Page 77 of Unbetrothed

Something slammed the door. Lux shouted, “All will know that you slaughtered my guards. Our attack will be valid. No other kingdom will support you unless you come with me, Beatriz.”

“And what about you holding a knife to Mamá’s throat?” I hugged my midsection.

“That’s hard to prove, and she started the violence,” he said.

Mamá stepped toward the window with hunched shoulders. She never hunched. All those years putting up a strong front. “I did try to subdue Lux, but I lack control. Even now, I have more strength in harming people than in healing. Am I a beast?”

Should I try and use my gift to soothe her? I released my invisible tentacles, and Mamá’s pain washed under my skin, making me feel how she felt. Shame swirled within her. I could give her a happy thought. The memory of me jumping off the boulder and into the river outside Valle de los Fantasmas came to mind. Joyfulness tingled out my skin. She darted a glance at me, clearly aware of my intrusion, but said nothing about it.

I reached for Lux, forcing the invisible tentacle through the door. Nothing.

“Nice try, Bea. You have a distinct way of pushing in. I’m curious, Bea. Did the Himzo prince and his band of miscreants chase you down?”

My ears perked up. Nothing good could come from admitting the truth.

“Yes, they must have,” Lux said, playfulness touching his voice. “How else would you have known one of them danced with you? If you believe you can form a truce, that means you gotcozywith them too.” The way Lux said “cozy” insinuated something less than savory.

I balled my fists tight. My nails dug into my skin. Mamá put a hand on my shoulder, and I released my fingers. When I thought about it, she may have opened my fists for me.

“I assume your silence means it’s true. I’ll let you in on a little secret. The day after your ball, I thought to terminate the plan since you didn’t seem all that convinced to leave. You still mean more to me than you know.”

He had to be lying. Yet his words started stitching together a gaping wound inside me. I wasn’t sure I believed him, but I wanted it to be true. Still, we could not trust him again.

“Say something, Bea. I could never have broken a betrothal with Alexa, but you seemed set on staying. I had suspicions that you desired more than friendship for years now. You leaving confirmed it … Do me this one favor?”

One of my legs bounced even when I tried to keep it still. Mamá’s grip on my shoulder tightened. The worse part of all this was that a small part of me wanted to say yes to his favor, even still.

“Promise me you’ll leave Giddel. It is under my authority to release prisoners of war. Let me see you, and you’ll know I’m sincere.”

I shrugged Mamá’s hand off and stepped toward the door.

“Don’t you dare,” she said.

“Trust me.” I reached for the rope dangling in the middle of the room, pulling as hard as possible.

The room quaked with the gong of the bell, and the doorknob shook. Lux shouted, but his words sounded muffled. Mamá covered her ears. I slapped my hands over my ears also. Time seemed to stretch into a thin piece of thread as we waited. Waited for Lux to break in? Waited for help? I couldn’t say.

A hum of bugles sounded in the distance. I flew to the window, and Mamá pressed behind me. The Himzo soldiers had made it to the city gates.

I shouted, “Does your gift work like Papá’s?”

Mamá shook her head.

If Papá were here, he could immobilize an entire army of soldiers with a wave of his hand. Even with my gift, I was helpless to stop the incoming attack.

CHAPTER 39

FROM AFAR,ICOULDsee the flow of Himzos into Giddel. Our soldiers attacked the line entering, but we had small numbers. Where were the rest of our soldiers? Once the bell stopped ringing, the clash of swords and the clomps of hooves rang through the streets.

“Why hasn’t anyone arrived to help us? Someonemusthave seen Lux dragging you up here.” I leaned heavily on my elbows at the windowsill.

“I let all the soldiers go off to the front lines and had all the male servants protect the palace gates. I sent Myla to hide all the guests and women below.” Mamá drew me into a tight hug and stepped back. “We could hope that Lux would mend his ways.”

“Why didn’t you cripple him from the start when he had his hands on you?” I shook my head, still not believing Lux to be this monster.

“I hoped for him to change his mind at seeing you. We had gone to your room, but you weren’t there. He insisted on seeing who set off the bell. When we entered the tower passage, I noticed a change in his demeanor.” Mamá poked her head out the window.

I followed her gaze. Soldiers in gray made it to the palace gates. Himzos. Some climbed the wall around the palace. Others clashed swords with the guards. The Himzos lugged a giant log and banged it against the front gateway.

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