Page 135 of Crown of Briars
No answer.
With a frown, I slid out from under the covers, only to find I was dressed in a simple cotton shift. My wounds had been cleaned and bandaged, and someone had bathed me as well. Enzira, no doubt. Or Ramia.
How had I slept through it all? Either someone had usedmagic to keep me asleep—Tislora, perhaps—or I’d been in worse shape than I’d thought.
My shoulder still throbbed from Warwick’s bite. Wincing from the pain, I eased out of bed and lit the lantern.
In the armchair by my bed dozed a familiar figure. It was Ramia, her head cradled in her arm as she snored softly. I smiled. It had felt like ages since I’d last seen her.
I glanced around the room. It was definitely Varius’s chambers, but he wasn’t here. It was just me and Ramia.
My gaze flicked toward the door, my throat knotting. I supposed, with Warwick dead, there was no longer a need for my husband to guard me every hour of the day.
Perhaps Varius was busy. There were certainly more important things to do than sit by my bedside and wait for me to wake up.
I draped a shawl around my shoulders and strode toward Varius’s desk. I found a spare bit of parchment and a quill and immediately began writing down every detail I could recall from the memory the rose jewel had shown me. The shadowstone. King Ragnus draining the witch’s power. And finally, the words of her curse.
When I was finished, I set the quill down and folded up the parchment, then searched for my cloak. With a start, I patted my sides, my heart seizing with dread.
The rose jewel was gone.
Shit, shit,shit.
I hurried to the bathing chamber and searched under piles of towels and other linens. But there was no sign of my cloak or my pouch of gemstones.
“No,” I breathed, my mind spiraling with panic. Where were they?
I returned to the bedchamber and gently shook Ramia’s shoulders. I hated to rouse her… but she would want to know Iwas awake.
“Ramia,” I whispered.
She mumbled something, then turned her head. One eye cracked open and surveyed me. Then, she stiffened and sat up straight.
“My lady! You’re awake! Oh, thank the gods. I was so worried for you. When they brought you in here looking likethat?—”
“Ramia.” I squeezed her arm to silence her. “I’m all right. But I need to know where my gemstones are.”
She blinked, her brow furrowing. “Oh! You mean that blue pouch? It was with your cloak. I think Enzira sent it to be washed.”
Dread coiled in my chest.Damn it.“And the rose?”
She frowned. “What rose?”
“There was a red jewel shaped like a rose. Did you see it?”
She considered this for a moment before shaking her head. “No. I didn’t see anything like that.”
I ran my hands through my hair, biting back a curse.
A knock sounded at the door, and Ramia stood to open it. I straightened, my pulse racing at the thought of seeing Varius. Perhaps he could tell me what happened to my gems.
My heart sank when Enzira entered. But I forced a smile as she beamed at me.
“So glad you’re awake, my lady,” she said before drawing the curtains. Midday sun spilled into the room, illuminating the darkened space. I flinched against the brightness, waiting until she was finished with the curtains before speaking.
“Where is the king?”
Enzira didn’t meet my gaze. “In the dining hall.”
