Page 22 of Ties of Dust

“Perhaps,” said the prince, sounding unconvinced. “Or perhaps our group would be invited to travel to Dernan’s capital, and politeness would require us to accept.”

This time he definitely caught Flora’s reaction. He raised aneyebrow at her.

“We’re still close to Siqual, so you’re likely more familiar with this region than we are, Flora. Do you have an opinion?”

“It’s not my place, Your Highness,” Flora said quickly, observing that the head guard was none too pleased at her inclusion.

“On the contrary, it’s precisely your place to answer a question directed at you,” said Prince Cassius with a touch of impatience.

“Well, then…” Flora hesitated. “It seems unlikely that a group of this size and importance is at any great risk on the public road. And I suspect the proposed route would lose more time than anticipated. The terrain is much flatter and more passable in this part of Torrens than in any part of Dernan.”

“Do you have experience of Dernan, then?” Prince Cassius asked.

“I’ve been there,” said Flora. “But not for some years. Before my time in Torrens.”

“I see.” The prince studied her so thoughtfully that she had to fight not to fidget under his scrutiny. “And you think we would not be as safe there?”

“Oh, no, Your Highness, I didn’t mean that,” she said. “I don’t have any reason to expect lawlessness in Dernan. I just meant that it will likely be a considerable inconvenience for no great benefit.”

“I’m inclined to agree,” said Prince Cassius, speaking now to the head guard. “My father’s fears seem unfounded. We have encountered no problems in Torrens. It’s in Siqual that we were caught up in an armed attack. We will stick to our original route.”

“Very good, Your Highness.”

The guard’s wooden reply convinced Flora that he stillresented her interference, so she tried to make herself unobtrusive once again. She knew that while normal bodyguards might reasonably have a say in comparing the safety of various routes as it affected their charges, it wasn’t really part of her role. They were all only pretending she was Prince Cassius’s bodyguard. At best she was a minor addition to his already formidable squadron of personal guards.

Remembering why her skills had been wanted, she shifted her focus to the surrounding area as the prince and the head guard discussed the journey further. The camp was almost packed up, and they would soon be on the road. But there was no doubt their presence overnight would have attracted notice. If someone had wanted to do the prince any harm, they would have had plenty of opportunity to figure out where he would come in the morning.

Surreptitiously, Flora retrieved a band from her pocket and tied her hair back into a loose tail. Then, with a move she’d perfected with extensive practice, she started tilting her head back and forth. The movement of her head was minimal, but soon her hair was swinging steadily from side to side. Her sense of magic was well-developed, and she could easily detect the Dust stirred up by the small motion. And of course, since her hair was part of her own body, the magic generated by its motion flowed instantly into her reach. The process of taking hold of it was effortless.

It was only the tiniest stream of Dust, so it barely required any mental wrestling to shape it into an enchantment. The nature of the movement affected the power as well. A simple swish of hair was never going to provide fuel for a counterattack, not the way her sling might. But she didn’t need a counterattack. She just wanted information.

She sent the power out from her, able to sense theprogress of the Dust as it dispersed across the clearing. She saw Lord Armand look up from where he was speaking to a trio of guards some distance away. His gaze passed curiously to her, apparently able to sense not only that she was manipulating Dust, but that it was a benign enchantment, no cause for concern.

She would still happily have pushed the overbearing nobleman into a pile of horse manure, but she did have to respect his magic craft. Not only had his tethering enchantment been sophisticated and sturdy, but he’d fueled it from the downpour of rain. Getting access to such a volume of magic from individual rain drops was advanced work.

Other than Lord Armand’s interest, Flora’s enchantment revealed nothing in particular. No other magic was currently at work, and there was no one the magic classified as hiding. When a guard led horses over shortly afterward, she waited at attention until the prince was mounted.

“Assist Flora to mount, please.” The prince’s simple command surprised Flora. Did he think she hadn’t yet mounted because she wasn’t capable of doing so without assistance? It wasn’t as though she was riding side-saddle.

“No need,” she assured the approaching guard, waving him off.

If the prince was inclined to consider her helpless, he’d do well to think again. Perhaps she was petty to make a show, but she wasn’t afraid to be petty.

She swung her hair once more, simultaneously whipping out a metal hoop the size of a saucer and slipping it over her hand. She rotated her arm swiftly, and in a matter of seconds, the hoop was swirling so quickly that it became a blur. Between the motion of her own body—mainly her hair—and the movement of the hoop, enoughDust was stirred up to allow for an enhancing enchantment.

Flora placed her other hand on the pommel of her horse’s saddle, then channeled all the power at her disposal into that arm. As she pulled herself up, she felt the brief surge of unnatural strength that allowed her to pull herself straight off the ground and onto the horse with just one slight hand.

The act of doing so caused her repetitive motions to cease, and the burst of strength was short-lived. But it was enough. Flora settled herself on the saddle, arranging the short skirt of her over-tunic around her legs.

“Impressive.”

She looked up to see Prince Cassius watching her in fascination. “That was quite a maneuver.”

She smiled mechanically, not seeking or needing the praise. The whole thing had been swift. To an outside observer, she would have appeared to swing her arm as if commencing a dance, then leap lightly up onto a full-sized horse’s back, using only one hand for light support. She could imagine it might seem impressive. But to someone who understood the mechanics of how she’d used the Dust, it was actually a very simple trick.

She could have mounted the horse without magic, of course, and perhaps it had been foolish to use magic unnecessarily. But it was worth it. She’d proved her point to the prince—if it had been necessary—but she’d acted as much for her own benefit. There was something powerful about occasionally experiencing the physical strength that reminded her that, thanks to her magical capabilities, she was no longer as vulnerable as she looked.

The day of riding wore away at Flora’s resilience, but she did her best to keep her senses sharp. She sent outregular scouting enchantments to check for danger or active magic ahead. She didn’t even have to create her own movement to do it. Every clop of her horse’s hooves stirred up a neat little deposit of Dust, and once she felt confident of the animal’s goodwill toward her it was simple enough to harness that motion.

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