The Darkest Magic (A Book of Spirits and Thieves) by Morgan Rhodes

one of his many well-hidden pockets. “A ring that once belonged to Eva.”
    Maddox’s heart skipped a beat. “May I see it?”
    “No.” Barnabas’s jaw tensed, and he glanced at Maddox. “Apologies—I don’t meant to sound so harsh, but . . . not now. Perhaps someday, but not now. All right?”
    A hundred questions about Eva and Barnabas appeared on the tip of Maddox’s tongue, but the fresh look of grief on Barnabas’s face at seeing her ring again for the first time in ages made him back down.
    “All right.”
    “Thank you, Camilla,” Barnabas said.
    “You won’t be thanking me when the nightmares begin again.”
    Barnabas arched an eyebrow. “Oh, I’m sure there’s some kind of a potion to cure that.”
    “There is,” Camilla said. “It’s called ‘wine,’ and it’s being administered free of charge all across this kingdom for the rest of the year.” She winked at him, then returned her attention to Maddox. “Never mind old Barnabas. He gets morose when he reminisces. Back to the more important matter at hand: your birth mother. She was a brave woman. Legend says that she survived many battles and hardships, including the wrath of her twin brother and the destruction of her original world, and was only made stronger for it.”
    “
Wrathful twin brother?
” Maddox said. “Are
any
of the immortals actually kind and peaceful?”
    “More legends,” Barnabas said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “What brother? She never mentioned any wrathful twin to me. Let alone anything to suggest that immortals have ever had another home besides a massive crystal city in another world where, I assume, they are to this day.”
    “Granted, I know very little about your relationship with her,Barnabas, but my impression was that all that passion you two shared didn’t leave much time for long conversations about life and family.”
    “We had plenty of time to talk,” Barnabas said against a tense jaw.
    “
Anyway
, Maddox, to answer your question: It would seem there are very few immortals who are kind and peaceful, which is said to be the fault of Eva’s twin. For every ounce of beauty and goodness that Eva was blessed with, legend says that her brother was cursed with just as much of the very opposite. He was a demon, who, with no weapon other than his dangerous, mystical words, brought destruction and chaos everywhere he went. Some say he was created from ice and darkness and that whatever he touched turned to endless winter.”
    “Ice and darkness.”
Barnabas rolled his eyes. “Sure.”
    “So where is this horrible immortal sorcerer now?” Maddox asked tentatively.
    “The immortals rose up against him and killed him. It was the last thing about which they were all in agreement.”
    “How do you know all of this?” Maddox asked.
    “Witch legends,” Barnabas bit out. “Passed through generations of those who feel they’re connected to the immortals by blood and magic.”
    Camilla grinned. “True enough. But that doesn’t make these legends wrong.”
    “It doesn’t make them right either.”
    “The goddesses are immortals . . . ,” Maddox said quietly. “Does that mean they’re as powerful as the ones who live in the crystal city?”
    “No,” Barnabas said. “The goddesses stole the magic they possess. They’re nothing more than common thieves.”
    Maddox took a moment to consider this. “The same stolen magic Valoria used to mark that assassin, so he could resist my magic.”
    A solemn silence settled between the three for a moment as they continued to make their way away from the village where they’d spent the night with two more days of travel ahead. Maddox looked up at the clear sky, shielding his eyes from the sun, and watched a bird soaring overhead.
An eagle or a hawk
, he thought.
    “Yes, that seems to be the case,” Barnabas finally said, his tone troubled. “I was not aware that she had that ability.”
    “But it wasn’t enough. He chose to run away