Page 8 of Ties of Dust

“Your demand is outrageous!” the Siqualian prince growled. “I have stood in support of your kingdom’s proposed alliance, but I am seriously reconsidering that position.”

Annoyance flared in Cassius at the slight. “We will also need to reconsider our—”

“It is not for Siqual to renege on an alliance!” Affronted, Lord Armand once again cut him off. Prince Theodore’s declaration seemed to have been the final straw for the volatile lord. “You have everything to gain from a connection with Carrack. I will not allow our safety to be so compromised or our honor to be so insulted. I see you must be forced to fulfill your obligations to us.”

“Lord Armand, that’s enough.” Cassius’s own temper was raised now, as much by the nobleman’s liberties as by the attack. His carefully laid plans to strengthen relationships were in tatters—if the intention of the attackers had been to prevent the alliance, it appeared they may well succeed, in spite of the princess being unscathed. “You will desist, and that is an order.”

“I must apologize, Your Highness,” the nobleman said coldly, “but I have my orders clear from His Majesty. And I intend to see you back to our kingdom with your safety and Carrack’s honor intact.”

“It is for me to decide what Carrack’s honor requires,”Cassius said sharply. “And I—what are you doing, Lord Armand?”

The nobleman’s face was contorting strangely, the expression of great concentration distracting Cassius from his anger at the nobleman’s defiance.

Someone else recognized what it meant, however.

“What are you doing?” the bodyguard cried, in the same falsely gruff voice. “Princess Miriam, he’s harnessing magic—he’s crafting the movement of the rain into an enchantment!”

“Lord Armand!”

Cassius shifted angrily toward the other man, his voice mingling with Prince Theodore’s as the Siqualian prince also called out a sharp warning.

“That’s enough! If you use magic against—”

Prince Theodore’s words were cut off by a gasp from the bodyguard. The sound probably masked from the others Lord Armand’s quietly spoken words.

“You are so bound.”

Chapter

Three

Cassius opened his mouth in fury, but the bodyguard was faster than him in demanding an answer.

“What was that?” the young man cried.

Cassius didn’t need the bodyguard’s words to know that Lord Armand had done something terrible. Even with his limited skills in the craft, he’d felt the movement of significant magic in response to whatever the nobleman had molded.

“What did he do?” Princess Miriam asked, grabbing her bodyguard’s arm, her face a mask of concern. “I didn’t feel anything.”

“I did,” said the bodyguard, sounding shaken. Cassius could still see very little of his features, but the part of his face that was visible seemed pale, increasing the impression of his youth. “I can still feel it. He’s attached an enchantment to me.”

“To you?” Prince Theodore repeated sharply.

“Of course,” said Lord Armand. He spoke with dignity, but his form sagged wearily. It was an alarming sight to see how much the enchantment had depleted his energy,because it meant that the volume of magic he’d used had been immense.

“Whatever I think of today’s events,” the nobleman went on, “I am not so unmannerly as to attempt an enchantment on a member of the Siqualian royal family.” His gaze narrowed in on the bodyguard, his tone becoming significantly less respectful. “The enchantment will not harm you unless you or your masters intend to play Carrack false. You are tethered to Prince Cassius in body, and your safety is bound to his.”

“What have you done, Armand?” Cassius said furiously. “What does that mean?”

Lord Armand drew a slow breath, marshaling his energy to speak again. He was clearly unchastened by the prince’s tone. “Merely that this young man will dedicate his magical abilities to keeping you safe, Your Highness. He will not be able to go more than twenty feet from you until the enchantment has run its course, and if any harm befalls you, he will suffer twice the effect himself.”

Cries of anger went up from a number of the Siqualians, although Cassius noticed that the bodyguard himself was regarding Lord Armand in horrified silence. Cassius was too blinded by his own anger to spare much attention for the other unfortunate party to this disaster.

“How dare you, My Lord?” he cried. “That is not your place! You will lift the enchantment immediately!”

“It’s not that type of enchantment, Your Highness,” Lord Armand said stubbornly, still trying valiantly to keep his weary form upright. “I crafted it and put it in place. I do not continue to uphold it, and it’s not in my power to remove it. It will remain in force until it runs its course.”

“And when will that be?” Princess Miriam demanded.

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