Page 45 of A Wayward Movement

“The group?” Her aunt didn’t look pleased. “You’re going to continue helping with the investigation?”

Alina just shrugged, no fight left.

Her aunt let out a sigh, then rounded the table and enveloped Alina in a hug. “Be careful, yes?”

“I will.” Alina’s voice came out muffled by her aunt’s shoulder. She longed to relax into the embrace, to feel safe and cared for. But her body remained tense, her mind unsatisfied.

The ride back to Alton passed quickly, but it was still too much time for reflection, given the heaviness of Alina’s thoughts. Not wanting more solitude, she didn’t seek her room when they reached the inn, instead making her way toward the public dining room.

She’d expected the group to still be out, so was surprised when Xavier hailed her as she passed the private parlor.

“Alina, there you are! No one seemed to know where you’d gotten to. Why didn’t you join the team after lunch?”

“Captain Mitchell said I wasn’t needed,” Alina said, her voice sounding dull.

Xavier frowned as he searched her face, not seeming pleased, although she wasn’t sure if it was her words or her demeanor that was bothering him.

“Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” she said quickly. “What did you learn?”

“Nothing much,” he said. “We can’t be sure of our information, given the time that’s passed. But as far as we can discover, the only vehicle known to leave town around the time the girl went missing was a supply cart heading for the refinement site.”

It was Alina’s turn to frown. “We need to get out there.”

“Yes,” Xavier agreed. “And the longer we wait, the colder the trail will be. That’s why we’re leaving as soon as we can. If we don’t delay, we can return to your town in time for a late dinner.”

“We’re going home now?” Alina said, surprised.

The prince nodded. “We want to leave first thing tomorrow for the refinement site.”

“I’ll be ready in five minutes,” Alina assured him, hurrying back toward her room.

The group departed swiftly, no one eager to ride after dark for longer than necessary. Alina avoided riding beside the prince most of the way. Her thoughts were too tangled between the things he’d said to her the night before and her frustrating conversation with her aunt.

She did feel a hint of smugness as she saw that Zuzu was making rapid progress with her flying, however. It seemed her less indulgent approach had yielded results. The anzu still mainly perched on Xavier’s saddle, but every now and then, she would stretch her wings and attempt a short flight while the horses were walking.

Everyone was weary by the time they found themselves back in Alina’s town. Her bed was calling her, but she couldn’t turn down the offer of a hot meal at the tavern, paid for by the crown. She ended up wedged in between the prince and Charles, listening quietly as the group discussed what they’d learned in Alton. Alina’s focus was on her food, and on Zuzu’s steady destruction of a stick of dried meat, until Xavier addressed her directly.

“Where were you when the rest of us were examining the area where the girl went missing?”

“I took the chance to go to the nearby city,” she said.

“What?” Xavier lowered his tankard, his features pinched in annoyance. “You left Alton? What were you thinking? Don’t you understand how dangerous it is to travel around in your situation?”

“It wasn’t dangerous,” Alina protested. “I didn’t take any risks, honestly. I wasn’t traveling alone, I was accompanied by one of your guards.”

She glanced around, but the guard in question must have been stationed outside. Her eyes fell instead on Captain Mitchell, engrossed in conversation with Blair, and she lowered her voice slightly.

“The captain had instructed a guard to keep an eye on me, so he was kind enough to accompany me on my errand. I think Captain Mitchell doesn’t fully trust my motives for assisting the investigation.”

“Captain Mitchell instructed nothing,” Xavier contradicted. “I told that guard to stick to you because I was concerned for you given you’re skilled in magic and unprotected by affiliation with the Craftsman’s Guild.”

“You did?” Alina stared at him.

“Yes,” said Xavier, aggrieved. “And it’s a good thing I did.”

“I’m grateful,” Alina acknowledged. “I felt perfectly safe with his escort. So there’s really no need for you to scold me.”