CHAPTER 40 #2
Father strolled through the door and lowered himself heavily into an armchair. Axel glanced at the baby in his arms before lifting his eyes to the king. “Would you like to hold Amadeus, Father?”
“No, that’s all right; I’ll take a turn later.”
They sat in silence for a minute before Katy spoke up. “Something still bothers me. Don’t the magic-canceling cuffs have a limited life?”
“Yes, but don’t worry, Katy,” Axel replied, giving her a reassuring smile. “King Fidel should take away our miscreants before the cuffs expire.”
“That’s not what I mean.” She rubbed a finger along his shoulder. “Fabian and Ulrich went to all this trouble to obtain a centuries-old magical object. But shouldn’t its magic be gone by now?”
“That’s a good point.” Turning, he looked at his father. “Does the fire dragon still work?”
King Steffan folded his hands in his lap. After staring at them for a moment, he quietly said, “It does. I wouldn’t have hidden it away otherwise.”
“But how?” Katy pressed.
He lifted his eyes to the evening sunlight streaming through the window. “With an ordinary enchanted object, a magic-user puts a portion of their magic into it, which decays over time. But with items like the fire dragon, they use a piece of their magic pool.”
“Why not do that every time?” Otto asked, lifting an eyebrow. “I would think King Fidel’s prison guards would prefer to have cuffs ready at all times.”
“Because it can’t be replaced.” Father’s voice was solemn.
“To create an object in which the magic replenishes, the magic-user irrevocably places part of himself in it. To put it more concretely, if his ability generates ten cups of magic every day and he puts one cup of his ability in the object, he will only generate nine cups from then on.”
“So it can only be done a finite number of times,” Otto said, nodding.
“And reduces the power of the magic-user each time,” Axel added. “I can see why it’s not as common.”
Katy’s hand traced his shoulders before rubbing a knot next to his spine. “I suppose it’s good to know they didn’t cause all this grief over nothing. And at least we only have one more problem to clean up.”
“Which one?”
She pressed a little harder. “Convincing the council that your sister shouldn’t have to marry in a month.”
“Did we forget to mention that?” Axel asked, looking up in surprise. “They considered that question after finishing with Lotti.”
Katy’s hand paused. “And did they agree?”
“No.” He shook his head in annoyance. “She is already twenty-five, after all. They extended the deadline to the end of the year, but she’s still required to find a husband.”
“She will likely not be pleased,” Father sighed.
One of Amadeus’s arms slipped out of the blanket. Offering a finger to the grasping hand, Axel grinned and said, “Ah, that’s why you’re here; you’re putting off telling her.”
“Of course not,” Father huffed. Carefully lining his arms up on the armrests, he said, “Katrin was correct that we have another item to resolve. I would like to take care of it.”
“What’s left?” Katy asked, finally sitting in the seat next to Axel.
Father glanced toward the wall where Otto stood. “Now that Ulrich has been stripped of his title, I find myself short a noble to manage his lands. He has no children, and I am disinclined to allow the title of Graf to pass to his nearest relative.”
“This seems like a strange time for that conversation,” Axel commented, raising an eyebrow.
Ignoring him, Father continued, “The original nobles were chosen from trusted knights who provided great service to the king. It seems reasonable to me that I honor that tradition.”
Otto’s arms slowly dropped, his eyes widening as they shot from Axel to the king.
“I’ve heard that one of my trusted guards is considering retirement,” Father mused. “As this guard has been instrumental in protecting my son and his wife, as well as playing key roles in the downfall of both Ulrich and Fabian, it seems only fitting that I give the position to him.”
The hint of a smile played around Father’s regal expression as he monitored Otto’s reaction. It was quite amusing; Axel didn’t often see Katy’s cousin with his mouth hanging open in surprise. A hint of horror in his expression as he pushed off the wall made it all the better.
“With the final fact that he is cousin to the crown princess, no one should have reason to object to such a reward for his bravery. Don’t you agree?”
“What? No, Your Majesty, I can’t—”
“This is perfect!” Katy cackled. Her eyes danced as she grinned wickedly at her cousin. “If I have to be a princess, it’s only fair that you have to join the nobility.”
How Axel loved this family.
“Kat, hush,” Otto said frantically. He took a half step forward, then paused, as if unsure of the appropriate action for this situation.
“Surely there is someone better suited than I to this—honor. Bertram has been guarding His Highness for longer than I have been in the guard, let alone a personal guard. He would—”
“Don’t pretend that your relationship with Axel is so formal, Lord Otto.
I know that you two are close friends.” Father pushed to his feet.
“It’s already done. If you don’t want the title, commit an act of treason, and I’ll take it away.
” Strolling toward the door, he threw over his shoulder in a most unkingly fashion, “Somehow, I don’t think you will. Good night.”
As Otto stood there gaping like a fish, one hand extended toward the king’s retreating back, Axel tipped his head back and laughed. “You look exactly like Katy when Father announced that we had one month until our wedding.”
“But he—but I—”
“Forget it, Otto; you’re stuck here now,” Katy told him cheerily, rising from her seat and crossing to give him a hug. “And I’m so glad. Congratulations!”
“But I’m just a guard from Flussendorf,” he stammered. “I don’t belong in the nobility.”
Standing, Axel used the hand that wasn’t holding his son to guide the stunned man to a chair. “No, you’re a Graf from Flussendorf. Welcome to the court.”