Chapter 21 #4
In minutes, Alina was standing side by side with a man she’d never met, their arms linked under the meticulous direction of the guild member.
He pulled a strange contraption from his satchel, placing it on the table.
It was a square wooden frame sitting on a stand, and strung from the top of the frame was a row of smooth metal balls, hung so close they were touching.
As Alina watched, the man lifted the ball on one end and then let go, so that it swung back into its closest fellow.
To her surprise, the ball it hit stayed still, but the ball on the far end of the row sprang out in the opposite direction.
When it inevitably returned to its starting position, the initial ball once again flew out.
All the while, a stream of Dust puffed out from the contraption, its consistency as steady as that from falling rain.
“Continuous movement,” the man said, seeing her scrutiny. “I just have to start it, and it goes by itself for quite a while. Transferring the enchantment will require finesse, not volume of Dust.”
She nodded numbly. In other circumstances, she would have been fascinated by the contraption.
But all she could think about was Benji, in danger and alone.
She waited tensely while the craftsman performed the complex magic required to shift his ongoing enchantment from the guard to Alina.
She could feel the magic wrapping around her, pushing at her core.
“Try to relax, miss,” the craftsman said gently. His voice was wearier than before, suggesting the transfer was well advanced. “If you’re good with magic, you’ll have better defenses against it than most. But this time, you have to let it in. Or it won’t work.”
Alina drew in a long breath, willing her tension to lower. She hadn’t been consciously trying to keep the magic out, but she realized now that her defenses were all up. She used her extra sense to identify the enchantment still circling her torso, and with an exhale, she opened herself up to it.
It rushed in, eager to latch on. The man whose arms she was clasping made a little noise of relief, obviously having been released from the pressure now sitting on Alina’s chest.
“Success,” the craftsman said, satisfied. “I can still feel the line between us.”
The door swung suddenly open, a tall figure in a traveling cloak freezing on the threshold of the room. Xavier’s eyes took in the strange position of Alina and the guard, their arms clasped and their postures tense.
“What’s going on?” he demanded.
Captain Mitchell cleared his throat. “Your Highness, you’re back earlier than—”
“I said,” Xavier cut him off, his features tight, “what’s going on?”
“The boy Benji seems to have been taken by the kidnappers,” the captain said bluntly. “Believing that our chosen guard was unlikely to be targeted by them, Alina volunteered herself to take his place. We hope if she’s taken soon, we can follow her, and therefore Benji, swiftly.”
“WHAT?” Xavier’s roar made everyone jump. In the course of her time with the team, Alina had never heard him raise his voice.
Alina’s limbs had locked up like a startled tarand’s at Xavier’s appearance, meaning she was still entangled with the stranger. The prince strode the few steps to reach them, taking hold of the guard’s arm and ripping it out of Alina’s grip.
“Absolutely not,” he said, breathing hard.
“Your Highness.” The craftsman was apologetic. “The transfer has already happened.”
“Then transfer it back,” Xavier said, turning on him.
“If I do that,” he protested, “it will be so weak it won’t be functional anymore.”
“Good,” Xavier declared. “Let’s remove it altogether. You can start a new one.”
Protests rose from more than just the craftsman.
“Your Highness,” Captain Mitchell said over the clamor. “You remember what an exhaustive and complex process it was to work this enchantment back at the capital. We’re not in a position to simply start again.”
“We are not using Alina as bait,” Xavier said. “I absolutely forbid it.”
“It’s already done, Xavier,” Alina said calmly. “I’m sorry you don’t like it, but it’s not up to you.”
“It is up to me,” he said, his brows drawn so close they were almost touching. “This is my investigation, and that’s not how we’re running it.”
“We’re talking about Benji,” Alina said, her voice firm but tears standing in her eyes. “I can’t just let them take him!” She turned to the craftsman. “You’re sure it’s in place?”
“It is,” he said. He sounded anxious. “It’s not as strong as I’d like, though. You need to understand that there’s always a risk it won’t work once we’re not in such close proximity.”
She nodded. “I understand. I accept the risk.”
“Well, I don’t!” Xavier cried.
“Your Highness.” Captain Mitchell’s voice was placating, but the prince was more furious than ever as he turned to face him.
Alina stepped quietly away from Xavier, making the most of his distraction. She squeezed Lilah’s shoulder, her voice determined.
“I’ll bring him back, Lilah. I promise.”
Not giving her friend a chance to respond, she edged out of the door and hurried into the darkness of the street.