Page 31

Chapter 31

Beatriz

Heart pounding, I tugged on Cosme’s tunic sleeve. The stampede of boots from friend and foe hammered toward us, no more than fifty arm spans away. More torches lit along the shores.

Cosme glanced at Minerva. “Quick. Get us away from here.”

Minerva spread her fingertips and bit her lip. “Where?”

“Anywhere.” Cosme met my gaze. His regret and worry smacked me in the face. He’d made a mistake up in the dining hall, and King Sebastian had died because of it.

A portal swirled over the inky black water just off the end of the dock. To go through, we’d have to take a leap and pray the landing would be soft. No one could mistakenly run through it, at least.

“Jump, Beatriz. Jump, Minerva.” Cosme signaled for us to move with a circular motion. “Close the portal the moment I make it through.”

Minerva hesitated but leapt. My feet stuck to the planks as if someone had nailed them in place. I watched Lucas and Monserrat sprint for dear life. A soldier closed in on Monserrat, but Lucas pivoted and grabbed her wrist. The two reappeared beside me. Their momentum carried them off the dock and into Minerva’s portal.

Zichri grabbed Fermín around the waist and leapt off the dock. Their bodies fell into the portal and blinked from existence.

“Go, Beatriz.” Cosme’s tone grew harsh. He extended his arm outward, preparing to levitate an object. Sweat trickled along his temple, and he clenched a fist upward.

Something cracked nearby, but I couldn’t tell where the noise came from. The galleons floated under the cover of darkness with nothing stirring on their decks.

“Beatriz, get going.” Cosme flicked my shoulder, but my eyes remained trained on the horde rushing at us and the empty space where La Lavia should have been.

I let a trickle of energy tingle to my fingertips.

A wooden slat shot up from ten arm spans in front of me, shaking the floor beneath my feet. A soldier tripped in the gap in the dock. There was a sickening crack. He howled in pain. The next soldier skipped over the gap, and the plank that had shot up fell on his head with a thud. Another crack rumbled through the air and the mast from one ship toppled onto another. The boards rocked. The soldiers chasing us couldn’t get over the broken dock.

Cosme kept his arms raised. Moonlight reflected droplets of sweat on his forehead. Several more ships tore open, rocking the waters below the boards. I threw my arms out to keep my balance.

My brother yanked my wrist, jumped off the dock, and pulled me along with him. Blurred specks of light swam across my vision. I landed hard in a heap on cold grass. Pain laced up my shoulder and hip. Huffing sounded from the distorted, dark air. Minerva raised her arms and crossed them in a swooping motion, closing the portal. The darkness stilled.

I lay on the ground, catching my breath. The markings along my knuckles still shone dimly from not holding back my powers. Where were we? Moonlight reflected off a two-story building with a wall covered in leafy vines. To my left, a shorter wall stood like a barrier preventing others from entering. Five silhouettes were nearby. A lady wept. Her sorrow swept toward me like a gentle surf washing onto a calm shore. A twisting tumbled in my gut as the truth about our dear friends sank in. Laude was gone, and whether she and Jaime fled without us, or someone had abducted them, I didn’t know.

“Are you all right?” Zichri touched my shoulder.

Lifting my head, I met Zichri’s concerned eyes. “ La Lavia and Jaime and Laude are gone.” I pushed to a seated position and took in his shadowed features.

He raked his fingers through his hair and worry lines creased his forehead. “What do we know?”

“Nothing.” I scooted closer to him. The invisible connection between us brought in a fresh new wave of sorrows.

Footfalls crunched behind me.

I spun and met Cosme’s hard-set jaw.

“When I say jump in the portal, you jump.” Cosme wagged a finger at me, as if he were a father scolding a young child. Rather than a calm tide, his emotions raged like a hurricane. It dragged into my mind a whisper: How am I supposed to keep you safe if you never listen?

The blood pumping in my temples slowed at hearing his worries.

Minerva cut between Cosme and me. “Come inside. There are plenty of beds for us to rest tonight.” She crunched through the grass and onto a gravel drive. She bent beside a large potted plant at the front of the building and grabbed something small beneath the pot. Within a moment, she opened the front door.

Cosme clenched his fist and grunted. “Come on.”

Zichri helped me off the ground. We walked side by side in silence. The weight of losing our friends fell heavy around our shoulders along with the wet fabric growing heavier by the second. Lucas carried Fermín. Monserrat trudged behind us still sobbing, “Papi, Papi’s dead. Prince Hugo killed him.”

I pushed a wave of peace at her through the invisible line from my heart to hers. If only I could send her a word to lift her from pain, but I hadn’t a single syllable to offer. My feet moved of their own accord, shaky and soaked.

