Page 24

CHAPTER 23

U PON REACHING CAMP, L AUDE flung her arms around me. “You’re here!” She squeezed my torso. “It was terrible!”

Charred wood laid strewn across the grass in the clearing, a tinge of fiery orange glowing beneath the blackened edges. Ash coated Jaime’s hair, face, and clothes. Blas blew out his cheeks with hands clapped on his head. What had happened?

“If it weren’t for you, miss, we all might have died.” Laude swiped her cheeks and nose. “We went out searching for you.” A tiny sob escaped her throat. “While we were gone, Jaime thought to prepare a meal, and if he had been closer …”

Jaime squeezed her shoulder, offering comfort. “The fire exploded. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Zichri and Milo locked stares. Hard expressions settled on both their faces as some hidden message seemed to pass between them. Milo shrugged a shoulder, and Zichri twisted his lips to the side. A tiny flick of Milo’s hand led Zichri to toss his head back in exasperation.

Blas collected the remnant of our tattered satchels. “I put the hammocks inside the bags. I guess we sleep on the ground from now on.”

The markings on my arms itched intensely. I circled my shoulders, using the rough tunic to assuage the pain. Had it been the stress of today, or was it … I pulled back the collar of my tunic, peeking at my skin. Metallic lines swirled to the ends of my designs. Had I run out of time? Would the ground swallow me up like it had Lord Pau’s father when he broke his oath?

Milo groaned, still in some hidden conversation with Zichri. “Fine. We had enough action today. We’ll cross the river tomorrow.”

“No!” I shouted and cleared my throat. “We cross today.”

Zichri’s eyebrows drew together. Milo and Blas shared a look, then Blas shrugged with a mocking expression.

“Cypress?” Laude cocked her head and stepped in front of me, flitting her eyes toward the drying blood on my tunic. “Are you all right?”

I dropped my voice. “The blood is from a giant feline, but that’s not why we need to move on. I’ll explain later.” I scratched my shoulder, observing her tentative head shake. “It’s of the utmost importance that we continue.”

Laude inhaled a long breath and nodded. “Off to the whyzer!”

And so, we all marched back upriver to the spot Zichri had discovered. Boulders formed a line through the river, water gushing over them. On one side of the boulders, water pooled into a wide gentle stream, and on the other, the stream narrowed and raced in a turbulent flow.

Laude clung to a sapling. “I won’t do it.”

“You can’t stay here.” I clasped my hands in front of my chest. “We need to get to the other side, remember? The smoke. The whyzer. All of them are across the river.” Never had I begged a servant before in my life. But we could not have gone through all this effort to be stuck at the edge of a river. “What if Jaime carries you?”

Laude tapped her chin for a second and grabbed the trunk again. “Miss, I’ve done everything you asked of me on this trip, but I can’t go in that water.”

My eyes burned as I filled my lungs with a shaky breath.

And what should I tell Mamá if Laude gets hurt or worse?

Zichri dipped his head toward me. “She needs time. Gonzalo won’t climb anymore, and a year has passed. We can still cross without her.”

“I won’t leave her alone, not with the creature lurking in the forest. What if something happened?” My insides throbbed as if the wasps stung my insides. Was this also part of my time running out?

“It will be all right. Jaime can stay with her.” Zichri pointed to his broad-shouldered friend.

Jaime gave a single nod.

“That’s not enough. If more creatures attack, Jaime is one man. Sorry, Jaime, you appear capable, but …”

Blas howled with laughter. “You hear that? She’s calling you weak.” He clapped Jaime’s back.

I met Laude’s gaze just in time to catch her roll her eyes. Blas had certainly lost her good favor.

Milo stalked to Laude’s side. “I’ll stay with them.”

Zichri held my hand. “Then it’s settled. Blas, Cypress, and I will cross.”

I hesitated to step into the river. In my mind, Laude would see the ruins with me—that might have been a new thought, but it was what I envisioned. River water rushed up past my ankles, climbing to my waist. Each step weighed heavy from the water and my conscience.

Once on the other side, I waved, still not wanting to part from Laude. For the first time in years, she had become like a sort of sister. I wasted so much time pushing her away over one silly comment Lux made as a child.

“We can’t stay at the river all day.” Zichri pressed a hand to my back, encouraging me to continue. “I’m sure you want to make it there and back before dusk.”

It did not seem right to leave Laude, but I peeled myself from the shore. Laude still held the sapling with one hand and waved with the other.

Blas led us deeper into the rows of trees. I trudged behind, and Zichri walked by my side. I should have asked more questions. But instead,I allowed my mind to wander. Perhaps, my gift will be mindreading. That would do away with all the pointless games I played to get to know a certain someone.

