Page 102 of A Rose Among Snakes

“Then what did you see in him?”

It was a good question, one I had been wrestling with the past few days. “He is kind and remarkably handsome, but most of all, I had a feeling it would make Velian mad.”

I didn’t need to see in the dark to know she was shaking her head at me.

“What do you see in Enverro, then?”

This answer came to me much faster. “Depth. There’s more to him than meets the eye, and he keeps it hidden from people, but I saw it. He doesn’t let people in often, but he opened up to me. He makes me feel safe, and I saw early on that he had a good heart—he only needed someone to trust enough to expose it.” I sighed and hesitantly asked, “What do you think of him?”

She was so quiet I wondered if she had fallen asleep, but then she said, “He reminds me of my brother, actually. A tough exterior with a sad, lonely interior looking for solace.”

I marveled at how she put into words everything I had been feeling but was unable to identify. “I can relate,” I mumbled.

“Can you?”

I could hear the ache in her voice, and I wanted to fix it. “Yes, I’d been lonely for a long time. Then you showed up, and you accepted me just as I was. I’ve never had a friend like you, Mihrra.” I turned my head to look at her. “You’re my sister.”

“You’re my sister, too, Kezara.” My chest flooded with warmth and I squeezed her hand again. She cleared her throat. “If we’re sisters, though, is it weird if I’m in love with your brother?”

I gagged. “Gross, Mihrra. What’s wrong with you?” We laughed, and I said, “No, it just means that someday we’ll hopefully make our sisterhood legally binding.”

After that, we barely murmured our goodnights before falling asleep.

Chapter Fifty-Eight

Mihrra

Weak, early morning sunlight streamed through the window, the curtains having been left open the night before. I tried to move, but every muscle in my body screamed in protest and a groan escaped my lips, rattling up my ravaged throat. Beside me, Kezara stirred and rolled over. Taking in my wince, she wiped the sleep from her eyes and croaked,

“Stay still. What hurts?”

“Everything.”

She frowned and pulled the blankets back, swinging her legs over the side and making her way to the cord on the wall. She gave a sharp tug and said,

“I’ll have the maids draw you a bath.”

I wanted to make a quip about how that was my job, but my throat was too sore. Instead, I stayed still and let Kezara deal with the maids. Before I knew it, I was being pulled out of bed and assisted into a luxurious bath. Kezara fed me fresh fruit, giggling about our role reversal and calling it ‘fun.’ I served her an exaggerated eye roll.

After soaking, my aching body felt limber enough to get out and put on the new dress from Leoran. It was cream-colored witha modest neckline and clean lines; simple, practical, and perfect for travel. With it came a note from him, thanking me for all I had done. The king’s blank gaze as he lay dead on the ground flashed before me, and I shook my head to rid the memory.

“Ready?” Kezara asked, hand outstretched.

I nodded and we exited the room where an anxious Velian paced in the hallway. My heart stuttered as our eyes met, his tight expression being replaced by a tired smile as he wrapped me in his arms. From that moment on, he didn’t let me out of his sight. We were fed a hearty breakfast eaten in silence, fatigue laying heavy on our shoulders. Velian had spent the night having Denzen’s body wrapped and prepared for travel, and exhaustion had sunk deep into his strong features. Leoran agreed to provide us with a horse and wagon; Corman insisted on driving to stay close to his deceased friend. The rest of us piled into the wagon we had borrowed the day before.

Back in Clavo, we picked up our horses from the inn we’d left them at. Velian insisted I was not fit to ride Eamis, and I agreed to ride with him on Zavi. Kezara said she didn’t feel confident riding on her own, but Enverro came to her rescue with an offer to let her ride with him. Denzen and Corman’s horses were towed behind the wagon.

We traveled slowly, Velian trying to keep the jostling to a minimum for my benefit, and we stopped in Canderren, much to Kezara’s dismay. But I was too tired and too numb to care.

Sitting around the fire, eating the meat pies provided by the castle cook, I leaned into Velian’s shoulder, gratefulfor his support. After checking on the grazing horses, Paolef came and sat on the ground beside me. He had a calming presence once you got past his fierce appearance.

“It was a brave thing, what you did,” he said to me, keeping his gaze fixed on the fire where Corman knelt, tending to the flames.

“I couldn’t go down without a fight,” I said baldly, deflecting the compliment.

Paolef nodded, still watching Corman, who swiped at his eyes, brushing away an escaped tear. The action tore through me, ripping at my frayed heart.

“Is he okay?” I asked.

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