Chapter 16 #2
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.”
“You couldn’t draw on magic?” In her curiosity, Alina forgot her determination not to put herself forward. “What do you mean by that?”
The man’s eyes found her, seeming surprised to discover a young woman amongst the group of somber investigators.
“Well, there was plenty of movement around. The trees, even my own scarf, which I can use quite well to generate Dust at a pinch. I could sense the Dust like normal, I just couldn’t harness it.”
Alina frowned. She’d never encountered anything like that before, and it unnerved her.
“What happened next?” Captain Mitchell took back control.
“I think they must have hit me with something physical,” the victim said. “From behind, though. I didn’t see anyone. But next I knew, I was waking up in the back of a cart, and my head hurt like the—” His eyes fell on Alina, and he coughed. “Well, it hurt a lot.”
“Who was driving the cart?” Xavier asked.
The man swallowed, ducking his head again at being spoken to by royalty. “I didn’t see, Your Highness. It was dark by then, and I was under a canvas. But I managed to wriggle out from under it, and roll off the cart.”
He pulled up his sleeve to show bruises from the elbow to the shoulder. He looked quite proud of them.
“I shuffled into the forest, and followed the road back to the city. I reported to the bailiff soon as I got here, and he told me to stick close. Not like I’m in a hurry to wander around on my own anytime soon!”
“I would imagine not,” Captain Mitchell said.
He asked a great deal more questions, about the direction the cart had been traveling, and all that the man had observed in his short time of captivity. Alina listened carefully, not hearing anything else that sounded very useful.
“We’ll be lodging here for one night at least, but when we return to the town where we’ve made our base, we’d like you to travel with us,” the captain eventually told the man. “You’re the first actual witness we have. It may be necessary for you to make a report to His Majesty.”
“Go to the capital?” The man’s eyes were wide, but he didn’t look displeased. “I’ve never been before.”
Alina slipped outside as the discussion turned to more practical details. She hadn’t realized Xavier had followed until a quiet voice made her turn.
“Not trying to sneak off, are you?”
She gave him a look. “Of course not. Just getting some air.”
“This is where your aunt lives, isn’t it?” Xavier asked. “Does that mean you lived in this city?”
She nodded. “For two years. But it never really felt like home.”
“You were fresh from the loss of your parents,” Xavier said softly.
Alina nodded. “The house is no more than ten minutes from here.”
“Do you want to go and see them while you’re in the city?” Xavier pressed.
Alina gave a twisted smile. “I do, a little, but I think I’d better not. I’ve dropped by unannounced twice in the recent past, and I think I might be wearing out my welcome.”
“Surely not,” Xavier said, frowning. “They’re your family. You can’t wear out your welcome with family.” Seeing her reluctance, his tone became firmer. “I can’t for a moment believe you wouldn’t be welcome, Alina. I’ll go with you if you like.”
She laughed at that. “You? Come to my aunt’s house? Why in Ryki would you do that?”
“Impertinent curiosity,” he replied readily. “I want to see your old house.” He turned to a guard hovering nearby. “Tell the captain that Alina and I are going for a walk. If he’s finished here before we return, we’ll meet him at our lodgings. And we’ll need four guards with us.”
The man was obviously well trained, because he obeyed without so much as a blink.
“Xavier,” Alina protested. “This is ridiculous.”
“It’s not,” he contradicted. “I feel like stretching my legs anyway.” He held out his hand in a gesture of invitation. “Please, show me the way.”
Alina hesitated only a moment before starting to walk. She hadn’t liked the idea of leaving the city without seeing her family, but she’d thought it too optimistic to expect to be given the chance.
The four guards Xavier had requested materialized as soon as they started to move, and the six of them walked in silence.
Xavier seemed relaxed, but Alina felt nervous.
Her aunt had disapproved of her helping with the crown’s investigation—what would she say when Alina turned up with the prince himself in tow?
She remembered her aunt’s unreasonable frustration that the crown hadn’t somehow prevented Alina’s father from being ruined. She just hoped the bizarre grievance wouldn’t color Aunt Diana’s interactions with the prince.
But there was no avoiding it now. Xavier was clearly determined to accompany her, and she knew from experience that when he was determined to do something, it was near impossible to shake him from his purpose.