Page 29 of A Rose Among Snakes (Gardens of Ruin and Revival)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Mihrra

M y nerves sparked as he helped me down the rocky path, his warm hand wrapped around mine. The roar of the ocean was not as loud, but the pull on my soul was the same. I didn’t know what it was that had such a hold on me, but I didn’t even notice we stood still in the sand.

“I’d never seen it before coming here,” I whispered.

Velian squeezed my hand and I glanced up at him. He was staring at the midnight blue waves crested with silver, his face a mask of serenity.

“When I was younger, I dreamt of being a sailor, so I would come here and imagine I was waiting for my ship to dock and take me away on adventures.”

“Only when you were younger?”

He laughed. “Alright, fine, I still dream about it.”

Despite my surroundings, I was unwilling to look away from him. “Why would you want to leave a place like this?”

“It wasn’t the place so much as the people.” A muscle feathered in his jaw, and regret curled in my chest. He closed up every time the conversation turned to his father, so I changed the subject.

“Have you never been on a ship then?”

“I have, several times now, but not until I was seventeen.”

“And was it everything you dreamed of?” I wanted him to keep talking, to keep opening up to me. I was intoxicated by the feeling that I might be the only person he’d admitted these dreams to.

“It was, and it wasn’t. Just boring business necessities with my father.”

“Oh.”

He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, catching me staring at him, and smirked. A blush bloomed on my cheeks, but I hoped the moonlight washed it out.

“Come sit with me,” he said, leading me over to a log of sun-bleached driftwood. We sat down, barely any space between our bodies. Then he released my hand to unlace his boots and remove them from his feet. I watched him with raised eyebrows, as he tore off his stockings and set his boots to the side, stretching his legs out in front of him, burying his bare feet in the sand.

Velian looked over at me and said, “Your turn.”

I shook my head.

He turned his face up to the sky. “You don’t know what you’re missing out on.”

It felt too intimate, and while the voice was quieter, I could still hear my mind telling me to run away. But my heart—my heart wanted to soak up every minute of his attention, especially since he seemed so much happier than he had that morning. Biting my lip, I bent down and began unlacing my boots. I slipped my feet out, removed my stockings, and buried my toes in the cool sand as he had. It was soft and slippery as silk; gritty, too, but in a good way, like scratching an itch just before it becomes annoying.

I looked up at him, matching his smile.

“Nice, right?”

“Very nice,” I agreed, wiggling my toes.

“Tell me about your life in Roben.”

I folded my hands in my lap. “There’s not much to tell.” Then remembering when he appeared in the woods to help me with Jehiam, I asked, “Have you ever been there?”

He gave a noncommittal shrug and said, “I’ve passed through.”

Indeed .

“Well, it’s a small farming village, so my days were spent helping my mother around the house and pestering my father out in the fields.” I chuckled at the memory before sobering. “After he died, my mother had to take over all the farm work and I had to take care of the house and my siblings. We spent the next three years just trying to survive, but when I turned eighteen, I began working as a maid for a widow in Frommhelm, the neighboring village. I was the only maid she could afford; she was kind, and it was close enough that I could go home every night. She decided recently she was too old to live alone, and it was time to move in with her son in Clavo. So now I’m here.”

“Do you miss your home?”

I thought for a minute. “Sometimes. I miss the closeness of the community, though no secrets were safe, which was irritating. But they all came together when Ziffem overtook the village. Everyone took care of each other, and no one was left to fend for themselves.”

Velian blinked twice. “Do you miss your family?”

“I do, but not as much as I thought I would. I think it’s probably good for them all to learn not to depend entirely on me. I’m enjoying the freedom, too.”

“I’m sure,” he said, then frowned. “That seems like a lot of responsibility to place on a fifteen year old.”

“It was, but it was necessary. From what Kezara has told me it wasn’t very different for you, either.”

Velian raised an eyebrow. “Do you two talk about me often?”

“Oh, yes, at great length. You are Kezara’s favorite subject, after all,” I said sarcastically.

He laughed, the sound bright and carefree as he shook his head. “It’s true, I was only sixteen when my mother died, but we had a nanny to assist in raising Kezara.” He paused and looked out over the water. “I just took over my mother’s job of shielding her from our father’s anger.” He shifted his body toward me, his eyes wandering over my face as he murmured, “You know, you remind me of her in some ways.”

