Page 33 of Ties of Dust

Flora inclined her head in acknowledgment, keeping her mouth closed as any sensible guard would do.

“Your new what?” The king was clearly incredulous, his brows rising as he noticed Flora at last.

“She is a gift from Siqual,” Cassius said, waving a hand as if the matter was inconsequential. “As a show of goodwill after the attack on Princess Miriam. As you have discerned, tensions were high. It was a gesture to demonstrate their continued desire to work together toward an alliance.”

He’d gone beyond stretching the truth now. He was mangling it. But having started down this road, he couldn’t be half-hearted in following through.

The king continued to stare at Flora in astonishment. “They sent a young woman as a supposed guard?”

“Yes,” said Cassius blandly.

“And you took no offense at that?” A familiar storm was growing on King Aelius’s brow. “Surely it is an insult.”

“If not worse,” interjected Sir Keavling. “Have you considered whether she is a spy, Your Highness?”

“Highly unlikely,” said Cassius dryly, “given it was Lord Armand’s idea that she accompany us as a sign of goodwill. If he hadn’t suggested it, she would have returned to Sindon with the Siqualian delegation, to continue her role as a bodyguard to Princess Miriam. She wasn’t even given any opportunity to receive instructions from the Siqualians after Lord Armand’s request was made and granted.”

“What?” The king turned to Lord Armand. “Make sense of this for me, My Lord, because I am at a loss.”

The nobleman cleared his throat, stepping forward. “Itis as the prince says, Your Highness. I understand that the situation is unusual.”

“Unusual?” King Aelius repeated. “It’s improper to the point of offense. You mean to tell me that the Siqualian king assigned the role of his daughter’s bodyguard to a woman? One who looks barely more than a child?”

He cast a look of dislike in Flora’s direction, and Cassius had to bite back a retort that would have done no one any good.

“I also was surprised by the choice, Your Majesty,” Lord Armand assured him. “Until I witnessed the attack on Princess Miriam. This young woman’s intervention undoubtedly saved the princess’s life. She is clearly not a traditional guard. But her grasp of magic craft is remarkable, and makes her a valuable addition to any protective detail. She demonstrated as much when she was the sole member of the party to identify that archers were hidden in the trees prior to the attack on Prince Cassius.”

“Did she now?” The king cast a speculative glance over Flora. “She didn’t prevent them from harming the prince, though, did she?” His eyes lingered on her shoulder, although he didn’t deign to inquire about her injury.

“She’s not to blame for that,” said Cassius. “She provided a warning, and the rest of my guards took over management of the matter.”

“Mismanagement, you mean,” the king said darkly.

“Yes.” Cassius didn’t hesitate to agree.

His father let out a long sigh before apparently deciding he was done with discussion of the Siqualian girl.

“I still find the whole situation irregular and unbecoming,” he said. “But it is your affair whom you assign to your personal guard, Cassius.”

If only it was, Cassius thought wryly.

The king was giving a nod of dismissal. “You will have a real physician look over your wound.”

“Yes, Father, I will,” Cassius acknowledged. Was it pure optimism to search his father’s voice for a hint of true concern? He despised his own weakness in needing it.

With one last, shrewd look at Sir Keavling, Cassius turned away, Flora and Lord Armand following him as he left the armory. It felt strange to have the nobleman working with him to win his father over, but he was grateful for the other man’s aid. Galling as it was to admit, Lord Armand’s support had given him credibility in his father’s eyes. The king was used to thinking of the nobleman as being inflexible when it came to upholding Carrack’s honor.

“I will leave you, Your Highness,” Lord Armand said, once they were clear of the royal guards’ area.

Cassius nodded, eager to be rid of him. He would have been glad to be rid of everyone and to have some solitude to think. But that wasn’t an option just yet. He flagged down a passing servant.

“Arrange for the king’s physician to be sent to my suite,” he told the girl.

Her eyes darted between him and Flora as she bobbed a curtsy. “Yes, Your Highness.”

She scurried off, and Cassius turned to Flora. “Come,” he said. “I’ll show you to your rooms.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” She didn’t meet his eyes.

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