Page 117 of Kingdom of Dance

His head moved again, and Obsidian followed its trajectory to see Idric, the only dragon still outside the building. To his satisfaction, he noticed that the deep burgundy dragon was no longer reclining at leisure. He looked tense. Obsidian had half expected him to attempt to prevent Tanin’s investigation. Perhaps he’d known he had no power to stop the other elder. Or perhaps he’d placed his faith in the ability of his own magic to remain hidden under scrutiny.

If it was the latter, Idric had miscalculated.

“Idric.” Tanin’s voice was slow and calm. “I wish to understand why a subtle but powerful thread of well-concealed magic appears to connect these two humans to you.”

Zinnia gave a little crow of relief that almost sounded like a sob, and Obsidian could have pumped the air with his fist. All three of the nearby dragons turned their heads, observing these reactions with clinical interest. Then their heads swiveled, in unison, back to Idric.

He made no answer, anger now clear in his bearing. His breaths were coming a little faster, smoke beginning to curl from his nostrils. Some of the humans had fled the room, but most of them remained, staring between the various dragons with a sort of fascinated terror.

Obsidian waited for an angry outburst, but none came, only a simmering silence. He hadn’t considered Idric to possess much restraint, but clearly he knew little about dragon character and interactions. Perhaps Idric remained silent to avoid incriminating himself, or to prevent the other elder from seeing firsthand the malice which had led the dragon to persecute Zinnia and her sisters.

Tanin, in any event, seemed unsurprised by Idric’s silence. Apparently resigning himself to no answer, the elder turned instead to Rekavidur. “You suspected such an outcome?”

Rekavidur inclined his head. “We have both suspected it for some time. The magic was, as you said, well-concealed. On other occasions I detected it, but only in the form of a human enchanter’s power being increased impossibly in potency. Knowing now that Idric’s magic was directly present on this occasion, rather than channeled through a human vessel, I am unsurprised that I was unable to identify it.”

He studied the accused dragon dispassionately. “He has a heart magic of concealment, does he not? Anything in that nature comes as easily as breath to him? I have certainly detected a thread of potent concealment magic weaving throughout the troubles that have plagued this continent’s human population.”

Obsidian felt Zinnia’s gaze on him and turned to look at her.

“Do dragons have individual core magic, the way human enchanters do?” she asked quietly, surprise in her eyes.

Obsidian shrugged. “It sounds like it. But I didn’t know either.”

“On the matter of other occasions, I will make no comment,” Tanin said to Rekavidur. “But what I have sensed with my own being today, I must rectify. Never, in all our centuries of peace with the humans of Solstice, have the elders condoned the use of magic against them.”

“You interfere in what you do not understand.” The growl came from Idric, at last goaded into speech, although he seemed to be choosing his words carefully. “If you remove the magic lingering around these humans, you would not rectify, but destroy.”

“And what would I be destroying, Idric?” Tanin’s voice was cold.

Idric’s eyes narrowed as they rested on the other elder, but he relapsed once again into silence. Clearly he was wary of saying anything to reveal the depth of his schemes, now that Tanin had made his position clear.

“If you do not intend to provide additional information, I must follow my own judgment based on what I have myself observed,” said Tanin. Turning away from Idric, he tilted his head toward Rekavidur and Dannsair. “I welcome your assistance.”

The three dragons lowered their heads, their eyes settling on Obsidian and Zinnia.

“It will be easier if you and your soldier stand together, Zinnia,” Dannsair informed the princess.

“Gladly.” Zinnia pushed her way through the ring of stupefied guards, practically throwing herself at Obsidian. His arms closed around her automatically, pulling her against him. She twisted around so that her back was pressed to his chest, but showed no indication whatsoever of wanting to pull free of his hold.

“I thought you said youweren’tin any kind of trouble,” his mother muttered. Obsidian jumped slightly. He hadn’t even noticed her sidling up alongside him. “But I can certainly see why you weren’t tempted to have a dalliance with any maids.”

Zinnia gave a choking laugh. Obsidian contented himself with grimacing at his mother.

“There are other threads issuing from Idric,” said Tanin, completely ignoring these human interactions. His eyes lingered on the still unconscious Lorne. “He is at the end of one.” The dragon’s eyes searched the crowd, homing in on Princess Violet. “And you, I believe, are at the end of another.”

Princess Violet was, of course, unable to confirm it, still gripped by Idric’s silencing enchantment. But she shuffled forward to stand beside Obsidian and Zinnia, looking nervous.

“The other subjects are not in the room,” Tanin said, apparently speaking to the two dragons beside him. “We will focus on those who are.”

Obsidian felt Zinnia tense and knew she was feeling for her absent sisters.

“One step at a time,” he whispered into her ear. She shuddered slightly as his breath stirred her hair, but it didn’t seem to be an unwelcome sensation. His arms were around her waist, and he squeezed her slightly, reveling in her closeness as she lifted her arms to rest over the top of his, returning the pressure.

The potency of the magic building in the dragons claimed Obsidian’s attention, and he watched in awe as the creatures worked together, their powers combining in an invisible tapestry that he could nonetheless admire with his indefinable extra sense.

Idric made no further attempt to interfere, although Obsidian could see the anger growing in the dragon’s eyes as he watched on. Surely if he had the power to overcome Tanin, he would act. The other elder must be stronger than his brethren.

Obsidian felt an almost unbearable pressure pushing against him, and felt Zinnia stiffen in his arms. Then, all at once, the silencing enchantment broke, and the feeling of Idric’s power disappeared from within him completely.

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