Page 12 of Untamed

Jaime’s tiny silhouette waited for me at the opposite end of the passage, dimly lit by a spill of torchlight from a stairwell in between. I dragged my fingers along the stone wall as I hurried back to my love, when voices drifted down the stairwell. I dimmed my flame and tiptoed up a small flight of stairs.

“You know where it is, don’t you?” A male voice hissed.

Something slammed against the wall above and whispers sounded. I couldn’t make out the words, but the voice sounded female.

“Either way,” the man continued, “you are taking me to Pedroz. If you disappear again, your lady might have an unfortunate accident.”

“No, I’ll take you.” The woman’s diminutive voice sounded familiar to me.

My boot hit the top step where the flooring changed from rough-cut stone to slick marble. I peeked my head around the corner to find Cosme’s Minerva pinned against a wall by a young man with intense dark eyes and slicked-back hair. He reminded me of Prince Zichri, but where Prince Zichri had kindness in the soft edges of his square jaw, this fellow had sharp lines. The man turned his head, and I retreated behind the wall.

Had he seen me? My heart pounded. I held my breath, hoping he couldn’t hear me. Long seconds passed in silence. Footfalls echoed through the passageway in my direction, and I escaped, running on my toes. I made it down the steps.

The silhouette of a man appeared above. Dim light illuminated his masculine form but hid his front in shadow.

“Come back,” he growled.

I sprinted down the long hall. He must have thought me a fool. Stomping trailed behind me, and I ran faster. The balcony was a stone’s throw away. Jaime’s, Gonzalo’s, and Blas’s backs faced me as they looked out over the balustrade at the city below. Jaime threw back his head in laughter, caught up in his conversation.

“Jaime!” I lifted my dress, trying to get my legs to fly me to him. How far was my pursuer? I looked over my shoulder.

The man stretched his hand toward me and grazed my arm.

I screeched.

Jaime spun around. “Laude?”

The man behind me stopped and ducked in a shadow. I sprinted until I was in Jaime’s arms.

“What’s wrong?” Jaime raised his voice to combat the music from the celebration below the palace. His thumb gently lifted my chin to meet his gaze.

“There was a man.” I rocked up to my toes to speak into his ear. “Minerva’s here. I’m not sure we can trust her. There’s some fellow talking about Pedroz. Something is wrong. Very wrong.”

Jaime whistled to Gonzalo and Blas and cocked his head toward the doorway.

The ring of swords being unsheathed filled my ears. Gonzalo and Blas entered the dark passageway, ready for a fight.

Jaime nodded. “Did you recognize the man?”

“No, but he looked a lot like Prince Zichri.”

Jaime’s jaw clenched. “Did he see you?”

“He chased me.” I pointed into the inky darkness. “He was right there.”

Gonzalo and Blas took off running into the passage.

“Let’s walk back to Milo’s.”

Shaking, I bobbed my head. “I think I need my own sword.”

“That you do.” Jaime lifted his pant leg and lowered his boot to unbuckle a sheath with a worn leather dagger hilt sticking out the top. He placed the soft leather into my palms. “We’ll teach you how to use it.”

Chapter 5

Beatriz

Sunlight bathed my bedroomwith the promise of a cheerier day. I sat in a cushioned chair at my small desk and read over Zichri’s words. His last letter had been a childhood story where Agustín, his eldest brother, tricked Hugo and Zichri into believing the baker had stuffed insects into their favorite pastries. I chuckled, imagining the two younger brothers inspecting their food and trying to keep face while consuming their buggy treats.

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