“I think,” he said, his voice deep and somber, “that I will choose the favor I can keep.”
He lowered his hand with deliberate care, holding it out for the handkerchief.
Elowen stared into his eyes, clearly taken aback by his change in direction. Taken aback and, if he wasn’t mistaken, not entirely pleased. Smiling a little to himself at the chaos that was the human heart, Theo raised his eyebrows in a silent request.
Remembering herself, Elowen hastened to place the handkerchief into his hand. Theo turned and raised his fist to the sky, the white fabric fluttering merrily in the breeze. The crowdroared its approval, delighted by the spectacle. Elowen might not be won by prowess with a sword, but it certainly seemed to have warmed the crowd to Theo.
King Ronan moved forward, adding his congratulations to his daughter’s. Bertrand was nowhere to be seen, but Theo didn’t spare him more than a passing thought. The viscount had been sufficiently humiliated. As the group moved down from the dais, however, Theo caught sight of Paulson standing at the edge of the field, and he sobered.
“Your Majesty,” he said quietly to King Ronan. “I need to speak to you about the duke’s investigation.”
“The investigation?” the king repeated, surprised. “Now?”
“Yes, it shouldn’t wait,” Theo said. “I fear that you haven’t been given all the information, sir.”
The king studied him thoughtfully. “Very well. I’ll call the duke to—”
“Actually, Your Majesty,” Theo cut him off, “it may be best to hear it alone first. Can my guard and I come to your study before the noon meal?”
King Ronan looked bewildered at the mention of a guard, but he asked no questions. “Yes, I’ll be ready to receive you in half an hour,” he said. “In the meantime, please, enjoy your victory.” His eyes lingered on his daughter as he said it, their gaze softer. “All of your victories.”
The king was mistaken if he thought Theo would be given the chance to celebrate with Elowen. He was engulfed by members of the court eager to congratulate him, but the princess was whisked back to the castle by her mother within minutes of the tournament ending. When half an hour had elapsed, Theo made his way with heavy steps toward the king’s study, Paulson trailing him.
They were obviously expected, because one of the guards on duty opened the door to let them in. King Ronan was sittingbehind a broad desk with his back to the window, and he waved Theo into a chair across from him. Paulson stood at position behind and to the side of Theo’s chair.
“What’s troubling you, Your Highness?”
“The investigation,” Theo said promptly. “As you know, I accompanied His Grace to the site of the landslide.”
“Yes,” the king confirmed.
“Your Majesty, did you receive a report regarding a young man wearing a scarf, who was seen at the top of the slope prior to the landslide?”
The king looked perplexed. “A scarf?”
“A purple scarf,” Theo said, nodding.
“The duke mentioned that there was one eyewitness who thought he saw someone suspicious at the time of the landslide, but he expressed the view that the witness wasn’t very reliable, given no one else saw anyone. And he didn’t mention anything to me about a scarf, purple or otherwise.”
Theo’s heart sank. He’d hoped to be wrong, for his warning not to be needed.
“Your Majesty, at the time you graciously consented for me to take part in that particular investigative trip, you said that the duke had a promising line of inquiry. Has that eventuated?”
The king leaned back in his chair, looking weary. “Unfortunately not. The latest report is that the trail he was following has dried up. We currently are no closer to understanding the cause of either the disasters or the magical imbalance, or even to confirming if they’re linked.”
“I think they must be,” Theo said. “Even without magical training, I felt a disruption while undertaking the maze run. It was close in time to the landslide.”
“Yes, many people felt that,” the king said heavily. “Proof or not, I have strongly suspected a connection for some time.”
“It’s struck me, Your Majesty, that all of the disasters are of a type that would generate a significant amount of Dust. For example, the dam bursting. But my guard, Paulson, felt only a fraction of the magic he would have expected on that occasion. He’s currently undergoing extensive training in the craft.”
“Is that so?” The king considered Paulson, who bent into a swift military bow.
“I have a suspicion, Your Majesty,” Theo pressed on, “that the purpose of these disasters was specifically to release a huge quantity of Dust, with the intention of attempting to store it.”
“Store it?” King Ronan repeated, startled. “That’s not possible.”
“As far as current magical understanding says, no it isn’t,” Theo agreed. “I’ve availed myself of your excellent library to refresh my knowledge of the matter. But it has been explored in the past, with just such experiments as these. Although in those cases, they were more organized and less destructive.”
