"The road to power ... is paved with
blood and magic."
King
Gaius has conquered both Limeros and Paelsia and united them with Auranos to
form the kingdom of Mytica. Chief Basilius of Paelsia was murdered and Princess
Cleo of Limeros was orphaned and taken prisoner. With Mytica finally under his
control, King Gaius is building a road to unite the kingdom. To seal his
control and power, Gaius wants to find the lost crystals belonging to the
Watchers and gain control of elementia magic to rule the world.
Cleo
is being used by Gaius as an "ambassador" to Auranos to gain the
trust of his newly conquered people. Publicity breaking her engagement to Aron
Lagaris, Gaius announces the betrothal of Princess Cleo to his son and heir,
Prince Magnus. Their wedding will take place in forty days. Once out of the
public eye, no one is happy about the announcement, least of all Aron who tries
to bargain with the King to keep his promised marriage to Cleo. He goes so far
as to reveal that she is an impure bride. Magnus tells his father that since it
was only one time between Cleo and Aron, he is unwilling to break the betrothal
for the sake of uniting the kingdoms as one. Aron is named kings liege instead.
Jonas
is buying his time to plot his revenge against King Gaius. Extracting revenge
against Aron for his brother's death simmers beneath the surface as well. He
witnesses the betrothal announcement between Magnus and Cleo and hears the
king's plan to reunite Mytica by building a road through the kingdom. Jonas
tells himself that Cleo could marry a better man than Aron. Trying to recruit
rebels to join his cause, he and Brion are trapped in an alleyway by three
guards. With certain death upon them, they are surprised when a girl their age
kills all three with her bow. Lysandra asks if they are really from Paelsia,
because she is too. She has heard of Jonas Agallon but not Brion. She wants to
join their cause to get at the King. She believes they should attack Gaius by
freeing their countrymen from slavery and destroying as much of the road as
possible. Jonas feels in his gut that Lysandra is trouble but Brion thinks he
is in love. Jonas begins to think of potential spies within the castle to
recruit.
Cleo
is surprised to find Jonas in her room one night. Taunting her over her betrothal
to Prince Magnus, he is feeling her out to see if she will be his spy. Never
answering him, she just wants him gone before he gets caught. Despite all of
the bad things between them, neither wants to see the other hurt. Jonas leaves
and Cleo finds the resolve to find out more about her mother's ring that her
father gave her before he died. She spends all of her free time in the library
looking for possible answers. When Queen Althea announces that they are
traveling to Hawk's Brow for a dress fitting with Lorenzo, she hopes that he
can secretly help her cause.
Jonas
and Brion follow Lysandra to a work camp in Paelsia to see the slave work
camps. Jonas is horrified by what he sees. When Lysandra spots a girl from her
village, things go horribly wrong. Thinking that is a sign, the girl strikes a
guard dead with a rock and chaos and death descend. Scrambling to get away, the
three watch a cyclone form from a sweep across the camp. They believe that
blood magic was at work from all of the bloodshed. Cleo finds Jonas waiting for
her in the dressing room at the dressmaker's. He wants her answer about spying
for the rebels, but Cleo doesn't answer. Before she knows what is going on,
Jonas knocks her unconscious and leaves a note for King Gaius to stop building
the road.
Magnus
still stands vigil by his sister Lucia's side since becoming unconscious from
the magic she wielded to secure Auranos for her father the king. Still wanting
acceptance from his father, he treads cautiously to say and the things he
thinks his father wants him to. His mother, Queen Althea, finds him alone and
questions him if he really wants a forced marriage with Princess Cleo. Of
course, he father wishes it and he is just like his father. No, his mother
says. He may be as handsome as his father but his heart is not cold, no matter
what mistakes he may have made. Magnus is disheartened to learn that his father
has no plans to secure Princess Cleo's return. He is even more upset that he
knowingly put his mother's life in danger as well. When King Gauis begins to
confide in Magnus that his new advisor is really a four thousand year old
Watcher who visits him in his dreams, Magnus knows that his father is not a
foolish man and that the Legend of the immortal Watchers must be true. Magnus
will be by his side when he possesses the four crystals holding the essence of
elementa. But Magnus hopes to secure them first, that way he can be seen as a
man of value to his father and an equal in the eyes of his adopted sister,
Lucia, who he deeply cares for.
Who
will find the crystals holding the essence of elementa? Can King Gaius be
stopped? What will Jonas do now that he has kidnapped Princess Cleo? Will she
and Magnus be married? Can Magnus get over his feelings for his adopted sister?
Does Lucia even awaken? Is she the key to welding elementa?
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