Page 85 of Kingdom of Feathers

“Wren.” She felt yet another change in mood, and looked up carefully, to see a sincere but less intimate expression on Basil’s face. “I’ve grasped the implications of this combined power possibility as clearly as you must have. If there are Mistrans and Entolians working together against peace, we have to be very careful whom we trust.” Seeing that Wren was about to look down again, he reached out a gentle hand and tilted up her chin. “If any Entolians were involved in the attempt to kill you, Wren, I don’t know how I’ll forgive myself.”

The words were spoken simply enough, but the intensity of his expression sent strange flutters throughout Wren’s body. She stepped back, still wrestling with all the abrupt changes of the last few minutes.

“Come on,” said Basil briskly, clearly sensing that the moment was over. “Let’s get back above ground, then we can figure out what to do next.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Basil made no attempt to break the silence as he led Wren back through the tunnel and up to the surface. He was surprised to find that it was dark outside—they’d been down in the mine longer than he’d realized. He cast a glance at his companion as they rejoined the rest of the group and picked their slow way across no man’s land and into the Entolian camp.

He wasn’t sure what was more heart-breaking—the fact that Wren had retreated into the careful facade she’d worn when they first met, or the fact that he knew her well enough now to still read the anguish underneath. He’d hurt her when he drew back, and that was exactly what he hadn’t wanted to do. What hehadwanted to do was to throw all considerations of responsibility to the wind and kiss her senseless, there in the privacy of the temporarily abandoned mine. What would her lips have felt like on his? Would she have let him bury his hands in that delightfully wild hair of hers, let him pull her flush against him?

He pulled his mind from those thoughts, struggling to keep his eyes on the uneven ground in front of him, instead of on the slim figure beside him. At this moment, she was about as far from the warm armful of his imagination as she could be. She held herself stiffly, looking anywhere but at him. He knew he’d made a mess of explaining himself, but she surely understood why they couldn’t be together.

Given that there was no future for them, would she really want to start something they couldn’t finish, guaranteeing further pain down the road?

Remembering his scornful response to the suggestion that he might become entangled with the princess, Basil almost groaned aloud. He was entangled, all right. Well and truly. And he had no idea what he would do when he inevitably had to return to Tola, leaving her behind in her silent, lonely world.

Determination raced through him. First, they would get to the bottom of whatever plot they’d stumbled on. It wasn’t just about uncovering who had been stealing the precious fire jasper, and inciting conflict in order to do it. It wasn’t even just about stopping the war. It was about making sure whoever had attacked Wren paid for it. If nothing else, he would ensure she was safe before he left Myst again.

He wasn’t surprised when Wren refused the offer to spend the night in the Entolian camp. Thinking of the relative proximity of Tola, Basil wished fleetingly that he could take her back to his castle, let her sleep in comfort in one of the lavish guest suites. But he knew she wouldn’t accept, and he didn’t really want her to. It was abundantly clear that her entire trip had been undertaken without the approval of her parents, and King Lloyd would assuredly accuse him of kidnapping her if he got wind of her making it as far as the castle in Tola.

Promising to follow her back over the border as soon as it was light, Basil sent her off with an escort made up of soldiers whom the general swore on his life could be trusted.

“Well,” he said, as soon as he and Lord Baldwin had reentered the general’s tent, “it’s quite a discovery we’ve made.”

“To put it mildly,” growled the general. He still looked furious about the clandestine activities happening right under his feet. He threw a look at Sergeant Obsidian, whom he’d obviously ordered to remain in the tent. “Care to explain why you didn’t share your information earlier?”

The sergeant shrugged. “I didn’t know about the mine, Sir. I only knew there was a general presence of magic, and like I said, I didn’t think it was anything sinister.”

“So you say,” grunted the general, but Basil’s sense was that he was irritable more than actually suspicious. “In any event, I’ve called for a patrol to explore the mines further. You will join them, Sergeant Obsidian.”

“Yes sir.” The young soldier sprang into a salute. The general dismissed him with another grunt, and turned to Basil.

“I anticipate returning to Myst tomorrow,” Basil said, before the older man could speak. “I would like to take Sergeant Obsidian with me. I have my suspicions about who might be involved with the mine, and his particular abilities may come in very useful.”

“As you wish, Your Majesty,” said the general curtly. “He is yours to command.”

Basil sighed. If only his position as king gave him half the authority everyone seemed to think it did. He felt like everything important to him remained utterly out of his control. His thoughts flew inevitably to Wren, but he forced them back to the present.

“Lord Baldwin and I are going to cross back to the Mistran camp now,” he said decisively. “But send Sergeant Obsidian to me at first light. I’ll speak with the Mistran general about letting him through. He can bring me a report about this patrol he’s joined.”

The general nodded, and Basil turned to take his leave before a sudden thought occurred to him.

“I should visit the wounded while I’m here,” he said, turning back. “Perhaps I could do so tonight, rather than returning in the morning?”

“There aren’t any, Your Majesty,” said the general simply.

Basil blinked. “What?”

The general shrugged. “Any with injuries requiring ongoing care were moved to Tola soon after your last visit. And there are no new injuries, because there’s been no fighting since then.”

“Oh,” said Basil, “of course.” He felt heartened. “Well, that’s something.”

Glad to be away, he exited the tent. There was a dizzying amount still to be discussed and figured out, but it would have to wait. He wanted to make sure Wren wasn’t spirited away before he could join her.

“King Basil,” said Lord Baldwin, the moment they were clear of the general’s presence, “are you sure it’s a good idea to return to Myst? We’re not exactly welcome there, and—”

“Of course I’m going back,” said Basil impatiently. “My business there is unfinished, and I’m not going to run off like a thief in the night after telling King Lloyd I’d be returning.”

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