Page 23 of A Rose Among Snakes (Gardens of Ruin and Revival)

Chapter Twenty-Two

“ M ay I cut in?” A familiar, warm voice asked.

Behind me stood Velian, arms crossed over his puffed chest, his steady gaze locked on Gerwin, who opened his mouth to object, but I cut him off with a hurried, “Yes.”

Wrenching my hand free, I turned to Velian, my racing pulse easing in his presence. I heard Gerwin grousing under his breath as he walked away, and Velian’s stance softened as he lowered his gaze to mine.

“You looked like you needed saving,” he said with a smug smile.

My eyes dropped to my feet and I bit my lip. “Once again, it seems.”

“Shall we?”

I looked back up as he held his hand out, inclining his head toward the dance floor.

“Oh, I didn’t think you actually wanted to dance with me.”

He lifted a brow and dropped his hand. “And why shouldn’t I?”

“You’re my employer. ”

He laughed, and the sound caressed my ears, sending a shiver through me. He held his hand out again. “Not tonight.”

I couldn’t have denied him even if I wanted to.

He led me onto the dance floor and held me at a respectable distance, one hand on my waist, the other intertwined with my hand. Kezara was right , I thought as my palms began to sweat; I was very glad she’d bought me the gloves. I marveled at his grace as he led me through the dance. I had never received formal dance lessons, but Velian didn’t appear put out by my occasional stumbling. My mother had taught me and Ambrelle how to dance when we were younger, and we used all our free time to practice, taking turns leading. It was a special treat when Father would come in from the fields and take over as lead, twirling us around the small kitchen, and filling our home with squeals of joy.

As Velian swept me around the room, I was grateful for those few lessons, but I was aware of the judgmental glances from others when a misstep brought me too close to another couple. Despite that, a lightness filled me that could only be described as giddiness.

Velian noticed, and with a boyish grin asked, “Are you enjoying yourself?”

“I am. My sister will never believe it when I tell her.”

“You’re close with your sister?”

“Not like when we were younger, but we still write to each other.”

He was quiet for a moment.

“It seems you’re also close with my sister unless you’re an excellent actress. ”

“What exactly are you accusing me of?” I asked with mock horror.

His jaw dropped. “Nothing at all, I…” He paused, registering the twinkle in my eye. “Ah, you’re teasing. I didn’t think I’d misread you, but I worry about her.”

“What? Velian Blaise, worried?”

He rolled his eyes but laughed.

With a boldness most likely borne by the sparkling wine, I asked, “Do you spend much time trying to read me?”

Emerald eyes roved my face as he said, “Absolutely. I like to think of myself as observant, especially with people, but you… you are considerably harder to figure out.”

“What’s there to figure out?”

“I don’t know, I haven’t figured it out yet.” He flicked his eyebrows up.

“You’re hard for me to read, too, you know,” I murmured.

His mouth tightened, but he lifted his arm to turn me around, and in a hushed voice he said, “Can you be honest with me?”

Facing him again, my pulse jumped, worried I’d said the wrong thing.

“Is Kezara sneaking around with the prince?”

I bit my lip and scanned the room. It wasn’t what I was expecting, but a subject change was probably in our best interest. Kezara was dancing with another man, her head thrown back in laughter. I dragged my eyes back to Velian, and with a twist of remorse, I nodded .

He sighed and closed his eyes. When he opened them, his expression was grave. “Thank you for telling me. I thought as much.” He threw a weary glance at his sister. “She doesn’t seem too heartbroken anymore.”

“It’s a mask. She’s having a difficult time.”

“Is that why she was acting so strangely when I gave her the invitation?”

“Yes, the prince had sent her a letter earlier that day informing her of the engagement, and she was devastated.”

Velian frowned. “Does she truly love him, or is it just because he’s the prince?”

“It’s real. And I think he loves her, too. It’s rather tragic.”

