Page 9

CHAPTER 8

L AUDE, C ATA, M ATTHA, AND I sat on the wagon bed, watching the morning light bathe the stone towers of Giddel Palace. What a strange perspective to see my balcony from afar. We hit a pothole, and I bounced hard. The two male coach drivers offered no apology. They had required more convincing to go on this excursion than the maids. To think, I had to beg the disheveled stablemen to obey me. They finally accepted the bag of coins I offered and tucked the lucrative incentive deep in their tattered pockets before we hit the road.

The crisp air blew stray hairs from my braid. No one would suspect I was the Princess Beatriz since I wore a plain white chemise and a gray overdress. My escorts clothed themselves in their most tattered clothes, extra effort on their part to keep our identity hidden. If I weren’t clinging to the rails of the side of the wagon and clenching my teeth to keep them from rattling, I might have even giggled.I was on the quest for magic. The quest I’d dreamt of for so long.

“How far until we reach the fork?” I yelled to the driver.

He grunted. “Princess Beatriz, we will take a different route only used by the common folk. We won’t be passing the fork.” He gave Cata a sidelong look.

Cata nodded back at him. Wrinkles formed on the outer edges of her tiny eyes when she smiled. She had a stout body, always wore a smirk, and was not my favorite maid. Occasionally, she served me, but her regular duty kept her somewhere else on my floor.

Mattha cackled to herself. Why did Laude choose these two maids to travel with us?

Cata slapped Mattha’s shoulder. “Shhh … don’t disgrace us in front of the princess.”

Mattha rubbed her shoulder. Her unveiled stare sent a shiver up my back.

Protocol forbade maids to make eye contact with the royal family. I didn’t know if my apprehension had spiked because no one other than Laude and Myla looked at me so openly or if something more transpired. Mamá said to trust my gut when it came to people. I broke eye contact first and searched the tree lines that blurred by us on both sides of the gravel trail. Misgivings slithered through my head, but I could do nothing about them.

We needed to outrun my papá’s gift and his soldiers. Papá could control another person’s body with his thoughts. If we stayed out of his eyesight, his power could not reach us. I willed the wagon to bump along faster, clinging to the side rails. The soldiers were certain to come in a couple of hours—once they’d realized we’d bolted without them. So long as my mamá insisted on soldiers, the chateau would never be an option.

Giddel disappeared behind a verdant mountain. A screeching hawk flew overhead.

After a while, we turned onto a more rustic road. The wagon lurched from side to side. I called to the driver, “Where does this road lead?”

He shouted over a shoulder, “To a special spot with the finest view. Only the best for our princess.”

Laude wrapped an arm around the side of the wagon. Her curly red hair sprang from her braid, transforming it into a wild mane. “Princess, is everything all right? Should we change course?”

I swallowed, fears burning my throat. “No, Laude. It’s just that I’ve never been to the east side of the mountains.”

Laude clasped my free hand. “We can go back. I overheard Myla arranging a trip to your aunt’s chateau.”

“No. How would we go to,” I widened my eyes, mouthing Valle de los Fantasmas . “There would have been too many soldiers and others to allow me to relax.” The excuse rang off-key to my ears, but no one else turned in our direction.

Laude nodded with a smile. Did she understand what I meant?

The sun beat on our foreheads. We hadn’t made it to the tree cover just yet. Instead, patches of thick grass leaned in front of the path, and rocks lined the road. The wagon swerved and hit a bump that launched us into the air. We plopped back down with a thud, and I rubbed my rear end.

“Should we not stop for water?” I yelled to the driver.

“There’s a well up the path. We’ll stop once we arrive.” He whipped the reins hard over the horses.

With each sway of the wagon, a whisper of Mamá’s warning echoed in my mind. Your fanciful ideas will one day lead you into real danger. We weren’t near Valle de los Fantasmas as far as I knew. Going to my aunt’s chateau with soldiers may have been the wiser route.

The horses pressed down the lane. Time stood still as miles slipped past us. The horses pressed on, and the wagon lumbered up the mountain until the narrow path leveled. We stopped. A stone well stood in the middle of a clearing at the summit of the hill.

“Get off for water at the well.” The driver handed the reins over to the man next to him. He pulled a pail from the wagon before heading up toward the well, which was overgrown with vines.

Laude passed me a waterskin. The other two maids hopped off the side of the wagon and plodded through the grass to join the driver. Cata touched the driver’s bicep while they talked. All three laughed as they dropped the pail into the well, and the driver turned the crank connected to the pail’s rope. I sipped my water. Chills prickled the back of my neck despite the humid heat.

The smell of cucumber, jicama, and lime perfumed the air and chased away my apprehension. Laude laid out the rest of the traveling spread: refried beans and cheese over toast, chopped fruit doused with lime and sprinkled with spices.