When we made it to the threshold of the front door, Minerva appeared with two lamps. Cosme sat on a couch in a simply decorated sitting room. Several armchairs circled the space, and Minerva placed the lamps on a table between the seats.

“Where are we?” I asked.

Minerva smiled. “This is my home.” Her boots pointed together, and she clutched her hands over her lap. “We’re safe here. Only my maid and her son live with me.” She grabbed a cloak and handed it to me. “So you don’t wet the cushions too badly.”

I nodded and grabbed the cloak.

Zichri maneuvered to the armchairs and sat in the one farthest from the entrance. I covered the cushion of the next chair with the cloak and sunk into it. Zichri slipped his hand into mine. His warmth steadied the dizzying adrenaline swimming through my head. The rest of our party filled the couch and other comfy chairs, all defeated by the change in tide. Aracibel had been taken over by Prince Hugo. Minerva shut the front door with a thud.

“What happened to La Lavia ?” Cosme asked.

I straightened my back. “I don’t know.”

Minerva whispered, “Zichri and I weren’t there.”

Cosme’s jaw slackened in disbelief and barely contained rage. “Where’s Ignacio?”

Zichri shook his head. “Fermín followed Ignacio into the palace. I don’t know what happened. Fermín was unconscious and tied when I found him.”

A grunt escaped my brother’s throat. “Blasted traitor.”

We’d been duped by Ignacio and possibly the Black Knight, though we thought ourselves vigilant. Who else could have stolen our galleon from the king’s dock with so many soldiers and guards nearby?

Zichri leaned toward me. “We mustn’t lose our hope in the Ancient One. Though all seems bleak, it’s His will that prevails.”

Monserrat dropped her face into her hands, and Lucas put an arm around her and patted her shoulder.

“What happened in the dining hall?” I turned to Cosme.

Cosme shook his head. “Prince Hugo turned on King Sebastian. The whole invitation was fake. They meant to take over the kingdom and use it as a port. Prince Hugo knew about Monserrat feeding us information. He’s also gifted.”

“How?” I asked, unsure if I meant how this could happen or how someone from Himzo could have received a gift.

“Spies infiltrated Aracibel.” Cosme stared at the floor.

“Are the maps real?” I looked at Monserrat.

Cosme shrugged. “We don’t know.”

My fingers dug through the pocket in my sleeve, feeling for the fasteners that secured the pocket. Please let the maps be here.

“They’re probably fake.” Cosme smoothed a hand over his face.

“Do we still have one? Can I see it?” Zichri’s tone grew more hopeful.

I pulled out a wet stack of papers, carefully separated them, and laid them on the middle table. The translucent parchment included one of Zichri’s letters, so I rolled it in my hands to hide it from the others.

Zichri got down on his knees and lifted a map in the air. “I’ve seen these before. They come from my papá’s collection of ancient maps.” He lifted one of the papers and tilted the page at an angle. “These are authentic. Hugo must have stolen them, and knowing him, he’s headed toward the island.”

Cosme cleared his throat. “I highly doubt it. I destroyed all the galleons in sight. Unless he plans on rowing across the sea, he’s not getting to the islands any time soon.”

“We’ve got to go there.” I perched on the edge of my seat, ready to leave in that instant. “We’ve got to get them.” My vision flashed through my mind: Laude captured and branded. I didn’t know if the relic showed me a possible future or something that would happen. Either way, I had to save her.

Cosme wouldn’t meet my eye.

“Whyzer Patro is behind this attack.” A dark note touched my voice. “Laude was certain. Mamá told her.” I kneeled before Cosme. “We need to follow the map now. Laude must be headed there.”

“How will we fight a whyzer? We have a tamer who is unskilled.” Cosme gave me a pointed look that held no accusation though his words stung. “We have two portal makers who are marked by the whyzer. They must be careful how near they get to him.”

I grabbed Cosme’s hand, not too ashamed to beg for Laude’s sake. “What about you? You tore apart those ships.”

“Yes, but according to Minerva, he has a man who can block gifts.” Cosme’s fingers curled into fists. “We should consult Papá and Mamá or even Uncle Uly.”

“But—” I tried to interject.

“But we should think on it with a clear mind.” Cosme pushed me off and stood. “We’ll make plans tomorrow.”

“But Laude and Jaime.” I searched Lucas’s blue gaze which furrowed with sympathy before he looked away. None of the others would make eye contact except Zichri, and his mouth shifted as if he meant to console me. I pressed further, willing to make myself a screaming fool if it would get them to move. “They’re going to kill them. I’ve seen it.”

Zichri tilted his head in confusion.

“What do you mean?” Cosme shifted in his seat.

I pulled on the chain around my neck, and the pocket watch slipped from my collar.

