Page 24 of Untamed

“Jaime’s waiting for me.”

“Your mother was a mere maid in the Giddelian palace. Her name was Gema. She was from the north, and she died in childbirth.”

My nose flared, my feet begged me to run, but I needed to hear the rest of what he had to say.

“Now, I have your attention.” He licked his bottom lip, possibly to add dramatic emphasis. “There’s someone who wants to meet you and can tell you about your papá.”

Heat boiled in my gut and threatened to spill out. I shoved him away from me. “I have no papá.”

Just when tears choked my throat, Prince Agustín shot in between me and Prince Hugo. He had a thinner frame, but much of Hugo’s and Zichri’s good looks. “I have been wanting to meet you.”

Prince Hugo pinched the bridge of his nose, annoyed at the interruption. “This is Señorita Laude of Giddel.”

“Zichri’s girl?” A hint of mockery touched Prince Agustín's question.

“No. A friend of hers.” Prince Hugo patted his brother’s shoulder and strode off.

Prince Agustín placed his warm palm on my back and positioned my hand high in the air. The music twirled with a slow beat that would have been romantic if Jaime were my partner. I caught a glimpse of Jaime nodding toward me as I drifted around the dance floor.

My feet tripped over Prince Agustín’s polished shoes. The clunky way he led had me fumbling for purchase. If he ran a kingdom like he danced, no wonder Prince Hugo believed himself a better fit. On closer inspection, I could see the differences between the brothers, but my memory couldn’t recall if the one who’d threatened Minerva was stocky or more slender.

Finally, Prince Agustín peered into my eyes. “Why do you bother wasting your time in Himzo?”

“What do you mean?” My voice came out thin and high pitched with my nerves on display.

“I’ve seen you here before with my brother’s guard. Don’t act the fool. I will never approve of you and your lady.” He spun me like expected, and we promenaded side by side like all the other dancers. His grip suddenly felt like shackles. He leaned down to my ear. “If we cross paths again, it won’t be pleasant.”

Chapter 10

Beatriz

A day had passedsince Cosme had promised to speak to Papá, and yet no summons to the throne room had arrived and Monserrat was still in Giddel. Laude insisted that we must continue our studies on ancient history, and though the subject only held a mild interest for me, I snatched the candy bag from my desk and obliged my friend.

Slits of light cut across a quarter of the enormous library and touched the edge of our table. Laude hunched over a dusty tome and gasped. “Is this true?”

“I’d like to know the truth.” I pushed a small bowl of encanelados across the table, even though enticing her to speak hadn’t worked for the past several hours.

Her focus remained trained on the page, oblivious to my mood. She grabbed a couple of walnuts. “Why didn’t we thinkof having candies at our study sessions before?” She popped the treat into her mouth. Her wild red curls framed her toothy grin.

“Perhaps I wasn’t so desperate for conversation in the past.” The lilt of my voice was pure acid. I wouldn’t admit I was wrong in how I’d manipulated Cosme until she admitted what she was hiding from me.

The voice in my head reminded me:You have secrets too.

I clenched the armrest on my chair. My secrets weren’t the same as Laude’s. The curse on Monserrat’s information swelled my tongue any time I tried to share the news.

“Did you know that the Himzos are the keepers of magical relics, and that’s why they don’t receive personal giftings?” Her voice rose an octave. “This should be talked about more.”

When I shrugged, she read aloud from her book. “At the start of the Agata Sea ages, the children of the beyond were transported into Valle de los Fantasmas from a fallen world. They brought relics with them. Some to enhance their abilities, others to prevent abilities from growing out of control, a relic to tell the future, and one to prolong life. The last relic had the seeds of the fountain of life and could rejuvenate a person’s body.” She peeled her riveted expression toward me and flattened the book on the table. Black ink illustrations decorated the outer edge of the pages.

Tingles of apprehension sped along my arms. Was Monserrat’s map truly the location of the last relic? I leaned forward to get a better view of the drawings and caught sight of a pocket watch sketched in the margins. The intricate lines circling the metal reminded me of the gift I’d once received. What had happened to it?

Laude snapped the book closed and leaned over the table like she had something important to share. “What if Zichri was a keeper of the relics?” A glimmer of mystery shone in her eyes. “He probably has dreams about your future together, yourwedding, and all your little babies.” The awe in her voice grated against my nerves, especially since my only chance to see Zichri lay in Cosme’s hands.

Frustration tiptoed across my forehead, but I didn’t think it prudent to vent if I ever wanted to get Laude to disclose what she and my brother were hiding. I sighed. “The Himzo king is the keeper of the relics, not Zichri. He has two elder brothers, which means he’s not likely to ever be the king.”

“Something tells me you’re still mad?” Laude plopped the dusty tome on top of a stack of history books. “Shouldn’t you be happy about Cosme agreeing to help you?”

Despite my best efforts, my nose flared over tight lips. Their secrecy stabbed like a dagger through my back. Then there was the fact that Monserrat remained at the palace, spewing lies. I should fling the papers at my brother instead of holding back. This manipulation was what the old Beatriz would have done—the one who’d only thought about herself. Guilt wrangled my heart, but I didn’t reach for my sleeve pocket to share my burden with Laude.

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