Page 46 of Unbetrothed

“I understand.”

Acrackboomed near camp.

His eyes rounded, and a concern line deepened between his brows. “We should head back.”

I bobbed my head, unable to process what could have made such a noise. We strode downriver at a quick clip.

“What do you think that was?” I clutched the front of my tunic.

“I’m sure all is well.” He looked over his shoulder and across to the other riverbank. “One good thing came of you getting lost.”

“Oh?”

“I know where we can cross the river without having to swim against the current.”

“Good. I’m sure you and the others have been through many adventures before.” I slid my most gracious smile in place.

Zichri interpreted my statement as an invitation to sharenear-death experiences. Blas had gotten lost in a cave once. Jaime had snuck into an enemy fort but was captured, and then the men broke him out. Gonzalo had tumbled after climbing a rocky wall.

He avoided any mention of Giddel or the worry tiptoeing the lines of his face. What would we find back at camp?

CHAPTER 23

UPON REACHING CAMP,LAUDEflung her arms around me. “You’re here!” She squeezed my torso. “It was terrible!”

Charred wood laid strewn across the grass in the clearing, a tinge of fiery orange glowing beneath the blackened edges. Ash coated Jaime’s hair, face, and clothes. Blas blew out his cheeks with hands clapped on his head. What had happened?

“If it weren’t for you, miss, we all might have died.” Laude swiped her cheeks and nose. “We went out searching for you.” A tiny sob escaped her throat. “While we were gone, Jaime thought to prepare a meal, and if he had been closer …”

Jaime squeezed her shoulder, offering comfort. “The fire exploded. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Zichri and Milo locked stares. Hard expressions settled on both their faces as some hidden message seemed to pass between them. Milo shrugged a shoulder, and Zichri twisted his lips to the side. A tiny flick of Milo’s hand led Zichri to toss his head back in exasperation.

Blas collected the remnant of our tattered satchels. “I put the hammocks inside the bags. I guess we sleep on the ground from now on.”

The markings on my arms itched intensely. I circled my shoulders, using the rough tunic to assuage the pain. Had it been the stress of today, or was it … I pulled back the collar of my tunic, peeking at my skin. Metallic lines swirled to the ends of my designs. Had I run out of time? Would the ground swallow me up like it had Lord Pau’s father when he broke his oath?

Milo groaned, still in some hidden conversation with Zichri. “Fine. We had enough action today. We’ll cross the river tomorrow.”

“No!” I shouted and cleared my throat. “We cross today.”

Zichri’s eyebrows drew together. Milo and Blas shared a look, then Blas shrugged with a mocking expression.

“Cypress?” Laude cocked her head and stepped in front of me, flitting her eyes toward the drying blood on my tunic. “Are you all right?”

I dropped my voice. “The blood is from a giant feline, but that’s not why we need to move on. I’ll explain later.” I scratched my shoulder, observing her tentative head shake. “It’s of the utmost importance that we continue.”

Laude inhaled a long breath and nodded. “Off to the whyzer!”

And so, we all marched back upriver to the spot Zichri had discovered. Boulders formed a line through the river, water gushing over them. On one side of the boulders, water pooled into a wide gentle stream, and on the other, the stream narrowed and raced in a turbulent flow.

Laude clung to a sapling. “I won’t do it.”

“You can’t stay here.” I clasped my hands in front of my chest. “We need to get to the other side, remember? The smoke. The whyzer. All of them are across the river.” Never had I begged a servant before in my life. But we could not have gone through all this effort to be stuck at the edge of a river. “What if Jaime carries you?”

Laude tapped her chin for a second and grabbed the trunk again. “Miss, I’ve done everything you asked of me on this trip, but I can’t go in that water.”

My eyes burned as I filled my lungs with a shaky breath.

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