“Where are the fish and meat?” I asked.

“I—I … Cook was awake. I couldn’t take them without him noticing.” Laude tipped her head low.

I guess there was only so much Laude could do without getting caught. I began to eat my meal. I had to admit, the crisp taste of the fruits refreshed my overheated body.

Laude offered a sandwich to the grimy man holding the reins. The fool grunted. He had no decorum.

I dabbed my lips with my napkin. Should I tell the other servants we were headed to Valle de los Fantasmas? Cata and Mattha cranked another bucket, chattering in hushed tones among themselves. Our eyes met, and I averted my gaze. A metallic sheen crept up my forearm along the thin vine-like designs, promising death should I fail.

“Your markings are changing already,” Laude said in a chirpy tone. She nibbled a piece of toast. “We might not even have to go to you know where.”

I pinched my lips together. She must have mistaken the change for me receiving my gift. Not many Giddelians remember attaining their special power since most people get it so young.

The driver trudged toward us. “Princess Beatriz, we need to check this part of the path to see if it’s safe for us to travel. Could you wait for us here at the well? It should take no longer than an hour to get there and back. Cata cooled some water for you girls with her gifting.” His scraggly eyebrow lifted as if meaning to remind me of my lack of gifting.

“Yes, sir.” Laude hopped up. She pushed our trunk of food to the end of the wagon, leaving the other two trunks.

“Laude,” I snapped. The decision to stay should have been mine.

“Do you need help with that?” The driver lifted the trunk with a grunt. “Will our princess not go without some comforts for an hour?”

How dare he! I snapped my mouth shut. When I get back, I’ll make sure he gets discharged. But for now, this man was our guide and protection. He lugged the trunk over to the well and placed it on the grass. Then he ambled behind Cata and Mattha, who trudged to the wagon. A warm breeze eased the knot of tension between my shoulders. It was only an hour delay.

Cata slapped the driver’s back. “You aren’t gonna do all the adventuring without us.”

“You two will hold us back.” The driver spat out the side of his mouth.

“Don’t you dare, old man.” Mattha shook her head and climbed up the side. Cata heaved herself into the wagon behind her fellow maid.

“We should replenish the water, Princess,” Laude called. She filled a cup with some of Cata’s cooled water.

The wagon rolled away through the trees, and the plod and bump of the horses and wagon faded. The wind rustled through the leaves. Twigs cracked somewhere in the forested area, setting off my adrenaline. Were there ferocious creatures here? I whipped my head toward Laude. She scrunched her nose in concentration while she poured water into our waterskin. Afterward, she grunted with each turn of the crank, jutting out the side of the well.

I sat on our trunk. “Laude, why did you choose Cata and Mattha and those two men?”

“I asked Blanca, but she didn’t think it was a good idea. She also didn’t want to lose her position in the palace. So she told me to ask Cata and Mattha since they might be willing togo on a secret trip. Cata said she’d arrange the horses and wagon.” Laude’s forehead glistened from her efforts.

Sweat trickled down my forehead. Would I see that wagon again? I dabbed the sweat with the back of my hand. They would not take my money and run. Would they?

“Don’t worry, Princess. I’m sure they’ll be back sooner than a coin flip.” Laude pulled the pail to the ledge of the well and beamed with triumph.

Which mountain was Mount Giddel? Trees encircled us as far as the eye could see. “Do you know this area?” I asked.

“Princess, you know I’ve grown up all my life in the palace. The only places I’ve visited are palaces, gardens, and chateaus with you.”

My stomach plummeted. How had I been such a fool? Laude, though loyal, hadn’t any worldly experience. She wouldn’t know a trustworthy maid from a swindler since she’d grown up with more privilege than most of the other maids in the palace.

“Na?ve. Na?ve girl.” My harsh tone cut through the air.

“I’m sorry, Princess.” Laude’s voice rose an octave in shock. “I should have prepared better for our trip, but I didn’t have time, and I know it wasn’t your fault because you had all those suitors—”

I tipped my head back and grunted. “Enough of the rambling, Laude. The others aren’t coming back.

“No, Princess, they’d never do that to you. That would put you in danger if we had no one else. And imagine if a Himzo soldier snuck onto our soil and found you. No, you’ll see. They’re going to make sure the road ahead is safe.” She bobbed her head and slurped water from a cup.

“Did you not notice them whispering among themselves and the greedy way they eyed the coin bags?”

“That’s just Cata and Mattha’s way. I’ll put three pennies on their good names.” She searched her skirt pockets.

I scratched my arms. “Pennies? Have we come so low?”

A strangled chirp escaped her throat. “Forget the pennies—I left those back home—but you will declare me your greatest friend once the wagon returns.” Hope danced in her smiling eyes as she stared down at the road.

I let out an exasperated breath. What else was there to do than hope?