Page 94 of Ties of Dust

Her father didn’t look impressed by that last comment, but his expression told Cassius he was considering the proposal.

“I don’t see why any marriage is necessary to the proposal you’ve made, Floriana,” the queen commented.

“It is absolutely necessary,” Cassius said. His tone was brutally frank as he added, “I had no interest whatsoever in pursuing an alliance with Dernan before learning Flora’s identity. The chameleon steel would be a welcome import, but it is not sufficient to form the basis of an agreement. As Flora said, our marriage would be the centerpiece of the alliance. Without it, Carrack will withdraw from the arrangement altogether.”

The king and queen exchanged glances, and Cassius continued.

“The circumstances are irregular, but it cannot be helped when my kingdom is on the brink of war. Detailscan be finalized later, but I need an answer as to whether Dernan is open to the proposed alliance.”

“We are willing to consider it,” the king said with dignity. “But I will not commit my kingdom to a war.”

“No one expects that, Father,” said Flora. “Dernan’s army isn’t tempting anyone into an alliance. It’s Siqual’s army Carrack needs.”

“If we act swiftly, my hope is that it won’t be necessary for any armies to gather,” Cassius said. “All I ask from you now, Your Majesty, is a letter to my father, bearing your royal seal, indicating your willingness to consider an alliance upon mutually agreeable terms relating to the export and import of cobaltite and chameleon steel, and formalized through a marriage between myself and Princess Floriana of Dernan.”

It was too much to hope that the king would immediately pen the required missive. But by drawing on all his diplomatic skills and feigning a patience he didn’t feel, Cassius was able to persuade the king to open negotiations with King Aelius. Many questions had to be answered first, and a formal lunch endured, all while Sir Keavling made who knew what progress on his plans. But finally, just before the dinner hour, Cassius had the desired letter in hand.

“Given the lateness of the hour, you will of course spend the night with us,” the queen said graciously.

“I can’t afford to delay,” Cassius said. “I must return to Crandell immediately.”

Flora laid a hand on his arm. “I know you’re eager to stop Sir Keavling,” she said. “So am I. But we can’t take half a plan to your father. We need to be able to tell him that Siqual is on board.”

Cassius groaned. She was right, but it would take solong.

“There’s something else.” Flora had stepped closer to him, her murmur low. “Something I didn’t mention.”

“What?” He searched her eyes.

“If we can get formal acceptance from the Siqualian king to enter into the alliance…”

His breath caught as he took her meaning. “You think it might be enough to break the tether?”

“Maybe,” she said. “The terms of it were an alliance with Siqual, weren’t they?”

He considered it. “I think the terms were specifically a marriage alliance.”

Flora shrugged. “We’ve just said that our marriage will be the centerpiece of the alliance.”

A smile grew slowly on Cassius’s face. “We won’t know until we try.” The lighthearted moment swiftly dimmed. “I wish we weren’t going to be so delayed returning to Crandell, though.”

“Actually, we might not be.” Flora grinned. “I have another secret up my sleeve.”

Cassius eyed her uneasily. “I’m not sure how many more I can take.”

“You’ll like this one,” she told him. “I promise.” She turned to her parents. “Well, we’ll be leaving now.”

Her mother protested. “You can’t ride out an hour before dark. It makes no sense, Floriana.”

“We won’t be riding,” she said. “Or at least, not a horse.” Her face was brighter than Cassius had seen it since they entered the kingdom. “This is exciting. It’s the one thing that made me sometimes feel sad about leaving Dernan forever.”

She seized Cassius’s hand and strode onto the balcony of the room where they were gathered. He watched,bemused, as she began to twirl her hands in a graceful rhythm.

“What are you doing?” Cassius asked.

“I’m going to magically enhance my whistle,” she said. “It doesn’t require much magic. It’s about the intricacy, not the volume of it.”

Next moment, she let out a high-pitched, melodious whistle. Her eyes were fixed on the sky, so Cassius looked that way as well, feeling apprehensive.

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