Page 30 of A Rose Among Snakes

“I see your brother has an affinity for giant, gray animals,” I said.

“I never thought of it that way, but it would seem so.” Kezara leaned forward to peer out the window. “That’s Zavi. Isn’t he gorgeous?”

I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face, even while sighing. I was about to start telling Kezara just how much I loved horses when there was a knock at the door.

Velian opened it and peeked in. We hadn’t spoken since our last interaction two days prior.

Without any trace of animosity on his face, he cheerfully said, “Good morning, ladies. Are we ready to begin?” He flashed a dazzling smile causing a flutter in my belly. I struggled to find my words, but thankfully Kezara answered for both of us.

“We’ve been ready for ages. You’re the one holding us up.”

“Wonderful, I’ll let Milner know.” Ignoring her jab, his smile never faltered and his eyes lingered on me before he shut the door. The flutter in my belly erupted into an entire flock of birds, and I shifted in my seat to try and put them at ease. Kezara looked over at me, narrowing her eyes, but then the carriage lurched forward and we were on our way.

The ride was scenic; it was impossible for me to look away from the changing landscape as the rocky seaside bluffs transitioned to mossy forests and then to level, golden plains. Over the hours, I felt restless so I distracted myself with a novel I’d found tucked into the nightstand beside my bed. But I didn’t make it very far without pausing between pages to peer out the window. Kezara tried her hand at embroidery, and when she grew bored, we discussed what we thought the castle might be like. After taking a brief break in the middle of the day, Kezara fell asleep and the rest of our trip was silent. Groves of trees broke up the flat plains and eventually, the carriage dipped off the path, jolting Kezara awake. She sat up and braced herself on the bench.

“Heavens, what is happening?”

“I think we might be stopping for the night.”

“Wonderful, I can’t wait to stretch my legs.” She stifled a yawn as she extended her arms, the embroidery project clattering to the floor.

The carriage came to a full stop and a moment later the door swung open. Velian was there to help Kezara down first, and then he held his hand out for me. Our eyes met as his mouth pulled up into a smirk, and I took his hand tentatively, trying not to notice the warmth it ignited inside me. I let go the second my feet touched the ground.

Behind the carriage, a horse snorted and I turned to see three other men dismounting from their horses. They were all dressed in black, but that was where their similarities ended. Velian looked over and dipped his chin in acknowledgment. “Kezara and Mihrra, allow me to introduce my most trusted men, Corman, Denzen, and Paolef,” he said, pointing at each as theybowed in turn. “They’re here to make sure we arrivesafely.”

Corman was fair-skinned with shoulder-length black hair and a stocky build. Denzen was of average height and had tanned skin with a shaved head and strawberry-blond beard. Paolef was tall and muscular with ebony skin, also sporting a shaved head, but he had piercing, light brown eyes that didn’t miss a thing. I knew there were other staff members living on the grounds at Blaise Manor, but I had never interacted with any of them since they didn’t take their meals with the house staff. Still, I wondered why he would have these men accompany us to the royal city.

“Why do we need escorts?” Kezara asked cautiously.

“Because you meet all kinds of people out here. Now, if you’ll excuse me, we need to make camp,” Velian said, stepping around her.

The men jumped into action. Corman untied a bundle of kindling from behind his saddle, placing it on the ground by the trees; the other two followed suit but with bundles of small logs. Milner opened a compartment at the back of the carriage and pulled out a bag, metal clanking inside as it hit the ground. He dragged it over to the trees and opened it up to reveal large panels of fabric and metal poles. Soon it became apparent he was building a tent, as he fitted the poles together. The rest of the men were unsaddling the horses and hobbling them so they could graze freely before being tied up for the night.

“Where are we?” Kezara asked, reading my mind.

“Canderren,” Velian replied, patting Zavi’s flank. “We’re about three-quarters of the way to Clavo. We made excellent time,and we’re here a little earlier than I planned, but I assumed you two might want more time out of the carriage.”

“You assumed correctly,” Kezara said, stretching her arms above her head again, “but why are we sleeping outside like animals?”

“Because any nearby inns hold less than desirable reputations, to say the least. Trust me, this will be much more to your standards, Kezara.”

As she huffed her annoyance, I placed my hands behind my hips and pushed them forward, relishing the stretch. I looked around and noticed Corman trying to get a fire started, but a steady breeze was blowing in his direction. After several failed attempts, I couldn’t stand it any longer.

“Here,” I said, walking over and crouching down by the pile of kindling. I used my body as a shield from the wind and cupped my hands by the wood for additional protection. The spark ignited the kindling, and I gently blew on it to spread the flames.

“Impressive,” Kezara said, giving me an approving look. Corman grunted and shrugged his shoulders, avoiding eye contact with everyone as he shuffled off, ignoring Denzen’s mocking laughter. I sat there for the next few minutes until the fire seemed strong enough to withstand the wind. Corman came back with an iron stand and a pot of stew; placing the stand over the fire and the pot on top of the stand, he began stirring.

“Velian, I can’t sleep in these clothes tonight. Will you please get my trunk out for me?” Kezara asked.

Velian groaned but moved to the back of the carriage. “Which one is yours?”

“Good question.” Kezara walked over to him. “I think it’s… this one.” She pointed to the trunk on the right. Velian grabbed the handle and started pulling the trunk out of the compartment, but struggled to get it free.

Wiping his hands on his pants he asked, “Milner, how did you get these trunks in here on your own?”

Milner, who was finishing up the tent, called over, “Oh, I did no such thing, sir! Franz helped.”

“That makes more sense,” Velian muttered. He rolled up his sleeves, exposing muscular forearms, and gestured for Paolef to come over. Together, they removed the trunk and set it on the ground with a dullthud.

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