Zichri sucked in a breath. “How did you get that?”

Shaking my head, I didn’t know how to respond. It was a gift from a strange woman before my ceremonia .

“I gave it to her.” Minerva’s voice cut through the room.

Everyone turned toward the demure senorita who stood in the shadows.

Her shoulders hunched like she meant to hide, and she clutched at her collar. “Whyzer Patro was my whyzer, and he bound my tongue. Cosme’s right to plan carefully. I’ll take you to your rooms.” Minerva lifted a lamp, marking the end of the conversation.

Lucas lifted Fermín, who groaned, and followed Minerva through the back doorway. Monserrat hurried to catch up to them.

I shared a look with Zichri. “Do you think we should wait?”

He nodded with a boyish vulnerability in the lamplight. “We might do better with a little rest.” He reached for the pocket watch dangling from my neck. “Take heart. The Ancient One gave you this for a reason.”

Cosme cleared his throat, passing Zichri a warning with a fierce expression.

Whatever Zichri was about to say fled. He got to his feet and offered me a helping hand from my crouched position. I pulled myself up, ready to give my brother a tongue lashing that would make my old self proud. But I wasn’t that girl anymore.

Minerva reentered the room and handed me and Cosme the lamps.

My brother whispered something in Minerva’s ear. She nodded and smiled with a flush even the dim lighting could pick up on her cheeks. My brother mirrored her sentiment, though his posture bespoke exhaustion. Whatever Minerva’s story was, I had to find out.

“Come on.” Zichri touched my back, guiding me through the same passageway the others had used. “Tomorrow’s going to be a big day.”

I stopped in the darkened corridor and yanked his tunic back.

His body squared up to me. Orange slits of light kissed the slope of his nose and the edges of his lips. “What is it?”

My fingers grabbed his silky doublet and drew him closer. I checked over my shoulder. Minerva and Cosme continued through a doorway and disappeared, leaving only a single lamp in the sitting room to illuminate the passages.

“We can’t wait. Laude is out at sea with an evil whyzer, and so is Jaime. How long will it take them to cross to those islands? Can Lucas or Minerva teleport using the map?”

“No. They can only teleport to somewhere within their view or to a place they’ve already been.” Zichri raked a hand through his hair. “Even if we somehow find a horse and hit the road, we’ll still need a ship, and it will take us a week to make it to the closest port city. From there—”

“Shhh … I don’t mean we’ll go alone.” I stopped his hand from going through his locks a second time.

He leaned so close I could smell the chocolate mint we’d eaten for dessert still lingering on his breath.

I traced his handsome face and strong jaw, wishing we didn’t have to wait a day longer to form a betrothal. “Would Lucas or Minerva be willing to go with us?”

With eyes pressed closed, he inhaled slowly. My heart fluttered with hope for something more than his capitulation to my request. He captured my wrist and pressed his forehead to mine. I stilled as our breaths mingled.

But he stepped backward, and I wanted his nearness all over again.

“Beatriz, don’t tempt me.” My name on his lips turned my knees to butter. “I don’t know if I can get the treaty.”

It was as if he had thrown icy water over my head. I swallowed hard and redirected my thoughts. “We’ll worry about that later. Please, Zichri, I will never forgive myself for leaving Laude on La Lavia . I should have insisted that we stay together.”

“Don’t do that.”

“How can I sleep, knowing Laude is out there with our enemy?” Tears warmed my lashes. “Please.”

He shifted his jaw. “Minerva might be able to get us to Pedroz and she might even be able to get us a ship.”

“Are you sure we shouldn’t ask Lucas? And Pedroz? If they know it’s for me, they surely won’t give us anything.”

“Pedroz won’t hand over a galleon to you, but they might provide one to Minerva for Laude’s sake.”

“For Laude’s sake?” My voice rose a pitch. “What do you mean?”

“I’ll take you to your room, and if Minerva says yes, I’ll wake you up.”

“No, no Zichri. I want to ask her myself.”

He leaned closer again and cradled my head with his strong hands. “I love you, and I need you to trust me.”

Those blasted tears spilled down my cheeks. I hated how helpless I was to do anything without someone else’s help. At least if I could be there, I could change Minerva’s mind and make her feel what I felt. But those tears turned into rivers because I would never force sentiment into a person. Not with my gift.

“You promise to wake me up.”

“I promise.” He wiped my tears with his thumbs and took me into his arms, wrapping me in a hug.

“Zichri? Beatriz?” Minerva’s timid voice cut into our moment and separated us. “Let me show you to your rooms and get you a dry dress.”

“Actually, I need a word with you.” Zichri weaved his hand with mine and gave a gentle squeeze.