Page 40 of Kingdom of Dance

In a movement so abrupt Obsidian actually started, King Basil shot to his feet. He sat down again quickly, then pushed himself up once more. Turning his back on Obsidian, he faced the mantel.

“Zinnia was crying?” he asked, his voice strained. “She snuck away from everyone to cry in secret?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Obsidian confirmed. “She was…extremely distressed.” He frowned to himself. “I don’t at all understand why she went to the shore, though. I would have thought she’d go to her own rooms if she wanted privacy.”

The king gave a soft snort. “You clearly haven’t lived in a castle,” he informed Obsidian, sounding a little more natural. He turned around. “Anyone with maids and chaperones and stewards—not to mention a dozen younger sisters—could tell you that your rooms do not guarantee any kind of privacy.” He rubbed his hands together distractedly. “Did she see you? What did she say?”

Obsidian recounted their bizarre conversation to the best of his recollection, omitting the princess’s questions about his own history.

“She said she would get down on her knees and beg you?” King Basil repeated, sounding anguished. He ran a hand through his tousled hair. “So she acknowledges that she’s in trouble, and magic could theoretically help,” he added, reaching the same conclusion Obsidian had. “Perhaps I should take her to the Enchanters’ Guild,” he muttered aloud. “Try again to have her examined by some of the senior enchanters.”

Obsidian cleared his throat. “Your Majesty, I’m afraid I have something much more dramatic to report than today’s incident.”

The king stilled, his eyes betraying anxiety as they passed to the soldier.

“I overheard Princess Zinnia speaking to one of her sisters last night,” Obsidian said, launching straight into the tale. “She said she was going to retire early, and I could tell it was a lie. So I made my way to the outside of the castle, on a hunch that she would climb out her window. The hunch proved correct.”

He then proceeded to describe every detail of what he’d witnessed. The king made no interruptions, but by the end of the account, his already pale face was completely devoid of color. Almost seeming in a trance, he felt his way to his chair and lowered himself into it.

“She went to…all alone…and she bartered with…” The normally forthright young king seemed to be struggling for words. A shudder passed over him, and he stared unseeingly out the window for a long moment. “But why?” he muttered. “Why do any of it, and why try to do it alone? Why not come to me?” Then, abruptly, he buried his face in his hands, the rest of his words coming out muffled. “How have I failed so completely? How can I be trusted to steer a kingdom if I can’t even look after my own family?”

Obsidian shifted in his seat, completely taken aback. He had expected the king to show anger toward his sister, maybe even toward Obsidian for failing to prevent her activities. Certainly not toward himself. He had no more idea how to respond to the brother’s breakdown than he had to the sister’s, but thankfully King Basil pulled himself together quickly.

“Tell me again what she and this informant said.”

Obsidian repeated it, and the king ran a hand through his hair again. “Why is she asking after that missing enchanter?” he said, clearly not expecting Obsidian to have the answer.

“You know of him, then?” Obsidian asked.

King Basil nodded absently. “Yes, of course. It was a big scandal when he went missing. He wasn’t a governing member of the guild, but he was senior enough to—” He broke off, gripped by some realization, and his eyes passed thoughtfully to Obsidian. “That’s a strange chance,” he muttered, his gaze seeming to bore straight into his guest’s mind.

“Your Majesty?”

King Basil tapped his fingers on the desk before him. “We never discovered what happened to that enchanter. He wasn’t especially popular, but no one had any real reason to want him dead. Except, perhaps, for one other enchanter. They had a very bitter, very public rivalry. That other enchanter was suspected, but there was absolutely no evidence to link him to the disappearance.”

“And that other enchanter was?” Obsidian prompted, a sinking in his gut telling him he already knew the answer.

“Master Enchanter Lleuad,” King Basil said shortly.

Obsidian let out a long breath, his face stony. He said nothing. It was clear that the king already knew it all.

King Basil leaned forward, pinning Obsidian with a searching look. “I imagine there’s no benefit in hiding from you, Lieutenant, that I am aware of your history with your grandfather. I know there’s no love lost between you. Master Enchanter Hughes gave me a detailed account, at my request.”

“I know nothing of his feud with this missing enchanter,” said Obsidian curtly. “Although it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that he had a hand in the man’s…disappearance.”

“Yes, well.” The king drew a breath. “That’s peripheral to the main issue, isn’t it? The question I’m more interested in is why in Solstice Zinnia would be investigating the whole situation.” He shook his head. “She has a whole network set up, with contacts, and a clandestine way in and out of the city. This isn’t the work of a moment.”

“No, Your Majesty,” Obsidian agreed. “My guess would be that she’s been at it for some time.”

“No wonder she was reluctant to be sent to Albury,” King Basil muttered. He glanced at the soldier. “What do you make of it all?”

“I confess, it has me utterly perplexed,” Obsidian replied. “It doesn’t seem to connect with the information you gave me. No sisters, no dancing slippers.”

The king shook his head slowly. “Keep a very close eye on her, Lieutenant. No matter how capable she might have shown herself, I don’t want her taking any more unsupervised trips into the city at night.”

Obsidian nodded. “What do you want me to do if she tries to sneak out again?”

King Basil took a long moment to answer. “Follow her,” he said curtly. “Don’t let her come to any harm. And see if you can find out what she’s really after.”