“How so?”

“She was gentle and kind, extremely patient with Kezara…” he trailed off and reached his hand across the space between us, his fingers grazing along my cheekbone, sending sparks through my entire body as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “She was also seemingly unaware of the effect she had on those around he r—how enchanting she was.” His voice, deep and rich, was like a caress down my neck. He dropped his hand and let it rest on the log between us. I swallowed hard as my heart hammered in my chest.

Velian stood and headed toward the water lapping against the shore. Walking backward, he called to me, “Too cold for a swim?”

The breeze off the water cooled the air around us, but there was so much heat flooding my veins I welcomed it. “No, it’s not too cold.”

“Oh, so you don’t need my jacket then?”

I frowned, not ready to relinquish it.

He threw me a wicked grin. “I’m kidding. It looks better on you anyway.”

My eyes dropped to the ground, my body tingling with excitement. He was flirting with me, truly flirting, and it reignited the hope I’d doused after the ball. I glanced back up and he was facing the ocean, reaching back to pull his shirt over his head. My breath caught in my throat as I glimpsed the muscles of his back rippling with the movement before I dropped my gaze to the sand.

I heard splashing and found myself staring as he waded into the water, gentle waves crashing around his waist, and then he dove in. He emerged a moment later, wiping his eyes and pushing his hair back from his face.

“Are you coming?”

The voice inside my head sighed in exasperation as I stood up and made my way to the water. My feet had a mind of their own, and they seemed determined to get me in way over my head. The water was cool enough on my toes to deter me from going any further. There was no way I was getting in there, to say nothing of how indecently I was dressed.

“Can’t you swim?” Velian stood up and I kept my eyes locked on his face.

I lifted my chin. “Yes.” Not very well, but he didn’t need to know that.

Velian huffed a laugh.

“What?” I asked.

“You’ve been spending too much time with Kezara. That face looks just like one of hers.”

I dropped my chin and crossed my arms. As I did, I felt something solid in the lining of Velian’s jacket. I peeked at the small pocket bordered with dark blue silk.

“Don’t tell me…” a wave washed over, submerging him, “… you’re afraid.”

I was intimidated by the waves; I was a mediocre swimmer, at best, in stagnant water. While he was treading water, I reached a hand into the pocket, and my fingers brushed against cool metal.

“Honestly, I almost drowned in the pond where I learned to swim so I don’t think I’m ready for the ocean.” I was halfway paying attention to the conversation, preoccupied by my curiosity. As I grasped the object, I realized it was a ring and I pulled it out, trying to remain discreet. The light from the moon was weak, but it was enough to show me everything .

A gold band engraved with two open-mouthed snakes, their bodies curling around and mouths poised to devour the ruby embedded in the center.

“A pond?” Velian said, his tone dripping with distaste.

I shoved the ring back inside the pocket, my heart thudding.

You never should have trusted him , sneered the voice inside my head. The air felt like it had been sucked out of my lungs as if I’d been hit in the stomach. I knew it. I knew Velian was withholding information from me.

Clenching my fists I glared at him. I finally registered his last comment and snapped, “We don’t all grow up in beautiful manors with the ocean at our fingertips.”

Picking up my drenched skirt, I wheeled around and ran back to the log to get my shoes.

“Mihrra,” he called, splashing toward me. I shimmied out of the jacket, letting it fall to the sand, turning around to face him as he slipped back into his shirt.

“I need to get to sleep.”

“Mihrra, I’m sorry for upsetting you. I was teasing.”

I kept my gaze fixed on the horizon, worried that if I looked at him my anger would disappear. “It’s fine, I just have a big day ahead of me tomorrow.”

“Alright, I understand. Can I walk you back inside?”

“No, thank you.” I glanced at him, and his sorrowful expression tugged at my resolve, but I hardened my heart. “Goodnight, Velian.”

“Goodnight, Mihrra. ”

I carried my shoes in my hand, the pain of the sharp rocks under my feet a welcome distraction, but once I slipped back into my room, my emotions were boiling over. I changed into a dry nightgown and crawled into bed, but his cedar and spice scent still clung to my skin. I bit my lip, fighting the tears threatening to spill over, but I lost. In silence, I berated myself for ignoring my instincts and trusting Velian, soaking my pillow with my sorrows.