Page 25 of Untamed

The library door creaked open. Papá’s majordomo strode between the long empty tables and ornately cushioned seats to our spot at the center of the room. “His Majesty requests your presence.”

I stood. “To what does this pertain?”

He smirked under his thin mustache. “King Ezer requested he give you the message personally.”

A vicious smile curled on my cheeks, and I had to fight the urge to let out a girly squeal. The majordomo reflected my sentiment in the way he spun on his heel and motioned for us to follow him out the door.

Laude and I trailed him through the back corridor. The tip-tap of our shoes echoed in a discordant rhythm. Laude strolled with a bounce to her step like there wasn’t a worry in all Agata.

Tingles raced up and down my arms, tempting me to reach into Laude’s and the cocky majordomo’s minds to make them feel guilty and to pressure them into leaking every one of their secrets. But the memory of what had happened to Lux rang through my soul, and I pressed my fingernails into my palms. I couldn’t use my gifting again.

We passed through the empty atrium with sunlight slicing through the many windows above. Another pair of servants opened the double doors to the throne room. The large space stood before us like a yawning cave with gilded teeth. The majordomo bowed and slid away to a spot at the back of the room, but I wouldn’t get such a luxury.

Laude and I trekked forward. At the center, Papá clutched the armrest of his throne, and upon seeing me, he relaxed his grip. A man whose flowing locks were peppered with gray stood before him with his back toward us.

Papá waited for my quick curtsy and said, “Your Uncle Uly has just arrived. Lessons start tomorrow after breakfast. So be it. You and Laude are dismissed.” He called for the majordomo at the back of the room with the flick of two fingers. “Have my brother stay in the North Hall.”

“But Papá!” I couldn’t hold back the bark in my voice.

“As you wish.” The majordomo bowed.

“Please, Papá.”

Uncle Uly spun and met my gaze with a warm smile. I had seen him on my trip into Valle de los Fantasmas, and he had helped me get to the ruins to meet the whyzer assigned to bestow my gifting. Uncle Uly had given me a nudge in Zichri’s direction when I was confused about my feelings. This would have been a happy reunion if it weren’t for the circumstances.

I allowed my lips to stretch into a smile despite the tumult inside of me. It wasn’t Uncle Uly’s fault that Papá had forced his will, and it surely wasn’t his fault that Lux had died.

“Until tomorrow,” Uncle Uly said.

The majordomo led my uncle out the double doors. Finally, when the doors clicked shut, I lifted my chin to Papá. My next words needed to slice through his iron will. Hot breaths puffed out my chest with all the frustration and helplessness I couldn’t contain.

Papá’s knuckles grew white on his armrests. “Daughter, you must attend those lessons. That’s part of Cosme’s agreement.”

Hot blood shot through my body. I slid a glare at Laude, who wouldn’t meet my eyes. “What is your agreement with Cosme?”

“If you send Cosme to speak for you, surely you should know his terms.” Papá’s tone remained firm.

Perhaps he’d budge if I let him know about Aracibel’s betrayal. I opened my mouth, but my tongue tightened. “You mus—”

A gargle escaped my throat.

I snapped my mouth closed and rubbed my suddenly swollen neck.

“Princess”—Laude leaned closer—“are you sick? Should I get you a cup of water?”

“No,” I croaked. It was all I could enunciate. An ache tugged from my neck to my shoulders. A heaviness weighed in my sleeve from Monserrat’s parchments. I ripped the papers from their hiding place.

But a loud knock echoed through the room.

“Hija”—Papá massaged his forehead—“I have an important meeting with diplomats from Pedroz. I’d prefer they didn’t see you. Surely, you understand.” He gestured toward a door to the right of him. His words hammered through my chest with the rest of his meaning. The stewards of Pedroz would not be pleased to see their beloved prince’s killer.

But I still needed to show him the letters. I stepped toward Papá and shoved the papers at him.

Papá waved the parchment aside. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”

Laude nudged my elbow and prodded me toward the door. I would have screamed if my throat hadn’t been throbbing.

The moment I hit the dark corridor to the king’s lounge, my shoulders eased. We crossed between the various couches and flung the doors open to a back passageway. My tongue loosened enough for me to lift it to my upper palate.

---