Velian pulled his hand off my waist and spun me with the other. Pulling me back in, he held me a little closer, but his eyes were on my left arm, staring at the ugly bruise.

“Is that from him? ”

Anger simmered in his eyes. I wasn’t sure which ‘him’ he was referring to, Gerwin or my attacker, but either way it was wrong.

“No, it’s not.”

“Then what happened?”

I looked to the side. “It’s so silly.”

“Tell me,” he prompted gently.

Beneath my lashes, I met his emerald eyes, and there was a warmth in his face that melted all my reservations. I told him about Kezara’s ‘friend’ and how it was his idea to see a fortune teller to find out if their futures aligned .

“It was all ridiculous. Kezara was skeptical of her reading, but her friend was very encouraged by it.”

“Not surprising,” Velian muttered.

I cracked a smile as the song ended, and we paused, still holding onto each other. A new song began, but someone tapped Velian on his shoulder, and then a handsome man stepped into view.

“Excuse me, but would you mind if I cut in?”

Velian’s grip tightened on me, and he said, “I would mind, actually.” Then his eyes widened slightly, and he looked back at me, almost as if he hadn’t meant to speak aloud. He searched my face for a response, and I gave the man a polite shake of my head.

“Thank you, but I would prefer to continue with him.” I tried to fight the heat creeping up my neck at the admission. The man’s hopeful demeanor fell, but he nodded curtly and shot Velian a displeased glance before disappearing.

Velian ignored the man and began leading us through another dance. “Where were we?”

“I don’t remember,” I said quietly, knowing I was unsuccessful in the fight against my blush.

“Kezara’s friend is shamefully naive.”

I chuckled and said, “Right,” then continued, “As we were leaving, the fortune teller grabbed my arm and went into some kind of trance. She gave me an absurd, unsolicited warning, and then let me go, mostly unscathed.”

“What did she say to you? ”

“She told me I will find what I am looking for, and I need to be careful who I trust.” I shook my head in disbelief, then mockingly quoted, “‘Not everyone is as they seem.’”

Velian’s eyes narrowed and darted away. His hand tightened around my waist almost imperceptibly as his gaze homed back in on mine when he asked, “And what is it you’re looking for?”

Without hesitation, I replied, “I want to know what happened to my father.”

He cocked his head. “I thought you said he died.”

“He did, but we were never told how. Port Deering is the last place he went before a stranger appeared at our door five days after his departure to tell us he was dead.”

The corner of his eyes creased with empathy. “I’m sorry to hear that. If there’s anything I can do to help you, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Thank you,” I said, my throat squeezing.

He pulled me even closer, our bodies flush, and my head came to lay on his chest. His rapid heartbeat thumped beneath his jacket, and his intoxicating scent of cedar and spice floated around me. I wasn’t sure when our pace had slowed, but we were no longer keeping up with the other couples on the floor, and instead swayed softly, keeping our footsteps closer together.

I felt Velian’s head lean down, his breath caressing the shell of my ear as he whispered, “Do you trust me?”

My lips parted, my mouth going dry as I pulled my head back to look at him. The music faded as my pounding heart rushed through my ears. Before I could answer, he released me into another spin and pulled me back into his strong arms, resting his hand against my lower back as he dropped me into a dip.

Our eyes locked and I held my breath, staring deep into the emerald depths, cataloging every fleck of amber and brown. His face was hovering mere inches above mine, and my fingers itched to reach out and touch his face. It could have been seconds or hours we stayed there, but then he brought me back to standing.

I hadn’t answered his question yet, but when his gaze lowered to my mouth, I was internally screaming, yes, of course, I trust you, now please kiss me!

I had half a deranged mind to close the distance between us myself when someone yelled, “STOP!”

The music halted and the crowd parted to reveal two men facing each other, swords drawn and settled into defensive stances. On the ground was Kezara, her dress sprawled around her. She wore a furious scowl, her cheeks flushed and eyebrows pinched together, appearing to have been knocked to the ground in the scuffle. Velian groaned, releasing me and running to his sister. He helped her to her feet, where she wobbled and clung to him.

