She smiled, lifting the large fan-like instrument and showing him how it folded back into an object no longer than a quill, and not much thicker.
“Simeon always carries one of these,” she informed Theo matter-of-factly. “And fortunately, I’ve been taught how to use it. I harnessed the Dust it stirred up to make a magical shield in front of myself.” She winced as she raised a hand to her neck. “Not a very good shield, but good enough, thankfully.”
Following the movement with his eyes, Theo was horrified to see a diagonal red mark along her neck. He sucked his breath in through his teeth, his fingers hovering over the spot but not touching for fear of hurting her.
“I could feel it slashing me,” Elowen said. “But it was dulled, and not enough to make me bleed.”
Black fury coursed through Theo at the thought that Bertrand had aimed for Elowen’s neck. He turned, his gaze murderous as it fell on the disgraced viscount.
“Don’t worry about him,” Elowen said. “He’ll lose everything because of his actions, you shouldn’t waste your energy on him.”
“I don’t understand it, Bertrand.” The words burst from Prince Patrick. “How could you do it? Why would you risk everything for such petty, personal reasons? I know we once spoke of the possibility of you marrying Elowen, but it was never promised to you.”
Irritation flared in Elowen’s eyes at this information, but it was Simeon who spoke.
“Your Highness.” He struggled to his feet, assisted by Sophia. “I know I have no standing, but may I speak?”
“Of course you can,” Elowen said. “Patrick needs to hear what you have to say.”
The prince didn’t look as convinced, but he inclined his head stiffly.
“First, Your Highness, I acknowledge my crime in breaking out of the dungeons,” Simeon said. “I swear I wouldn’t have done it had I not been convinced that Prince Theodore’s life hung in the balance.”
“Which it did,” Elowen cut in earnestly.
“Do you wish to make excuses for yourself, or do you have information to share?” Prince Patrick asked coolly.
Dust and motion, he was obnoxious. How had Elowen lived with him all these years? Surely she’d prefer the company of Xavier and Miriam when she came to live in Sindon.
“I believe, Your Highness,” Simeon hurried on, “that the viscount had another motivation beyond his personal resentment. I’ve suspected for some time now that he was communicating with someone clandestinely, and more than once I’ve overheard a comment that made me wonder if he was being prompted by some other party to prevent the alliance.”
Bertrand yanked his arm defiantly in a half-hearted attempt to get free of his captor, his eyes full of hatred as they rested on the servant.
“If you mean my father, Simeon, you’re wrong,” Lady Sophia said earnestly. “I know he doesn’t like the marriage. It’s no secret that he’d hoped Bertrand would marry Elowen and that he resents us forming an alliance with Siqual.”
Prince Patrick looked startled by this information, but Sophia wasn’t finished.
“But he would never condone Bertrand attacking a foreign prince. They’ve been arguing constantly because of Bertrand’s behavior toward Prince Theodore, you know they have.”
“I didn’t mean him,” Simeon assured her. “I meant that I think someone has been paying the viscount to do their dirty work, someone who instructed him to stop the alliance at all costs. I think it’s the same party that’s been using the viscountto set up these disasters across the country, and I don’t for a moment believe the duke had a hand in those.”
“You mean the crimes you already confessed to?” Prince Patrick asked dryly.
“I did, Your Highness,” Simeon said calmly. “I did it to protect someone the viscount was threatening, but it was the wrong decision. I swear I won’t resist the guards when they return me to the dungeons, and if I can be given a hearing before His Majesty, I will plead my case and hope to convince him of the truth with the evidence available.”
“Of course you’re not going back to the dungeons,” Elowen said, exasperated. “Patrick, you’re becoming distracted from the point. What do you care about Simeon’s reasons for covering for Bertrand? What I want to know is who was in Bertrand’s ear to intentionally cause harm to his own kingdom?”
“It’s not a plausible tale,” Prince Patrick said. “Even leaving Bertrand out of it, why wouldn’t an enemy of Torrens choose more strategic targets than abandoned buildings and out of the way villages?”
“The purpose of stopping the alliance was to weaken Torrens,” Theo said. As an afterthought, he added, “And Siqual, most likely. The purpose of the disasters was quite different, I suspect.”
Prince Patrick frowned. “I’ve heard your theory that the purpose of these disasters was to elicit a large volume of magic for the purposes of trying to store it. But I agree with my father—no experiments have ever succeeded in achieving that goal, and there’s no evidence that situation has changed.”
Theo leaned down, carefully picking up the object he’d wrestled from Bertrand. He held it up, twisting it around so everyone could see. Then, striding away from the group, he lifted it just as Bertrand had done, and brought it slashing down in the direction of a tree several feet away.
Gasps went around the group as a sharp gash appeared in the bark.
“I didn’t know you were skilled in magic craft,” Prince Patrick said uneasily.
