Page 26 of A Rose Among Snakes (Gardens of Ruin and Revival)

Chapter Twenty-Five

Kezara

T he left side of my body ached as I slowly came to. My memory was foggy, and I was only further confused as I tried to open my eyes. Blinking past the grit, I observed the stone floor—which explained my aching body—but I was still wearing my lavender ball gown.

My tongue was stuck to the roof of my mouth. I pried it off, trying to swallow, but there was no saliva. I coughed, the action scraping my parched throat.

“Good morning, my lady,” said a masculine voice, rumbling with amusement.

My pulse jumped, alerting me to my throbbing headache; I shifted my gaze toward the voice. They fell on a man seated on a wooden chair, a raised hood concealing his face. As my vision adjusted to the dark, I noticed the iron bars between us, and I lifted my head despite the pain.

“Or should I say afternoon?” he continued. “You’ve slept most of the day away.”

Fragmented memories drifted back to me as I studied the cloaked man; dancing at the ball, drinking sparkling wine, falling asleep in bed at the castle with Mihrra on the sofa, and then…then th ere was a figure standing over me, and a cloth placed over my face before a sound left my throat.

A slap to the face woke me, and I was stunned by the black eyes glowering at me.

King Leoro yelled in my face, demanding I write a letter to Velian telling him I ran away with Leoran and would not be returning home.

“Why are you doing this?” I cried, but King Leoro’s yelling turned to mocking laughter.

“You were going to ruin everything, girl. I am doing you a favor, honestly. Now write! And make it convincing. I don’t need your brother hounding me for answers.”

My tears fell on the paper, blotching the ink and I was forced to start over; there couldn’t be tear stains on the note. Then I was handed off to the cloaked man and another cloth was placed over my face.

I sat up straighter, frantically looking around the dim room. I sucked in shallow breaths of musty air and fought against the rising fear.

“Who are you?” I rasped.

“Don’t worry about that.”

“Where am I?”

“You’re exactly where the king wants you to be.”

My chest felt like it was going to cave in, but I willed bravado into my voice. “Which is where? ”

“Tsk, tsk, Kezara. You must have caused quite a scene to garner such negative attention from the king. It’s been a while since he’s called on me to assist him with a troublesome subject.”

“So, this is not your first abduction, then?”

“Not at all.” His laugh sent a chill down my back.

The room was spinning, but I was determined to hold onto my last shreds of dignity. My thoughts raced as I tried to sort through my memories of the night before. It was hard to imagine a benevolent ruler yelling in anyone’s face, let alone striking a woman. Was the kindness and generosity a front, or had he just come unhinged? I moved my jaw from side to side, and the pain flaring through my cheek made it easier to understand why he had such a vile man on hand.

I crossed my arms and stuck out my chin. “Leoran will find me.”

My captor scoffed. “Leoran is too busy moping around the castle, or did you forget about the note you wrote him, too?”

The air left my lungs as the memory of a second note came back. King Leoro forced me to tell Leoran I was done with him and thought he was a coward. He made me say I never loved him and only wanted his title, and I didn’t want him to contact me ever again.

Tears sprang to my eyes, but I blinked them back.

“Fine, but there’s no way my brother will let me go. He’ll start looking.”

“He’s a busy man. He won’t come looking for you. He’s probably glad to be rid of you and all the trouble you cause. ”

Logically, I knew he was wrong, but his words stung. When you grow up knowing your father resented you, it was impossible not to believe you were a burden.

My captor stood and crossed the small space to a counter, where there appeared to be a plate of food. The curtains were drawn over the windows, but the harsh glow of midafternoon light seeped through the sides. His back was turned to me, but his arm moved, matching the sound of a knife rhythmically hitting the counter.

The panic that had been threatening to overtake me was giving way to fury the longer I dwelled on the memories. I could only think of how unfair it was, and how confusing. Heat raced through me, fiery and fast, dulling all my physical pain. Keeping my eyes on the man, I felt around the ground until my fingers made contact with a berry-sized stone. I gripped it in my hand, and silently struggled to my feet. Grabbing the bars in front of me with one hand, I stuck my other arm through the gap and wound up.

With all the strength I could muster, I flung the stone through the air, hitting the back of his head with more accuracy than I expected. He grunted and bent over, and standing back up, he removed the hood and placed his hand over the injury. He wheeled around and I squared my shoulders, standing my ground. Once he was close enough to grab me, my breath caught as I recognized him.

“You.”