Page 5

CHAPTER 4

I SAT ON MY vanity chair, winding and unwinding the golden chain of my mysterious pocket watch around my arm. Myla, the head lady’s maid, droned on about the particulars for tonight. The ball. The suitors. All the details besides the ones I desired.

A shimmer on my hands caught my attention. I stilled, and my eyes widened. The metallic lines reached my second knuckle . A sense of urgency gripped my chest. If I fled the palace grounds at the end of the night, would that give me enough time to fulfill my oath?

Laude scrunched her face in concentration and stabbed pins in the braid that spiraled into a bun at the top of my head. Each tiny jab against my scalp punctuated my thoughts.

Myla clasped my shoulder, jolting me back. “Your father will bow and guide you to his first choice in suitors. Remember, you are expected to send half the suitors away by the end of tonight and announce your top choices. A stronger alliance to a powerful lord will help keep the Himzos from edging onto our territory.”

The sandwich I ate at the garden party threatened to make a second appearance. “Do you suppose choosing a suitor tonight could end this whole parade sooner?”

Myla huffed. “This is a matter of great importance. I don’t see why your parents don’t choose for you. But yes. If you choose tonight, you can be married by the end of the week.”

Sweat from my palms slicked the pocket watch in my hand. I squeezed my fingers along the golden rim and pressed the latch. A melancholy tune rang out of the mechanism, and thoughts clinked through my mind.

Drag the Ceremonia on until a way of escape presents itself. What if there are no opportunities to flee? Perhaps Papá might be more reasonable than Mamá when he hears about what I’ve done.

The foreign song continued to play and soothed my bristled nerves.

Myla’s narrowed eyes suddenly widened. “Where did you get that?”

“It was a gift I received at the garden party.” I gnawed on my bottom lip and lifted the golden orb into my line of vision. The jagged grooves circled the cover like a mountain ridge on all sides.

Myla snatched the pocket watch. “I must speak to the queen about this.” Deep wrinkles pinched between her brows. Then she fled my bedroom, and the door slammed behind her.

I clenched my teeth. Why did she take my watch? What had gotten her so upset? I should be the one bolting to Mamá’s room.

“Your markings look more pronounced.” Laude poked another pin against my scalp.

A fluttering panic surged within me. “Are they? I didn’t notice.” I rubbed my bare forearm, thankful for the long sleeves I’d wear tonight.

Laude tucked yellow and orange flowers into my braid. She pulled out wisps of hair to frame my face and curled them with her finger. “Will this do?” She smiled wide, puffing out her chest. The moment our eyes met in the mirror, she sucked in her cheeks.

“Let’s just get the gown on,” I said.

Laude arranged the bulk of wool and silk layers, and I stepped through the center. She lifted the fabric and tied the back of my dress. How was I to breathe with so many troubles clawing at me? I could be dead by the end of the week. Whatever benefit I was to the kingdom would be lost.

“Ta-da!” She skipped around to the front.

One glance in the mirror told me she had done well. The red dress accentuated my curves, the puffed sleeves hid my markings, and the gold embellishments sparkled. She had many faults, but also many talents.

Should I praise her even after the terror she inspired this morning? Mamá always said that a leader should respect all their people, including Laude. I held back a groan. “Yes, this will do.” I watched disappointment spill into her features and felt I should say more. But I didn’t. Nothing kept Laude upset for long, so why exert myself?

Someone knocked at the door, and a servant informed us it was time. We marched through the corridors and down the marble stairway leading to the royal entrance into the grand hall. The most esteemed guests from the Agata Sea kingdoms all waited for me behind the arched doors. There really was no escaping today.

My insides trembled, and a sour taste burned my tongue. So many expectant gazes. It brought me back to my seven-year-old self on the day I failed to receive my magical gift.

Breathe, Beatriz. Breathe. Myla did not say I needed to marry tonight. Today will quiet the gossip about a worthless princess. My chest tightened. I stood tall and nodded to the guards who wore my family’s golden sigil on their doublets—the symbol reminding of my role in society.

After I get my gift, I’ll have an even greater role.

The towering doors swung open, and the crowd blurred on each side of the walkway they created with their bodies. Candlelight reflected on the lattice designs racing down the marble flooring. At the end of the hall, Papá held my gaze as he sat on his gilded throne, Mamá and Cosme beside him.

I stepped forward. The bottom of my gown skimmed the tops of my feet, setting my nerves on fire. I tightened my facial muscles into an austere expression, a dignified look I’d practiced in the mirror all my life. Each step weighed heavily. Mamá’s double strand of pearls choked my neck. To think, they felt elegant only an hour ago.

Halfway to the dais.

Keep moving.

Right foot. Left foot.

My heels clicked on the floor. Hundreds bowed and curtsied on each side, igniting flames of confidence in my gait. This was how it should be.

At the end of my walk, a servant offered his arm to help me up the stairs. I lifted my crimson skirt, ignoring him. A dignified princess doesn’t need help. But I miscalculated the step, and my foot slipped.

I dropped my skirt, and my hands hit the edge of a stair before my face could. A collective gasp echoed through the cavernous room.

Humiliation layered on humiliation.

I blinked back tears.

The same servant offered a hand, his brow wrinkling. A rush of heat shot to my cheeks. If only I could disappear.

