Page 74 of Untamed

Minerva stopped at the threshold of an arched doorway. “This doesn’t look good.”

Rage vibrated up several connections, but I couldn’t make out the jumble of whispers. I rushed beside Minerva to find Cosme by himself in the middle of the room. Hugo and several others held swords out toward King Sebastian and Queen Tatiana.

The queen’s desperate eyes searched the room, but no one approached her. Where were Lucas and Monserrat?

“Prince Cosme,” Hugo kept his sword tip at the neck of the king, “you have a choice. I would much prefer to keep you alive, but your dead body would serve our purposes too.”

A sound resonated from the other side of the room. The clashing of swords rang, punctuated by grunts. Hugo cut a look behind him.

“Now, Minerva. Get him now.” I poked her arm.

“Be careful with Prince Hugo. He can make your powers useless.” She yanked my wrist. “Step forward.”

My body was pulled into the dining hall behind Cosme. A heaviness settled over my arms, dimming the light along the lines.

My brother waved, and a sword tore from the ground into his grip while another shot from the floor at Hugo.

Hugo dodged, and the sharp edge sliced through King Sebastian’s chest.

The king gurgled as blood pooled on his lips and around his knees. Horror struck Queen Tatiana and Cosme.

I pushed my powers out in desperation, igniting a fresh batch of courage within them like a fire erupting.

Cosme responded by cutting his sword through the air. It met Hugo’s sword. Queen Tatiana scrabbled to her husband’s side, blood soaking into the red fabric of her skirt. More of Aracibel’s guards rushed in. I couldn’t tell if they were joining Hugo or coming to the queen’s aid.

“Minerva, help!” Someone, full of fury, gripped my shoulder. I pictured their rage like an arrow and shot it back at them. The man’s head snapped backward.

Cosme met my eye. He waved a chair, and it flew at Hugo from the side. Wood cracked into Hugo’s body. Cosme sprinted toward me and took my wrist and Minerva’s. In a split second, my body was thrust into space. Wind whipped part of my hair loose.

My foot stomped onto the dock’s wooden slats, and my knees buckled. I tripped, my head hitting someone in the chest. Zichri caught my arm, but he tipped over with the weight of a barely conscious Fermín. Cosme lifted me up, and Minerva breathed hard. Footfalls sounded behind us, and Cosme spun with sword in hand.

Lucas and Monserrat raced from the palace onto the dock with a trail of soldiers chasing them.

I looked up towardLa Lavia, but there was only the blackness of the sea at night.

La Laviawas still gone. Jaime and Laude were gone.

Chapter 31

Beatriz

Heart pounding, I tuggedon Cosme’s tunic sleeve. The stampede of boots from friend and foe hammered toward us, no more than fifty arm spans away. More torches lit along the shores.

Cosme glanced at Minerva. “Quick. Get us away from here.”

Minerva spread her fingertips and bit her lip. “Where?”

“Anywhere.” Cosme met my gaze. His regret and worry smacked me in the face. He’d made a mistake up in the dining hall, and King Sebastian had died because of it.

A portal swirled over the inky black water just off the end of the dock. To go through, we’d have to take a leap and pray the landing would be soft. No one could mistakenly run through it, at least.

“Jump, Beatriz. Jump, Minerva.” Cosme signaled for us to move with a circular motion. “Close the portal the moment I make it through.”

Minerva hesitated but leapt. My feet stuck to the planks as if someone had nailed them in place. I watched Lucas and Monserrat sprint for dear life. A soldier closed in on Monserrat, but Lucas pivoted and grabbed her wrist. The two reappeared beside me. Their momentum carried them off the dock and into Minerva’s portal.

Zichri grabbed Fermín around the waist and leapt off the dock. Their bodies fell into the portal and blinked from existence.

“Go, Beatriz.” Cosme’s tone grew harsh. He extended his arm outward, preparing to levitate an object. Sweat trickled along his temple, and he clenched a fist upward.

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