Page 113 of Crown of Briars
My mouth opened to ask her what was wrong, but she leftthe chamber before I could. I heard the door to the bedroom creak open as she no doubt went to fetch my clothes from the queen’s suite.
Assuming they were still there and the thief hadn’t ripped them to shreds.
When I was sure she was gone, I crouched to the floor, hastily sweeping the gems into the scaled pouch and drawing the strings tightly. Then I tucked it into the pocket of my cloak, which I folded and slid under a pile of fresh linens in the corner of the bathing room.
When Enzira returned, I had already undressed and lowered myself into the gaping hole that contained the hot spring below. The steam coiled around my bare skin, making me shudder. When I eased into the steaming water, I let out a groan of satisfaction.
“I’ll never get used to this,” I told Enzira as I leaned my head against the black stone behind me.
“You have a letter, my lady,” she said.
I looked up and found Enzira with a strangely solemn look on her face, holding up a sealed envelope. I recognized the blue insignia of the Winter Court.
It was a letter from Eira.
My heart lifted, and I grinned. “Oh, thank you! Can you place it on the desk, please?” I was eager to see what Eira had to say.
Enzira nodded and smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. She moved toward the bedchamber, but I stopped her.
“Enzira?” I straightened and looked up at her. “What’s wrong?”
She sniffed and looked away. “Do not worry about me, my lady.”
“Enzira.”
“I—I will be fine.” Her voice trembled.
“Areyou still upset with me?” I asked. “Stones, I’m so sorry. You have every right to be angry with me. I?—”
“No, no, it isn’t that,” Enzira assured me. When she finally met my gaze, her eyes sparkled with tears. “I—Ifailedyou, my lady.” Her voice cracked. “My duty was to remain by your side, to protect you during the revel, and I failed. I—I should be reassigned. It isn’t right for me to keep serving you.”
“Enzira,no.” With a splash, I tried to climb out of the spring so I could reach her. But she waved her hands at me.
“Do not trouble yourself, my lady,” she said quickly. “Please, tend to your needs. As I said, I will be fine.”
“Enzira, you didnotfail me. Would you say that Varius also failed me?”
She flinched. “Of course not.”
“Well, he couldn’t protect me, either. So please do not blame yourself. It isn’tyouwho threatened me or ransacked my room. None of that is your fault. No one can possibly predict where our enemies will turn up. I couldn’t, and neither could you. I do not blame you for any of it. I swear.”
She pressed her lips together, and a tear raced down her cheek. “Those are kind words, my lady. But they do not ease my guilt.”
“I understand. But please don’t leave my service. I consider you a dear friend, and it would be devastating to lose you.”
Her eyes shone, and she sniffed again. “Thank you, my lady. I do love our conversations.”
I grinned. “So do I.”
Her smile was genuine this time, and I relaxed in the springs once more.
I heard her bustling around the bathing chamber for a few minutes. Then, she went into the bedchamber to place my letter on the desk. With a sigh of contentment, I leaned my head against the stone and closed my eyes as the hot water bubbled around me.
I must have dozed off. Someone cleared their throat loudly, and I jerked awake, sitting up so quickly my head started spinning.
Varius stood in the doorway of the bathing chamber, leaning casually against the wall with an amused smile on his face. “Enjoying the springs?”
My face heated as I struggled to come up with a response. My brain felt like sludge, and I couldn’t even form a coherent thought. “I—uh?—”
