Page 10 of Kingdom of Locks

“Can’t you trustmewith that power?” Aurelia asked, without much conviction. It wasn’t the first time they’d had this conversation.

“I trust you completely,” Mama Gail assured her. “But Cyfrin can’t be trusted. And until we’re free of his control, it’s better for you not to have information that might be dangerous.”

“You told memyreal name,” Aurelia pointed out.

Mama Gail stepped fully back into the room, a frown creasing her forehead. “That’s because it’s important for you to know who you are. And you are not who he’s tried to mold you into.”

Aurelia nodded, although her mother’s words did little to touch the hollow feeling in her chest.

Perhaps sensing this, Mama Gail stepped forward and placed a hand on Aurelia’s cheek. “If you want to use a name other than Abigail, what’s wrong with Mama? That’s as real a name to me as the one I was born with. I’ve carried it for more than twenty years.”

Aurelia gave a weak smile, chivvying her mother back into the study.

“I’m all right. Go see what he wrote today.” She fell silent, listening to the sound of Mama Gail rifling through papers. “I don’t really understand,” she mused after a moment. “If the enchantment on the tower can keep anyone but him from entering or exiting, why doesn’t he put the same enchantment on his study?”

“Uses too much magic,” grunted Mama Gail, emerging from the study with a thick leather tome Aurelia recognized well. “If I’ve understood what I’ve read, that’s an incredibly powerful enchantment he’s put on this tower. It would take only a fraction of the magic to craft a protection keeping only the two of us out of the study, and it must seem a safe bet to him given no one else can get into the tower.”

Aurelia smiled. “Except he underestimated your deviousness in giving him a false name.”

“Indeed,” agreed Mama Gail solemnly. “And it’s always a mistake to underestimate my deviousness.” She flipped a few pages in the volume, and a frown settled onto her brow.

“What is it?” Aurelia asked curiously. “Isn’t it working? Hasn’t the news changed since yesterday? Perhaps the enchantment on the book has worn out.”

Mama Gail shook her head, her eyes scanning the page rapidly. “No, the magic is still working. This is today’s news, sure enough.” She raised her eyes to meet Aurelia’s, her expression grim. “And it’s not good.”

Chapter Two

“Well,” said Amell cheerfully, glancing over at the man riding beside him. “That was a very nice wedding.”

“Very nice, Your Highness,” agreed Sir Furnis, only the tiniest hint of a smile betraying his thoughts.

Amell chuckled. “Yes, you’re right, Furn. I found the ceremony itself long and dull. But having it on a clifftop was exciting. And there were dragons there, which always adds some interest.”

“I’m just glad Entolia and Mistra are no longer at war,” said Sir Furnis mildly. “A royal wedding is as good a way to celebrate that as any.”

“True, true,” said Amell absently. He glanced around at the rest of their group. The few members of his father’s court who had accompanied the delegation had opted to ride in carriages. He and Furn were as alone as they could hope to be, the rest of his guards riding in formation at a respectful distance behind the prince and his personal guard.

“To tell you the truth, Furn,” Amell went on in a conspiratorial voice, “the really interesting part of our visit to Entolia wasn’t the wedding. King Basil called a council of royals from each kingdom the day before the ceremony.”

Sir Furnis showed a flicker of interest, turning slightly in his saddle to face his charge. “Is that where you disappeared to? I was half afraid you’d fallen into the ocean when I couldn’t find you.”

Amell chuckled good-naturedly at the entirely plausible explanation for his absence. “King Basil wanted to keep it pretty quiet, but I can trust you.”

“Of course you can, Your Highness,” said Sir Furnis, sounding resigned more than curious.

The stoic guard had more experience than anyone at being the recipient of Amell’s sometimes overblown confidences, but this time Amell was fairly sure even Furn would be interested.

“Well, he’s been wondering if there’s a connection between the attacks on the various royal families over the last few years. The curse that turned King Justin into a beast, the enchantment that put Princess Azalea to sleep, the whole princes into swans thing in Mistra…”

Sir Furnis shot him a sharp look, clearly grasping the significance of the idea as quickly as Amell had expected him to. “A connection? You mean some organized group behind it all?”

Amell shrugged. “Maybe. That’s what Basil wondered.” He gave a sudden chuckle. “Fernedell is just about the only kingdom not to have been targeted if so. Are we secretly behind it, or are we just being passed over? Because I take offense if it’s the latter.”

“But you’d have no problem with the former?” Sir Furnis asked dryly.

Amell’s easy grin didn’t falter. “My father is maddening at times, but even I can acknowledge there isn’t a dishonorable bone in his body. I think we can rule out the Fernedellian crown as the shadowy player behind these attacks.”

Sir Furnis shook his head at the flippant words, but there was a smile on his face nevertheless. It was one of the things Amell liked best about his personal guard. Furn might be incredibly strait-laced when it came to his duty, but he was never uptight, and he never scolded. Amell considered him a close friend, at least as much as was possible with someone who insisted on calling him ‘Your Highness’ in spite of every protest.

---