’t be. I wouldn’t gain anything from your death once I have what I want.”
Her cheeks reddened. “You confirmed today that I’m a liar and a former rebel aide. Why would you pardon me for that?”
He regarded her for a moment in silence, his hands pressed palms down against the table. “Why wouldn’t you lie? Why wouldn’t you align yourself with someone who might help set you free from your enemies? I would have done exactly same thing if I’d been in your position.”
Her frown deepened. “Sometimes I think you make it your daily task to confuse me.”
“The feeling is utterly mutual, princess.”
They continued to glare at each other in silence as the tension in the room grew as thick as three-day-old gruel.
Jonas cleared his throat. “The princess is right. It seems as though you’re asking me to do your dirty work, while you sit back and reap the lion’s share of the rewards. What’s in it for us?”
“Us?” Magnus repeated unpleasantly. “You mean you and the princess?”
“Sure. And Lys and Olivia. And Paelsia as a whole. It’s part of your father’s kingdom now. Your kingdom if I’m successful.”
“It was my father’s goal to unite all of Mytica because he thought it was the answer to finding the Kindred,” Magnus said. “Chief Basilius foolishly helped him drag Paelsia into ruin. And now he’s dead. When my father finally joins him in the darklands, I want to restore this country to a simpler time. Limeros is my only concern—both now and in the future. Paelsia is yours, Agallon. And Auranos will be returned to you, princess.”
Jonas was certain he’d heard the prince wrong. The thought that this could be real made the world start to spin all around him. “And you expect us to believe this?”
“It can’t be true,” Cleo said in a tone of disbelief, shaking her head. Her face had gone very pale.
“It is true and it is my plan. It’s your decision entirely if you wish to be a part of it. Disagree, or choose to doubt me further, and you can leave my palace and never return.”
The first time Jonas had decided to trust Magnus’s word he’d been immediately put into chains and threatened with death. And that was only moments ago.
It would be a deadly gamble to trust him again.