Page 40 of A Rose Among Snakes (Gardens of Ruin and Revival)

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Kezara

O ur day started like the one before with me asking to help him in the garden.

Enverro pursed his lips and eyed me. “Thanks to your episode yesterday, I didn’t get as much done as I’d hoped to…” He trailed off as I batted my eyelashes. “Fine, we’ll try again.” Unlocking the door, he led me over to the shackles.

“Enverro, is there any way you could trust me to stay in the garden? I think the shackles were too heavy for me and contributed to my episode, as you called it.” He raised a doubtful eyebrow and I added, “It’s not as if I could outrun you even if I wanted to.” I gave him a simpering look with wide eyes and pouty lips.

“Don’t make me regret this.”

Without shackles, he took me by the elbow and led me outside. After handing me the hoe, I got to work and he did the same on the opposite side. I made a show of working hard, grunting with exertion and panting as I wiped my brow. I swung the hoe in a wild arc over my head, slamming it into the ground and falling to my hands and knees. Enverro’s back was turned toward me, so I called out to him, keeping my voice feeble.

“Enverro!”

He groaned and dropped the hoe, running over and grabbing me under the arms.

“Again?”

I whimpered as he hauled me to my feet and swung my arm over his shoulder to help me walk back inside.

“This is the last time,” he mumbled as we crossed the threshold, leaving the door wide open. Keeping my head down I scanned the floor until I spotted what I needed. I dropped to the ground and lunged for a small log sitting in the corner, leftover from a pile of kindling. Before Enverro could register what was happening, I used all my strength and struck him in the head. He cried out, grabbing his face and falling to his knees. I let go of the log and scrambled to my feet as I ran out of the shack.

I rushed past the garden and made for the narrow path that led into the woods. Chancing a quick glance over my shoulder, I was pleased to see Enverro wasn’t chasing me. Having spent three weeks sitting, my lungs were already burning, my legs begging for a reprieve, but I was spurred on by the pure euphoria of freedom. The trees were thinning out around me, and through the sparse woods, I thought I heard the sound of hoofbeats and a jangling bridle.

I slowed my gait to better decipher what I was hearing when a hand clamped around my mouth, and an arm across my chest pulled me back into the brush. My heart was pounding but it leapt into my throat as I screamed, though the effort was made futile by the hand. I squirmed enough to get a peek at Enverro, his eyes wild and head swiveling.

I would have expected fury or frustration, but not fear, to blanket his strong features. He held a finger to his lips signaling me to be quiet.

“It’s the king,” he whispered. “We need to get back now. If he finds us out here, he will kill us both and it’s too late to outrun him. Do you understand?”

I nodded, fearing the king far more than I desired to fight Enverro. He let go of my face, grabbed my hand, and dragged me through the brush along a trail back to the shack.

We burst through the front door and Enverro said, “Get in your cell. Hurry!” He was fumbling for the keys to lock the front door, a tremble in his hand betraying his anxiety and convincing me to cooperate. I sat back against the cell wall and tried to slow my breathing.

Enverro bent his head over the cell door lock, blood trickling from his forehead into his eyes. He swiped at it with the sleeve of his tan shirt, but there was no room for remorse inside my tight chest. Hoofbeats thundered down the road outside, and we locked eyes, neither of us able to disguise our terror.

“Is it normal for the king to come to check on his prisoners?” I asked, still breathless.

My blood ran cold as he shook his head.

“How do you know it’s him then?”

“I caught a glimpse of him around a curve in the road. ”

I stood up and moved closer, grabbing the cell bars. “Enverro, I’m sorry. Please don’t let him kill me.”

He placed his hands over mine, and we locked eyes. They were the color of the ocean, of home. “I won’t. I promise.”

I believed him, but tears still stung the back of my eyes. I blinked them away as the sound of footsteps approached the door, followed by three heavy knocks. Enverro squeezed my hands before letting go and walked to the door. He gave me one more look, took a deep breath, and rolled his shoulders. The key scraping in the lock was deafening in the silence.

The door opened to reveal King Leoro, dressed head to toe in black matching his raven hair. While he closely resembled Leoran, the lines of his face were severe, making him significantly less attractive than his son. He sauntered into the room with a wicked smile. He wore a sword on his hip, resting his hand on the exposed hilt. Remembering Enverro’s story of his first prisoner, I stared at the weapon and clenched my clammy hands tighter around the bars.

“Enverro, good to see you. How is our favorite troublesome lady?”

Enverro bowed low and ushered the king inside. “Your Majesty, this is a surprise. What brings you here?” He spoke with complete nonchalance, a perfect disguise of his prior emotions.

The king surveyed the space in disgust, and asked, “Where can I sit? And what happened to your head?”

