Page 27 of Ties of Dust

“Perhaps you’re right, Your Highness,” the guard said. “We may learn more when we reach Crandell. Several of my men have stayed behind. Two will make their way by other means to Toledda to report the attack to the Torrenese king, and the others will use their horses to transport the bodies of the attackers to our own capital for further investigation.”

“Very good,” said Prince Cassius, his voice carrying that haughty edge that made him sound bored.

The guard recognized the dismissal, peeling off at once.Prince Cassius turned slightly and locked eyes with Flora. He seemed surprised how close she rode, and he hesitated for a moment, as if intending to speak to her. But with the next breath he’d turned forward again, urging his horse onward.

The group pushed on at a rapid pace until they crossed the border. Thanks to their scouts, the guards at the border were ready to receive them, and Flora felt the tension of the whole convoy ease once they’d cleared the checkpoint. Well, perhaps with the exception of Lord Armand. She saw the prince exchanging what looked like terse words with him at the border post, and she had a feeling her injury was the topic of their conversation. She didn’t approach close enough to hear for sure, but Lord Armand looked very subdued as they continued east toward the capital, Crandell, their numbers swelled by some extra men from the border post.

Whatever Lord Armand felt, the prince’s mood certainly seemed to have improved with their arrival in Carrack. Not long after they got back on the road, he pulled up a little so as to ride alongside Flora.

“How’s your shoulder?” he asked.

“It’s manageable,” she told him.

He gave her a skeptical look, and she smiled.

“I’d say it hurts about twice as much as yours does.”

The groan the prince let out was so low she almost missed it. He didn’t speak for a moment, then he abruptly changed the subject.

“Have you been to Carrack before? Since you’ve apparently had adventures in Dernan, I wondered if I need fear any guards recognizing you as a troublemaker in Crandell.”

Flora gave a faint chuckle, the best she could muster through the pain of her jolted shoulder.

“No need to fear, Your Highness. This is my first time in your kingdom.”

He nodded. “I imagine things will be tense given recent events, but I hope to find time to show you some of the beauties for which Carrack is famous.”

She raised her eyebrows at him. “Like the pantherines? I’d love to see those.”

He laughed at her mention of the winged snow leopards whose wings supposedly emitted movement that was already formed into specific enchantments. Not that the pantherines themselves could harness them.

“I’m afraid not,” he said. “They’re only to be found in the mountain range on the northern coast, a long way from Crandell. But it’s probably for the best. You wouldn’t be likely to see them so much as to never know what hit you when you become their lunch. They swoop from above, you know.”

“Shame,” said Flora prosaically. “Well, perhaps I could settle for a visit to a cobaltite mine.”

“A cobaltite mine?” Cassius repeated, taken aback.

“I thought Carrack had the largest cobaltite mines in the region.”

“We do,” he confirmed. “Almost all of the thus-far discovered cobaltite on the Peninsula is found within our borders. I’m just surprised you’ve heard of the ore. It’s not something that usually draws visitors. To be honest, it’s not useful for very much.”

Flora shrugged. “I studied more than just magic at school. I learned the main exports and imports of each kingdom in the region. And I always thought cobaltite was interesting, with how it retains its strength under such high temperatures.”

“Yes, it’s an unusual type of ore,” Cassius said, his tonepolite rather than genuinely interested. “At any rate, I hope our unfortunate circumstances don’t prevent you from enjoying your time in Carrack. We’re very proud of our kingdom, and although I’m not impartial, I think we have reason.”

“Of course we do.”

The interjection made Flora jump, and she thought the prince started as well. Neither of them had realized how close Lord Armand had pulled up.

“Carrack is the greatest kingdom on the Peninsula. The fact is indisputable.”

Flora raised an eyebrow. Indisputable?

“Some might dispute it,” said Prince Cassius, as if in acknowledgment of her thoughts. “I’m sure you have appropriate pride in Siqual. But I confess, I agree with Lord Armand.”

Flora studied him thoughtfully, seeing that he was to be taken at face value. She was by no means blinded by loyalty to Siqual, and she tried to consider the matter dispassionately as they continued their ride eastward.

Carrack did have reason for satisfaction. It sat at the northern gate of the Peninsula, connecting their otherwise isolated region to the continent. Carrack was not as vulnerable to the prejudice that made the rest of the continent look down on the Peninsula, but it still boasted the primary benefit of the region—namely its own stretch of accessible coastline in the kingdom’s south. The terrain further north meant that most of the kingdoms of the continent were blocked from any navigable coastline by impassable mountain ranges and rocky seas.

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