Page 60 of Kingdom of Dance

“I didn’t say he’d hurt you on purpose,” said Basil. “If he hurt you by accident, it would be even worse. I’d be forced to hang the fellow, and I’d feel bad about it given I’ve quite warmed to him.” He flashed her a weary grin. “And given it would be entirely your fault.”

Zinnia laughed, knowing her brother would never do any such thing.

He sighed. “I do wish you hadn’t taken him down there, though. I’m going to have to send some guild members to examine the caverns now, and like I said, they’re a little snippy with me at present.”

“What do you mean?” Zinnia demanded. “Why does it need to be examined?”

“Because there’s no other way to know how much magic he’s just unintentionally stored in those crystals,” said Basil matter-of-factly. “They’re highly effective receptors, remember? If Lieutenant Obsidian released magic in that cave, it will most likely have been captured in the crystals, and it will stay there, perhaps indefinitely. One of the reasons the place is guarded is to prevent people stealing the crystals for use with magic later. But it’s even more of a risk if they already have potent magic in them, ready to be harvested by anyone with a mind to do it.”

“I’m sorry, Basil,” said Zinnia contritely. “I didn’t even think of that, and now I’ve made more work for you.”

Basil waved a hand. “Don’t worry about it. The guild will probably be delighted to get their hands on the magic, to be honest. I’ll give them some magic-related task around the castle to use it for. Maybe then they’ll stop complaining that I’m calling on the lieutenant instead of on them.”

Zinnia frowned as a sudden thought occurred to her. “You’re not going to send Master Enchanter Lleuad down there to harvest it, are you?”

Basil looked at her sharply. “Of course not. He’s not a governing member of the guild. What makes you ask about him?”

Zinnia leaned back in her chair, giving him a dry look. “I had the pleasure of meeting him this morning. He came to seek out his dear cherished grandson. That’s why Obsidian was so close to the edge.”

Basil scowled. “We can’t have that,” he said grimly. “I didn’t force Lieutenant Obsidian to come to the castle to have him harassed.” He tapped his fingers on the desk, thinking. “I wonder how many feathers it would ruffle at the guild if I made an order that he wasn’t to come to the castle for the duration of the lieutenant’s stay.”

“Surely it wouldn’t ruffle any,” said Zinnia, raising an eyebrow. “I thought he wasn’t a member. Obsidian said his membership had been revoked for a personal indiscretion.”

Basil shook his head. “He was stripped of his position as a governing member. He’s still a member, as are most of the enchanters and enchantresses in the kingdom.” His expression turned rueful. “And to be honest, I think he was removed from his position in name only. He still seems to wield almost as much influence as the other leaders.”

“What was the indiscretion?” Zinnia asked.

For a moment, Basil regarded her in silence, clearly debating whether to answer.

“Come on, Basil,” said Zinnia lightly. “It’s not like you to keep secrets.”

The irony had been intentional, and her brother didn’t disappoint. The look he bent on her was so unimpressed, she couldn’t resist flashing him a grin. He sighed, running a hand over his face.

“Don’t spread this around,” he told her. “I have the distinct impression that none of the parties involved would appreciate it being known. But the indiscretion was attempting to abduct Lieutenant Obsidian when he was a small child.”

“What?” Zinnia demanded, sitting up straight. “What do you mean?”

“Well, Lleuad has strong magic, I believe,” Basil explained. “But his son, Obsidian’s father, was born without any. It’s not uncommon—magic doesn’t always pass to the next generation. But it seems that the situation led to a very unhappy relationship between Lleuad and his son.”

“But what about Obsidian?” asked Zinnia impatiently. She knew all that.

“Well, when it became clear that he had magic, Lleuad seemed to think he’d gotten a second chance at raising a powerful enchanter in his own footsteps. He demanded that the parents hand the boy over to him permanently. As you can imagine, they refused.”

“I should think so,” said Zinnia, outraged.

“Instead of taking no for an answer, Lleuad arrived at his son’s house unannounced, using his magic to remove Obsidian from his home by force. I think he was about five years old.”

Zinnia’s eyes were wide with horror. “What happened?”

“He fought back,” said Basil simply. “Not in any targeted or intentional way. But his magic was unleashed. Apparently the whole carriage he’d been forced into was reduced to splinters, and Lleuad suffered serious injuries.”

“Good,” said Zinnia emphatically. “I wish it had killed him.”

Basil gave her a speaking look. “Do you? Do you think Lieutenant Obsidian would belesstraumatized and conflicted if he’d accidentally killed his grandfather at five years of age?”

“I suppose not,” acknowledged Zinnia grudgingly. “I guess it’s good he survived, but only for Obsidian’s sake.”

“He did more than survive,” said Basil grimly. “He kept trying.”

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