Page 70 of A Wayward Movement

Benji spluttered, taken aback by her words, and unimpressed by the small wink she sent him before turning away. She could hear him grumbling to himself as he headed back toward home. Unrepentant, she turned to find Xavier leaning against the post of the inn’s elaborate entryway, his arms crossed and one eyebrow raised as he considered her. His hair was brushed to one side, and he was wearing new bracers which reflected the morning light dully. This time his jacket was a deep purple, still with the same large, silver buttons. He looked very dashing, she freely acknowledged to herself.

“Hunting me, are you?” The prince’s lips were already quirking in expectation of laughter.

“Not you, precisely,” she told him angelically. “But certainly your deep pockets. I’m setting myself up for life with the exorbitant wage you’re paying me.”

“Hardly.” Xavier pushed himself upright, moving toward her with a few firm strides.

Alina swallowed. She’d been trying not to dwell on it, but now he was before her again, certain memories screeched for her attention. Xavier, lying across her lap through that endless night in a posture of total trust. His arm strong and protective around her as she rested against him in the carriage.

It didn’t help when he paused just in front of her, his eyes scanning her features with an earnestness that brought forcibly to mind the desperate way he’d pleaded with her not to get hurt in his defense.

“I’m glad to see you up,” he said. “How are you feeling?”

“All better,” Alina assured him. “You?”

“Never stronger,” Xavier said. “The effects of the basilisk were fully gone within a day.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Alina said. “I don’t suppose there’s anything new with the investigation?”

“There is, actually,” Xavier said. “We received word yesterday evening that there’d been another disappearance, this time from the city just inside the forest.”

Alina stiffened. Where her aunt’s family lived? Surely not Robbie or one of her other cousins?

“It was too late to set out, so some of the group planned to leave first thing this morning,” Xavier went on. “But then a messenger arrived just after dawn, saying that the young man reported missing had turned up at the bailiff.”

“He escaped the kidnappers?” Alina gasped. “He might be able to tell us who’s behind it!”

“That’s what we’re hoping,” said Xavier. “But it’s not clear whether he escaped, or whether they were mistaken about him being taken in the first place. Either way, we were hoping to go today. You’ve timed your recovery well.”

“Of course,” Alina agreed. “I’m ready.” She hesitated. “That is, if you still want my assistance.”

“Are you kidding?” Xavier took the liberty of flicking her braid back over her shoulder with a casual gesture. It was a welcome sign that he’d recovered his spirits since their last meeting. “After your performance in the desert, I’m too afraid to go anywhere without you. You’re now my official personal protector.”

“After my performance in the desert, I think the captain would like to see me in chains,” Alina muttered dryly. A mulish look crossed the prince’s face, and she hastened to add, “I’m only joking.”

Xavier said nothing, just gestured for her to precede him inside.

Alina opted to ride to the city. At first, the fresh air did her good, and she could enjoy the beauty of the route better on horseback. The transition from her area’s more sparse vegetation into true forest felt like stepping from one world into another. The trees grew in size, with the view on either side of the road soon obscured by thick trunks that had the group’s guards more than usually vigilant. The city wasn’t far inside the forest, but by the time the walls came into view, the branches met overhead so thickly that they could barely see the sky.

By then, Alina was regretting her decision to ride. She did her best to hide it, not wanting Xavier to see how much the ride had exhausted her. Clearly she’d overestimated her strength. She’d felt fine at the start of the day, but her energy was much more easily depleted than she was used to.

She felt herself relax when they entered the city. She was very familiar with it from her time living there. Under her direction, the group made their way to the bailiff, their progress swift as the regular bustle of city life cleared at sight of the prince.

The bailiff’s office was spacious and well-appointed, a testament to the prosperity of the local lord who employed him. From the way the man greeted both Xavier and Captain Mitchell, Alina gathered that he’d met them before. Her respect for him rose when he didn’t try to summarize the report he’d received from the man who’d been reported missing, instead taking them straight to the source.

The would-be victim was staying in a lodging-house very close to the bailiff, apparently having been told to stick close until the investigation team arrived. He was a little older than Alina, his clothes indicating neither affluence nor poverty, and his speech clear but lacking the polish of one who’d received extensive education. He was so tongue-tied at being addressed by his prince that the captain had to take over the questioning. Alina hung respectfully back, listening as the man described how he’d come to be passing through the city in search of work.

“So your skill in magic is sufficient to earn your keep with it?” Captain Mitchell asked.

The man ducked his head in a self-deprecating gesture. “I don’t know, sir. I’d hoped so, anyway. But I haven’t yet had much chance to find out. And now I don’t reckon I’ll be using magic much for a while. Seems too risky.”

“What exactly happened?” the captain asked.

The man shuffled his shoulders to get more comfortable in his seat. “Well, I don’t rightly know,” he admitted. “I was walking along, just near one of the timber mills, when all of a sudden, something hit me from behind.”

“A weapon?” Captain Mitchell prompted.

He shook his head. “Don’t know. Not a physical one, I don’t think. It didn’t hurt in the normal way. It was more that once it got me, I found I couldn’t make a sound if my life depended on it. I also couldn’t draw on magic. Not for lack of trying, I can tell you. It was my first thought, to protect myself with magic. But I couldn’t get a grasp on it.”