Page 18 of A Rose Among Snakes (Gardens of Ruin and Revival)

Chapter Seventeen

T he man on horseback directly in front of Velian lifted his curly blond head and looked at us.

“Ladies,” he shouted. “How kind of you to join us!” Velian whipped his head around, and even at a distance, I recognized the dread etched into every line of his face. “Come, come.” The man beckoned to us with a sword in his hand. Kezara and I looked at each other, silently debating whether to follow his instructions or not.

There was nowhere for us to hide, but our decision was made for us when he yelled, “Hurry!” Together we stepped forward, our strides slow and stiff. Velian’s head snapped back and forth between us and the man. All the men—including Milner, to my surprise—had drawn swords held at their sides, and the closer we got, tension radiated off their taut stances. Kezara latched onto me and as we approached, Velian reached out. I was closest, and his large hand enveloped mine as he pulled me in against his back.

“Thank you for your cooperation, ladies,” said the man on horseback, leering at us. Velian dropped my hand but shifted his body to block us from view. “Possessive, I see. No need to fret, we don’t plan on hurting them. Just give us what we want and we’ll let you go.”

Kezara’s hand trembled in mine, and I squeezed it in reassurance, despite the pounding of my heart.

“I don’t know what you are talking about.” Velian’s voice was far more casual than his body language.

The man glared at him. “Yes, you do.”

“No. I don’t.”

“Fine,” the man growled as he kicked his horse forward and raised his sword. Velian shoved me backward and I toppled over Kezara. I looked over my shoulder in time to see Velian stepping away from us. Time slowed as I watched Velian’s blade arc upward to meet the vicious sweep of the other man’s sword. The sound of clashing metal jolted me into action, and we scrambled out of the way. I looked back once more to see Velian drag his blade across the blond man’s face, tearing open his cheek.

Velian’s wild eyes met mine as he yelled, “Run!”

I got to my feet, hauling Kezara up with me, and we bolted for the carriage. We dodged Paolef grappling with his opponent. He had several inches on the red-haired attacker, and Paolef picked him up and threw him against a tree, the thick thorns audibly scraping his pale skin.

Kezara flung open the door and we jumped inside the carriage, slamming it shut behind us. Lying on the floor, Kezara’s whimpering accompanied the sounds of clanging swords and yelling. Neither of us dared to peer out the window to see what was happening .

I yelped as one of the strangers wrenched open the carriage door and gripped my ankle, pulling me from safety.

I screamed and thrashed my body. Kezara grabbed my hand to help, but it was no use. The man hauled me out, and I barely missed hitting my head on the step-down. I used my hands to brace my fall and clung to the grass, ripping up clumps as I tried to slow him down. My heart pounded out of my chest, and when he released my feet, I crawled back toward the carriage. As I reached for the step, his hand gripped my hair and yanked me backward.

He flipped me over and slammed my head on the hard ground. Nausea rolled through me and stars danced in my vision, dazing me. He knelt beside me, grabbing both my wrists, and pinning my arms above my head. I bucked my hips and tried to wriggle out of his grip.

“Stay still,” he hissed as he pressed his shin across my thighs, digging his full weight in. I cried out in pain, my eyesight blurring with tears. I didn’t want to see his face, so I kept my eyes trained on the sky, but I jerked my body harder, not giving up. He snarled and leaned his face toward mine, pressing his forearm across my chest. Then he was gone, and I sucked in a deep breath as his weight was ripped off of me.

I sat up, and even though my head was spinning, I watched as Velian threw my attacker to the ground, planted his foot on his chest, and thrust a blade through his torso. My heart crashed behind my ribs and my whole body shook, the man’s gasping breaths the only sound in my ears. Then Velian was at my side, gripping my shoulders, saying something to me. I tore my eyes from the dying man to rest on Velian’s face, grounding myself in the emerald depths of his eyes.

“Are you hurt?”

I had no words, but my hand drifted up to the back of my head where it throbbed. He tracked my every movement, concern lacing his brows together. There was no stopping the tears slipping from my eyes, and Velian pulled me in close. The adrenaline faded and horror took over as my body racked with sobs. He stroked my hair and let me cry into his chest, my tears mingling with the sweat already dampening his white shirt. Behind me, a door slammed and I jumped in fear.

“Mihrra!” Kezara yelled as she dashed out of the carriage. “I’m so sorry! My boot got stuck and I couldn’t get out.” She was crying too, making her words difficult to understand. She fell to the ground next to me and threw her arms around me. We cried together, and Velian sat beside us in silence, as if he knew his presence alone was what we needed. As the tears ran out, I pulled back and looked at her.

“Are you alright?” I asked Kezara, my voice hoarse.

“I’m fine,” she said, wiping her eyes. “Are you? ”

“I think so…” My head was pounding, and my stomach roiling, but that seemed to be the worst of it. I glanced over to find Velian watching me intently and remembered my attacker. The gasping had stopped.

My voice barely rose above a whisper as I asked, “Is he dead?” I couldn’t take my eyes off him a minute ago, but now, I couldn’t bear to look at him .

Velian glanced over at the body and then back at me, nodding.

“Are they all dead?” Kezara asked.

“No, he’s the only one. The other three fled.” My muscles sagged in relief, though I didn’t know why. If there was ever a time to wish someone dead, it was after they tried to kill you. But I couldn’t summon any anger yet with terror continuing to tremor through my body. Still unable to look anywhere other than at Velian, I registered a slim gash along his jawline.

“You’re bleeding,” I said, reaching out and turning his chin to see better.

Beside me, Kezara gasped and her eyes welled up again. “Velian, that could have been so much worse. It barely missed your neck.” He put his hand up to the cut and pulled it back to examine the blood on his fingers.

“It’s not so bad,” he said, shrugging and wiping the small bit of blood on his pants.

“I’ll go get something to clean you up,” Kezara said, standing up and walking to the back of the carriage. Velian moved to stand up as well, but I asked,

“Who were they?”

“Bandits. They’re common on these isolated plains.”

“What did they want?”

His mouth tightened, but his answer was nonchalant. “I don’t know, probably trying to rob us of whatever we were willing to give up. ”

His eyes had dropped to the ground, his voice and body language once more contradictory. He went to stand up, but I stopped him with a hand on his arm.

“Thank you for saving my life.”

“There’s no need to thank me, Mihrra,” he said, as he finally stood and helped me to my feet. I swayed a little and he steadied me by my elbows. There was no denying how safe and comforting it felt to have his hands on me, the warmth seeping through the sleeves of my dress. Maybe my head injury was more severe than I thought.

“I owe you,” I said. I swore his eyes flickered down to my lips, my mouth going dry. He pulled back and released me, stepping back and putting some distance between us. Kezara walked up with a white handkerchief and tried dabbing his jaw, but he took it from her instead.

“You don’t owe me anything,” he replied with a polite smile and turned on his heel to join the other men cleaning up the damage done during the scuffle.

“What was that about?” Kezara asked, raising one eyebrow.

“What was what about?” I kept my voice light, but my heart was still racing. Kezara pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes, but didn’t comment further.