Page 48

CHAPTER 47

T HE WIND WHIPPED OVER the balcony at the palace. I tucked my rather large flyaways behind my ears, darting a glance at Laude. A grin touched every line on her face, and her unruly curls danced like flames through the air. Though our appearances could have been better, I didn’t regret spending more time by Zichri’s side earlier that day.

I rubbed my palms along my emerald dress and rubbed at the golden embroidered hibiscus lining the hem of my top skirt. The golden bottom layer shone in the midday sun with an intensity sure to be seen on every rooftop in the town below.

Giddelians flew the emerald flag with the golden hibiscus through the winding streets. Guiterna melodies collided with so many musicians playing different traditional ballads. Guiros made their rat-ta-tat-tat. Tambourines vibrated like the players skimmed the surface with their thumbs over and over again. Girls danced on balconies, and boys reenacted the fighting at their mothers’ sides. I took a step forward and craned my neck. Even within the palace grounds, Giddelian soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder, awaiting their king.

Papá stepped through the doorway and met my gaze. I stepped back. He winked an amber-green eye at me and swaggered a few paces to the balustrade. His emerald robe brushed the stone floors while white furs with black dots encircled his shoulders. He held his back erect and placed a hand on the hilt of his sword.

Mamá appeared beside me, holding herself rod straight and wearing the same dignified pout I always sought to emulate. Cosme rushed to Mamá’s side with Sir Lucas and three more of the Dotado fellows. Behind them, Milo, Jaime, Gonzalo, and Blas lined up, hands clasped in front of them and feet a handbreadth apart, like they’d practiced this stance many times before.

I dropped my chin. What did this mean that Papá and Cosme invited our Himzo friends to a place of honor?

A short man rushed around the onlookers on the balcony and neared Papá. He placed a glowing palm up in front of Papá’s chest, ready to amplify his voice.

“Good people of Giddel, yesterday our courage was tested. Kingdoms we loved and kingdoms we hated joined together to bring us to our knees.” Papá raised a brow in my direction. “Those of you we thought weak proved strong. Those of us who thought themselves strong proved their courage.” He glanced at Cosme. “The Dotados suspected forces worked against us, and I slacked in doing my due diligence to investigate. For that, I am sorry.” His breath caught. “Those we lost will be mourned. Our one comfort, Prince Lux of Pedroz, was brought down by six unlikely heroes. Princess Beatriz of Giddel and her five Himzo friends.” Papá gestured toward me and then toward the Himzos.

Applause abounded.

“Bravo!”

“Viva Princess Beatriz!”

A blush crept up my neck. I worked hard to steel my emotions so that the praise wouldn’t bloat my ego … So I would never be accused of being selfish again.

Papá signaled with a finger, and the applause and praise quieted. “I promise to you all, I will work to settle an agreement to benefit Giddel and Himzo. We will test the loyalties of the kingdoms around the Agata Sea. We will bring unity to this region once again.”

The strength in Papá’s voice bolstered my confidence in a future where Himzo and Giddel could finally be at peace. Nevertheless, that peace may not have meant allowing his beloved daughter to become the bride of a Himzo prince.

I twirled red, green, and blue braided ribbon in between my fingers while sitting on my balcony settee. Laude had started teaching me how to braid, but Myla interrupted us. Somehow, Myla guilted Laude into working, even against my wishes. I should be happy, though. Myla had forgotten her threat to whip her.

My door latch clicked, and footsteps padded toward me. My mother’s formal expression launched me to my feet.

“I knew you’d come soon,” I said as I brushed my palms down the emerald silk on my dress, unsure where to begin. Ask about Laude? Or that nagging question? It’s strange how Mamá, who once seemed so familiar, could feel like a stranger. I took a breath and cleared my throat. “Laude’s mamá was married. Could Laude marry?”

Mamá’s brows furrowed like she expected a different question. “Laude’s mother is a story for a different day. And no. Laude cannot marry in her current position.” Her expression broke into a warm smile. “But that can change.” Her reassuring tone bolstered my courage.

I released my breath, satisfied. “You said that your gift was weak. But you annihilated the Pedrozians and Himzos without even touching them.”

Mamá leaned an arm against the white doorframe and looked over my balcony. The sun dropped over the horizon, painting the most dazzling pink-tinted sky. She stepped toward me, full of her usual grace. Flipping out the tail of her emerald gown, she took a seat on the settee next to my ribbons. “Come sit. You pry. I can feel you drawing out information.”

“Really? Lu … Someone said the same thing.” I mimicked her delicate way of sitting. “What does it feel like?”

Mamá grabbed my forearm and dragged her hand over my palm, forcing it open. “It’s like a tug. Your Papá described it like someone snatching his tunic from his back.” She watched my expression, waiting for a response.

