Page 20 of Unbetrothed

Zichri’s gaze shifted between the group and me. He bit down on his lip and reached to touch my arm but pulled his hand back. I filled my lungs until they might burst, but it didn’t stop my ugly sobs from escaping.

“Miss.” His voice turned weak. “What may I do to help?”

“Nothing.” I sniveled and swiped my nose. Tears and snot smeared across my sleeve. Had anyone seen it? Zichri looked away when I glanced at him.

Heat rushed to my face. “I’m sorry for my lack of propriety.”

Zichri chuckled. “There’s no need to apologize. You’ve just been through an ordeal. We should move on, though. Where were you heading?”

I gulped. Should I tell him Valle de los Fantasmas or Giddel? “Where areyouheading?”

He worked his jaw, seeming to consider the question for a second, then said, “Himzo.”

I flinched. “Why would you want to go there?”

“Because it’s my homeland.” Zichri’s careful tone etched a path toward scornful words about a cursed kingdom. A kingdom that snatched lands from its people and encroached on our treaties.

Mamá’s words played in my mind:Nothing good comes from Himzo.

CHAPTER 11

OUR NEWHIMZO COMPANIONSturned the crank at the well and filled their waterskins. They appeared like friendly travelers among the tangle of trees around us, but I knew better. Laude stood near them, oblivious and laughing at their banter while I ambled up the grassy hill. I couldn’t decipher my thoughts. These men shouldn’t have made it past the wards.

Clearly, the wards had failed; the five of them stood on Giddelian soil. How many more Himzos had infiltrated our lands? Did I need to abandon my quest to warn Papá? I let out a frustrated sigh.

Stick to the plan.

Marching back up to Laude, I filled with determination. Laude and I would get into the valley, but there was no way we’d travel alongside people of the very kingdom causing so much tension at home.But what if they could help me?The idea soured in my stomach upon wrapping my arms around Laude’s skinny torso.

She flinched but patted my back in a hesitant embrace. Red frizz poked my nose as I leaned in close enough to graze my lips against her ear. “We need to get away from them. Say nothing. It might give us away. They are Himzos.”

Laude stiffened. When I pulled away, her wide eyes glanced between the men and me. I nodded. She pressed her lips together, a slight tremble visible on her chin.

“We need to head out immediately.” Zichri’s voice rang with authority.

Laude and I locked stares while the five men stepped through the grass. Zichri waved us over to the road, but we hesitated.

“Prin—Miss Cypress, I will go wherever you lead. I meant what I said last night.”

I glanced at the metallic lines that now had kissed my elbow.I am running out of time.My chest tightened. “To the valley.”

Laude clapped her hands and bounced on her toes. “A quest for magic. I could scream for joy.”

“Lower your voice,” I hissed.

“Sorry, miss. I’m ever so excited. We’ll also need some provisions.” Laude flipped open the trunk and stuffed pears, bread smothered with refried beans, and waterskins into a woven bag.

“We’ll also need to get directions.” I stared out at Zichri and a lanky man waiting in our line of sight. Where had the others gone?

The three men came back into view, walking a black steed laden with supplies from wherever they left it during the altercation. I started toward them and called to Laude, “Follow my lead.”

Laude carried the overstuffed bag, chattering the whole way down the hill. Did she truly understand how dangerous continuing the journey would be? Her smile swallowed her ears as she gazed down the lane. The road ahead curved downward out of sight, and another section of the path appeared on the mountainside across from us. The blisters along my heels and the side of my pinky toe suddenly throbbed, having not fully healed from my ball.

“So, what’s it like out in Himzo?” Laude asked Zichri, shoulder cocked to one side under the weight of our sack. “I’ve heard only that there is no sea. I couldn’t imagine not living near water and ships. They say the sea is good for your health.”

An image of me covering Laude’s flapping mouth flashed through my mind, but Zichri’s offer to let us ride on their only horse silenced her more effectively. I could sing for joy at how thankful I was to ride the mountainous path, though we still needed to find a way to split from the Himzos without drawing unnecessary suspicions about my identity.

The horse shifted beneath our bottoms as we hit a steep decline. Laude clutched my waist, her head pressed against my back. Why did Zichri insist on Laude riding with me instead of taking turns?I’ve worn girdles that were less suffocating than this.

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