Page 69 of Unbetrothed

What small men.

My heart pounded. Was I going mad or imagining things? By the grim expressions on the soldiers’ faces, they weren’t going to let us in unless I revealed my identity. I pursed my lips and dismountedto calm the tension. “Will you not let your princess into her own city?”

Soldiers held their arrows notched back. The tautness in the air vibrated down to my inner being, whispering,Is she telling the truth? How do we know it is she?

I glanced down at the markings on my hands. They glowed. That had only happened when I said words of power. The air rushed from my lungs. I traced the swirling lines, and strange prickles flowed into my finger and up my arm. Did anyone else see my skin illuminating? “Here are my gifting marks. Now open the doors.”

Though the archers loomed over us a good distance, they trembled with confusion.

One soldier’s eyes snapped open, and he let down his bow. “It is she!”

Others relaxed their bows while some soldiers maintained their positions.

Sounds of unbolting and clicks echoed. The door scraped along the cobblestone. Laude shrank back on her horse, looking like she might faint. I whispered to myself, wishing I could push the words at her,Be of good courage, my dear friend.

She took the reins of her horse and puffed out her chest, preparing to walk through our entrance.

A stern-faced man, clad in a green uniform, marched toward us but stopped short of exiting the city gate. “Get off your steed.” Upon closer inspection, the glint of the moon reflected off colorful embroidery on both his shoulders, indicating his high rank. Disbelief rolled off him. It murmured in my head,This is no princess.

Am I losing my wits? What am I hearing?

“Bring them in.” Stern-face’s gruff voice cut through the night.

The whyzer did not give me my gift, yet something within mehadchanged. Heat burbled through my veins. I led Muck through the gates and inside the city walls. “Good sir, we need you to take us to the palace as quickly as you can manage or let us ride through.” In reality, I hoped a carriage awaited next to the entrance, ready to go. My achy muscles would have thanked him.

His tight-lipped expression told me I’d have no such luck. I lifted my chin high despite the obstinance woven through the aura around him. If I hadn’t been so emotionally spent, it would have been no effort to maintain the regality a princess should always possess. But it was an effort.

Laude walked her steed next to mine. “Sir, could we not speak to the head of His Majesty’s service to confirm our story? I am a loyal servant to Princess Beatriz, and it would be no inconvenience to wake Lady Myla. If we lie, you may do as you wish to us since we would be committing a crime against the throne.”

A grinding noise dragged our attention toward two soldiers pushing the entrance doors shut behind us. They slapped the bolt shut with a loud clank. Stern-face maintained a twist to his lips, his grayed mustache unmoving. In fact, his annoyance, though apparent, lapped through me, like water washing on the shore before pulling back to the sea. Mamá always encouraged me to be perceptive about how a person looks and their movements, but I had never been able tofeelhow another person wrestled with their emotions. Laude had pricked his pride somehow with her suggestion.

Laude continued, “Come now, good sir. Lady Myla might even be awake. The birds sing with the coming light.” She had a confidence in her posture. It reminded me of Mamá on her throne.

This whole time, I’d been so focused on getting the gift and saving my pride. How did I not see the change in Laude? Before we left, she would not have dared tell anyone what to do, and now my Laude spoke boldly.

“I’ll escort you to the servants’ entrance.” Stern-face pointed toward our horses, signaling for us to mount again.

The slow and intentional way Laude climbed up suggested that she also ached from the ride. My body screamed at me for even considering climbing on Muck’s back again, but what could we do? Muck stomped the road in protest.

I leaned forward and whispered to him, “My dear friend. You will get the break you desire soon enough. Only a little more to go.”

Muck huffed, walking despite his need for rest. We continued through town, following closely behind three soldiers on their horses. The shuttered windows lining the buildings watched us make our way through the barren town center. The horses clomped down the cobblestones, shaking my already buzzing nerves.

I played with the new pulsating sensation in my veins. It was invisible, yet tangible. I stretched it out from my body, and the transparent force spread out like tentacles. It flowed over a woman popping her head out a window, and she bubbled with curiosity and anxiety. Whispers about soldiers escorting two scrawny men vibrated down the invisible line. I couldn’t blame her for thinking we were men.

“Remain calm,” I whispered to myself. Confounded, I massaged my forehead, and those invisible appendages wrapped around her like they had in my nightmares.Remain calm, remain calm.The transparent appendage uncoiled, knocking the lady’s chin as we rode past her. All her features widened in shock and then relaxed into a smile. She closed the shutters, and I focused on the road ahead.

This reminded me of my dreams. But not all my night visions had good results. My clammy hand slipped down the leather reina bit, and I gripped it tighter. Whatever invisible thing was extending out my body needed to be contained. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to anyone.

We veered down a lane where the road narrowed. The invisible force surrounding me brushed against the souls within their houses. Many people slept soundly in their homes, while others were startled awake. There was no way of seeing this, but I knew. In my dreams, I could change how people reacted, and I gulped. All my dreams turned into nightmares. I brushed the thought aside and focused on Stern-face. The soldier gave me a sidelong look, and I extended the invisible tentacles toward him. I exhaled, “Trust me.” But the wind swept away my words.

The palace appeared larger the longer we clomped through town. All the stones on the east side glowed orange from the morning light, my favorite time to sit on my balcony. A shadow fell on half the palace. My heart filled with longing. Even the jagged stakes my brother added to the entrance appealed to me. It was home. I hadn’t realized how much I missed it.

As the horses continued to walk, a red building blocked the way, so I clicked my tongue to quicken Muck’s pace. Even with this tenseness roiling within my belly, a hint of relief spread through me when I gazed upon the familiar town square and marketplace on the main road. It led to the front entrance. Laude furrowed her brow. Perhaps she shared the same concern thatwe weren’t going through the side entrance.

I tightened my grip on the leather cord, ready to pull on Muck’s bit, but two soldiers followed behind us, leaving no room for us to backtrack. The cloak latched at my collarbone grew heavier, choking my neck.No! They can’t trap me.

The two soldiers bristled—that revelation came to me through waves of heat flowing into my body.Oh, Ancient One, what is this new sensation?I swallowed hard, trying to sympathize with the soldiers. How it disturbed my soul when people disliked me. What would I think of me if I were them? I’d probably put myself in jail.

---