“I don’t understand.”
“It means we’re being hunted,” Manuel whispers. “By the Illari.”
CAPÍTULO
Ocho
I press closer to Manuel, thankful for his presence, and for the blade curled tightly in his palm. He stands with his feet braced apart, his attention flicking to several gaps in the immense green. His chest rises and falls, and I mimic his quiet breathing, straining my ears to listen for any signs of the approaching threat.
But the jungle song rises around us, making it impossible to detect any irregular movements in the brush.
“They’ve tracked you before then left you alone, right?” I clutch his tunic sleeve, trying to keep an even tone but failing.
Manuel shoots me an exasperated glance. “What makes you think they left me alone? I’ve been inhiding.”
“But—”
“Quiet.”He slowly turns, machete raised, and peers into the jungle gloom. “They’re waiting.”
My voice is a soft hush. “For what?”
“You said we were close to the border, right? A day’s walk?”
I nod.
“That’s it then,” he says in an undertone. “They’re waiting to see if we leave. If we do, they’ll leave us alone.”
“And if we don’t?”
Manuel’s gaze locks with mine. “Think carefully. The odds are stacked against us. One or both of us will die here. Decide, Condesa.”
I drag in a deep gulp of steaming air, feel it press against my lungs, and slowly push my breath from my lips until I’m empty. “I have to try.”
His lips flatten. “I was afraid you’d say that.”
“Manuel, go home.” My eyes prick with tears, but I force myself not to lower them. “I’ve lost everything, and this is my only chance to get it back. This isn’t your fight anymore. Go.”
He glances toward the immense trees surrounding us, perhaps imagining taking that first step away from me. My heart cracks. I can’t ask him to risk his life for a cause he doesn’t believe in. I can’t ask him to stay because hepitiesme.
Maybe I’m supposed to do this alone.
“I can’t leave you,” he whispers.
“Why?” My voice holds one squeeze of lemon, enough to make his shoulders tighten. “Clearly you’re curious about the Llacsans, and why our people have chosen to live alongside them in La Ciudad.”
Manuel doesn’t refute it. “I made a promise to my mother to keep you safe.”
I blink. Right, this is his reason for staying. His code of honor won’t allow him to ignore his word. Which meanseverythingto him. But I can’t deny how much it hurts that he would potentially accept an enemy as his queen, and not the friend and sovereign he’d grown up with.
“Take your pack, keep that dagger close. We have to move.” He steps around me, heading back toward the cliff. I sling the strap over my shoulder, twisting it so the bulk rests on my back and not my hip.
I look around, staring into the flat green, sure there are a hundred pairs of eyes looking back. “Manuel.”
“Move it.” He sets off running.
A bellowing cry roars to life. The sound is lightning cracking against stone. I bolt after him, my pack bouncing against my lower back. He jumps over tree roots, hacking at dangling vines and enormous broad leaves. Gone is his caution—the Illari are at our heels.
A sharp whistle is my only warning.
