Page 96 of Kingdom of Dance

Zinnia pulled back from Obsidian, her own eyes glinting in sudden satisfaction. “But he can’t. Nothing he’s ever tried has worked, no matter how much power he puts into it. He can’t destroy it, and he can’t remove it. Tonight was no different.”

The other princesses were approaching now, full of happy chatter that jarred horribly with the scene by the water. Obsidian still maintained a loose hold on Zinnia, unable to bring himself to let her go.

“It was short tonight, wasn’t it?” yawned Princess Daisy. “I’m not altogether sorry, because I’m exhausted.”

Zinnia regarded her sisters from weary eyes. “If that was truly the last one,” she said quietly, “then it’s probably time for them all to know.” She narrowed her eyes, squinting at each sister in turn.

Gasps sounded as they all looked around, confusion replacing the vague satisfaction of the moment before.

“Zinnia?” Princess Lilac was staring at her sister in alarm. “What’s happening? Why are you on the ground?” Her eyes passed to Obsidian. “And how is Lieutenant Obsidian here?”

“This is Idric’s real gift to us,” Zinnia said darkly. “There’s a lot to explain, but this isn’t the time or place.” Her eyes drifted to the boats, which had reappeared, and were bumping impatiently at the bank. “We can talk back in the nursery.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Without asking Zinnia’s permission, Obsidian scooped her properly into his arms, striding toward the nearest boat.

“I can walk,” Zinnia protested, but he ignored her.

“Do you think the boat will hold us both?” he asked curtly.

“Obsidian, I really don’t need you to—”

“You just withstood the most powerful magical attack I’ve ever witnessed,” he cut her off. “Don’t tell me you don’t need help. It seems to me that you’ve been suffering more than necessary for months because of refusing to let even your sisters help you.”

“He’s not wrong,” Violet said tartly, from where she was hurrying beside him.

To Zinnia’s mingled delight and embarrassment, Obsidian stepped right into her boat, still cradling her in his arms. He hadn’t seemed to struggle at all as he carried her the short distance, and made it look effortless as he lowered her onto the seat. The boat was sitting low in the water, but it showed no sign of tipping.

“You were hiding in Wisteria’s boat earlier, weren’t you?” she said, suddenly putting the pieces together.

He nodded, settling back against the other side of the small craft, his eyes fixed on her face.

She gave him a look. “I’m not about to break, you know.”

“You should be,” he said. “I’m an enchanter, remember? I can sense power, so I got a pretty good feel for what that dragon just poured into you.”

“But it turns out people don’t break,” Zinnia said lightly. “Just our bodies.” She considered him. “How did you follow us in here?”

Obsidian twitched the traveling cloak he was wearing, which was still dripping from his time in the water. “Prince Amell’s cloak is an artifact. It counteracts concealment magic, and it showed me the trapdoor.”

“But you said you came last night,” Zinnia said, not quite meeting his eye. “How…”

Obsidian let out an unexpected laugh, the sound a little too tight for humor. “You mean when you tried to drug me? No offense, Zinnia, but you were incredibly obvious. I just pretended to drink the wine, concealed myself with my own magic, and followed you.”

She glared at him, although she wasn’t really annoyed. Hadn’t she wished he could follow her down? She was saved the necessity of replying as the last of her sisters climbed into a boat, and the vessels began to move. The speed made it necessary for her and Obsidian to both lower themselves as far as possible, with the result that their bodies were crammed together in the small space. Zinnia found herself looking anywhere but at the soldier, but it didn’t help much. Her every nerve was sensitized to his proximity.

She could feel his gaze burning a hole into the side of her head, and after a moment he surprised her by reaching over and squeezing her hand. She looked across at him, startled. He didn’t smile—his expression was far too serious for that—but there was a warmth in his eyes she didn’t remember seeing before. She felt her cheeks heating slightly, but she didn’t look away. Telling herself not to overthink it, she returned the pressure of his hand before letting her head rest against his shoulder.

“You’re not fighting alone, Zinnia.” His words were so low she could barely hear them over the rushing sound of the boat’s passage. And yet they filled up every inch of her. She suddenly felt so light she could float up to the stone ceiling.

When they reached the narrow staircase, everyone scrambled up it with more haste than dignity. Even the brief glimpse of the reality of their underground prison seemed to have given Zinnia’s sisters a distaste for it.

Zinnia emerged last into the nursery, with the exception of Obsidian, who insisted on bringing up the rear. As soon as the trapdoor melted away into blank stone floor, a flurry of questions rose on all sides.

Zinnia held up her hands for silence, with absolutely no effect. She exchanged a frustrated look with Violet, reluctant to raise her voice over the babble for fear of rousing the guards.

She had no need. Obsidian shifted slightly forward, until he stood beside her, and cleared his throat.

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