Page 39 of Unbetrothed

“Who has that sort offaith?”

“If you don’t, why did you come?” Zichri fit his hand into my unscathed one and asked again. “Why did you leave your family?”

I closed my eyes, seeing the vines glowing on my skin the day I made the oath. Alexa whispering to her ladies in waiting:She might as well be a useless Himzo. Those words stung even this far removed from the court. But I could not explain that to Zichri. “Because I had no choice.”

“We all have choices.” He squeezed my hand. “If you want to go back, we can jump down each waterfall and pretend that this is what we came to do.”

“I thought you said that this gift was worth the risk.”

“Or … we can step forward and see what the Ancient One destined for you.” He pressed his lips to my knuckles. His soft touch ignited waves of goosebumps.

“Zichri, why are you here? You’ve done what no one else was willing to do for me, and we’ve only known each other four days.”

He pulled away and looked up to the sky. “I mean what I say about the Ancient One protecting us. But you’re right. That’s not why I’m here.” Moonlight emerged from behind a cloud and kissed the slope of his nose. “Have you ever wondered if our efforts are worthless?”

I flinched. The question caught me off guard. My focus had always been on attaining my gift and working through my nightmares.

“When you get your ability, you might help me deal with my troubles.” He let out a mirthless laugh. “I’m sure you understand being helpless to change your life.”

A smile crept up my cheek. Why did I let him affect me this way? I was supposed to gather information. Instead, I had the urge to hug him. “Tell me something most people don’t know about you.”

He scrunched his brows, contemplating. “I would much rather read than dine in style.” The corner of his lips tipped up. “Where did that question come from?”

“It occurred to me that we might die, and there’s so much I don’t know about you. Is reading your favorite thing to do?”

“No, but close.” His eyebrows rose halfway up his forehead.

“What is it then?”

“Trespassing in forbidden lands, of course.”

I laughed, unsure if he was telling the truth.

CHAPTER 20

ILAY NEXT TOthe mango tree, somewhat aware that I was sleeping. Even so, my mind whirred with a vision of tall grass poking at my legs in a meadow with a cabin. Sunny skies stretched overhead, but I glanced into the jungles to my right. A sensation rushed into my mind like string connected me to another living being. The invisible cord throbbed. I followed the unseen string from the open meadow and into the deep shadows between the trees. A greedy urge pumped through my veins, but it wasn’t my own feeling.

“We want you,” a voice hissed, and a dark shadow shifted between the trees.

I whirled around, smacking into someone’s chest.

My body jolted. I gasped for air and awakened to a dull blue sky overhead with branches reaching into my line of sight. My heartbeat galloped.

It was only a dream, Beatriz. But why do night visions have to feel so real?

A constant rush of water louder than the sea flowed somewhere nearby, calming my nerves. I lifted my head. Zichri, Blas, and Milo’s backs faced me while they perched on the cliff edge several paces ahead. Following the curve of a narrow stretch of land between the pool of river water and the cliff’s edge, I spotted Laude and Jaime sitting and eating mangoes nearer the waterfall.

Had I slept in that long? I flinched, imagining their judgment.No wonder she hasn’t a gift. She’s quite the sluggard.Tears stung my eyes, but I blinked them back.

We’d enter Valle de los Fantasmas today. What would we search for? The image of the meadow from my dream entered my mind’s eye. I pushed myself into a sitting position. Every muscle ached from so much climbing and swimming from the day before.

I gripped the collar of my tunic. How much time did we have? I peeked beneath the rough linen, catching the swirl of faint lines. Not metallic ones. A sigh of relief poured out my mouth. We still had time to find my whyzer.

“Cypress!” Zichri called. He swiped a mango from the ground and approached me. “We’ll head out when you’re ready.”

“Let’s go now.” I got to my feet and smoothed off my rumpled shirt and pants.

“It’s quite the swim, and we had a long day yesterday.” He shook the mango and lifted a questioning brow as if to ask if I wanted to eat.

---