Gathering Darkness (Falling Kingdoms 3)

If she hadn’t, her father would surely have been defeated. He and Magnus would undoubtedly have been killed. She would have lost so much.

Yes, she thought. She would do it again if she had to, if it meant saving the people she loved.

And, frankly, girls such as Cleo’s friends were lucky to be alive. They should be thanking her.

“It was wonderful seeing you all,” Cleo said hurriedly, clearly just as eager as Lucia was to end this little gathering. “Hopefully I’ll see you again soon.”

The girls murmured farewells as Cleo and Lucia walked past them. Lucia kept her proud stare on their wary glances until they each looked away, lowering their eyes to the ground.

That’s better.

“Apologies if they seemed rude,” Cleo said. “They’re just a small part of the group I used to socialize with. Perhaps they’re confused and hurt because they haven’t received an invitation to the palace in so long.”

Nor will they ever again, Lucia thought. “Are you very close with them?”

“Can we ever really have friends outside the palace we can truly trust?”

No. They couldn’t. Lucia hadn’t had many female friends in Limeros, as her father had kept her sheltered from petty socializing. Instead, she formed bonds with her tutors, as well as a few potential suitors from noble families she’d met at banquets and formal events. And, of course, Magnus.

A lump formed in Lucia’s throat. She used to consider Magnus not only her older brother, but her dearest friend. The cold way he treated her now pained her deeply.

But she couldn’t love him the way he wanted her to. And everything she’d done or said since his confession had only damaged their relationship more.

“Lucia?” Cleo squeezed her arm. “It feels like you’re a thousand miles away. Are you feeling all right?”

Somehow the princess’s touch helped chase the darkness away. “I’m fine. The heat, though. It’s rather oppressive, isn’t it?”

“It is quite warm today. Let’s stop for a while.” Cleo smiled. “I know the perfect place to rest.”

She led the way down a narrow cobblestone street filled with shops, then turned along an alley. It led them away from the business area and toward a tree-lined clearing. The grassy field was the size of the palace courtyard, at least a hundred paces in diameter, around which were arranged benches shaded by tall, leafy trees.

“My friends and I used to come here often,” Cleo explained. “Quite excellent entertainment, I must say.”

All around the clearing, at least two dozen handsome young men practiced swordsmanship with wooden blades. Roped off to the side was another area where they wrestled hand to hand. Most were laughing, their faces dirty, as they flexed their muscles and darted around one another.

“They’re not wearing shirts,” Lucia observed with surprise.

Cleo grinned at her. “No, they aren’t.”

Lucia didn’t know of anything like this in Limeros.

“Should we be watching this?” she asked.

“Why not? Trust me, they like to be watched. It’ll make them fight harder.”

Around the circumference of the field small crowds looked on with great interest.

“Guard! Fetch us something cool to drink,” Cleo said. “There’s a tavern at the end of the lane that stocks the strawberry wine I like.”

The guard looked to Lucia, who nodded with approval. Strawberry wine sounded like an excellent idea. “Go ahead.”

“Yes, your highness,” the guard said, then hurried off.

“So, what do you think?” Cleo asked.

Lucia followed Cleo’s lead and took a seat at the edge of the field beneath a tall oak tree and took in the activities before her. The thought of her father’s disapproval of all of this amused her. This was an unnecessary display, nothing more than an excuse to show off, and Limerians had always frowned upon vanity. “They seem rather good.”

Cleo nodded. “I’m happy to see this practice has continued on. It used to be that off-duty Auranian guards would teach local boys these skills. Now it seems as if the boys are teaching themselves.”