Page 25 of A Rose Among Snakes (Gardens of Ruin and Revival)

Chapter Twenty-Four

W hether it was exhaustion or sheer bliss, I slept better than I had in a long time. I dreamed of endless dancing and being swept around the room in Velian’s arms. I slowly drifted into consciousness, clinging to the remnants of my dream and wanting to stay in the moment forever, but I opened my eyes to smoldering coals in the hearth. Swinging my legs over the side of the sofa, I grabbed my dressing gown, slipped my arms in, and tied it around my waist. I stood up, yawning and stretching, and tiptoed to the bathing room to start getting ready for the day. I dressed and combed my hair, all while wondering how Kezara was feeling, and thought to grab a glass of water for her.

Stepping lightly, I made my way over to the bed where Kezara was buried under a pile of blankets all bunched in the center of the mattress. I pulled the comforter up and my heart began to race.

It was empty.

I wrung my hands while scanning the room to make sure she wasn’t somewhere else. I remembered her telling me of Leoran’s plans, and my stomach dropped to my feet. There’s no way they would have gone through with their plan that very night, right ?

Without thinking twice, I flew out of the room and down the hallway to Velian’s door. I knocked three times and waited, wringing my hands while I listened to the sound of his approaching footsteps. He opened the door just a crack at first, then seeing me, opened it all the way.

“Mihrra?” He was wearing a simple white shirt, unbuttoned nearly to his navel, revealing a muscular chest, and black pants. He was barefoot, and his wavy, brown hair was mussed from sleep.

“She’s gone,” I said.

Velian rubbed his eyes, “Who?”

“Who else? Kezara!” Hysteria edged my voice and Velian stepped back, gesturing with a wave for me to enter. I took a quick look around, noticing his room was the mirror image of mine and Kezara’s. Velian led me over to the sofa by the hearth and had me sit down while he leaned against the mantle, stoking the fire.

“Tell me what happened,” he said, his voice husky with sleep.

“I went to wake Kezara and she wasn’t in the room.”

Velian frowned and peered behind me toward the door. “Couldn’t she simply be out looking for Leoran?” Distracted, he walked toward the door leaving me on the sofa.

How could he be so cavalier about it? I rolled my shoulders, shoving down the niggling annoyance creeping up between them. “I guess that’s a possibility,” I said, keeping my tone patient. “But I have to tell you something, Velian. Last night, Kezara told me-”

“She ran away with the prince,” he interrupted .

I turned around to discover him standing in the middle of the room reading a note. Unease swimming in my belly, I stood up and walked over to him.

“What is that?”

“My dear brother,” he read, “I am sorry it had to happen this way, but I am in love with the prince and we have run away together. I will not be returning home, so please do not come looking for me. Just know that I am happy. Thank you for-” Velian stopped reading, his voice choking up, then folded the note and handed it to me as he crossed the room to drop onto the sofa. I opened it and skimmed until I picked up where he’d left off;

Thank you for being the father we never had and showing me daily glimpses of Mother.

I love you,

Kezara

A shameful twang of jealousy stung me as I turned the paper over. Why hadn’t she written anything to me? Had I been wrong in my perception of our relationship? My ears burned and my limbs felt heavy as I refolded the note and walked over to sit next to Velian on the sofa.

Even my tongue felt weighted as I tried to speak, the words coming out slowly. “She told me last night they were going to run away together.”

Velian only stared at the fire, staying silent.

I resumed, “I thought that when she woke up she would have a clearer mind and be able to think things through. I didn’t think she would follow through with it the same night. ”

The fire popped, making me jump.

It was several moments before Velian whispered, “I feel like I failed her.”

“I think we’re both aware that when your sister makes up her mind about something no one can talk her out of it.”

“No, not Kezara. My mother. When she was dying, she told me to protect Kezara, and now that she’s run off, I can’t do that anymore.”

My chest tightened. It was like hearing an echo straight from my own past. The emptiness reflected in his eyes made my heart ache, and I resisted the urge to brush his hair out of his face, turning my gaze to the fire as well.

I swallowed hard. “You’ve done an excellent job of looking after your sister, but she is an adult now and can make her own decisions. I’m sure your mother would be proud of both of you.”

His mouth fell open as he looked at me, moisture lining his eyes. “Thank you, Mihrra.” His gaze was warm and intense, and my breath hitched in response. I was suddenly aware of how closely we were sitting, our knees almost brushing, and how badly I wanted to close that gap.

Velian stood and put another log on the fire, breaking the spell.

“We should get packed up and head home. I would prefer to leave sooner rather than later.”

I blinked, trying to recover. “That’s it? You’re just going to let her go? You don’t want to check the castle at all? ”

His expression was unyielding and his spine stiffened. “Like you said, she’s an adult. It’s high time she deals with the consequences.”

I couldn’t stop myself from frowning, reeling from his rapid change in behavior.

He swallowed, softening his hardened features. “She knows where to reach us if she needs help. Please, Mihrra, we should get going.”

I still needed a second to collect myself. “What about all of Kezara’s belongings? She didn’t take anything with her.”

