Chapter 25
Chapter
Twenty-Five
Xavier paced his room at the inn, his thick head protesting at the sound of a crowing rooster.
Morning already? Alina had been gone all night, and he’d done nothing. A soft knock sounded, and he strode across the room to pull the door open.
“Come in,” he told the craftsman standing outside. The man looked anxious.
“You said it might just need time to settle in,” Xavier said curtly, the moment the door was closed behind the other man. “But it’s been all night, and nothing’s changed.”
The craftsman deflated. “I’d hoped you had better news, Your Highness,” he said.
“Last night, you said that it had worked,” Xavier accused him. “You said that the linking enchantment was intact.”
“It seemed to be,” the man said helplessly. “You said you could feel it.”
“I still do,” Xavier acknowledged. The enchantment had been sitting right at his core since the moment it was transferred to him.
It was as though Alina’s absence, which had already been an open wound in his heart, now had a tangible presence in his body as well.
“But there’s no tug in any particular direction, like you said there would be. ”
The craftsman looked thoughtful. He turned his attention to Xavier’s body, examining it with professional eyes.
“If you can feel it, it’s worked,” he said. “And I can feel it on you, too. But it’s not as solid as it should be. It should form a bridge. Instead it’s like a seeking strand reaching out to nothing.”
“Why would that happen?” Xavier demanded.
He shrugged. “Because, as I warned might be the case, the double transfer weakened the linking enchantment too much. My best guess is that its range has been significantly reduced. You could still feel where she was if she were within a certain distance of you. But she must already be out of reach.” He coughed apologetically.
“Our intention was always for the one carrying this end of the enchantment to stay close to the target, and follow as soon as the target was taken.”
“So why did we stay here all night, letting them get further away?” Xavier demanded in frustration.
“Well, Your Highness, without knowing which direction to go…” The man trailed off, clearly seeing that Xavier wasn’t in the mood to be reasonable.
“The point is, we need to get close enough to wherever they’ve taken her to allow the linking enchantment to work,” Xavier said.
But where? He didn’t want to pick the wrong direction and get further and further away. He needed to think. If only his mind wasn’t so sluggish. He’d been unable to sleep at all.
“They transported her somehow,” he said. “A carriage, a cart, something. I know none of her close neighbors saw anything, but someone else might have seen a vehicle moving through town last night. Now the sun is up, we can start questioning.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” the craftsman agreed. “Captain Mitchell has already started that process.”
Xavier nodded, although he didn’t feel hopeful. It hadn’t even been late when Alina had been taken. There could have been any number of vehicles still on the streets at that hour. But they had to start somewhere.
A servant appeared a moment later with a fresh basin of water. Xavier dashed some on his face, then followed the craftsman downstairs. He found Captain Mitchell coordinating a group of investigators. The captain took in Xavier’s state with one swift glance, then dismissed his team to their tasks.
“You have to sleep, Your Highness,” he said, turning to face the prince.
“I’ll sleep when we find her,” Xavier said curtly.
“I take it the linking enchantment hasn’t sharpened with time,” the captain said.
Xavier ran a hand down his face. “I’m going to join the questioning.”
Ignoring the captain’s protests, he made his way outside.
He’d forgotten that it was a market day.
It was inconceivable to him that life was continuing as normal when Alina had been snatched away from him, but people were already gathering in anticipation of the day’s activities.
Xavier saw a group of women clustered by a small fountain that adorned the square outside the inn.
Frowning at the group, he realized he recognized one of them.
He strode across the square, taking in the furrowed brows and somber air of the women.
“Good morning,” he greeted them.
They started, hastening to attempt curtsies. Xavier focused his attention on the one called Ellen. Alina had called her the town busybody.
“Your Highness,” one of the other women said in greeting. She looked at her fellows then blurted out, “Is it true young Benji was taken last night?”
“Yes,” said Xavier, noting the dismay on all their faces. “And Alina as well.”
A couple of small gasps and clucked tongues told him this gossip was new. He watched Ellen, seeing that she looked very ill at ease. She kept straightening the shawl she wore over her head.
Xavier examined the garment, his eyes narrowed in thought.
“That’s a very fine shawl,” he said abruptly.