Enverro pulled up the chair from a corner of the room and offered it to the king. “I tripped. ”

Leoro scraped the legs across the floor, fraying my nerves, and placed it directly in front of me, not responding to Enverro’s poor excuse.

“My, my, look at you, darling.” He sat down and leaned back, crossing his legs with a chuckle. “You’re half starved. Haven’t you been feeding her, Enverro?”

“Yes, Sire, just as you’ve instructed, but she did refuse food the first few days.”

Leoro raised one eyebrow. “Beautiful and stubborn. No wonder my son was so taken with you.” His leer made my stomach roil. “We do prefer our women with a little… pluckiness.” He eyed me like a wolf salivating over a helpless lamb.

“I would have thought you’d prefer them docile and mindless,” I spat.

“Interesting,” he mused, running a thumb and finger over his mustache. “You remind me of someone I once knew.”

“How unfortunate for them to be an acquaintance of yours.”

“Sire,” Enverro cut in, “is there anything I can do for you?”

Without removing his lustful gaze from me, the king stood and replied, “No, I think you have served your purpose.” My heart stopped as he moved his hands toward his sword.

I could no longer contain myself. “No, don’t hurt him!”

Leoro’s eyebrows raised as he squinted at me. “What's this… Do you care for him, dear?”

“No, it’s just… He’s only done what you’ve told him to.” Bolstered by a wave of outrage I squared my shoulders and jutted out my chin. “This is between you and me. Leave him out of it. ”

Enverro gaped at me.

The king, however, laughed—the sound low and menacing. He clapped his gloved hands together and said, “I like you, girl, but you’re trouble. I can’t decide whether to kill you or make you my queen.” He continued his approach toward Enverro, still talking to me. “Either way, you are coming with me back to the castle. Depending upon your behavior, I’ll either throw you in the dungeon or keep you somewhere more comfortable. What do you think, Enverro? What does she deserve?” The king placed a hand on Enverro’s shoulder, who was still gaping at me.

Come on, I silently urged him. Fight back, Enverro.

Recovering, he mumbled, “She’s been uncomplicated, Sire.”

My heart sank.

Leoro narrowed his eyes at Enverro. “You seem different.” He looked between the two of us and said, “Ah, you’ve fallen for her charms, I see. How pathetic.”

Enverro turned to him. “Your Majesty, forgive me, but-”

“It appears I have once again caught you trying to take what is mine.” In a flash, Leoro unsheathed the sword and pointed it at Enverro’s chest, backing him into a corner.

“She’s not yours,” Enverro said through his clenched jaw.

Leoro’s lip curled in a snarl, raising his sword above his head as Enverro’s back hit the wall.

My entire body trembled and time stood still. My breaths were ragged in my chest as Enverro closed his eyes to the oncoming blow.

No. Not like this .

I shook my cell door and screamed, “STOP!”

Leoro’s sword hovered above his head as he flicked his eyes over to me. I was standing on the other side of the cell, my rattling having broken the unsecured lock. Without a second thought, I grabbed the king’s arms.

“Please. I’m begging you. Don’t hurt him.”

Leoro lowered his arms and with one hand grabbed my face, wrenching me toward him.

“Do not ever interfere with my decisions.” The reek of alcohol stung my nose as his breath fanned across my face, bringing forth a nasty memory of my father. He released me and grasped my wrist, pain flaring up my arm from his tight grip. He turned back to Enverro and thrust his arm forward, using the pommel of the sword to hit Enverro in the mouth. “You have served me for nine years, but I no longer require your services. I have spared your life twice now, and it will not happen a third time, so make yourself scarce.” He placed the sword back in the scabbard. “For the journey back, I need rope and your sleeping concoction.”

Enverro’s eyes flicked to mine as he wiped blood from his mouth. He rummaged through the cabinet beside him, emerging with ropes and a clear bottle with a purple liquid sloshing inside. He soaked a cloth with the liquid and stood directly in front of me.

“Enverro,” I begged, though for what, I wasn’t sure. At that moment my only thoughts were of his safety. I needed him to survive the king and get his freedom back .

Countless emotions crossed his face before he said, “It’s Machendren.” My chest tightened. He had promised to tell me his last name when I left. That’s when I decided; I would continue to fight, but not in my normal manner. I would do whatever it took to keep Enverro safe.

“Do it,” growled Leoro.

I saw the anger and pain warring across his features, and not wanting him to do anything rash, I nodded, giving him permission to proceed.

Regret swam in his blue eyes as he whispered, “I’m sorry.”

“I forgive you,” I said.

He covered my nose and mouth with the odorless cloth, and his face was the last thing I remembered as I faded from consciousness.