Rebel Spring (Falling Kingdoms 2)

Alexius studied her as if he didn’t understand. “You can’t change what you are. The elementia is a part of you.”

“How can you say that when I didn’t have it for sixteen years? My life was—well, it was uneventful and sometimes dreary, but it wasn’t like this. I couldn’t kill someone with a thought by lighting them on fire. I wasn’t looked at with fear and hate. I didn’t have to worry about mastering something dark and unpleasant that seeps through my very skin like a poison.”

“You must not think of your magic like that, princess. It’s not a curse, it’s a gift. One many would give everything they have to possess—including many of my kind.”

She shook her head. “Watchers are made from magic.” “Made from it, yes. But we can’t wield it as easily as you can.”

Lucia paced to the edge of the meadow, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. “What do you need my magic for, Alexius?”

She had to know this. She could think of no other reason for this boy to continue to visit her if not to use her in some way.

Not a boy, she reminded herself. Not even close.

“There’s not enough time left to explain.” He scrubbed his hand through his bronze-colored hair and glanced back in the direction of the city.

“Not enough time before what?”

“Don’t you feel it? You’re on the very brink of waking. And this time, you’ll stay awake. I feel it because it is taking a great deal of my energy to stay in this dream with you.”

Her heart skipped a beat. She was waking? Finally?

It was all that she’d wanted. But now . . . there was too much more that needed to be said. She wasn’t ready to say farewell to Alexius. Not yet. The thought of it made her heart ache.

“How will I see you again? Will you visit my regular dreams?”

“Yes.” Alexius stepped closer to her and took her hands in his, his expression tense. “There is so much I want to tell you. That I . . . need to tell you, even if I’ve been sworn to secrecy.”

So real—he felt so real. Warm skin, strong hands. He smelled of spices—exotic and entirely unforgettable.

“So speak now, quickly—tell me what you need to say. Don’t keep me waiting.”

“Do you trust me, princess?”

“I can’t think of a single reason why I should,” she whispered, locking gazes with him.

He raised an eyebrow. “Not a single reason?”

She almost smiled. “These secrets. They’re secrets about me. Am I right?”

He nodded once.

“I need to know what the prophecy really said about my magic. All I know is that it said I was to become a sorceress, one able to channel all four parts of elementia.”

“Yes, it did say that. And you can.”

Frustration welled within her. “But for what purpose? I can work some magic, but I don’t want to.”

His grip on her hands tightened. “There’s more to Eva’s prophecy—a part that is most important. Most guarded.”

“Tell me.”

“That you will be the one to free us from this prison and reunite us with the Kindred.” He glanced toward the crystal city, a wary look on his handsome face. “That you will save us all from destruction.”

She searched his eyes. “What do you mean by destruction?”

He shook his head. “Without the Kindred in our possession, the magic that existed here a thousand years ago has been fading away little by little. When it’s gone, elementia is gone. Not just in the Sanctuary, but in all the world. All life is created from the magic of the elements. And without that magic, there is nothing left. So you see, princess? You are the key to our future—to everyone’s future.”

She shook her head. “That’s impossible. I don’t know how to do that. You think I can help save the world?”