Page 42 of A Rose Among Snakes (Gardens of Ruin and Revival)

Chapter Forty-One

Mihrra

W hen the sun brightened the horizon and light seeped into the room, I rolled over to peek at Velian, who was still lying on his back, eyes wide open and staring at the ceiling.

He glanced over with a drowsy smile. “Sleep well?”

“Not particularly,” I said, my face heating at the memory of his gentle touch.

“I guarantee it was better than I did.” He sat up with a groan and stretched. “We should eat breakfast and then head straight to Hawling.”

After gathering up all our belongings, we went downstairs, neither one of us acknowledging what transpired in the middle of the night. We ate a bland meal of porridge and sausage after sending for our horses to be made ready. Within half an hour, we had mounted up and were heading southwest toward Hawling.

Clouds crept in on the horizon, and soon they were playing hide and seek with the sun. We inched our way through the mountain pass, the horses stumbling over the rocky ground, and by early afternoon the sky was full of dark clouds. The impending rain fell one thick drop at a time before releasing a deluge of water and hail so aggressive we had to seek shelter. We found a tight grove of trees along a steep cliff, their roots mingling with the rocks as they slithered down the cliffside. The trees shielded us from the brunt of the storm, but the wind whipped upwards from the canyon below, and the twisted appearance of the bark proved that was their perpetual environment.

I was drenched and pulled my cloak tighter around my shoulders as my teeth chattered. Standing between our horses, Velian looked down at me, his mouth tight with concern.

“Are you alright?” he shouted above the wind and rain. I could only nod in response.

My horse, Eamis, danced nervously as the branches overhead swayed. I placed a soothing hand on his cheek, and he quieted beneath my touch; Velian did the same with Zavi. The hail had stopped, but the rain didn’t let up for what felt like an hour. Once it had lightened enough, we started back on the narrow, rocky path, now slick with mud. It was an exercise in trust to let our horses pick the best footing.

The wind continued harassing us from the side, but we pushed through. After a couple of hours of harrowing travel, the path widened to reveal alpine meadows to our left, opposite the sheer drop-off on our right. My hunched shoulders lowered as the sweet smell of damp grass floated on the wind. Eamis’ ears perked forward, eyeing the lush vegetation. In front of me, Velian pulled Zavi to a stop, turning in his saddle to say,

“We should rest for a little and let the horses graze.”

“If you insist,” I said with more relief than the vexation I was aiming for. I swung my leg over the saddle and dropped to my feet with a grunt, a painful jolt shooting through my cold legs with the impact. I let go of the reins and Eamis trotted across the field to find the perfect spot.

Wildflowers sprinkled the meadow in all shades of the rainbow, bees buzzing between them as the sun broke through the clouds. The warmth of its rays penetrated my wet clothes and heated my body. Lifting my face to the sky, I closed my eyes and rolled my neck, stretching out the stiffness in my limbs.

Velian came and stood next to me, his damp clothes only enhancing his natural woodsy scent. I inhaled inconspicuously. No matter my shadow of worry about his integrity, it didn’t mean I wasn’t allowed to admire his physical presence, even if I knew it was a dangerous line of thinking. The night before was perfect evidence of that. Regardless, I kept my eyes closed and secretly enjoyed the feeling of his arm brushing mine.

“Are you managing alright? I’m not pushing us too hard, am I?”

I opened my eyes and found him assessing my face. I smiled. “No, I’m fine. I’m not the delicate flower you seem to think I am.”

“Clearly,” he said, laughing.

The wind whipped a stray strand of hair into my face, and I reached up to untuck my hair from the back of my shirt and fix my braid. I worked through the tangles with my fingers, wishing I’d brought a comb.

“You should leave it down.”

I paused and cast him a sidelong glance. “That would seemingly defeat the purpose of these clothes disguising my identity. ”

“I think it’s worth the risk.” He smirked at me. “Do you doubt my ability to protect you?”

I rolled my eyes as I wove my hair back into a braid. “Maybe I don’t need you to protect me.”

“But would you let me?”

I turned to face him, arching my brow. “What kind of question is that?”

“Do you want me to look after you?”

My heart leaped in my chest, but I narrowed my eyes and crossed my arms. “That’s not the same as protecting. Looking after implies a different level of caring.”

A breeze ruffled his hair and he smiled roguishly. “I do care for you, remember?” He bent down, plucking a blue flower from the ground, and twirled it in his fingers before offering it to me, his green eyes sparkling. “More than you know.”

I opened my mouth as the horses’ heads flung up, ears pricked toward the road. The sound of approaching hooves had my muscles tensing.

Velian pushed me behind him and said, “Go mount up.” He stayed where he was, and I pulled my hood up and ran to Eamis. Grabbing the reins, I took stock of the sword tucked under the stirrup leather, but before I could try hopping into the saddle, three men on horseback came around the bend and spotted us. They pulled their horses to a stop, and fear tingled up my spine. Each man wore a sword on one hip and a large hunting knife attached to the opposite hip .

The man in the middle walked his horse forward two more paces, his smile melting into wrath. He had dirty blond hair that curled up into tight coils, murky blue eyes, and a heinous, still-healing wound running from his right ear down to the corner of his lip.

“Velian Blaise,” he said, coldly. “I was hoping we would meet again. How fortunate for me that you do not appear to be accompanied by your Enforcer this time, just a little boy.”

My blood ran cold as recognition clicked into place.