Falling Kingdoms (Falling Kingdoms 1)

“He grieves Tomas. It doesn’t excuse him for his actions, but it gives meaning to them.”

“I disagree.”

Cleo couldn’t help but give him an amused look.

“What?” he asked cautiously.

“We do disagree on a lot of things, don’t we?”

Theon squeezed her hand. “Not everything.”

Her smile grew. “No, not everything.” She reached her arms around his neck and kissed him again, softly at first and then harder.

In that moment, her optimism fully returned. Theon would return here soon without her and he would certainly have an easier time in his search than she had. She would face the wrath of her father in Auranos. After he calmed down about her ill-advised journey, she would explain very simply that she had fallen in love with a guard and if the king wanted his youngest daughter to be happy—and of course he did—then he would approve Theon as a suitor for her. There was no reason why Theon couldn’t be knighted and given a higher position within the palace to help raise his social status and make him suitable in anyone’s view to court a princess. It wasn’t as if she was the eldest daughter and first in line for the throne.

There was the sound of hoofbeats from behind and Theon tensed, pulling away from their embrace. Three figures on horseback were approaching and moved around them to block the road to the village up ahead.

“Ah, here you are.” The one in the middle didn’t look very old at all, eighteen or nineteen at the most. He had dark hair and dark eyes and was dressed all in black. The men on either side of him wore red uniforms that Cleo immediately recognized as Limerian.

A chill went down her spine, and she drew her cloak closer around her.

“Whom do you address?” Cleo asked crisply.

“You are Princess Cleiona Bellos,” the dark-haired boy said, staring down at her with a rather bored expression. “Correct?”

Theon tightened his grip on her wrist. She took this to mean that she wasn’t to answer the question.

“Who wants to know?” Theon asked instead.

“I am Magnus Lukas Damora, prince of Limeros. It’s an honor to meet the princess in person. She’s every bit as lovely as I’ve been told.”

She stared up at him in surprise. Prince Magnus. Of course she’d heard of him. But this was not their first meeting. He’d visited the palace with his parents when she was very young, only five or six years old. Her gaze moved to his cheek, where he had a scar that stretched from the corner of his mouth to his ear, and a sudden memory returned to her, one that she hadn’t thought of since she was only a child.

A boy, crying, his cheek weeping blood. It dripped onto a colorful rug at the palace. His mother, the Limerian queen, handing him a cloth napkin to press against his face. She hadn’t gotten down on her knees and hugged him to her chest. His father, the king, growled at the boy to stop making a mess.

This boy didn’t look at all like one who would cry over a little blood. In fact, the cold way he studied her made her feel as if it she’d been touched by ice. Some might find him very handsome, but she did not. There was a cruel and unpleasant edge to his appearance. He made her immediately uneasy.

But dealing with unpleasant people was part of her duty as the king’s daughter.

“It’s a great pleasure to make your acquaintance, Prince Magnus,” Cleo said, keeping her voice polite and measured. “Perhaps we’ll meet again sometime soon. We’re about to meet our friend in the village up ahead before we return to Auranos.”

“How nice for you,” he replied. “And who is your friend who stands next to you?”

“This is Theon Ranus, a palace guard who has accompanied me here to Paelsia.”

“What are you doing in Paelsia, might I ask?”

“Enjoying the scenery,” she said pleasantly. “I like to explore.”

“I’m sure.” His horse stayed steady, and the prince’s gaze remained fixed on Cleo’s face. “But you’re lying. I was informed that you were being kept in a locked shack nearby—one with a broken door and three unconscious guards with bruises to their temples. It took me a little longer to find it than I thought. I’m not all that familiar with the Paelsian landscape. I, unlike you, am not enjoying the scenery.” He glanced around with distaste. “In fact, I’ll be happy to leave as soon as possible.”

“Don’t let us stop you,” Theon said under his breath.

Magnus looked down at him sharply. Instead of saying anything, a smile snaked across his face. Then his gaze flicked back to Cleo and she felt pinned in place by those emotionless eyes. “So you managed to escape your captors. Clever girl.”

She fought not to look away from him, to show any weakness. “I can thank the goddess that I managed to get away. With Theon’s help.”

“Thank the goddess,” Magnus repeated. “Which goddess is that? The evil one you’re named for? The enemy to my people’s goddess?”