Sunlight peeked through the canopy of leaves. How odd. The skies were gray on the other side of the river. A sweet aroma drifted through the air, inviting us to travel into a sparser part of the forest.

Blas picked dull, blue berries with little hairs from a bush I’d never seen before.

“Come now, don’t tell me you’re going to eat that.” Zichri plucked the fruit from Blas’s hand.

“I had the same instructor as Jaime.” Blas lifted a cocky grin.

“As I recall,” Zichri squeezed the fruit between his fingers, “the instructor removed you from his group because you nearly got another pupil killed.”

“I was young. What can I say?” Blas popped the blue berry into his mouth.

Unease tensed in my stomach. I waited for him to fall over, but nothing happened. Blas strode along, shoveling a handful of the berries in his mouth.

“If they are poisonous, how long will it take to affect him?” I peered at Zichri, who examined a green leaf with orange around the edges.

“It depends on the berries. I’ve never seen these, but then again, I was also dismissed from that same class.” He tossed the leaf to the side, and we continued to stroll along a grassy path.

“The instructor must have been very strict to toss out so many students.”

“He was the most lenient of the bunch. And we all knew it.” Zichri reached for my hand.

I hesitated but slipped my fingers in his. Should I even allow myself to get closer to Zichri? Papá would never accept him—what am I thinking? There’s no real possibility of him being a match. Play your role.

My heart sank just a fraction as we walked along a grassy trail and swung our arms. Blas bounced along, merry to be in his own company.

“You’ve been distant this morning. I don’t know this look.” Zichri’s deep voice soothed the tumultuous emotions sifting within me. One second, Zichri was irresistible, and the next, he was an enemy.

Zichri edged closer and relaxed into an easy gait. “Why didn’t you want to wait to cross the river? No one would blame you for needing time to rest.”

“Eager to get my gift, that’s all.” Glancing ahead at Blas, I enjoyed the light reflecting off his nearly black hair.

“You’re nervous for Laude?”

“I suppose. Perhaps I take her for granted. She talks far too much, excites over the smallest of things, braids better than anyone else I know, and is beyond loyal.” I pictured Laude blowing out her cheeks with moons for eyes when I told her about the ruins.

“More valuable than a high position is finding a loyal friend,” Zichri said. “I know because I have four. I trust them with my life. I also have a sister back home who fights my battles when I am away.”

“Why must she fight battles when you are away?”

He sighed and shook his head. “Our two older brothers make life impossible for the rest of the family.”

This wasn’t what I had expected to hear. Where did this information fit in with the threats Himzo had been sending Papá?

The sound of our footfalls mingled with the rustling and buzzing all about us.

I tucked flyaway hairs behind my ear. “Is that why you sneak into enemy kingdoms?”

He chuckled. “Is that what bothers you? I do what my superiors tell me to do. As of late, I think they prefer me away.”

“Are you that bothersome?”

“Always.” He gently squeezed my hand. The playful curve of his lips gave me the inclination to rise onto my tiptoes and kiss him. I fanned my face.

Why must I get distracted so easily? I tried to shake off this attraction, but giggles sprang out my mouth.

Zichri stopped. His eyes focused ahead. Blas laid on the ground, and I slapped my hand over my mouth.

“You dunce. Why did you eat those berries?” Zichri ran ahead, dropped to one knee, and rolled Blas over.

Blas’s chest rose in shortbreaths. Bleary eyes wandered within their sockets.

“Should I run back to the others?” My breath caught. The edges of my vision blurred into shades of brown and green.

Something hard tapped my shoulder.

I startled and whipped around. A man with a long gray beard stared down his nose at me, but he continued past me and walked over to Blas.

Zichri squinted up to the old man. “Sir, can you save him?”

The man pressed his knobby staff against Zichri’s chest, sweeping him away from Blas. In one quick motion, the man lifted Blas over one shoulder and strode through the line of trees. We ran to catch up. Though each tree line had a grassy walkway, the tall man’s single stride covered more ground than several of mine. We almost lost him when he made a sharp turn. Zichri ran ahead, and I sprinted behind him into a clearing.

In the center of the clearing, a log cabin stood tall. This building, with its horizontal logs stacked high, thatched roof, and stone chimney, had appeared in my nightmares. A plume of smoke puffed out the chimney and swirled into the blue sky.

The old man burst through the front door of the cabin, leaving it wide open. Zichri stopped at the entrance, scanned the forest, and then stepped into the darkness within the doorway. I continued toward Zichri, slowing the closer I got to the cabin. We could be a meal for this man or his prisoners. Of course, we wanted to save Blas, but how could we know what this stranger would do?

Zichri searched my eyes. “Go back to the others. Tell them where we are.”

I turned to leave when I heard the old man croak, “Come in. I’ve been waiting for you, Beatriz—or is it Cypress?”