“I presume I need to work on being gentler.” Flipping my braided hair to one side, I twirled the loose ends.

“Sit up. It’s unbecoming for you to slouch.” Mamá folded her hands in her lap as if my perfect posture would make this conversation easier. “That brings me to the matter of your gifting. Didn’t your whyzer teach you how to use it?”

I flinched. “I don’t even know exactly when I received it or what it is.” It may have happened upon entering Giddel, or it could have been when Zichri caught up to us on the road.

“Let me understand this. You went to Valle de los Fantasmas?” She checked for my nod. “You met with your whyzer, and he didn’t give you instructions?”

The shock in her voice echoed through me. I rolled my shoulders back, trying to find the most succinct explanation. “He refused to give me the gift and sent me away. We left the valley. Laude and I snuck into the Himzo encampment and raced back with the information. When I arrived at Giddel, I had the gift.” I watched Mamá blink more than usual before adding, “Why is that so shocking? How did you get your gift?”

She pursed her lips, agitated at the sharp turn in the conversation. This conversation was supposed to be about me, but I needed to know why she led me to believe she had a weak gift. She had always said that the whyzer arrived when she was five and her sister was three. He ate dinner with the family, said some special incantation over the girls, and they each received a gift. That explanation now seemed too short. Somewhere she learned to do harm rather than heal.

“Mamá, how did you learn to use your gift so well?”

“You mean, how did I learn to kill with ease?” She lowered her head.

“I thought you only could heal small wounds. Do you blame me for wondering?” I made sure to keep perfect posture, as not to distract her from talking.

Just when I thought to cut the silence, Mamá said, “After your grandpa passed, we had no money. Our home fell into disrepair, and we couldn’t afford the luxuries to which we were accustomed. A man with gnarled hands arrived, saying he’d pay me to use my gift.” Mamá laughed humorlessly. “At the time, Mamá had trained me in the basics of healing, but I could barely do even that. Our whyzer had spent more time with your Aunt Isabelia. I was ten years old and thought the visitor wanted me to fix his hands. Mamá let the man in and heard what he had to say.”

I considered for a moment, rubbing the hairs that prickled on my arms as she spoke.

She turned her face to the sea. “From ten years old to sixteen, I learned a different use for my gift and made no progress in healing. Our family got paid very well, but I could barely lift my chin from how embarrassed I was of who I had become. I met your Papá, and everything changed for the better.”

“That doesn’t explain why you call yourself weak.” I lowered to the floor, sitting on my haunches and placing my chin on Mamá’s lap.

She dipped her head further down. “It’s easy learning to destroy, but not to put back together. Many healers worked with me on more challenging tasks. Until Zichri, I thought I had made no gains. He was so close to death.” She patted my hands and lifted her glistening eyes. “You have a deep affection toward the Himzo prince, don’t you?”

I gulped. How I hated laying out my heart. “Yes. He saved my life in more ways than one.”

“I understand.”

“You do? In what way?”

“Your Papá in his own way helped me see how I’d become a slave to money. Before he ever saw me in court, he caught me impersonating an heiress in the middle of a lucrative job—I was stealing a map to find powerful relics. He had an idea of what I was up to but allowed me the freedom to move about.” She spun a finger in the air to emphasize her point. Papá could have taken control of her muscles.

She continued, “I thought him a fool at the time, but his kindness made me curious. He asked me a question that changed my life.”

“What did he ask you?” I shifted my legs to the side. They had fallen asleep under my weight.

A smile lifted at the corners of her mouth like she savored a sweet memory. “He asked if I was satisfied. It may seem silly to you, but I’d been wrestling with that exact question. I didn’t understand the cost to me every time I was offered a large sum of coins.”

“Did you answer Papá?”

“I did.” She pushed back stray hairs from my face. “I told him to erase the last six years of my life and give me a new start. Your Papá can be many things, but his wisest moments come when he forgets himself, his ego.”

“What did he do next?”

“He invited me to court, saying all could change if I only asked. I thought it was an invitation to marry him. It turns out he wanted to show me what it meant to acknowledge the Ancient One. I had felt unworthy to speak to any such deity, and I was … unworthy. But Papá said that the invitation stood so long as I stopped selling my gift—really my soul.”

Laude pranced in. “Princess, I’m back. Did you want me to show you the regular braid or the … Oh, I’m so sorry.” She dropped a curtsy. “Your Majesty.”

Mamá stood slowly. She smirked and patted Laude’s back. “I’m so happy you two bonded so well on your trip. It makes my heart sing. Your precious mother would be glad. I must go.” She strode out of the room.

“I dare not say this, but does something seem off about your mother?” Laude’s concern etched on her forehead, and it stirred a giggle within my chest.