Page 31 of Unbetrothed

I didn’t know. It might suit them best to disappear. Perhaps they’d give away my identity, and our new guides would take us to the Himzo king and queen. But could the Himzos abduct us in a populated place and with a single horse? In some ways, I sensed they would never hurt us. Nevertheless, one in my position could never be too cautious. But I did need another dress besides the one on my back. “We should tell Zichri and his companions. They said they’d be in the room across the hall or downstairs dining.”

Laude stormed across our room, whipped our door open, and crossed the hall to the men’s room. “What are you waiting for?” She waved for me to hurry with a blaze of determination in her eyes. The moment I stepped beside her, she pounded on the door.

The door creaked open. Zichri appeared in a clean tunic, running his fingers through his wet hair. A fresh lavender scent rolled off his body, and instinctively, I inclined toward the aroma and inhaled.

“Whoa there.” He patted my shoulder. “They only have this scent of soap. It’s going to take some time before my usual forest smell comes back. What brings you two here? Is something amiss?”

I folded my arms, swallowing my bruised pride from having been caught smelling him. “We saw one of the men who abandoned us.”

Laude added, “He might have our trunks and supplies.”

A muscle in Zichri’s jaw flexed. “Where did you see him?”

“Across the way.” Laude pointed, furrowing her brows in a way that did not befit her jovial face. I suppressed a smile.

Zichri bolted between us, taking the stairs two at a time. Laude hurried behind him, allowing me a minute alone to gather my thoughts.Will we be found out?

I locked my door, closed Zichri’s, and trod down the creaky steps.

“Ai-yi-yi! Miss Cypress! Zichri and all the merchants went to confront the man. I’m scared they’ll get in a scuffle, and someone will get hurt. They said we should be safe here.” Laude pulled on my arm. “Do you think they’ll get your beautiful dresses back? I hope they show them a thing or two about double-crossing”—she leaned in—“the Princess of Giddel.”

“That’s enough,” I hissed. But a puff of pride remained in my chest after hearing the way she said my title. “Someone could hear you.” I glanced around the dining room. Empty tables covered the front of the sunlit space, and other guests at the far table near the foyer eyed us with curiosity. A long counter where servers picked up food and beverages lined the back of the room.

I tipped my head to the side. “Let’s take a seat so as not to make more of a scene.”

I kept my chin high, and my pace measured. Laude followed. We slid into the seats near the window, staring at the Himzos. The inn across the road sat between a store and a bakery, and many people either stood in windows or off to the side with shocked expressions. Zichri held a gruff man by the collar while Gonzalo, Blas, and Jaime stood behind like soldiers waiting to attack. Another man launched a punch at Blas, but Blas ducked in time.

I turned my gaze to the clerk behind the front counter just outside the dining area. A frown drooped on his face as he looked out the front door. He met my stare, not a hint of kindness touched his features, and he returned to observing the scene outside.

A fresh heatwave simmered on my skin, and I fanned my face.

Milo exited the store with his arms full of supplies when he noticed the others. Blas approached Milo and patted his shoulder. They spoke for some time. Blas’s hands flew in every direction, and his face contorted with wide-eyed outrage to pinched anger. With a cock of his head and pursed lips pointing toward our inn, Blas seemed to send Milo toward us. Milo shoved the supplies into Blas’s arms, walked across the road, through the front door of the inn, and past the clerk. He stopped for a second, scanning the dining room before he stalked toward us. “Are you ladies all right?”

“What’s going on over there?” Laude blurted.

“Zichri confronted the man to get information about the trunks, but that man insists he and his associates don’t know what Zichri speaks of.” Milo set his bag in a seat and sat across from me. He tugged the curls at the top of his head, more frustrated than I would have expected.

Did the fight cause more problems for the Himzos than they let on? I leaned in toward Milo. “Is something the matter?”

Milo lifted his dark eyes. “The mountain people don’t take to strangers causing trouble.”

Laude smacked the table and pushed her chair back. “That’s it!” She marched out of the dining area, stomped through the foyer, flung the front doors open, and headed across the street to the other inn. Moments later, she pulled Cata, one of the thieving servants, out of the doorway by the ear.

How did Laude see her from here? I smoothed out my skirt with my clammy palms, noticing the tiny pink flower pattern that reminded me of the gardens at home. Why couldn’t Papá and Mamá have sanctioned this trip? We would have had guards and reliable servants.

This is no time for what could have been.

But I couldn’t stop the surge of apprehension sinking in my belly. Cata had always unsettled me, and those other servants were unscrupulous. What if this fight turned for the worse? Part of me expected one of those villainous men to pull out a dagger.

A loud pounding noise resonated through the dining room, bringing me back from my thoughts. Our clerk slammed his fist on the front counter again, shaking his head. His face reddened the more he continued to watch the events outside.

I stared out the window. Laude pushed Blas away while she wagged a finger at Cata. Her mouth opened wide, and we heard a squeaky scream—from this distance, her words were difficult to decipher.

Zichri surely knows who we are. Would the king demand riches, unfair treaties, or even worse … Papá to abdicate his throne?I drew a slow breath.Settle your thoughts. After all Zichri’s chivalrous talk, he might not hand us over.

A creak from the floor startled me, and I whipped my gaze back into the room. The clerk’s girth bumped our table. He wiped his brow and bald head with a handkerchief. “Soldier,” he addressed Milo. “We don’t take to Himzo enforcement in these parts. We allow you passage, but that’s all.”

My eyes snapped wide.Soldier?The Himzos are soldiers?That could not be a good sign for Giddel or for us. And Zichri with all his kindness and attentions. Him, a soldier? A plummeting sensation sank to my toes. I didn’t want Zichri or Milo or any of the men to be my enemies.

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