Velian scowled. “Nothing?”

I shook my head.

“Odd. But she may be planning on buying everything new. Please pack it up and we’ll have it in case she sends for her belongings later.”

“Of course. I’ll get started right away.” My head was spinning. The fairytale facade had dropped, and we were back to employee and employer. Last night was beautiful and I’d found myself running away with impossible dreams.

Waking up to reality was like being kicked in the gut by a horse.

I left Velian’s room and returned to my own, making quick work of packing away both mine and Kezara’s belongings. The tedium did nothing to alleviate the unease clouding my thoughts. Something with her departure felt off, but I had no proof other than a gut feeling .

The castle servants helped take the trunks and bags downstairs and loaded them into the waiting carriage. Milner stood by the back and frowned as I approached.

“Are we waiting on Ms. Blaise as well?”

I shook my head as I accepted his assistance into the carriage. Settling myself on the ocher velvet of the bench I said, “She’s staying back.”

Milner raised a questioning eyebrow, but not wanting to spread rumors, I simply shrugged and sat back.

“Does Velian know?”

“Yes, she left him a note.”

Milner let out a low whistle. “That explains his mood then.”

“Where is he?”

He hitched a thumb in the direction of the stable. “It’s been a while.”

I chewed on my lip, debating whether to stay in the carriage or not. With a grimace on his face, Milner stared at me, as if hoping I would go and check on him. I held out a moment longer before saying, “Fine, I’ll go.”

The grimace was replaced by a smile as he helped me to the ground, and I marched in the direction of the enormous stable. Despite the chorus of neighs echoing off the cool, stone walls, half of the stalls were empty. I wandered through the maze of halls before finding Velian. He was facing a spot-faced stable boy who had a tight grip on Zavi’s reins. Beneath the mop of brassy hair, his gaze jumped around the room as Velian pocketed a few coins before accepting the reins. The boy’s lips parted when he saw me, and he spun on his heel, vanishing around a corner like a ghost.

Velian turned around, and if he was surprised to see me he gave no indication as he asked, “Are we ready?”

“Yes, I was just coming to check on you. Milner said it was taking a while.”

“Of course, they were busy so I had to wait.” With a tender hand, he stroked the side of Zavi’s face. It was possible I was still on edge from the morning, but something in his lack of eye contact prickled my scalp. There was no time to dwell on it before he led Zavi out of the stable. Milner helped me back into the carriage, whispering his gratitude for retrieving Velian.

The gnawing feeling in my stomach made it hard for me to get comfortable, but I folded my hands in my lap as the carriage lurched forward. I shut my eyes, wishing I could sleep the entire journey home.

Home.

The thought rattled through my brain, making me wonder when I had started thinking of Blaise Manor as home instead of Roben. I was looking forward to Shandy’s cooking, being greeted by Mrs. Shulling’s warm smile, and sleeping in my feather bed. What would Mrs. Shulling make of Kezara’s disappearance?

My eyes flew open as fear zinged through my body. If Kezara was not at Blaise Manor, did that mean I was out of a job? I couldn’t be. I hadn’t had any time to look into my father’s death yet, and I refused to return to my family without it .

I stared out the window, digging my nails into my palm as I tried to come up with a defense if Velian wanted to let me go. I didn’t notice when the carriage had come to a stop, but the stone engulfing my vision told me we were still in Clavo, confirmed a moment later by a woman’s wild cackling. A knock at the door made me jump and I turned to find Velian standing outside. I scooted across the bench and opened the door.

“I have a short bit of business to attend to. Please wait here in the carriage with Milner. We’ll be back soon.” I looked over his shoulder to where Corman, Denzen, and Paolef sat on their horses, watching everyone who passed by with wary eyes. I hadn’t seen them in the castle and didn’t know when exactly they had rejoined us. They dismounted in unison and headed toward the rear compartment of the carriage, jostling the entire vehicle as they opened it .

“Mihrra.” Velian’s curt tone pulled my attention back to him. “Can you promise me you will wait here? It will be quick.”

“Yes, I promise.”

“Good. Draw the curtains,” he commanded, closing the door. I bristled at his harsh attitude but did as I was told. I sat in silence, stewing in my anxious thoughts that revolved around whether I was soon to be unemployed and if we would be attacked again on our way home.

No more than ten minutes later, I saw motion through the lace curtains and realized it was Velian, waving to notify me of his return. As he readied to swing up into the saddle, an old woman approached him, clothed only in a sleeveless, threadbare dress, head down and hands outstretched. Velian paused and spoke to her, though I couldn’t hear. A moment later, he fished some coins out of his pocket and pressed them into her waiting palms.

She dipped her chin, a faint “Bless you, my lord,” breaking through the walls of the carriage.

He gave her a sympathetic smile as he mounted Zavi, and we were off.

Watching the interaction distracted me from my worries, filling me with bittersweet thoughts of what-ifs, but I gave my head a vigorous shake, grounding myself in reality. I wrapped my arms around my sides, praying we wouldn’t stop in Canderren again.