Page 39 of A Wayward Movement

“I was going to,” she said, her voice quiet. “But after my family’s circumstances changed, my father told me in no uncertain terms that it was off the table. There was no money for the fees.”

The prince’s handsome features were marred by a frown. “What about after he died?” he asked.

The curt question had Charles shifting in discomfort. The servant could obviously tell there was some background he was missing. He’d discreetly bowed out of the conversation.

“There was still no money,” Alina said, struggling to keep her tone polite. “Obviously.”

“But you could have applied for a scholarship,” Xavier said. “You could have asked…friends for help.”

She stared at him. Friends? What friends? Did he mean himself? She tried to imagine how that would have gone and found herself incapable of picturing it.

“I had no means of getting to the guild to apply for a scholarship,” she said. “Even if I’d thought I had enough skill for one, which I didn’t. Besides which, I didn’t want to return to the capital.”

“Of course not.” Xavier still spoke in that emotionless tone, and Alina could think of nothing else to say.

Fortunately, Zuzu chose that moment to claw her way out of the pocket which she was really growing too large for, climbing up Xavier’s shoulder with a considerable amount of complaint.

“The talons, Zuzu,” Xavier grumbled, but without heat.

“It will be much easier for you to get around once you learn to fly,” Alina told the anzu. “If you’re ready to eat solids and spout water, surely you’re ready to use your wings.”

She gave the bird a little prod, which Zuzu protested with a loud mewl. Since she accompanied the noise with an angry flapping of her wings, Alina clapped encouragingly.

“That’s it! Keep flapping them.”

“She’ll get there in her own time,” Xavier said, the hardness from before thankfully gone. “No need to rush her.”

“Nonsense.” Alina spoke briskly. “She just needs to keep working at it. That’s it, Zuzu, keep flapping.”

“Perhaps she’s overwhelmed by all the noise in here,” Charles suggested. “It’s a chaotic environment for such a little thing.”

“You might be right,” Alina conceded. “Keep flapping, Zuzu, that’s good. You’re generating lots of powerful Dust, let’s see if I can use it to help you out.”

She pulled on the magic flowing freely from Zuzu’s wings. It was stronger and more concentrated than movement from normal animals, and she had to fight not to let the sensation go to her head. It was wonderful.

She cast the magic out from herself, concentrating as she did so on the anzu’s slightly frantic energy, the agitation of its movements and the volume of its complaints. Inverting it in her mind, it wasn’t hard to direct the power. A muffling blanket settled over the area she’d selected, so that all noise from outside the small circle became softened and indistinct.

“There now,” she crooned to the bird. “Isn’t that better? Much easier to focus.”

The anzu did seem to be calmer, turning her head to the side, and experimenting with more controlled movements of her wings. Alina kept drawing on the Dust produced by these movements, channeling it more carefully to prolong the muffling.

“Careful,” Xavier said warningly. “My sense of magic isn’t as good as yours, but I can still tell that you’re maintaining it with your own energy. Don’t overdo it.”

“I’m fine,” Alina said dismissively. “Plenty of energy left in me.”

“You’re a handy person to have around,” Charles said, impressed. “I’ve often thought it’s such a shame magic can’t be stored. But having a skilled craftsman around is the next best thing, isn’t it?”

Alina agreed with him, although she was distracted by Xavier’s demeanor. The prince had shot a quick look at Charles when he spoke of magic, his expression strange.

“Your Highness.” The man who’d approached was the team member who’d been stationed in Alton before the rest of the group. He spoke to the prince, but his eyes were on Alina. “Just be cautious. The muffling effect doesn’t work both ways. Those outside the circle can still hear us, and I saw quite a few looking your way when you were discussing this young lady’s skill with magic. It makes her conspicuous in a way we likely don’t want. Folks around here are keeping quiet about their magic skills.”

Alina nodded in acknowledgment, although most of her focus was still on Zuzu. Xavier, however, seemed more troubled by the warning. He nodded his thanks to the man, then laid a hand on Alina’s arm.

“That’s enough.”

She let the Dust drop from her awareness, startled by the sudden contact. Her eyes traveled from the prince’s hand to his face, unsure what to make of the instinctive way she’d obeyed his command.

“Anyway,” she said, flustered, “if you want my advice, it won’t help to coddle Zuzu. The sooner she learns to fly, the better.”