Page 72 of Kingdom of Dance

The king nodded. “I’d rather not put any of this in a letter. But Amell is a good friend, and he’s also the least likely of any royal in Solstice to be offended by being asked such an outrageous question. I’d never dream of putting this theory to King Justin and Queen Felicity of Albury. It doesn’t hurt that Fernford is much closer than Allenton, too.”

“I’ll leave this morning, if you wish it,” said Obsidian.

“I do.” The young king spoke decisively. “It doesn’t seem likely, but I’d be more comfortable if we could dismiss the theory. And if for some reason Amell is unable or unwilling to tell the truth, you’ll at least be able to tell he’s hiding something.” He pulled parchment toward him. “I’ll write you a letter of introduction right now.”

He paused with his quill in hand. “Will you object to traveling alone? I’ll send you with sufficient resources, of course. And if you wish for guards, it can be arranged. But I’d prefer not to advertise this mission to anyone if possible.” He drew a deep breath. “I still haven’t figured out what I’m going to tell the captain of my guard as to how I discovered that this Lorne is at large in Tola and needs to be hunted down.”

“Of course,” Obsidian agreed, not envying the king’s role. “I don’t need guards. Or much by way of resources. My own home is north of here. I’ll break my journey there tonight, and only need to stop once more in Fernedell. Assuming the royals will receive me at the castle.”

“They will,” King Basil said confidently. “Just give this letter to Prince Amell.” He gave a rueful smile. “Your biggest challenge will be to prevent him scenting enough of an adventure that he insists on following you back here to join in. But you absolutely must succeed in that challenge. I’m very fond of Amell, but it won’t help matters to have him poking his nose in here, especially since he sets Zinnia’s back up. Although,” the king added vaguely, as he scratched out a message, “she probably won’t be so reactive now that he’s engaged.”

Obsidian said nothing, but his curiosity must have shown on his face.

“Oh, he was Father’s first choice for marrying Zinnia off,” King Basil answered his unasked question. “For some reason I cannot comprehend, he was determined that she marry a prince, even though it would have meant her moving away. Neither she nor Amell was keen on the prospect, but I doubt that would have prevented Father achieving it, had time been on his side.”

He gave a sigh. “At least I can protect Zinnia there. Even if that small freedom is the only worthwhile thing I’ve managed to do for her.”

Knowing what he did of Zinnia, Obsidian doubted she would consider it asmallfreedom. But he didn’t voice his thoughts. For some reason the whole topic made him uncomfortable.

When he left the king’s study, letter in hand, he returned immediately to his rooms to prepare. He toyed with the idea of first attending breakfast but decided against it. Although it felt strange to leave Tola without seeing Zinnia again, he was afraid it would be even more strange to speak with her. What would he say to her after the events of the night before? Better to let some time pass, in hope that it would dull the intensity of it all somewhat.

There was, however, one more stop he did make on his way out of the city. He’d promised himself he’d never go there by choice, so it took all his willpower to walk into the lobby of the Enchanters’ Guild. It didn’t help that Master Enchanter Hughes was irritatingly delighted when Obsidian was shown into his office a few minutes later.

“Lieutenant Obsidian! What an unexpected pleasure!”

Yes, Obsidian thought grimly, unexpected for them both.

“What brings you here?” the older enchanter pressed, when Obsidian didn’t speak. “Did His Majesty send you?”

Obsidian shook his head, leaning against the door rather than taking the offered seat. “I’m here on my own account,” he said gruffly. “I…I need some help with my magic. With improving it.” The words tasted bitter in his mouth, worse than the sensation of deception.

Master Hughes’ face lit up with undisguised enthusiasm. “You’ve come to the right place, my dear boy. An excellent ambition. And long overdue, if I may say so. If you’re looking for a mentor, you really must allow me to suggest someone who has been eager to train you for as long as—”

“If you bring my grandfather into this,” Obsidian said flatly, “I will pass through that doorway and never darken it again. And I’m not looking for a mentor. As you know, I’m engaged by the crown at present. I just have a few questions.”

The enchanter deflated but nodded for Obsidian to continue.

“I tried to perform an enchantment recently,” Obsidian said stiffly. “Well, I succeeded in performing it. But it was sloppy. So much so that it endangered others than myself.”

The enchanter tilted his head, his expression one of professional curiosity. “What was the nature of the magic?”

“An invisibility enchantment,” said Obsidian. “On myself.”

The older man leaned back in his chair. “Tricky at the best of times. Honestly, it’s impressive you could do it at all, given your limited training. It’s a testament to the volume of your magic, but you won’t be able to do it well without finesse as well as force.”

Obsidian fidgeted uncomfortably. “It was covered in my basic training, but all I could remember was the bare essentials,” he admitted. “The mechanics worked, but…” He grimaced. “I know the power is supposed to come out of my core only enough to wrap around me, and that it should embed itself on my person, enfolding itself along with me. But as soon as I released it, it just sort of leaked outward in a constant flow. It hid me from sight, but the magic was as conspicuous as a beacon. Sort of defeats the purpose of an invisibility enchantment if it draws that much attention.”

Master Hughes nodded sagely. “I’m not surprised, Obsidian. You are at war with your magic, and you always have been. It will never fight effectively for you if it is forced to constantly fight against you.”

“I didn’t come here for cryptic platitudes,” said Obsidian impatiently.

“No.” The enchanter’s voice was tart. “You came here for help with something you can’t do on your own. And you’d do well to remember that. You are not an island, Obsidian. You are part of not one, but multiple communities. The military, the magic-users, your family…however little you might want to own any of them.”

Obsidian scowled but said nothing.

“You should be well beyond this level by your age,” Master Hughes added scoldingly. “But I think our best approach will be to go over the basic principles of molding your core power into enchantments.” He pinned Obsidian with a look. “Sit down, lad. You’re going to need some parchment.”

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