Page 95 of Kingdom of Dance

“It’s worth a try,” Zinnia said desperately, releasing him at last and stepping back.

Obsidian drew his energy together, reaching for the magic in his core. To his surprise, it seemed to have substantially replenished. Perhaps he should have expected that—there was just so much magic in this place. Most likely the overwhelming volume of it was what had kept this Idric from identifying the tiny pinprick that was Obsidian’s presence. He re-formed the invisibility enchantment, feeling it hug him close, concealing him from both sight and sense.

“Just keep as far away from him as the space allows,” Zinnia urged him, casting her eyes around in a futile attempt to spot his location. She bit her lip, looking more anxious than ever. “It won’t be easy to maintain. Sometimes we’re down here all night.”

“Zinnia!” Princess Violet’s hiss brought her sister’s head snapping around.

“He’s coming,” Zinnia whispered, her hand grasping at the air. The fear in her eyes slashed at Obsidian with the sharpness of a knife. He couldn’t resist gripping her outstretched hand reassuringly.

“I won’t let him hurt you,” he murmured.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Zinnia’s mutter was unimpressed. “You can’t outmatch a dragon. Now go and hide somewhere inconspicuous.” In spite of her stern tone, her hand squeezed his before letting go as she turned to face the approaching dragon.

Hating to leave her vulnerable, but understanding that his proximity only increased her fear, Obsidian moved as stealthily as possible around the edge of the cavernous space. He kept his eyes fixed on Idric as the dragon ambled up to the two girls. Princess Violet was visibly trembling, but Obsidian noted with a stab of fierce pride that Zinnia stood tall and unmoving in her ballgown, the golden thread glinting in the cavern’s strange light. Defiance was clear in every line of her frame as she faced down the enormous, powerful beast with no defense but her own determination.

She was breathtakingly beautiful, and the strongest person he knew. The very glory of her took his breath away.

When had he fallen for her? It had been so gradual he hardly knew. But any lingering doubt had fled as he’d held her in his arms at her birthday ball, something powerful roaring to life inside him when she’d taken his hand so eagerly. She hadn’t cared that he was just a soldier, and the way her hand had trembled slightly in his told him that she was no more impervious to his nearness than he was to hers. Not to mention her endearingly blatant lie when she’d told him she didn’t want more time with him. The implied truth had been so sweet, the deception had barely even tasted bitter.

He was halfway around the cavern by now, but he could hear the dragon’s rumbling voice without difficulty. It seemed to fill the space.

“I have everything I need now, Princess.” The beast spoke only to Zinnia, ignoring her sister completely. “This will be our last meeting…for now.”

“How will we survive the loss?” Zinnia was no longer speaking in a murmur, and her sarcastic voice echoed off the stone walls.

Obsidian had stopped moving, and he realized his whole body was tensed. As much as he admired her daring, he wished Zinnia wouldn’t pick a fight with an irate dragon. The level of familiarity between them set him on edge. This dragon clearly wasn’t like the ones he’d heard about, who were friendly with the Entolian royals. And it didn’t seem like a good thing for him to be so casual with Zinnia.

“It is a shame,” the dragon sighed, smoke curling from his nostrils with the words. “I don’t anticipate failure this time, obviously. I’ve given up on the subtle approach. It is clearly beyond the capacity of humans. But it would certainly be a less tedious process if you were more malleable. Perhaps one last try—it can’t hurt, after all.”

And without further warning, the dragon seized Zinnia in his talons, lifting her bodily until she dangled at the height of his face. The princess showed neither surprise nor fear, but Obsidian felt fear leak into him at the look on her face—she was clearly steeling herself for something worse to come.

Before Obsidian could so much as move, the dragon opened its jaws and let out a shimmering breath of pure magic. The air danced as if from heat, but Obsidian could both see and sense the power pouring from the dragon’s mouth into the girl. It was dark, twisted, vicious. Like no magic he’d ever felt before. And it wasn’t just wrapping around Zinnia—it was entering into her core, ripping, tugging, slashing.

His cry of rage and horror was frozen on his lips, but Princess Violet’s scream reverberated around the confined space. Eerily, none of her other sisters even seemed to hear it, not a flicker crossing their faces as they continued in their bizarre activities.

As for Zinnia, she made no sound, just gritting her teeth and enduring with that same determined expression. Abandoning caution, Obsidian jerked into motion, dropping his invisibility enchantment so he could pull the maximum magic together as he ran toward the dragon.

But before he’d gone many steps, the beast’s assault stopped.

“Frustrating,” the dragon said dismissively. He lowered Zinnia’s sagging form, dropping it a few feet from the ground, so that she lost her footing as she landed. “But not a significant hindrance,” Idric added. “I do not expect that we will speak again, Princess.”

And without another word, the dragon dove sleekly into the dark water, disappearing with barely a ripple.

Obsidian sprinted the last few yards, throwing himself to his knees beside Zinnia’s prone form. Princess Violet hovered over her sister, fear and anxiety all over her face.

“Zinnia!” Obsidian gasped. “Talk to me!”

The princess opened her eyes, blinking up at him in confusion. “What’s the matter?” she asked. “Why are you all worked up?”

Without thinking, Obsidian wrapped an arm around her, pulling her up against him where he knelt. He was just so relieved she was alive, and apparently not seriously injured.

“Why am I worked up?” he repeated shakily. “What did that sniveling worm do to you?”

“The same as usual,” the princess said wearily. “He was trying to rip my spark from my body. He just put a little extra in that time.”

Her arms came up, wrapping around Obsidian’s torso, and he clung to her more tightly. He was utterly confused about how the horrifying scene he’d just witnessed fit with the magnificent ball of the night before, but his questions paled in comparison to the fury that was coursing through him at the dragon’s assault. Had Zinnia been enduring such an attack every time she and her sisters mysteriously disappeared?

“Your spark?” Princess Violet repeated slowly, understanding clearly dawning in her eyes. “He was trying to remove it?”

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