Page 93 of A Rose Among Snakes

At first, it seemed that the castle guards were not going to let us through the gates, but Denzen produced a folded piece of paper with the royal crest stamped on it and the portcullis was lifted. Velian kept his head down to avoid recognition as Denzen cracked the reins and the oxen plodded through, snorting and grunting, exhausted from the strenuous climb up the hill. Once through, Enverro leaned forward and said something to Denzen, directing him where to go. We pulled off to the side near the stables, and the men jumped out of the wagon, while Velian helped me down. Paolef removed a cloth to reveal a pile of weapons underneath and they set to work exchanging the instruments with the weapons to smuggle them inside the castle.

Enverro handed me a stack of sheet music and said with a teasing smile, “You can pull your weight, too.” He looked around the grounds and said quietly, “Alright, we’ll go through the servants’ entrance, which is back this way.” He pointed to a small door at the closest end of the castle. The men all grabbed an instrument case and headed for the door. Though I had killed three men mere days ago, I was placed in the middle of the group for protection, but it was not the time for me to cause a commotion.

A moment after Enverro knocked, the door flew open where an apron-clad young woman stood.

“Who are you?”

Enverro sketched a bow. “My lady, we are this evening’s entertainment for His Majesty.”

She eyed him while thrusting forward a waiting hand. “Papers?”

Denzen pulled the paper from his pocket. Her scowl lifted as she looked at him, and once she noticed the royal seal she handed it back.

“Very well,” she said. “This way.” She held open the door and waved us in, locking it behind us. She guided us down the hallway, stopping in front of a door and saying, “Cadma will listen to you play before you go in front of the king. Wait here and he will arrive shortly.”

My stomach dropped and Enverro’s smile wavered before he thanked her with another exaggerated bow. As soon as she closed the door everyone wheeled on Enverro.

“You fool,” Velian growled.

“No, no, it’s fine. We’re in. We’ll just have to fight sooner than expected.” He bent down and opened the instrument case, pulling out a sword. Velian handed one to me as everyone followed suit.

“Can you fight in that dress?” His brows drew together in concern.

I shrugged. “We’ll see, I guess.” I’d picked a lightweight gown intentionally, but after spending a few days in pants, I recognized my current disadvantage.

“Ready?” Enverro asked, one hand on the doorknob. We all nodded and he opened the door, peeking his head out. He held a hand up and flicked his fingers, signaling the path was clear, and we filed out. On near-silent feet, we crept down the stone halls and up the steps that led to the main floor of the castle. The stillness of the castle set my nerves on edge. As we stood at the top of the stairs, footsteps sounded and all our heads frantically swiveled, lookingfor a place to hide. Velian spotted an alcove to the left, where we all managed to squeeze in.

Velian and I stood face-to-face, bodies fully pressed together. He glanced down at me for a moment and winked, but reverted his attention to the present situation. The fact that he could think to tease me in a time such as this made me wonder how often he flirted with danger. Everyone held their breath as the footsteps grew closer, then released in a collective sigh once they passed.

We waited a heartbeat longer before Velian stepped out. He looked around, motioned it was clear, and as we began moving out, someone yelled,

“You!”

We all turned as Velian swore under his breath. Fingley stood in front of us, scowling with his hands on his hips. He directed all his fury at Velian and began asking, “What do you think you are do-”

Paolef, who had slunk behind him, hit Fingley over the head with the hilt of his sword, knocking him unconscious. He fell to the ground with a loudthump,and Denzen and Corman immediately grabbed him and stuffed his limp body into the alcove.

Before I felt any relief, six guards came around the corner to inspect. Upon spotting us, they sprung into action and attacked. Everyone took on one guard, and I was surprised by the ferocity with which the guard came at me.

I struggled to maneuver in my dress, and while the young guard was not particularly skilled with a sword, he provided more challenge than I had anticipated. I could only stand there anddeflect his blows. Every time I tried to launch an offensive, I stumbled on the hem of my skirt. After keeping up with him for a few strikes, the guard grunted and fell to the ground. Behind him stood Denzen, smirking at me.

“Is that how you killed three men by yourself? You parried them to death?” Around us were the sounds of the rest of the men still fighting, but Denzen stepped over the body and walked toward me. “Here,” he said as he knelt. He pulled a knife from his boot and cut the hem of my skirt above my ankles, then a slit up the side.

I took a few steps, testing out my mobility. Four other guards lay still on the ground, bloody and beaten, and Paolef ran over to help Enverro dispatch the last one. Velian and Corman were scanning the hallways to make sure it was clear. I turned back to thank Denzen, moving to wait beside him for further instructions. A low groan sounded behind me, and I spun around, finding myself eye-to-eye with the guard I’d been fighting. His arm was pulled back, ready to strike me down, but Denzen shoved me out of the way, lodging his knife in the guard’s neck at the same moment the guard thrust his blade through Denzen’s abdomen.

“Denzen!” I yelled as both men fell to their knees. I lurched forward to steady Denzen by his shoulders; he panted and stared down at the sword. The guard’s head flopped backward, his hand staying tight on the handle as he slumped to the ground. Denzen cried out as the sword was ripped from his body.

I tightened my grip on his shoulders, gently guiding him to the floor. He stared up at me as I leaned over him, his hand lifting to brush my cheek, a soft smile on his lips.

“It’s okay, you’re going to be fine, Denzen.” My voice quivered with the lie as I glanced down at the blood gushing from his wound, flowing down the sides of his body. I squeezed my eyes shut, but his shaking fingers stroked my cheek again and I forced myself to look him in the face despite the pain.

“Princess,” he rasped, blood bubbling on his lips and dribbling into his beard. His blue eyes lost focus, his hand dropped from my face, and with one last choking gurgle, his chest stopped moving. A tear fell from my eye and landed on his blood-spattered cheek as I reached up and closed his eyelids.

There were running footsteps and then Corman was on the other side of Denzen, feeling for a pulse and frantically muttering, “No, no, no…”

With a shuddering inhale, Corman grabbed his friend’s face and pressed their foreheads together. A hand rested on my shoulder and I looked up to find Velian staring at Denzen, his face lined with sorrow.

“What happened?” he asked, his gaze shifting to me.

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