Page 20

CHAPTER 19

W ATER GUSHED OUT THE top of the cliff and splattered into the river beside us. A slick, brown wall of rock stood guard over the dangers in the jungles beyond, giving me just one more chance to reconsider my choices. I looked down, trying to adjust to the way Zichri’s pants sagged over my legs. And no amount of rolling up my sleeves could make the borrowed tunic sit correctly. I pressed my shoulders back, determined to appear confident for Laude and the Himzos behind me despite the nerves clawing at my stomach. Were we insane for going into the valley?

Before I could scare myself further, I led the group. We ascended the rocky side of the waterfalls with ease, taking our time to place our hands and feet in each crevice. Milo and Blas made it to the top first.

Smack!

“Blas,” Milo yelled. “What in all—”

Smack!

“My word,” Milo said with a hint of shock in his voice.

“What is that?” Blas asked. “Jaime, come here. You’ve got to see this.”

Upon reaching the crest, I perched on the edge, catching my breath. Between us and the next waterfall lay a teal pool the size of the palace grounds. Above the next fall, another taller waterfall cut through slabs of the mountain like a staircase made of rock and water. We hadn’t been able to see any of this from below because of all the tree branches.

The men huddled near the falls, and Laude crawled up a second later. The steady roar of the water shooting off the cliff calmed my nerves. A gentle breeze kissed my heated cheeks. Zichri stepped beside me and eclipsed the sun, offering a helping hand.

“Should I be worried?” I slipped my hand in his and pulled myself to my feet.

“No,” Zichri said. “Blas found a strange bug.” He combed his fingers through his hair while staring straight down the fourteen-foot cliff.

“That wasn’t so bad.”

“Why had we been so hesitant to come?” Zichri teased.

“My uncle, for one, and the horror stories about bodies washing downriver can give a lady quite the scare.”

“Oh, but you don’t look like the fretful type.” His smile lit up every other part of his face and melted my heart like butter on warm toast.

“I’m not.” My chin cocked up.

“What happened to your uncle?” Zichri asked.

“I remember him from when I was a child. Tall, thin, looked like my papá, but he had a scraggly beard. He was plagued by nightmares and thought he needed to come here.” The skin on my bicep burned under my sleeve, and I gripped it, hoping to stop the metallic lines from spreading further up my arm. “I don’t know what happened to my uncle, but Papá was mad when he left.” I glanced at the waterfalls we’d still need to climb. “Let’s keep going.”

Milo patted Zichri’s shoulder. “I suggest we swim to save on time.”

“Anything to save on time.” I jumped in and swam, clothes clinging to my body.

We crossed the pool of water, climbed another waterfall, and hiked to the base of yet another, taller fall. Muscles aching like I’d swum the width of the Agata Sea, I sank my fingers between slick rocks. A grayish haze floated around us. Jagged boulders protruded from the mountainside, our cushion should we misstep. Would we ever make it in?

“Do you still want to go forward?” Zichri propped his foot on a rock and adjusted a sodden boot.

“Is this fear I’m detecting from a soldier?” I shook my head as I clicked my tongue.

“Forward and onward!” Zichri called to the rest of our companions.

Jaime assisted Laude by making suggestions on where to place her hands and feet. Blas and Milo raced to the top, crossing distances with ease. I picked a spot and climbed.

Left arm. Left foot. My right foot slipped, and I curled my fingers around the rocks, praying not to fall. I recovered and started up again. Right arm. Right foot. Push up. I continued until halfway to the top ledge. Something buzzed about my head, and I swatted it—more buzzing. The little critter knocked against my cheek.

I cringed and glanced at Zichri, who was about an arm’s length away. “Do you see bugs swarming about?” My arms trembled under my weight.

He stopped moving. His expression contorted until his eyes grew a couple sizes bigger and his nostrils flared.

“What is it?” A pinch pricked my neck, and I yelped.

“Just keep going. Faster,” he urged, continuing his ascent.

I reached for a nook, and something stabbed my palm. I screamed. A hornet, larger than any I’d ever seen before, remained stuck in my skin. I flicked my hand, throwing the yellow monster. Even with the pulsating sting, I increased the pace—more buzzing. I swatted. Another stab on my leg.

Keep going, Beatriz.

