Page 89 of A Rose Among Snakes

It was midmorning when we arrived in Clavo, the grating sounds of the city jarring after several days of quiet in the mountains. We tied the horses to a hitching post outside of a tavern.

Enverro said, “Alright, Mihrra, there’s your dress shop.” He pointed down the street to a tiny storefront on the corner. “We are going to find new clothes for ourselves, and we will meet back here in fifteen minutes.”

Beside me, Velian said, “I’ll come with you.”

Enverro shook his head. “No, you’re not.”

Velian wheeled toward him. “I do not take orders from you.”

Enverro crossed his arms. “Today you do, or else-”

“I’ll be fine,” I said, stepping between the men.

“She will,” Enverro continued. “Plus, we need you to pay for us, money bags. Unless you trust us with your money…”

Velian sucked his teeth, and I placed my hand on his forearm. He looked down at me and his scowl faded. “I hate him,” he muttered as he pulled out a pouch of coins and placed several in my hand. “Be careful.”

“I will.” He squeezed my hand and I had to pry it out of his grip as I walked away. I glanced over my shoulder once to discover him still standing there, the rest of the men heading in theopposite direction. I shooed him away and focused on the task at hand.

Inside, a middle-aged woman stared at me, her lips pursed as she murmured a greeting. I was sure she wasn’t used to women dressed head to toe in black walking into her store, in pants, no less. Pretending nothing was abnormal, I informed the woman I needed a nice gown, and I wasn’t picky. She presented me with a few options, still giving me a skeptical eye, but I chose a royal blue, satin gown. She boxed it up for me, and I thanked her, leaving her with the coins, and made my way back to the meeting place. The men were waiting for me, all dressed in matching white shirts, brown vests, and brown pants.

“Why aren’t you dressed yet?” Enverro asked.

I glared at him, lifting my chin. “If you want this to be believable, I should bathe first.”

“Let’s check the inn and see if they have a room you could use,” Velian said. “We should clean up, too.”

It was the same inn where Velian and I had stayed a few nights prior, but this time, he got two rooms—one for the men, and one for me. Closing the door behind me, I stripped out of my dirty clothes and removed the binding from my chest, my ribs expanding with sheer relief. The water in the tub was hardly warm, but I didn’t mind. Bathing felt like such a luxury after several days of travel and my stiff muscles relished the water’s soothing embrace. I could have stayed there all day, but within an hour I had bathed, combed and elegantly braided my hair, and slipped into the snug gown.

Hurrying, I ran out of the room and came face-to-face with Velian, freshly bathed and leaning against the wall. My heart stuttered, and it seemed that no matter the circumstances he still managed to steal my breath. Slack-jawed, he looked me up and down, and a blush bloomed across my cheeks under his amorous gaze. As I took the hand he offered, he said,

“I love that.”

“What?”

“The way you blush whenever I look at you.”

My eyes jumped to the ground as warmth spread through my body. “That’s embarrassing.”

“Look at me,” he said, lifting my chin with one finger. “You are stunning.”

“You’re not so bad yourself, I guess,” I said with teasing nonchalance.

Velian laughed and kissed the top of my head, then led me down the steps, through the dining hall, and out the front door to where the rest of the men waited.

Corman and Paolef smiled warmly, Denzen’s mouth hung open, and Enverro let out a low whistle.

I glanced down at the dress, smoothing the skirt. With a chuckle, I said, “I think you all forgot I was a woman.”

“The Boss certainly didn’t,” Corman said, then flinched and offered Velian an apologetic shrug. Velian didn’t notice, only squeezing my hand and beaming at me.

“Alright,” Enverro interrupted. “Next step, we need some instruments.” He cracked his knuckles and stretched his neck from side to side. “I’ll take care of that part.”

Velian frowned. “Are you buying them?”

Enverro shook his head, a boastful smile curving his lips. “No, I don’t need to. We’re just going to borrow them, and no one will notice.” He rubbed his hands together. “We still need to convince the castle coordinator to let us perform tonight. Velian, you are easily the best looking out of the four of us-” Denzen scoffed and folded his arms. Ignoring him, Enverro continued, “So we need you to convince her to let us play for the king tonight. Can you handle that?”

Velian narrowed his eyes. “Of course.”

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