Page 2 of Unbetrothed

STARLIGHT FADED, AND ANorange halo graced the mountain-lined horizon with a promise.Today everything will change. But not in the way I’d like.

I rubbed the stone balustrade with my palms and arched my neck back. “If it isn’t too much to ask, I’d like a betrothal to a handsome prince. You know the one I speak of—the one I’ve wanted to marry ever since I found out I should marry.”Would it help if I spoke his name out loud?I pitched my voice lower. “Prince Lux of Pedroz.”

Birds squawked in the tall cypress trees below my balcony. Not a single ancient text washed through my mind even though I had grown up tutored in the old ways.

I begged again, “If you—the Ancient One—care, why let your whyzer withhold my magical gifting from me? If he had done his duty, my life wouldn’t be in shambles. And I would be betrothed.” I stomped my foot on my balcony floor just as the sun speared the sky.

“Beatriz!” Mamá’s voice hushed the curse poised on my lips. “What are you doing out here?”

I steadied my thumping heart in two breaths before turning. “Good day, Mamá. How did you wake?” My lips tightened with the expected smile.

She kissed my cheek in greeting. “Skip the formalities. Today has not yet begun.” Her regal tone, so controlled, gave no hint to her emotions. She clutched the front of her silk robe and sat on the settee with perfect posture, slippered feet crossed at the ankles and cocked slightly to the side. Morning light shifted on her high cheekbones, and a tear rolled to her jawline.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

Mamá swiped her cheek. “I yawned.” She waved a dismissive hand. “Let’s review the Ceremonia Esposal one last time. It is imperative that you choose a suitor by week’s end for the sake of your Papá and all of Giddel.”

“But, Mamá …” What could I say? I had agreed to this ridiculous ceremonia on a whim after a particularly bad nightmare and a few convincing words from Papá. I rubbed my hands along my thin chemise while crossing the arm span between us. “In my dream last night, the whyzer sent the boy again. He invited me into Valle de los Fantasmas to retrieve my gifting. I think it is important to take such a calling into account.”

“Put going to that valley out of your mind.” Mamá pursed her lips. “It will torture you worse than breaking an oath.”

“You don’t understand.” I got on my knees and placed my head on Mamá’s lap. “Being seventeen years old and unbetrothed has made me …” Tears thickened in my throat. I tried to hide them—to be strong.

Mamá tipped my chin up and tucked wayward black hairs behind my ears. “You know my story and my struggle. But you? You are the esteemed Princess Beatriz of Giddel. Anyone who says differently is jealous of your title. You will attend the garden party and the ball, with your head held high.” She traced the pale markings on my hands and followed the faint lines up to my shoulder.

I shivered. Those lines were supposed to be a sign of a powerful gifting. But what good did being marked do for me? To the servants, I had become a joke, a name people used behind cupped hands. Even the lowliest maid in the kingdom could light a candle with the touch of a finger or levitate parchment or heal a wound. But not me.

The only good I could do for anyone was to marry well. And for what? As Papá had stated time and time again, to build a stronger alliance with another realm to protect ourselves against Himzo—a kingdom set on our downfall.

A fire boiled in my blood. “All these years, you’ve told me the whyzers—the ones who hear from the Ancient One and bring to life our gifts—spoke to me in my sleep. Now when it’s inconvenient for your plans, am I to ignore him?”

“Calm your tone. Nothing about this predicament is convenient for us.” She pressed a glowing finger to my forearm, soothing my agitation with a light touch. “We’ll meet before high noon at the garden entrance. I expect you to be amiable. No one likes a snippy princess.” She placed a gentle kiss on my forehead and glided out of my bedroom and out of sight. The subtle patter of her shoes faded.

I flew to the balcony doors before she left. “Love you.” Every muscle in my body tightened with more words I wished to speak aloud. What could I do to prove my worth to Mamá, Papá, all of Giddel?

“I love you too.” She clicked the door shut.

Desperation swam within the turbulent waves in my heart. If I went through with today, I could forget marrying the man of my dreams. I’d need magic for that one. No king in any of the kingdoms along the Agata Sea would let their son marry a giftless princess. I leaned against the doorframe, one foot on the hardwood in my room and the other on the stone balcony.

Wait, what if I took an oath?Yes, that was it. If I used words of power, not even Papá and Mamá could stop me from demanding my gift from the whyzer. My breath caught in my throat.

What else could I do? Marry some lord just because it was expected? I balled my hands into fists, fingernails pressing into my palms.Do I beg Papá yet again?But no one besides my uncle could ever change Papá’s decisions, and my uncle hadn’t been seen for years.

Three words echoed through my mind. Maybe, it was a sign. I had never known anyone who dared to say an oath, but I would do anything to have choices.

“Saalah kai hizzgezer,” I called to the Ancient One, evoking a solemn oath. Along both arms, warmth blossomed just under the skin. The faint lines came alive and transformed into golden vines. They lit up for the first time in my life. I drank in the sight—elation tingling up my spine.It worked.

What am I doing? This is madness.Intense brightness emanated from my body, and I squinted. Words shifted and crashed into my mouth. “I promise to enter Valle de los Fantasmas in pursuit of my gift, even if I die in my attempt … before my nuptials.”

Bolts of light raced from my wrist to my shoulders.Did the oath take?

The door to my room cracked open, and the golden glow vanished. I edged onto the hardwood, reciting pleas to Mamá:Imagine the alliance we could form if I had more to offer in marriage. Truly, we don’t know if Uncle went into the valley or if he chose to disappear. A broken oath could mean death.

“Shh … She’s still sleeping,” my maid, Laude, whispered in her squeaky voice to someone in the corridor. She carried bundles of clothes in her arms while fiery curls sprung loose from the braid running down her back.

I hid on the balcony near the door. The heavy bed curtains blocked anyone from seeing my empty pillow and covers.

“Prepare the tub for her big day.” She giggled. Her excitement clashed with my drumming heartbeat.

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