Page 11 of A Rose Among Snakes

“Just one?”

“No, I have two.”

“Are they always sticking their noses in your business like mine does?”

I had to rein in my eye roll at her juvenile view. “No, one is only ten years old, and the other has always been too preoccupied with himself.” Jem had talked a good game before I’d left, but only time would tell if he was truly maturing.

Kezara sniffed. “Must be nice.”

I stayed silent, unwilling to divulge my family dynamics further.

She finally turned to me after several minutes and said, “I apologize, I seem to have forgotten your name.” Some of the tension she had been carrying had lifted from her face. Her chin was lower and the line of her mouth had softened. I looked her full in the face for the first time and found that, like her brother, she really was stunning. Her eyes were a warm hazel framed by dark brown lashes. She had high cheekbones and full, pouty lips all sitting in an oval face.

“Mihrra, or Ms. Nowen. Whichever you prefer.”

Her lips turned up in a pretty smile. “Mihrra it is. You may call me Kezara.” Her eyes shifted to the window past my face and she jolted forward, knocking on the front of the carriage where Milner sat outside. I hadn’t realized we had entered the town yet, but Kezara had obviously been keeping track. The carriage came to a rolling stop and once again, Kezara did not wait for Milner’s assistance. Her curls bounced as she landed on the ground and cool air swept inside the carriage. I followed behind her as Milner stepped forward to offer me his hand.

The town was loud. The commotion of vendors advertising their wares, carriage wheels squeaking and clattering over the occasional rock, and laughter drifting out from inside a tavern all melded together.

Kezara faced Milner and said, “Please return in three hours, Milner, and thank you for the ride.”

Milner inclined his head. “Of course, Ms. Kezara.”

With that, she spun on her heel and marched into the crowd. Milner shot me a look with raised eyebrows, mouthing“Good luck.”

I chewed on my lip as I wondered why that was the second time someone felt the need to say that to me.

On quick feet, I hurried after Kezara, squeezing between two burly men, apologizing as I bumped one of them. I heard his grumbled curse but ignored it as I caught up to Kezara. She had walked into the tavern and stopped. With narrowed eyes, she scanned the room, not pausing on any of the patrons. From the plain wooden exterior of the building, I had imagined a dark roomfilled with sloppily drunk men, sticky ale-coated floors, and shady dealings occurring in smoky corners. Instead, neatly dressed men and women were seated around the dim space, some turning in our direction as we stood there. A few people whispered behind their hands to each other, but most remained engrossed in their own respectable affairs. Barmaids bustled around with food and drink, wearing cheerful smiles as they served patient customers.

Once again, Port Deering was not living up to my mother’s nightmarish descriptions, and I fought the smug smile tugging at my mouth.

Kezara turned her head to the back corner and marched forward with me on her heels. A wooden door with a small, round window let in a ray of sunlight, and she pushed it forward with a grunt, stepping through to reveal a private, walled-in courtyard.

A few sets of tables and chairs scattered the area, decorated by planters overflowing with flowers. In a corner, shaded by the tall cypress trees that blocked the view to the street outside, a man in a white tunic and pants sat waiting. He wore a pompous hat with a matching white feather low on his brow, obscuring his face. Kezara stifled a squeal when she saw him, then turned around to face me.

“Mihrra, please make yourself comfortable over here. Food and drink will be brought out for us all shortly,” she said and waltzed over to her friend. I narrowed my eyes at the pair, my mouth pressing into a thin line. The man did not stand to greet her and Kezara plopped herself into the seat next to him.

From within the shadows, a second man emerged, dressed head to toe in black with a shortsword strapped to his waist. He shot me a glance as he stalked across the courtyard and took up a protective stance by the door to the tavern. There were not any shaded tables left, so I picked the one closest to me and sat. A moment later, a knock on the door sounded and the guard moved to allow a barmaid to enter the courtyard, a sizable tray in her hands.

She brought me a pot of tea and a plate of biscuits, then took the rest of the tray to Kezara and her friend. The smell of roasted meat wafted behind her, making my stomach growl. I poured the tea into a cup and grabbed a biscuit, biting the corner of it. The flavor was sweet and buttery, and the edges crisp; the crumbly interior melted on my tongue. I sighed and closed my eyes, leaning back in the chair. Maybe chaperoning a wealthy lady wouldn’t be so bad after all.

The sun warmed my face and I reveled in the feeling as a salty breeze brushed by, lifting a strand of hair that had come loose from my braid. Time passed slowly, and soon I grew bored. I couldn’t even entertain myself by observing the town thanks to the full cypress trees blocking my view. It didn’t take long before the sun became too hot, and my face began to burn. Sweat dripped down my back, and my neck ached from keeping my face down toward the table trying to avoid getting burned further. To make matters worse, I drank the entire pot of tea myself and was suffering the consequences. I crossed my legs, but the need for relief became unbearable.

I was torn between my body’s request and performing my duty as a chaperone. I glanced toward the stony-faced guard. He was there for a reason, right? Kezara would be fine if I left for a moment. I looked back at her, her musical laughter floating through the air. Their voices were too low for me to hear their conversation from this distance, and her back was turned to me. She wouldn’t even notice I’d left.

Scooting my chair back gently enough to remain silent, I made my way to the guard. He didn’t look at me, keeping his eyes trained straight ahead.

“Excuse me, I need to get by,” I whispered. He stepped to the side and opened the door for me, and I thanked him as I scurried through the doorway. Inside, I found a lavatory and went about my business quicker than ever before. Stepping around a crouching barmaid cleaning up a broken glass, I hurried back through the buzzing tavern and nudged open the courtyard door. I tried not to hit the guard, but when I poked my head out to check on him, he wasn’t there. I walked through and looked around, my head whipping from side to side. No one was in the courtyard.

Kezara was gone.

Chapter Six

It had been two minutes. Two.

She could have gone anywhere in that time, though. Maybe Velian did recognize me and had been willing to overlook my brother’s trouble, but there was no way he would forgive me for letting Kezara out of my sight. My first day and I was already going to be sent home, which meant all of the strife with my mother had been for nothing. I’d let my family down once again.

I shook my head, pulling myself out of my spiral of self-pity. I could fix this. I just had to find Kezara. Walking over to the table they had been seated at, I examined the half-eaten food and teacups still filled to the brim. The surrounding chairs were pushed aside in a way that suggested a path had been forged through them, and it drew my eye to the line of cypress trees. There, hidden amidst the tangled branches, was an iron gate. The latch was out of place and I gave it a shove, rusty metal creaking as the gate opened up to the busy street outside.

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