I pulled myself up on my own and climbed the last step. My dear papá and mamá remained seated, but they leaned forward.

Chin up. Shoulders back. I curtsied in front of Papá’s golden throne. I took my seat next to Mamá. My vision grew fuzzy until the individual spectators lumped together into one gawking mass. The whine of a violin commenced. Musicians strummed the guiterna, and the tap of drums mingled through the hall.

Facing forward with a serene expression, Mamá whispered from the corner of her mouth, “This will soon be over.”

I bobbed my head and attempted to replicate Mamá’s calm example. Tears burned in my throat.

“You look stunning.” With that compliment, Mamá turned her attention toward the line of suitors and their families.

The procession seemed never-ending. And while the princes lined up to show respect to Papá, the noblemen’s sons were the ones to make eye contact with me. Those were the suitors, all dressed in finely patterned doublets. Some prospects I’d seen around court, and others came from distant kingdoms.

I swallowed hard. The thought thateach of them wanted to become my husband lurched in my stomach.

Pricks of pain crept up my fingers, followed by the metallic coloring stretching to my third knuckle. This didn’t bode well for the time remaining until … my end.

Papá stood before half of those in line could make the proper greeting. Knowing him, he had had enough of the endless bowing. He strolled over and took my hand, inviting me to dance. We stepped down the dais stairs. This time, I was careful to place my foot mid-step. Stringed instruments trilled the traditional Paso Giddelian as we spun into the dance. I peered up at Papá, calmed by the affectionate gaze.

“Daughter, you’ve never looked more lovely.”

A blush crept up my cheeks. With his high spirits, he appeared ready for me to tell him about the oath.

Papá continued, “I know we’ve put more pressure on you since Himzo threatened to attack. The Agata Sea alliance isn’t as strong as it used to be, and we need other kingdoms to join our fight.”

“If you allowed me to visit the valley—”

“No.” He firmed his jaw. “We already lost your uncle to that place. How could I bear losing you?”

“Can I benefit anyone without some sort of magic? My markings promise us a great power. If I have half your gifting, we could be an unstoppable force.”

Candlelight glimmered in his green-and-brown flecked eyes. “You need no gift to shine.”

Warmth blossomed in my heart, and I basked in Papá’s protection and acceptance. We continued to step in the same mechanical pattern in perfect synchrony with the music. How easy it would be to accept his words as truth. But an argument continued to form in my head. I needed him to think like the commander of his army rather than a protective tigress with her cubs. It slowly occurred to me that I would have to sneak away. Papá had no intention of letting me go on a dangerous quest.

He lifted my hand high and led me to the first suitor: Marden.

I kept my cheek muscles still, though everything in me recoiled.

Marden was a nobleman—tall, handsome, and everything Papá wanted for me. If only he weren’t so … boring. After he twirled and dipped me a few times, another suitor tapped his shoulder to cut in—thank the Ancient One—and I danced with the new suitor, who sported a strip of beard on his chin. A musky cologne overwhelmed my nose.

This transfer of dance partners continued on and on. One name after another, most of them taller than I was by half a head or more. I rubbed my sore neck, muscles protesting for a lesser angle. My feet complained the most, constrained in pointy shoes. But there was no hope of soothing my poor toes until the night’s end.

In the crowd, a group of men stared at me. One round fellow failed to hide a giggle behind his fist. Unease settled deep within me. My lanky dance partner grinned with a twinkle of mischief in his eyes, the color as inviting as shallow seawater. It reminded me of childhood days at the beach, of Cosme and Lux, one-upping each other until someone got hurt.

Lux tapped the man’s shoulder, releasing me from having to endure this stranger. I breathed easily, letting Lux embrace my waist and hold up my hand. The tip of my shoe caught on my other heel. I stumbled through a spin and turned into his body—his face so close I could shift up the smallest bit and kiss him. All the watching courtiers and royalty blurred in my peripheral vision.

His eyebrows arched as he scanned my face. “Let’s take a walk on the terrace. You need a break.” Giving me no room to object, Lux led me off the dance floor. He held one hand high and touched my back with the other. My senses awakened to the warmth and pressure of his fingers.

People parted the way. I should have stayed inside the hall, but I needed time with him. I strode into the corridor and onto the terrace, not stopping until I reached the railing overlooking the garden. “Thank you, Lux.”

Lux’s smile transformed his face into someone irresistible, even though his big nose didn’t pair well with his thin lips. He turned to sit on the low stone railing. Lantern light glistened off his sun-bleached hair. His eyes missed no detail as he caressed me with his gaze. “It’s my pleasure, Bea. I hope this evening has fulfilled everything you’ve dreamed of.”

My heart fluttered. Long ago, I overheard his father, King Rodulfo of Pedroz, say to Lux that he would not have the future Queen of Pedroz be a useless, giftless girl like Princess Beatriz. The memory soured in my stomach.

It occurred to me that I needed to tell him about my oath. Maybe he could help me figure out how I could make my escape. He’d always had a way of making complicated plans seem simple. He was unconventional and shrewd. I should tell him everything, including my feelings. He’s a betrothed man, Beatriz .

I should still say something. What did I have to lose? I squared up to Lux, gathering my courage, and I opened my mouth.

But Lux hissed, “One of your brother’s ghouls found us.”