Neither man paid attention to Kezara as Velian led her away, their focus locked on each other. They started moving in a circle, crossing one foot over the other, ready to defend themselves against whatever came at them. Everyone in the room was whispering as they watched the men. Velian’s jaw was tight and his nostrils flared as he approached me. I reached out to help keep Kezara on her feet.

I whispered in her ear, “How much wine have you had? ”

Kezara’s only response was a giggle.

The room fell quiet as King Leoro rose to his feet.

“Gentlemen, what is the meaning of this?”

The men continued their dance around each other, refusing to look away.

“Come. Out with it.” The king’s tone was patient, but his words held authority.

“The lady promised me another dance, but he wouldn’t let her go.” The man who spoke was the first one Kezara had danced with wearing a dark green jacket.

“She told me she wanted to continue with me ,” the blond man opposite the one in green retorted.

Seeming amused, King Leoro sat back in his seat, resting his elbows on the wooden arms of the throne and steepling his fingers in front of his face.

“Well, gentlemen, I believe this calls for a duel. Whoever disarms the other first gets to continue their dance with the young lady, so long as she approves.” He looked at Kezara and threw her a sparkling grin. Next to him, Leoran was seething, his fists clenched in his lap. The blonde woman’s face was blank, if not verging on bored.

“Keep it civil, gents. I want to see a fair duel. Disarming only,” King Leoro added.

The men were still moving in a circle as the rest of the guests watched eagerly but kept their distance.

I leaned behind Kezara’s head to whisper to Velian, “What is happening? ”

He moved closer and said, “A duel. If someone is challenged to a duel they cannot deny it, and they have to respect the outcome. It’s the law in Clavo.”

Only men would think a duel was the proper way to settle a disagreement .

The man in green lunged first, and the blond man parried. Kezara leaned into me and smiled the entire time. I wondered if she was hoping Leoran would see the irony; two men were willing to fight over her for a dance, yet Leoran wouldn’t take a stand for their love.

The men went back and forth for several minutes, grunting with each lunge, their clanging swords echoing around the near-silent room. When their fighting brought them too close to the crowd there would be grumbling and squealing ladies dodging out of the way. Their routine of lunge, parry, lunge, parry continued until the blond man lifted his sword high above his head. He quickly brought his arms down, but the man in green feinted to the side and the swinging sword made contact with the ground. Unprepared, the blond man stumbled a step, giving the man in green the opportunity he needed. With a cry, he slammed his blade down on the hilt of his opponent’s sword and it tumbled to the floor, clattering on the marble. The man in green cheered as his opponent dropped his head in defeat. Kezara clapped her hands and soon the rest of the audience joined in.

King Leoro stood, clapping as he smiled genially. “Well done! An honorable effort, but the best man has won. ”

Everyone continued cheering as the man in green bowed and beamed at the king, basking in the praise, while the blond man picked up his sword and sulked off. The king raised his hand signaling for silence.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, citizens of Terrune and Etheniar. We thank you for your attendance this evening. We have much to celebrate, and it is my pleasure, along with King Avir and Queen Eselle, to share this news with you—Terrune and Etheniar will be united by the marriage of Prince Leoran and Princess Davony!”

A thunderous cheer erupted from the crowd and Davony smiled, waving a dainty hand, while Leoran continued to glower at the man in green. I glanced at Kezara and found her jutting her chin out, her classic display of defiance. Velian and I shared a worried glance before turning our attention back to the king.

“Leoran and Davony will now share a dance.” The king gestured to his son to stand up. Like a pouting child, Leoran got to his feet and offered a stiff hand to Davony, not looking at her or even attempting to mask his distaste.

The music began playing again and the king said, “Let the festivities resume!” He returned to his seat, watching his son dance with his betrothed. Leoran did not look at Davony but kept staring at Kezara, who continued to avert her gaze.