Page 31 of A Rose Among Snakes

“Be careful,” Kezara chided. She unclasped the lid to check the contents. “Perfect. It would have been a shame if this wasn’t the right one.” She threw Velian a teasing grin, and he began to walk away, but she said, “Wait, Mihrra will need her bags, too!”

Velian’s mouth parted and he shot her an exasperated sidelong glance, then grabbed the handle of the other trunk, but Kezara put her hand out saying,

“No, that’s also mine. Mihrra’s is the smaller case—right there.”

“You’re telling me both of these trunks are yours?” His eyebrows disappeared beneath the wild fringe of hair that had fallen forward during our journey. “We’re only gone for a few days.”

“You never know what you might need,” Kezara retorted, crossing her arms.

Velian shook his head, but easily grabbed my bag and placed it on top of Kezara’s trunk on the ground.

“Thank you,” I said. He nodded once and walked off rolling his shoulders.

Kezara turned to me. “Want to go for a walk? Stretch our legs a little.”

“That sounds nice.”

“Velian,” Kezara called. “We are going to walk around for a while.”

“Don’t wander far,” he replied. Kezara looked at me and rolled her eyes as she started walking down the road in the direction we had come from.

The path was lined by a thin wall of tall aspen trees, their leaves whispering in the breeze as birds sang from the branches. Kezara talked about Leoran, and how excited she was to see him and be at the castle. It was a struggle to hold my tongue about Leoran. After fifteen minutes, we turned around and made our way back to camp. Between the trees, the sun was sinking closer to the horizon, and the light softened all around us.

When the settlement popped back into view, we saw all five men standing in a line together, their postures stiff with tension as they faced four strangers on horseback.

Chapter Seventeen

The man on horseback directly in front of Velian lifted his curly blond head and looked at us.

“Ladies,” he shouted. “How kind of you to join us!” Velian whipped his head around, and even at a distance, I recognized the dread etched into every line of his face. “Come, come.” The man beckoned to us with a sword in his hand. Kezara and I looked at each other, silently debating whether to follow his instructions or not.

There was nowhere for us to hide, but our decision was made for us when he yelled, “Hurry!” Together we stepped forward, our strides slow and stiff. Velian’s head snapped back and forth between us and the man. All the men—including Milner, to my surprise—had drawn swords held at their sides, and the closer we got, tension radiated off their taut stances. Kezara latched onto me and as we approached, Velian reached out. I was closest, and his large hand enveloped mine as he pulled me in against his back.

“Thank you for your cooperation, ladies,” said the man on horseback, leering at us. Velian dropped my hand but shifted his body to block us from view. “Possessive, I see. No need to fret, wedon’t plan on hurting them. Just give us what we want and we’ll let you go.”

Kezara’s hand trembled in mine, and I squeezed it in reassurance, despite the pounding of my heart.

“I don’t know what you are talking about.” Velian’s voice was far more casual than his body language.

The man glared at him. “Yes, you do.”

“No. I don’t.”

“Fine,” the man growled as he kicked his horse forward and raised his sword. Velian shoved me backward and I toppled over Kezara. I looked over my shoulder in time to see Velian stepping away from us. Time slowed as I watched Velian’s blade arc upward to meet the vicious sweep of the other man’s sword. The sound of clashing metal jolted me into action, and we scrambled out of the way. I looked back once more to see Velian drag his blade across the blond man’s face, tearing open his cheek.

Velian’s wild eyes met mine as he yelled, “Run!”

I got to my feet, hauling Kezara up with me, and we bolted for the carriage. We dodged Paolef grappling with his opponent. He had several inches on the red-haired attacker, and Paolef picked him up and threw him against a tree, the thick thorns audibly scraping his pale skin.

Kezara flung open the door and we jumped inside the carriage, slamming it shut behind us. Lying on the floor, Kezara’s whimpering accompanied the sounds of clanging swords and yelling. Neither of us dared to peer out the window to see what was happening.

I yelped as one of the strangers wrenched open the carriage door and gripped my ankle, pulling me from safety.

I screamed and thrashed my body. Kezara grabbed my hand to help, but it was no use. The man hauled me out, and I barely missed hitting my head on the step-down. I used my hands to brace my fall and clung to the grass, ripping up clumps as I tried to slow him down. My heart pounded out of my chest, and when he released my feet, I crawled back toward the carriage. As I reached for the step, his hand gripped my hair and yanked me backward.

He flipped me over and slammed my head on the hard ground. Nausea rolled through me and stars danced in my vision, dazing me. He knelt beside me, grabbing both my wrists, and pinning my arms above my head. I bucked my hips and tried to wriggle out of his grip.

“Stay still,” he hissed as he pressed his shin across my thighs, digging his full weight in. I cried out in pain, my eyesight blurring with tears. I didn’t want to see his face, so I kept my eyes trained on the sky, but I jerked my body harder, not giving up. He snarled and leaned his face toward mine, pressing his forearm across my chest. Then he was gone, and I sucked in a deep breath as his weight was ripped off of me.

---