Page 94 of Kingdom of Dance

But even without the silencing magic on him, what dragon would believe him? It might not be a bad idea to take some evidence with him.

He reached out toward one of the diamond-leafed branches and tried to snap it off. It wouldn’t budge, and a quick attempt showed that the knife in his belt had no effect. With a sigh, he pulled on even more of his magic, sweat dripping down his face as he directed a raw burst of power at the branch. It came off cleanly in his hand this time, and he hastily stowed it in the pocket of Prince Amell’s voluminous traveling cloak. Repeating the same exercise twice more, he soon had a sprig of gold leaves and one of silver in the pocket as well.

Feeling that he’d risked detection for long enough, he returned to the water, his eyes searching for the place where he’d come out from under the rock. He saw now that the lake disappeared into an enormous cavern in a lone, stately mountain. But his underwater tunnel didn’t seem to be connected to that cavern.

Thankfully, once he was under the water, the glow of the crystals guided his path, and before long he was swimming rapidly toward the surface inside the cavern. The return journey taxed him more. He was exhausted from the constant use of his magic, and the cloak weighed him down in the water. The surface was still too far away when he felt his breath running out and knew he had to let something go.

Unwilling to relinquish the cloak and the treasures hidden inside it, he instead let his invisibility enchantment drop, just temporarily. At once his energy, freed from its magical task, turned fully to the top priority of the moment—getting air.

When his head broke the surface, he saw that Zinnia and Princess Violet were still in conversation near the water’s edge, their faces lit by the glow of the magnificent castle.

He tried to move silently, but an unlucky splash brought both girls’ heads around, and he couldn’t get his magic up in time. Zinnia’s eyes widened in shock, and he knew there was no more use in pretending. He pulled himself onto the bank, trying to look like it had been his plan to be seen all along.

“Obsidian.” The absolute horror in Zinnia’s whisper startled him. “What are you doing here? You can’t be here.” She glanced behind her, fear evident on her face, then stumbled forward to grasp his sopping tunic in her hands. “Youcan’tbe here.”

Obsidian’s eyes sought hers in inquiry. “But I am here,” he said simply. “I was here last night, too.”

Her eyes were even wider, and for a moment she was at a loss. Then she shook her head as if clearing it. “The how isn’t important right now,” she said, her voice so quiet he had to strain to hear her. “What matters is getting you out of here safely.”

Obsidian frowned over her shoulder at the glittering castle. “Is a ball really so dangerous?”

“A ball—oh, I forgot,” Zinnia muttered. She drew a deep breath, a look of concentration coming over her face.

Obsidian watched her in bewilderment, confused when the glow of the castle died from her face. He glanced up and started. The castle was gone, along with the pathway up to it. He was standing in a vast cavern, no one in sight except the other princesses—who were all moving around the space in a very unnatural way—and the enormous dragon, who seemed to be bending over one of the younger girls.

“What’s Idric doing to Dahlia?” Princess Violet asked sharply.

Zinnia, still standing so close Obsidian could feel her warmth, looked over anxiously. “I think he’s just speaking with her,” she said, the strain showing in her voice. “Questioning her.”

“Should we go over there and intervene?” The younger princess sounded nervous.

“There’s no point,” Zinnia said, with the weariness of long failure. “There’s nothing we can do. And he doesn’t seem to be hurting her at present.”

“At present?” Obsidian repeated darkly. Unconsciously, his hands flew up to rest over hers where they still gripped his clothes. “Zinnia, what is this place? What’s going on?”

She shook her head. “I can’t tell you here.” She straightened, her eyes brightening as they looked into his. “But it seems Icantell you. That’s something to celebrate. You’ve got plenty of your own explaining to do, anyway. But for now, youhaveto go.”

“I’m not leaving here until you do,” Obsidian said flatly.

Zinnia gave a soft groan. “Obsidian, it’s too dangerous for you to be here.”

“If it’s dangerous, all the more reason for me to stay with you,” Obsidian insisted.

Zinnia shook her head. “I mean it’s dangerous foryouespecially. I’ll tell you everything when we’re back at the castle. But for now, you just have to trust me and leave.”

“There’s no way in Solstice I’m leaving you here.” Obsidian’s voice left no room for argument. “Plus, how do you suggest I leave, anyway? I came in on your magic boats.”

Zinnia looked more anxious than ever. “Oh. I didn’t think of that.” She glanced around. “I don’t suppose there’s another way out?”

“There is, and I’ve just taken it. It brought me out into the dragons’ realm. Somehow I don’t think I should try to sneak home that way.”

Both sisters stared at him in astonishment. It seemed they hadn’t known.

“We’re in the dragons’ realm?” Princess Violet repeated faintly. “How far do those boats carry us?”

“That must be why the ground is so charged with magic that our slippers can’t survive contact with it,” Zinnia commented. “But never mind that now.” She turned earnest eyes on Obsidian. “Obsidian, if Idric sees you, he’ll either kill you or use you to kill other people. It’s all my fault, but I can’t explain it all now. We can’t let him know you’re here.”

Obsidian frowned. “Whatever that dragon is doing, it’s not your fault.” He considered the matter. “I can reactivate my invisibility enchantment. But I’m not confident how well it will work on a dragon. That’s why I’ve been keeping farther back.”

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