Page 112 of A Wayward Movement

He carefully lifted her, pulling her form against his and holding her weight as he squeezed her to him. The presence of the linking enchantment was stronger than ever, but there was no pressure, no tug. It was fully satisfied.

“Benji.” Alina’s murmur was soft in his ear. “The…others.”

One of the guards had just discovered Benji, freeing him the same way Xavier had freed Alina.

Well, minus the part where he was clutching her to him like he’d drown if he let her go.

“I’ve got the young lad,” the guard said gruffly, carefully assisting Benji to rise.

Benji gave no sign of relief at his rescue, his face pale and his eyes unfocused as he slumped against his liberator so that the guard had to bear his full weight. What was happening to them?

“Check every cell.” Xavier rapped out the order. “Move them carefully, there’s obviously some kind of risk of over-exertion.” He looked along the row, his forehead furrowing. “No, wait,” he said reluctantly. “There aren’t enough of us. We need to get these two safely out and bring more men down.”

Faint rustling reached his ears from several sides, and his heart twisted.

“Don’t be afraid,” he said. “I’m Prince Xavier, and I have all the authority of the crown. I swear to you, I will return and free every one of you immediately. I just have to first ensure that our path out is safe and no one will be attacked when leaving this place.”

“You can…trust him.” Alina’s faint whisper seemed to fill the space. “He won’t…fail.”

Something deep inside Xavier broke at her words. But it wasn’t a weakening kind of break. It was a kind of breaking that felt like he was being rebuilt even stronger than before. He knew it wasn’t the moment, but he was unable to stop himself from burying his face in Alina’s hair, breathing her in with the sensation of taking his first truly deep breath in ten years.

Benji had a different reaction to her declaration. “Alina…stop…risking…”

Benji’s voice trailed off, but Xavier understood. It was dangerous for Alina even to speak.

“Just rest,” he murmured in her ear. “I’ll take care of everything. I promise.”

He scooped her into his arms with the words, his movements as gentle as possible. She didn’t have the strength to lift her head, but when it was resting against his shoulder, her eyes found his with an expression of such trust it stole his breath.

One of the other guards led the way out of the chamber, Xavier following slowly so as not to jostle Alina. Zuzu flapped along beside him, clearly knowing he already had enough weight to carry. The others followed, one of them carrying Benji draped carefully over his shoulder. They’d just gone past a small side track Xavier hadn’t noticed on the way in, when a sound up ahead made the guard in front pause.

“In there,” he breathed, motioning into the fissure.

They all filed in, moving silently and holding their breath. A moment later, three figures ran past in the direction of the chamber, one of them holding a lantern. They were clearly not guards or other members of the investigation team.

Xavier exchanged a tense look with the guard closest to him.

“Stay here, Your Highness,” the man said grimly, nodding to his two unburdened fellows. The three of them shifted into stances of readiness as they moved back into the main tunnel.

“Those men went to where all the others are still trapped,” Xavier murmured to the guard remaining with him.

The man nodded.

“Do you think they know it’s been discovered?”

“They will once they see the two empty alcoves,” his guard reminded him.

Xavier’s jaw set. “The question is, what will they do about it? Will they kill them rather than let us free them? Will they try to kill us all since no one else knows what we found?”

The guard had no answers for him, but he hadn’t expected any. For a moment, Xavier wrestled with himself, wishing he didn’t have to make this choice. But there was no way around it.

“Alina,” he said, propping her up carefully so that she sat against the edge of the fissure, well back from the main tunnel. “Stay hidden, and I’ll be back for you as soon as it’s safe.” He locked eyes with the guard. “Stay with them. If there’s fighting, do everything you can to keep them out of it.”

The man nodded, depositing Benji similarly to Alina and drawing his sword.

“You stay, too, Zuzu,” Xavier told the anzu firmly. “Protect her for me.”

With a last, anguished look at the immobile Alina, Xavier emerged into the tunnel and ran toward the chamber.