Mumbled voices filtered from above. I couldn’t hear past the throbbing pain of my stings.

Dirt and pebbles trickled onto my forehead. But I didn’t stop clawing and pushing skyward.

“I think the dirt’s helping!” Laud’s voice blared above the roar of the waters. “Almost here!”

Ragged breaths puffed between my lips. More dirt pricked my eyes and burning pain pulsed. Many hands yanked my body over the top of the ridge. I lay on a hard surface. Blue skies above.

“You climbed into a swarm of strange bees,” Laude said. “Jaime has never seen such creatures before. The fellows believe it’s one of the beasts of the valley.”

Her statement brought no comfort. Will we be the first to come out alive?

My forearms and calves protested any further movement, but I got to my feet anyway. It seemed everyone else needed a break just as desperately as I did. Thank the Ancient One!

We stood on a rocky ledge, squinting at another large expanse of glistening water. The slow-flowing current cut through dark slabs of rock, making swimming our best way to officially enter the infamous valley.

Tucking stray hairs behind my ears, I peeked at Zichri. “You could still turn back.”

“Why don’t we stop here?” He squared up to me. “We’ll decide tomorrow when we’re not so tired.” He walked around me and swiped a yellow-orange fruit from the ground. The floor was littered with mangoes.

Nothing had ever looked so sweet. By the time I ate my second mango, Laude, Milo, Jaime, and Blas had their hands coated in sweet juices from devouring the treat. No one argued about camping at the top of the cliff for the night.

Since the land on the cliff could fit my bedroom inside of it, and roots and brush took up more than half the space, the Himzos chose to sleep in the brush while Laude and I got a grassy spot in between the tree roots.

Laude curled up and slept before the sunlight disappeared from the sky. As clouds covered the moonlight, I sat, legs curled to the side and back straight. The stings on my hand and leg pulsed. The marks along my arms throbbed with an itch that would not be satisfied, reminding me of my oath. Was my time running out?

Footfalls approached. Zichri took a seat, with one leg extended and the other propped up. He leaned an elbow on his knee and turned toward me. “You should get some rest.”

Now an inky black, the calm water lay as the boundary between being inside the sacred land and outside. I inhaled a hissing breath, subduing the urge to tear at my skin. “I can’t sleep.”

“Nerves getting the better of you?” His piercing eyes searched mine.

“If the whyzer, who hears from the Ancient One, told you to come, then he’ll protect you.” Zichri sounded so certain.

“Who has that sort offaith?”

“If you don’t, why did you come?” Zichri fit his hand into my unscathed one and asked again. “Why did you leave your family?”

I closed my eyes, seeing the vines glowing on my skin the day I made the oath. Alexa whispering to her ladies in waiting: She might as well be a useless Himzo . Those words stung even this far removed from the court. But I could not explain that to Zichri. “Because I had no choice.”

“We all have choices.” He squeezed my hand. “If you want to go back, we can jump down each waterfall and pretend that this is what we came to do.”

“I thought you said that this gift was worth the risk.”

“Or … we can step forward and see what the Ancient One destined for you.” He pressed his lips to my knuckles. His soft touch ignited waves of goosebumps.

“Zichri, why are you here? You’ve done what no one else was willing to do for me, and we’ve only known each other four days.”

He pulled away and looked up to the sky. “I mean what I say about the Ancient One protecting us. But you’re right. That’s not why I’m here.” Moonlight emerged from behind a cloud and kissed the slope of his nose. “Have you ever wondered if our efforts are worthless?”

I flinched. The question caught me off guard. My focus had always been on attaining my gift and working through my nightmares.

“When you get your ability, you might help me deal with my troubles.” He let out a mirthless laugh. “I’m sure you understand being helpless to change your life.”

A smile crept up my cheek. Why did I let him affect me this way? I was supposed to gather information. Instead, I had the urge to hug him. “Tell me something most people don’t know about you.”

He scrunched his brows, contemplating. “I would much rather read than dine in style.” The corner of his lips tipped up. “Where did that question come from?”

“It occurred to me that we might die, and there’s so much I don’t know about you. Is reading your favorite thing to do?”

“No, but close.” His eyebrows rose halfway up his forehead.

“What is it then?”

“Trespassing in forbidden lands, of course.”

I laughed, unsure if he was telling the truth.