Page 38 of Kingdom of Dance

“Well, then,” sighed the princess, “it’s thoroughly wasted on you, isn’t it? If I had magic at my disposal, I’d want it to be as strong as possible.”

Obsidian frowned at her, curiosity about her strange secrets raging. “What if it was at your disposal?”

“What?”

He collected his thoughts, half wondering himself what he’d even meant. “What if potentially strong magic—what ifmymagic—was at your disposal?”

She shifted slightly, her eyes hard to read. After a moment, she sighed again. “But it’s not, is it? It’s at your disposal.”

Obsidian ran a hand through his hair, wondering why she had to make this so difficult. “But maybe it could be at yours…I mean, maybe I could…”

“Is that your attempt to offer to help me?” asked the princess, sounding a little amused. “If so, thank you, but…well, you can’t, remember?”

He eyed her, at a loss for what could be holding her back. “I know it isn’t easy to ask for help, Princess, but I’m here at your brother’s direction, specifically to—”

His words were cut off by a bitter laugh, startling from the usually bright girl before him. “If it was a matter of pride, I’d get on my hands and knees right now and beg you to use your magic to help.”

Obsidian fell silent, his mind blank of any reply. She genuinely meant it.

“Help with what?” he asked at last. “Surely you can tell me that.”

She gave no reaction, not even looking at him, just staring silently out at the swells.

“Youwantmy help,” Obsidian mused aloud, hoping to elicit a response. “So your troubles, whatever they are, involve magic.”

Again, she didn’t speak, just giving him a sad sort of smile that didn’t confirm it or deny it. It seemed to say,I didn’t say that, and we both know it.

He’d never been so bewildered in his life. Clearly the king was right that his sister had a secret, and that it was eating away at her. It was also clear that King Basil had known his sister best—Obsidian no longer doubted that she was keeping her secrets out of some inexplicable necessity rather than any desire on her part. But what could cause that situation, he couldn’t imagine. He certainly couldn’t feel any silencing charm on her.

It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her that he’d followed her the night before—whether to demand some explanation of her activities or to point out that there at least was a task he could help her with, he hardly knew. But he couldn’t reveal that, not before he’d made a report to the king.

“I should go,” Princess Zinnia sighed, wiping her cheeks one last time. She turned to Obsidian. “Do I look…almost normal?”

Obsidian kept his face impassive as he studied her bright eyes, still glistening a little from her tears. The red splotches brought on by her breakdown had faded now, leaving only an appealing tinge of pink on her cheeks. Her nose turned up ever so slightly at the end, making her look cheerful and approachable—nothing like the aloof princess he’d imagined before setting eyes on her. She still had her arms wrapped around herself, her bare shoulders looking cold as she leaned into the wind.

“You look fine,” he said, his voice coming out slightly strangled.

She stood as well as the cramped space allowed. “I’d appreciate you not mentioning this to my family,” she told him directly. “I don’t want to distress them, since it would serve no useful purpose.”

He remained silent, knowing that at the very least he would need to tell King Basil. The princess sighed, clearly resigned to the inevitable.

“There’s no need to follow me now,” she informed him. “I’m going straight back to the castle, nothing mysterious.” She looked him over, the hint of a smile curling her lips. “Not that you believe me, I suppose.”

Obsidian still said nothing. As a matter of fact, he knew without doubt that she was telling the truth. But he wasn’t about to say so.

“Well,” the princess continued, “I suppose I’ll see you at lunch.” She began to shuffle along the rocks, pausing just before she disappeared from view. “I’m sorry about your father,” she said softly. “And about your own experiences, whatever they involved. The war benefited none of us.”

She turned away, leaving Obsidian staring at her back. He didn’t need his magic to know that truer words had never been spoken.

* * *

It was almost an hour later when he returned to the castle. He couldn’t say himself why he’d delayed so long, only that he couldn’t face his king without some time for reflection first. But in spite of the extra time, his attempts to make sense of the strange things he’d witnessed had been entirely unsuccessful.

At least he was given access to King Basil quickly this time. As soon as he asked for directions, the steward bustled up, informing him that the king was looking for him.

Obsidian was directed to a large study, where the young monarch was seated behind a broad wooden desk. He rose when Obsidian was announced, giving his guest a weary smile.

“Please sit down, Lieutenant,” he said, gesturing to a chair.

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