Page 77 of A Wayward Movement

“Are you sure?” Aunt Diana said. “It would be a great help, but I don’t like to expose you to the tavern, either.”

Alina laughed lightly. “I’m very familiar with taverns, Aunt Diana. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be back in a moment.”

“Thank you, Alina.” Aunt Diana took a lovely purple shawl from the stand by the door, holding it out. “Take this. It will be cold.”

Alina gratefully pulled the garment on as she stepped outside, eager to finish her mission quickly. She was determined to be helpful, but truthfully, the thought of walking all the way to the tavern and back was exhausting in her current state. She was still hoping to catch her uncle and cousin before they got that far.

The streets were quieter than she’d expected. It wasn’t late, but it was a moonless night, and no one seemed eager to linger outside. Alina hurried down a side street, then another, taking the fastest way to her uncle’s preferred tavern. She was passing down a narrow alley when her senses suddenly flared with the awareness of gathering magic.

Without even thinking, she threw herself behind an overturned barrel. She heard no sound, but she could have sworn something whooshed past her as she fell. Her heart was pounding, blood thrumming in her ears.

“You missed. Get another.”

The murmur had Alina trying to scramble up, away from the sound. She ripped the scarf from her shoulders, swinging it back and forth in a figure eight and harnessing the Dust from the movement. She wished she could think of something powerful to do with it, something that would incapacitate whoever was hidden there. But her mind was too sluggish, her energy too low. A voice of caution in her head warned that she was unwise to use magic at all with her resources so depleted.

“Quickly!”

Alina still couldn’t see the speaker, and she told herself she didn’t have the luxury of caution. She threw the harnessed Dust up around her, holding it in an invisible shield. It worked, but the effort of it was so intense, she stumbled, falling to her knees.

She couldn’t afford to stay there and wait for her strength to give out. She started crawling away from where she’d heard the voice. But her progress was painfully slow, and footsteps told her that her attackers were approaching.

A familiar, angry mewl reached her ears, and she stared upward, astonished to see the oddly proportioned creature swooping above her. Zuzu!

Xavier!

“Help!” Alina screamed.

The effort was too much for her energy. She teetered for a moment on the brink of a chasm, the cautionary tale everyone learned, that she’d tried to impress on Benji. If she kept shouting and maintained the shield, she would fall in. She was that close to the edge.

With a sensation that felt in her mind like a pop, Alina released the shield.

“Over here!” she shouted. “Xavi—”

A rough hand closed over her mouth, a curse sounding in her ears.

“Do it now!”

She tried to flail, but her movements were sluggish. She heard her name being called in a frantic voice, and attempted to shout back through the man’s hand. He struck her on the side of the head, not with all his strength, just enough to daze her and make it hard to gather her senses to keep fighting.

A tall figure came into view at the end of the alley, letting out a roar at the sight before him. Alina could barely make out what was happening, but she heard the sound of a sword being drawn, and felt another silent whoosh of magic, this time headed for the newcomer. He staggered back, clearly hit, and Alina’s heart leaped into her throat.

Another curse came from the man holding her. “You idiot, that’s the prince!”

Suddenly she was released. She flopped down but instantly struggled to her hands and knees. Her attackers had fled, already out of sight, and to her immense relief, Xavier was still standing. Zuzu swooped between them, letting out a challenging little roar as if she had personally chased off the kidnappers. Two more figures appeared around the corner, their bodies tense and their breath coming in pants. She recognized two of Xavier’s guards, reading the relief on their faces when they saw the prince.

“Xavier,” she whispered, reaching for him.

He seemed so far away, the distance insurmountable in her current state. Was he hurt? Since his cry of anger, he hadn’t made a sound, and it felt unnatural.

The prince still didn’t speak, but he was already pounding toward her. He dropped to his knees at her side, his eyes frantic as they searched her form.

“Are you all right?” Alina asked. She hardly knew what she was doing as her hand lifted, running down his face on one side then the other, needing to assure herself he was real and in one piece. His cheeks were scratchy, the day’s growth not yet tamed.

Xavier’s hand flew up to trap hers against his face. She realized suddenly that his mouth was moving, but no sound was coming out. Her forehead crinkled in confusion.

“What’s wrong with him?” one of the guards demanded.

Xavier shot the man an impatient look, but it was Alina who answered.