“Thank you, Your Highness.” She patted it, distracted from her concern for a moment.
“Is it new?” Xavier pressed.
This time she didn’t meet his eye as she acknowledged it. Xavier’s scrutiny moved critically over her whole form, taking in every detail of her gown’s embroidery, the buckles on her shoes, and the floral scent that wafted faintly from her.
He straightened. Thanks to the questionable way he’d spent much of his time for the last ten years, he knew a great deal more about women’s fashion than most men.
Certainly Ellen moved in different circles from the ladies of the court.
But Xavier had spent enough time in the region to know what was normal.
And Ellen was wearing the finest garb available locally. It was a subtle but significant difference from her attire when he’d first seen her.
“What do you do for work?” he asked her. “Ellen, isn’t it?”
She shuffled her feet. “Yes, Your Highness. I keep chickens.”
“Ah yes,” Xavier said pleasantly. “You supply eggs to the refinement site, don’t you?”
“Sometimes,” she hedged. “Among other places.”
“And you’ve seen nothing strange out there?” Xavier pressed.
“I’ve already answered that question, Your Highness.” Ellen was looking increasingly cornered.
Xavier kept his tone pleasant. “Of course, my mistake. Your business must be thriving, I take it, to afford such fine new clothes.”
“I do all right, Your Highness,” she said. “I must be off.”
She started to walk past, but Xavier’s hand shot out, seizing her wrist so suddenly, Ellen’s companions all gasped.
“You’re really going to maintain you’ve seen nothing?” he said. “Why are you so close-lipped when anyone mentions the refinement site?”
Ellen bit her lip, harried. “Everyone sees things and hears things, Your Highness. But I have nothing to say.”
“And you’re fine with Benji and Alina paying the price of your silence?” Xavier shot back.
She wavered, discomfort crossing her face. Most of those taken had been easy targets because they hadn’t been local, just passing through. Benji and Alina were the first victims who really belonged to the town.
To Xavier’s annoyance, Captain Mitchell hailed him at that moment, providing Ellen with a moment of distraction she was quick to use.
Bobbing a curtsy, she hurried away across the square.
The other women scattered, too, as if afraid the prince was going to start interrogating them all about their clothing choices.
“Your Highness, do you—?”
“She’s seen something.” Xavier cut the captain off. “And her silence has been bought.”
“That woman there?” The captain looked after Ellen. “Are you sure, Your Highness?”
“Positive,” he said.
“Should we bring her in for questioning?” Captain Mitchell asked.
“By all means,” Xavier said. “But I can’t afford to wait for that. I need to get to the refinement site immediately. And I need most of the team with me. I have a strong suspicion that if I get close to the site, the linking enchantment will activate.”
For once, Captain Mitchell didn’t fight him. Within ten minutes, the majority of the team was mounted, and Xavier’s weariness lifted a little as they rode swiftly out of town. Finally moving—finally doing something—was the only relief he could get.
They completed the ride to the refinement site faster than should have been possible, Xavier barely allowing the group to slow to rest the horses.
Zuzu, able now to hold her own, flew alongside him, rarely needing to rest on the horse’s flank.
The air turned dry around them as the sun climbed steadily upward.
Knowing he needed to keep a clear head, Xavier focused his mind on the rhythmic pounding of his horse’s hooves on the sand.
By the time the refinement site was within reach, the day had become sweltering. Xavier could see some of his companions flagging, but he pushed on more fiercely, calling for the craftsman.
The man pulled his horse alongside Xavier’s, looking faintly ill. He wasn’t much of a horseman, Xavier knew.
“If the link became activated when we got into range, what would it feel like?” Xavier demanded.
“At full strength, it should feel like a rope around your midriff, tugging you in a certain direction,” the craftsman told him.
“Weakened as it is, I don’t know for sure.
It could be the same. Or it could be more of a feeling.
You would feel normal when heading in the right direction, but unsettled when going further away. ”
“I’m feeling something,” Xavier told him, trying not to get his hopes up.
“I wouldn’t call it as strong as a tug. But I can’t shake the sense that something around here,” he indicated his chest with a gesture, “wants me to continue going this way. When we sidetracked to go around that dune, it didn’t like it. ”
“That’s good,” the craftsman said, excited. “We might be getting close!”