Page 57 of Unbetrothed

I laid my head to rest on Uncle Uly’s cot and sunk into a deep slumber.

The next morning, light peeked through the curtains onto the blood and dirt on my tunic. A dull headache throbbed. Yesterday clung like a stain. The little boy from the ruins did not visit my dreams, and I hoped he’d never come again. I rolled off the squat cot and tiptoed across the hardwood. Blas snored on the sofa, mouth hanging open, while Zichri slept on another cot across from him. I escaped the cabin and tapped the door shut behind me.

A thick fog draped over the trees, giving off a haunted appearance. I supposed that was fitting since a haze loomed over my future. A few stumps circled a fire pit, and I sat on the tallest one. The sun chased away the night and reminded me of the promise I made the Ancient One. Why didn’t the Ancient One intervene and force his whyzer to give me my gift? I did what I promised.

“Beatriz,” Uncle Uly rasped.

I startled and whipped around to see him coming from the forest. “I didn’t know you were awake. Good morning.”

He leaned heavily on his staff, making his way through the grass. “I heard about yesterday.”

I dipped my head.

“Don’t look so glum. A friend told me about your trip, and I also heard about what happened at the ruins.”

How embarrassing!I tugged at my collar.

He sat on a stump next to mine. “All the burdens you carry won’t matter.”

“You live alone in a valley. What would you know about my burdens?”

He nodded his head. “Yes, I live here, but I’m not alone. You, my dear,thinkyou need the gift and that people need to see you as some grand princess. Enough. Let yourself be at peace. You need nothing special to form a betrothal. You don’t need this gift to earn people’s good favor.”

“I don’t have a betrothal nor anyone’s good favor.” I rubbed my arms, loathing the day I was born.

“Those two things are easy to change. Find a man who will love you no matter what and marry him. Perhaps that part’s already done.” He cleared his throat at my sharp glare.

“Zichri is a Himzo prince.” I enunciated each word then bit my lip.

“Why does his origin matter to you?” His eyes fixed on mine, so much like Papá’s.

“Giddel and Himzo are on the brink of war.”

“Do you prefer to choose a suitor from a line of men at a ball instead?”

I jerked my head back. “How do you know about that?”

A smile spread under his mustache. “Like I said, I have friends who gather information for me. Don’t dodge the question. Is Zichri better or worse than those who lined up to dance with you?”

“That isn’t a fair question.” I glanced over my shoulder to the cabin, where Zichri and Blas slept. What would it be like to choose him?

Uncle Uly clicked his tongue, drawing my attention back to our conversation. “Regardless, your father gives you a choice. Not every young lady can say that. As for favor, consider others before yourself. It really is simple, but not easy.” He tapped his staff on the ground.

“The problem is that I can neither choose Zichri nor change who I am. If you spoke with the whyzer, you’d understand I’m a lost cause.”

“Is it because you still want to marry that Prince Lux?”

I stilled. “How—how do you know?”

A bird swooped down and perched on Uly’s shoulder. It tweeted a sweet melody. Uncle Uly whispered back to the tiny creature. The bird chirped in response. “You’ll go back through the caves.” Uncle Uly turned toward me. “I promise you will get the answers for which you search.”

Did the bird speak to him?

From several paces behind us, I heard the cabin door creak open. Zichri appeared in the doorway and rubbed his bleary eyes. Why did he have to be so handsome? And why a Himzo prince?

“He’s not so unpleasant. And doesn’t the Ancient One call us to love our enemy?” Uncle Uly winked. “This might be your chance to not be such a lost cause.”

I tucked stray hairs behind my ear, suddenly aware of how I must look and what my breath must smell like. Zichri’s boots brushed the grass as he joined Uncle Uly and me around the fire pit.

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