19. Beatriz
Chapter 19
Beatriz
“You should have told me.” I placed my hands on my hips. Every rippling wave rocked the ship’s tiny quarters and the lunch in my stomach.
Laude’s shoulders slumped as she perched on her bed across from mine, staring out the window. “Ai-yi-yi. Sorry, Princess, I promised Cosme I’d not say a word.” She gulped. “I-I wanted to tell you. That counts for something, right?”
I pursed my lips tighter. Laude evaded my stare and wound one of her red curls with her finger—a nervous gesture. She was still hiding something. My insides tumbled, not from seasickness, but by Laude, my best friend. Now, how to retrieve the Laude who used to spill every last detail.
Thump-thump-thump.
Someone knocked at the door.
“Who is it?” The words whipped off my tongue.
“It’s Zichri.”
Laude’s eyes flipped wide open with unrestrained excitement. She snatched a book lying on a nightstand between our beds and sank into the covers. “I’m not here, Princess. I mean, I am, but aww…the way he looked at you. My heart could burst. Wait, Jaime might be with him. Is there anything in my teeth?” She stretched her lips revealing two pearly-white rows.
I inspected. “No remnants of breakfast or lunch.” I took one steadying breath and opened the door.
Zichri stood on the other side, dashing as ever. He held a polished wooden box and extended it toward me. “I thought you might like a treat from Himzo.”
I opened the box and pulled back a cloth. Slivers of candied lime peel beckoned me to taste. “Thank you. These look delicious.”
“They’re my favorite. I hope you enjoy them.”
I plucked a piece and devoured it. The soft lime flavor and sugar coated my tongue with pure bliss. “Laude, you must try one of these.”
She peeked up from the open book in her hands. “I couldn’t, Princess. They’re your special treat, and I’m reading. Don’t you worry about me.”
One of my eyebrows arched high. “Are you sure?”
“Ai-yi-yi, Princess, if you insist.” She clapped her book—which I noticed was upside down—closed, carrying it close to her body. With the speed of a seagull finding a meal, she swooped to the box and tasted the treat. “Prince Zichri, I can see why you love candied lime peel. I wasn’t trying to listen in on your conversation, but I couldn’t help overhearing, even though I was certainly reading about”—she flipped her book to the spine—“The Lost Relics.”
I clenched my teeth at Laude’s obvious coverup and turned to meet a devastatingly handsome Zichri.
He chuckled, though hesitation lingered in his chocolatey eyes. “Have you ladies been reading about the relics?”
An invisible cord trembled between Zichri and me. I sucked in a breath, stopping energy from flowing between us. The damage had still been done. Shivers of worry trembled beneath his smooth veneer.
I answered, “No, we found the book in the room.”
Laude bobbed her head in agreement.
Zichri reached for the tome but stopped himself. “That’s curious.”
“Would you like to go on deck?” I asked. The cramped quarters and narrow halls could stifle any person. And being under Laude’s close inspection didn’t thrill me either. Something told me that this had to do with her promise to Mamá not to leave my side.
“Yes,” Laude threw the book on her bed, “it’s a bit dreary down here.” She pushed between us and sauntered to the end of the corridor.
The personal conversation I’d hoped to have with Zichri wouldn’t happen in the way I would have liked. The days alone in a jungle all those months ago had been a dream I didn’t appreciate at the time.
Judging by Zichri’s jaw shifting, he had hoped for something different also.
I kissed his clean-shaven cheek and took the box of candied lime still in his grasp. My fingers grazed his.
He placed his warm hand over mine. “I’ve missed you.”
“I have missed you too,” I whispered, trying to steal this somewhat private moment.
“Do you know about the relics?” He pitched his voice low.
The sudden shift in conversation jerked me away from my romantic thoughts. The ticking of my pocket watch over my chest sounded louder than it had before. “I know they’re supposed to be powerful, and the children who came to this land brought them. That’s all I know.”
An urgency dripped into his features. “Himzo had them.”
“Are you coming Princess? Prince Zichri?” Laude shouted all the way from the door to the deck that she'd propped open with her body. She waved for us to join her.
I squared up to Zichri, giving him my full attention. “When did you have them? What did you have?” I resisted peeking down at the chain around my neck.
“The most powerful relics include a medallion, a pocket watch, lamps, and the last relic is a mystery. The kings of Himzo have always been the keepers of the relics.” His story matched Laude’s reading.
“So, you weren’t cursed?”
“Princess, there are dolphins!” Laude bounded onto the deck. The door slammed in her wake, leaving us alone.
Zichri lifted one hand and kissed my knuckles. “We had a different gift. Papá had dreams about the future. He was protected from the gifted who might want to harm him. But something happened. The relics aren’t where Papá used to keep them. I was gone on missions so often I can’t say when they disappeared. And my brothers have become obsessed with finding the last relic.”
“Your brothers stole the relics?” I scrunched my nose.
“No…possibly.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “Papá isn’t himself right now. He mumbles about the relics being with a new keeper. I know that can’t be completely true. Some of the relics are hidden in Himzo’s palace walls, but I am concerned.”
A hive of nervous energy swarmed in my heart, making it difficult to contain the energy of my gifting pulsing from my fingertips. He was indeed worried. I didn’t fully understand what it meant for me to have one of the relics. Was I the new keeper? Would I lose my gifting?
One part of me lifted with joy at the prospect of never having the burden of my gift again. The other part sank with disappointment. I pressed my shoulder blades together, maintaining perfect posture.
Laude threw open the door. “Princess, you missed it.”
A smile stretched in place. “Shall we walk the decks?”
Zichri offered his strong arm, and I looped mine into his. He led me out to the sunbathed planks with a hundred sailors working the sails, and a couple Dotados in conversation.
I let my gaze wander through the ropes and masts. Cosme stood on the upper deck, leaning on the side. The strange girl, Minerva, chatted with my brother, batting her lashes, and smiling too readily. From this angle, she seemed familiar in some way, but I hadn’t met her before. Had I?
“Perhaps we should join Cosme?” I asked Zichri.
“Are you sure? He looks to be plenty entertained.” Zichri’s expression stated that he’d prefer to escape my brother’s company, but I didn’t like Cosme’s and Minerva’s interaction. My brother had just broken his betrothal. She, on the other hand, held a certain pull over Cosme. It wasn’t like Zichri and I could get a moment alone, anyway.
“Let’s join them,” I said.