Chapter 7 #2
Alina admitted to herself that she was pleasantly surprised by Prince Xavier’s efforts.
It was clear that he enjoyed baiting her, and that was unlikely to change anytime soon.
But when it actually came to the investigation, he was taking it seriously.
In spite of his reputation for being heedless, he possessed the rare skill of asking a question and then actually listening patiently to the reply.
He certainly didn’t give a hint of being in a hurry to move on to the next thing, which officials invariably did in Alina’s experience.
She knew from his behavior in the tavern that he was as flirtatious as rumor painted him. But beyond the occasional wink at an overly starstruck girl, he kept that tendency locked away when conducting official business.
None of that stopped him from trying to get a reaction out of Alina when he wasn’t actively questioning witnesses, however.
Being the only woman on the investigative team, it seemed likely that she would have the dubious honor of being the sole recipient of the prince’s famous charm on days dominated by official business.
It was a good thing he was so entertaining, as long as she wasn’t foolish enough to take any of it seriously.
At the end of the day, Alina found herself following the group out of the markets. They’d spent hours there, speaking with vendors and buyers alike.
“Yes, I agree,” the prince was saying to Captain Mitchell, his expression solemn as he led the way between stalls. “Nothing more to be gained from lingering longer.”
All around them, people were packing down their stalls. The narrow rows forced them into double file, and Alina found herself walking alongside the prince. Xavier glanced over, catching her smile of amusement.
“I’d tell you your smile is sweet enough to turn heads if I didn’t suspect that I’m the subject of your private joke,” the prince said in an aggrieved tone that made Alina chuckle.
“My apologies, Your Highness. I didn’t mean to wound your pride. There’s just something very humorous about seeing you conduct official business with your little assistant.”
Xavier followed her gaze, his own expression turning rueful as he took in the anzu he was cradling against his side with one arm. During the afternoon, an unfortunate incident with the bird had forced him to hand his cloak to a servant who’d bundled it away somewhere for washing.
“One of these days, she’ll develop her power, and then her fearsome abilities will make you swallow your words,” Xavier told Alina sternly.
He scratched behind Zuzu’s ears, eliciting a purr.
“I hope it will be very soon,” he added.
“Apparently the first droplet or spark will be a sign that she’s ready for solid food, which will be a relief. I wonder which it will be.”
“Droplet, I’d say,” Alina answered vaguely, her thoughts having turned from the anzu to the depressing lack of information turned up by the day’s inquiries.
“Why do you say that?” Xavier’s attention was caught, his piercing eyes on her face.
Alina squirmed a little. It took her aback every time, the keenness of the prince’s scrutiny. It was at such odds with his indolent manner.
“Oh, I’m just guessing that Zuzu will spout water rather than breathe fire,” she said.
“But why?”
“It’s just how she feels.” Alina searched for the words. “She’s a creature of magic, so her movements stir up Dust more strongly and more…distinctly than movements created by regular creatures, right?”
“Sure,” Xavier agreed amicably.
“Well, the Dust stirred by her movements has a certain feel to it. And it feels a lot like the Dust from a rainfall, or a brook. The magic emitted by fire—or more accurately, smoke—has an altogether different…flavor. It would be easy to use her Dust to control water, for example. Or to quickly dry something off.”
“To dry something?” Xavier frowned. “Don’t you mean to get it wet?”
Alina shook her head. “It’s a common misconception.
People think that it’s easiest to use magic for the same purpose as the original movement you drew it from.
But actually, if you’re taking the Dust from another source, not your own movements, it’s often easier to invert it for the opposite purpose.
I don’t know the academics behind it, but the way it feels, it’s like tugging it away from its original source is already a reversal, so pulling it into doing the opposite of how it started is just a continuation of that movement, and requires very little tweaking. ”
“It’s remarkable that you can discern all that just from trying it,” Xavier said. “You clearly haven’t lost your aptitude. I was always so impressed by how naturally you took to magic craft.”
Unlike every other compliment he’d given her, this one was said simply, without any flourish. It warmed Alina more than she cared to admit. There was a reason she preferred his flirtatious manner.
Not trusting herself to speak for fear of betraying how much his sincerity got through her armor, she instead cast around for a good source of Dust. The light was fading, and she’d noticed the prince showing signs of being cold, since he was without his cloak.