Page 70 of Unbetrothed

If Stern-face turned left, we’d be sent to jail. If he went straight, he believed us.He may not want to insult my good name. We couldn’t do anything more to convince him.

I inhaled, getting a whiff of the sea air mingled with fresh bread. Not even the Giddelian morning air calmed me. Instead, sweat beaded on my nose. I didn’t want to consider what it would be like if we were in jail when the Himzos attacked.

Muck trudged behind the soldiers. I pleaded with Stern-face in my head.Order for the palace gates to open. Come now.Stopping at the entrance, Stern-face peeked back at us and set his jaw. Not good. My blood simmered with his disdain. He maneuvered his horse forward and lifted a hand.

Relief flooded through me, but then he made a sharp left turn. My stomach clenched. I couldn’t breathe. We passed the sealed front gate.

We needed a miracle. This could take a long time to sort out if we were in jail and we didn’t have time. We could try to outrun the soldiers, but how would we get into the palace? The soldiers ahead of us stopped in front of the windowless stone facade—all stone and no style.

Stern-face bounded off his horse and commanded, “Detain these two.”

“You are making a mistake.” I clenched my fists.

“And gag her.”

Two burly men came out of the jail. I scooted off my horse to make this whole situation smoother.There must be a way to show them I am Princess Beatriz.

I rolled my sleeves up. Everyone knew about my markings, and they had been glowing upon entering Giddel. “See the marks on my hand. Look at my face.” My teeth ground and I said, “Please see reason. You’ll regret this.”

Stern-face tilted his head toward me, unimpressed by my words and my gifting marks. When I lifted my arms, the marks stared at me with their regular dull lines, difficult to see in this light. But … they had glowed.

Strong hands clamped around my arms. I kicked and protested. One of the soldiers who had been following us squeezed my wrists, sending a violent surge of pain sizzling throughout my body. My arms fell limp to my side, and my legs gave way, making it easy for one of the bald jailers to snatch the dagger from my belt and lift me over his shoulder. He must have had a gift that left people incapacitated. I caught a glimpse of another soldier dragging Laude into the jail. Her cheeks drooped compared to her normal bubbling smile.

I tried to scream at the head soldier. “Unhand me. I come with a message for my father, the king.” The words came out garbled even to my own ears.

Stern-face crossed his arms. A smug smile tugged at the edges of his lips. I tried to extend the invisible force out of my body, but I couldn’t even feel my toes. Had I imagined it?

The jailer tied my wrists so tight I thought my shoulders might break. I held back a yelp. A princess needed to keepsomedignity. He jerked me forward through the jail’s dark doorway and down a long, stone hall. The front door of the prison framed the silhouette of a soldier as he slammed the door shut.

CHAPTER 34

MAMá ALWAYS SAID THATthe Ancient One could use even bad things to do something good. She was wrong. The bars jailing Laude and I squeezed every drop of hope from me. I planted my palms on my forehead, a headache throbbing from temple to temple.

“At least, we’re together.” Laude’s thin voice did nothing to ease the lump in my throat. But us together in the same jail cell had kept me from melting into the stone floor that reaked of filth.

I swallowed hard, trying to wash away my guilt at her being here. If it weren’t for me, she’d be in the palace, the safest place to be when the Himzos attacked. Why did I ask her to accompany me in the first place? How I wished to go back in time and be satisfied with choosing a husband. She wouldn’t suffer. Mamá would have let me travel to see my aunt in the north, and Zichri may have followed me there anyway. My imagination ran wilder than Laude’s unruly hair. Regrets jailed me in just as much as the gray stone on each wall.

One of the jailers plopped bowls of gruel on the floor, then marched down the hall without acknowledging our presence. The indignation of the whole thing churned in my stomach.

Laude ran to the bars and shouted at him, “You can’t keep us here. It’s a matter of life and death for all of us in Giddel.”

But the man continued to stroll down the hall and slammed a metal door without so much as a grunt in return.

“You will regret not listening!” Laude stomped her foot. “When the king finds out about how you treated Princess Beatriz, you will find yourself watching an ax fall on your head—ifyou survive the Himzo attack!” She kicked a metal bar and howled in pain.

“Stop that, Laude. He can’t hear you.” My voice sounded weak.

“But how do they not recognize you? You are their princess. It’s not like you hide yourself in the palace for no one to see. Even if they are unsure, why not look into our story? They should be interrogating us.”

Even in the dimness, I noticed red blotches blooming on her neck. A weak smile turned up at the corners of my mouth. Her passion was so contrary to my sulking. It reminded me of Lux’s remark about howI whined all the time. Now thatI thought about it, he had called me a whiner. Only he could have done that without me lashing at him.Am I still that person?

Silent minutes stretched, leaving me trapped in my own abysmal trenches—recalling every foul word I’d ever spewed, every terse look I ever glared, every judgment I’d made. Lux and I used to laugh at other people. It made me feel so much better than those in lower stations, and it elevated my own position when I longed to be esteemed and made worthy of a gift.

The door at the end of the corridor rattled. A slender man strutted in front of our bars and sneered. “I was awakened to attend to you. Speak quickly before I lose my temper and send you to the stump.”

My mouth grew dry. It had never crossed my mind thatwe could be sentenced to death on our arrival. Pushing off the ground, I worked up the strength to combat this.Will he believe me? What other evidence do I have besides my face?I pushed back my shoulders and lifted my chin—all that time practicing Mamá’s dignified expression needed to come in handy right now.

“Good sir. Your sovereigns are waiting to hear from their daughter. Bring in Myla, the head lady’s maid, and she will identify me. But if she finds me a stranger—which will not happen—send us to the stump.” I puffed out my chest, hoping beyond hope that he’d listen.

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