Page 27 of Kingdom of Dance

Obsidian’s lips quirked up in a half smile. His particular talent told him that the king hadn’t intended to tell an untruth, presumably thinking only of the building. But Obsidian had been with the royal family one evening, and he could already tell that the situation in the castle was nothing if not complicated.

The king didn’t notice his reaction, his eyes still on the doorway through which all his sisters had now passed. “You’ve been given a room in one of the suites normally reserved for high-ranking nobles, or visiting dignitaries.”

Startled, Obsidian opened his mouth to thank the king for this mark of honor, but King Basil waved him down before he could speak.

“It wasn’t because I thought your consequence had to be pandered to,” he said unemotionally. “Those suites are close to the royal wing. I thought it might make it easier for you to keep an eye on Zinnia.” He hesitated. “There have been incidents…there wasn’t time to tell you all the details of my suspicions before dinner.”

He glanced at his mother, who was being kept busy in conversation by Queen Wren, but whose eyes kept flicking to the two men.

“And this isn’t the best moment, either. But I will say that there have been nights when I’ve suspected that my sisters have left their rooms without their guards being aware of it.”

Obsidian stared at him. He wasn’t sure what threw him more—the idea of twelve princesses sneaking around the castle at night, or the lack of either anger or worry in the king’s face as he mentioned it. Obsidian would wager that King Thorn wouldn’t have been so tolerant of his daughters’ activities when he was alive.

“And another detail,” King Basil added, as an afterthought. “Whatever they’re doing on those occasions destroys their slippers.”

“What?” The question was startled out of Obsidian. The tale was becoming more and more bizarre.

The young king nodded. “For example, last night. I was suspicious when they retired early from the ball, but their guards swear none of them left the rooms all night. However, I’d had new slippers made for all of them, and this morning, the maids reported that the slippers were damaged beyond repair. After one evening’s use.”

“I don’t know anything about slippers, Your Majesty,” said Obsidian hopelessly.

King Basil smiled. “Neither do I. All I know is that it’s strange. And I mentioned it in case it’s useful.” He stood, nodding curtly to Obsidian. “You never know what information might be crucial.”

Obsidian’s thoughts swirled around him as he followed the servant back through the corridors of the castle. During his time on the front lines, he’d sometimes been given unusual tasks due to his magic. But this was undoubtedly the strangest assignment he’d ever been given. What was Princess Zinnia hiding, and how were her sisters drawn into it? It seemed impossible that children as young as the littlest princesses would even be capable of keeping a big secret for so long, let alone willing to.

And an entirely different type of mystery—if Princess Zinnia was duplicitous even with her own family, why did they all gravitate around her as if she was the family’s core? Even the normally level-headed young king was making all kinds of excuses for her secrets. What had he said?Although I don’t think she wants to do it, Zinnia is clearly lying to me.Why would she, if not because she wanted to? And why was her brother so blinded to that obvious reality?

His room was located at the end of a long corridor, and the servant bowed himself away as soon as Obsidian had reached the door. His hand was on the handle when soft voices caught his attention. Peering around the corner, he saw Princess Zinnia hovering outside a door partway down the perpendicular corridor. She was talking to one of the younger princesses. Two guards flanked not only that door, but four other doors surrounding it. It seemed the king hadn’t exaggerated when he said that Obsidian’s rooms were close to the royal suites. The princesses must all sleep in the wing that ran along the line of the ocean.

“Thanks, Violet, but I still feel exhausted,” Princess Zinnia was saying to her sister, and Obsidian assessed the truth of her words without even consciously trying to. It was an instinctive reaction. “I’ll retire early.”

There it was. The bitter taste coating his tongue. Realizing that one of the guards was watching him, Obsidian pulled his head back around the corner and opened his door at last. But when he walked into the room, he made no move to prepare for bed, instead staring unseeingly at the curtained window as he considered what he’d just witnessed. Proof of the princess’s duplicity, if more was needed. Princess Zinnia had certainly been lying—she wasn’t going to retire early. But it seemed that her sister wasn’t part of her deception, at least not on this occasion.

Another moment’s thought decided him. King Basil had asked him to keep an eye on Princess Zinnia. And he’d specifically told Obsidian that he was sleeping near the princesses’ suites so that he could more easily do so. It seemed his course was clear.

Rifling quickly through his bags, Obsidian retrieved a length of black cloth and tucked it under his tunic. He hurried back into the corridor and turned away from the royal wing. He’d seen a total of ten guards in that corridor. He was fairly certain that if Princess Zinnia was sneaking out, it wasn’t through her bedroom door.

A few servants cast him curious looks as he strode swiftly toward the castle’s eastern entrance, but no one tried to stop him. It didn’t matter that the door was closed. The guard on duty just nodded to Obsidian, clearly recognizing him from when he’d entered with Master Enchanter Hughes earlier.

The young enchanter slipped out into the night, drawing in a deep lungful of salty air. Deciding that it would be just a trifle suspicious if he scaled the city wall that bordered the short distance from the castle to the eastern gate, Obsidian strolled casually toward the gate itself. It was closed against the night, and he stopped to chat with the guard on duty.

“Evening, friend,” he said pleasantly.

“You’re the enchanter who King Basil sent for?” the man asked, nodding in greeting.

Obsidian nodded, unsurprised to discover that news of the summons had traveled quickly. No doubt half the city was speculating on the reason the king had called in a young enchanter to assist him when he had an entire guild of masters.

“I heard you served as well,” the guard added searchingly. “In the war with Mistra.”

Again, Obsidian nodded, picking up a hint of connection. “Joined as soon as I was old enough. Not much more than a year before the war ended.”

The man looked him over with increased interest. “My brother served. I always fancied the life of a guard myself, but he was determined to be a soldier. I figured he just wanted to see action, but he stuck with it even after the war ended. He patrols the eastern border these days. I wonder if you knew him?”

His brief description was enough to convince Obsidian that he didn’t know the man’s brother, and he said as much, with every appearance of regret. It would have been easy to pretend he did, but Obsidian hated lying. Being forced to taste in his own mouth the bitterness of others’ deception did that to a person, he supposed. Better to be honest.

After another minute of war-related reminiscences, Obsidian dropped a hint that he was hoping to admire the ocean in the moonlight. The guard waved him through, assuring Obsidian that he could let him back in as long as he returned within the next four hours.

Obsidian strode out onto the clifftop, well pleased with his efforts. If the princess made a habit of sneaking out of her rooms, then being able to come and go from the castle at night without questioning could prove very useful for him.

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