Page 56 of Unbetrothed

My eyes flicked wide in shock. Whyzers were consideredkind and ready to dispense blessings over their subjects. The vapors dissipated, swallowing the shadows of my whyzer with it.

A yellow bird swooped across my line of sight, then up onto what once was a window in the ancient wall. I wanted to crumble to the ground, but like the wall, I remained standing—even if the life inside me drained. Water continued to spill from the waterfall outside. This memory would burn strong all the days of my life.

Would Lux still leave Alexa for me even if I was gift-less? I trudged back to the entrance, knowing the answer. Best friends or not, whatever match we made must be approved by our parents. His father would never approve of me now.

As for Mamá and Papá, they now had a rebellious daughter who ran away and returned with nothing.Would they consider me a traitor for traveling with a prince of Himzo? I swallowed hard.

The hum of magic still simmered through the air while I exited the castle. I placed a palm on the column with the ancient letters scrawled along the beam andleaned my ear against the stone. Magic had a melody. It reminded me of Zichri’s campfire song and filled me with a sense of well-being.

Blas needs to live. Or should I wish for his death since he might go to war against Giddel?But I knew him and Milo, Jaime, Gonzalo, and Zichri. I could never wish for their deaths, and all of them had to feel the same way in return, right? They lied about who they were, but our time together hadn’t been a lie. The grass cushioned my steps as I dared to move forward to face all those who risked their lives for nothing. What would I tell Laude?

I gnawed on my bottom lip and crossed the bridge. The trail, grass, and trees all grew fuzzy, with moisture building along my lashes again. From among the blurry scenery, a tall figure emerged around the bend.

CHAPTER 28

THE SHADOWED FIGURE DREWnearer, boots clomping the dirt trail. The lush, dark jungles were far behind him—a burbling river flowed to my left and a sparse forest to the right. As my vision sharpened, Zichri’s smooth gait, broad shoulders, and muscular form became more distinct.

“Beatriz?” His voice pierced the air. “Did you get what you searched for?” Another question lingered in his eyes.

I swiped my palms on my pants as if wiping away the whyzer’s insults. Years of humiliation and inadequacy swirled in my heart. Could I share that with him? “Yes, I did.”

Zichri stopped an arm’s length away. “Let’s see. What can you do?” He smiled, but I detected none of the same excitement he had before doubts leeched into our relationship—before I knew who he was.

“Ehh … Why did you wait for me?” I bit my lip.

“I couldn’t leave you alone.”

A ball of emotion formed in my throat, and the whyzer’s words began sinking deep into my soul. Was I really that selfish? Unworthy? Like haughty Alexa? Even she received an ability beyond the regular touch of magic. And then there was Zichri.

“Was it not because you’d encounter the Chupalma?” I tried to curb the accusation in my tone.

His jaw hardened. My heart thudded in my ears. It would be nice to lace our fingers together and pretend everything was just like before. But I couldn’t.

I stepped around him. “Don’t worry. The whyzer offered protection for us to leave safely.”

He caught my shoulder. “Did you really get your gift?”

Tears gathered at the corners of my eyes, and I blinked them back. Still, more hot tears sprung out, forming a steady stream down my cheeks. “No. I didn’t.” My voice quivered. “Please don’t ask.”

He wrapped his arms around me. I savored his strong embrace, feeling his hard chest against my head, warming my back, and steadying my erratic breaths. He pulled away with a sigh and showed me the wad of margus in his pocket. “We should make our way back.”

And we left. Blas needed the lifesaving antidote. I couldn’t wish him dead even if he was an enemy.

When we arrived at the cabin, purple and orange striped the sky. Zichri burst through the front door. Every muscle in my body ached as I climbed the last two steps into the candlelit room. My stomach had turned into a cauldron seething with every degrading insult I’d ever heard about myself, hollowing out my insides.

Zichri passed Uncle Uly the antidote, and he moved with the stealth and speed of a hummingbird, crushing the margus into a cup, adding boiling water from the kettle, stirring the mixture, and tipping the antidote into Blas’s mouth.

Once Blas had drunk all the antidote, Uncle Uly got to work setting up two cots. Zichri tried to help, but Uncle insisted we were his guests.

Blas laid limp on the couch, glistening with sweat. His eyelids lifted a fraction and shut. He moaned like if he tried to speak but stopped.

After the cabin was set for the night, we had only to wait and see if the antidote would work. Zichri paced the length of the living room, and I sat on a stool next to the hearth, staring at Blas’s chest rise and fall in a steady pattern.

“You should get some rest,” Uncle Uly said. “I know of an easier way for you to get out of the valley, but it’s another long trek.”

“Does it involve swimming?” Zichri asked the question perched on my tongue.

“No.” Uncle Uly crossed the room and entered the doorway at the end of the cabin. “We’ll talk more tomorrow.” He yawned again. “Goodnight.”

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