Page 48 of Unbetrothed

“Eager to get my gift, that’s all.” Glancing ahead at Blas, I enjoyed the light reflecting off his nearly black hair.

“You’re nervous for Laude?”

“I suppose. Perhaps I take her for granted. She talks far too much, excites over the smallest of things, braids better than anyone else I know, and is beyond loyal.” I pictured Laude blowing out her cheeks with moons for eyes when I told her about the ruins.

“More valuable than a high position is finding a loyal friend,” Zichri said. “I know because I have four. I trust them with my life. I also have a sister back home who fights my battles when I am away.”

“Why must she fight battles when you are away?”

He sighed and shook his head. “Our two older brothers make life impossible for the rest of the family.”

This wasn’t what I had expected to hear. Where did this information fit in with the threats Himzo had been sending Papá?

The sound of our footfalls mingled with the rustling and buzzing all about us.

I tucked flyaway hairs behind my ear. “Is that why you sneak into enemy kingdoms?”

He chuckled. “Is that what bothers you? I do what my superiors tell me to do. As of late, I think they prefer me away.”

“Are you that bothersome?”

“Always.” He gently squeezed my hand. The playful curve of his lips gave me the inclination to rise onto my tiptoes and kiss him. I fanned my face.

Why must I get distracted so easily? I tried to shake off this attraction, but giggles sprang out my mouth.

Zichri stopped. His eyes focused ahead. Blas laid on the ground, and I slapped my hand over my mouth.

“You dunce. Why did you eat those berries?” Zichri ran ahead, dropped to one knee, and rolled Blas over.

Blas’s chest rose in shortbreaths. Bleary eyes wandered within their sockets.

“Should I run back to the others?” My breath caught. The edges of my vision blurred into shades of brown and green.

Something hard tapped my shoulder.

I startled and whipped around. A man with a long gray beard stared down his nose at me, but he continued past me and walked over to Blas.

Zichri squinted up to the old man. “Sir, can you save him?”

The man pressed his knobby staff against Zichri’s chest, sweeping him away from Blas. In one quick motion, the man lifted Blas over one shoulder and strode through the line of trees. We ran to catch up. Though each tree line had a grassy walkway, the tall man’s single stride covered more ground than several of mine. We almost lost him when he made a sharp turn. Zichri ran ahead, and I sprinted behind him into a clearing.

In the center of the clearing, a log cabin stood tall. This building, with its horizontal logs stacked high, thatched roof, and stone chimney, had appeared in my nightmares. A plume of smoke puffed out the chimney and swirled into the blue sky.

The old man burst through the front door of the cabin, leaving it wide open. Zichri stopped at the entrance, scanned the forest, and then stepped into the darkness within the doorway. I continued toward Zichri, slowing the closer I got to the cabin. We could be a meal for this man or his prisoners. Of course, we wanted to save Blas, but how could we know what this stranger would do?

Zichri searched my eyes. “Go back to the others. Tell them where we are.”

I turned to leave when I heard the old man croak, “Come in. I’ve been waiting for you, Beatriz—or is it Cypress?”

CHAPTER 24

MY EYEBROWS SHOT UP.Does the old man know me?I took a shaky step forward into the dimly lit cabin. Sunlight peeked through the curtains of a small window, casting a warm glow over the bearded man who sat on a wooden stool and sprinkled herbs into a kettle. Behind him, a fire danced on the hearth, filling my ears with an inviting crackle. Blas lay on a sofa, rasping in uneven breaths.He wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for me.

Lured by curiosity, I continued forward and curled my fingers around the leather sofa. How did this man know both my real name and the one I created on this journey?

On closer inspection, the man’s hazel eyes, a mix of green, gray, and brown flecks, reminded me of Papá’s. Even the shape of his face and laugh lines resembled Papá.Is this man from Giddel?I held my tongue. Best not to risk sounding silly.

But what if he was my lost uncle? Uncle was the reason Papá would never let me pursue this quest, despite the command from my whyzer.

---