Page 58 of A Rose Among Snakes (Gardens of Ruin and Revival)

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Kezara

T ry as I might, I didn’t think I would ever be able to wipe away the memory of Mihrra’s exposed flesh and the image of her limp body in Velian’s arms. Perhaps even more upsetting was the look of pure agony covering Velian’s face as he carried her out of the room. I’d never seen him like that before.

After my enlightening conversation with Leoran, Enverro and I joined Velian in the physician’s room. Sprawled out on a table, Mihrra remained unconscious, but Velian gripped her hand, his thumb rubbing circles along the back of it. The action was so sickeningly sweet that if it were any other woman I would have been thoroughly repulsed, but this union was exactly what I had been hoping for. I was desperate to know what had transpired between them while I was gone, but my concern for Mihrra’s well-being overrode that desire.

“Is she alright?” Enverro beat me to the question. His hand rested on my shoulder, the casual show of affection sending a thrill through me. This delicate, unspoken shift in our relationship was exciting, but for the first time, I found myself feeling self-conscious. Thankfully, my brother did not turn around. I looked up at Enverro, but his eyes were fixed on Mihrra, a wrinkle between his brows. I leaned into him and his gaze flicked down to my face, just as I knew it would. One corner of his lip pulled up and he slid his hand from my shoulder to hug me around the waist.

“She will be. She just needs rest, and lots of it,” the physician said. He was a small, bespectacled man with close-cropped salt and pepper hair. Once he was finished, Velian scooped Mihrra up again and followed a maid tasked with showing us to our rooms. As Enverro and I turned to follow, the physician said,

“Wait, take this for her.” He handed me a linen pouch. “Rare Morozif leaves.”

I stared at him blankly.

He rubbed his throat. “Tea. It will help with healing her throat. The Queen suffered similar wounds and used to say it worked wonders. I’ll always regret my inability to do more to help her before it was too late. She was a kind woman.” Our eyes locked and there was such sadness lining his face that there was no mistaking his meaning. Horror seeped through me as I grasped the fate I had escaped. Enverro’s hand tightened on my waist, and I glanced up to see his mouth flatten into a hard line, his nostrils flaring.

“Thank you,” Enverro choked out and pulled us away. Down the hall, we saw Velian disappearing around a corner and scurried after him.

Inside the room, Mihrra was lying on the bed, Velian sitting on the edge, still holding her hand. I reluctantly peeled myself from Enverro’s embrace and approached my brother, placing a hand on his shoulder. He whipped his head around, eyes narrowed, but his fierce expression relaxed when he recognized me.

“Why don’t you clean up? You’re covered in blood.” Mihrra’s blood, I realized. He frowned at me so I said, “I will come get you as soon as she wakes, but it might be best if you don’t look like that when she does.”

His brows pinched in concern as he looked at her, but he heaved a sigh and lifted her hand to his mouth, kissing it. “I’ll be next door,” he said as he stood.

I took his place as he left the room, and Enverro pulled a chair over to sit beside me.

“You were right,” he whispered.

“Of course, I was.” I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. “About what?”

He chuckled under his breath, shaking his head. His gaze shifted back to Mihrra. “There really is something about her that makes everyone love her.” My eyes stung as I looked at my beautiful friend. Blood still spattered her face, and an angry slice cut across her cheek. Bruises were rising to the surface of the fragile skin of her neck, and though it was bandaged, I still couldn’t look at her arm.

“Are you alright?” Enverro asked.

I looked up at him, my body flooding with comforting warmth. I had never known such ecstasy as I had in that throne room when Enverro grabbed my face and kissed me, murmuring, “I love you,” against my lips. His kiss had been intoxicating, proving to be everything I had dreamed of and more. Our surroundings disappeared, all the terror and rage I had been drowning in swept away by his mouth on mine. Leoran had never kissed me that way, and there was not a doubt in my mind that I was in love with Enverro Machendren.

I beamed at him, unable to hide the swelling emotion. “I am now.”

He returned the smile before it faltered. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

He pressed his lips together and looked at the floor. “For letting him take you. I think—He is… was-” he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I’ve had several days to think about it all. I was so young when I began working for him, and I was too scared to run. It seems that fear has stuck with me all these years, and I almost lost the best thing that ever happened to me because of it.”

I reached across the space between us, and he enveloped my hand in his.

“I know, Enverro.”

“I’ll never let anything like that happen again.” His deep-blue eyes were fierce and I believed every word he said. I squeezed his hand in assurance as my throat tightened.

Deciding to change the subject, I said, “Tell me everything that happened since I left you.”

We continued our whispered conversation, and Enverro filled me in on all the details of his time with Mihrra and Velian. An hour passed and beside me, Mihrra began to stir .

I brushed the hair back from her face and told Enverro to go get Velian. She moved her head and then her eyes flew open, her chest heaving with a gasp.

“Shhh, you’re alright, Mihrra. You’re safe.”

Wild eyes landed on my face and relaxed, her breathing slowing. She licked her lips and swallowed, squeezing her eyes shut.

My heart lurched as I realized she must be in pain. “Don’t move. Velian will be here in a-”

The door burst open, and Velian rushed in, hair dripping and his shirt half-buttoned. I moved out of the way and retreated to the back of the room to stand with Enverro. Whispers reached my ears, but I could not make out specific words, no matter how hard I strained. Enverro’s head was tilted toward them, as if he was trying to eavesdrop, too, and I muffled my snort by plugging my nose.

Enverro smirked at me, and whispered, “Let’s go find some food.”

“No, silly, that’s what this is for.” I walked over and tugged on the string to call for the maids.

It took a great deal of convincing to get Velian out of the room long enough for Mihrra to properly bathe, but I promised him I would not leave her side. It was an easy promise to keep since I also longed to stay close to her. She didn’t speak while the maids cleaned her, but she offered me small smiles and nods every time I asked if she was alright. She dressed in fresh clothes and settled onto the sofa by the crackling fire. The sun had set and a chill had settled in the spacious room. The four of us ate our meal there, and Velian shared how Mihrra had been the one to figure out that something was wrong.

Admittedly, I was rather pleased to hear it was her. It was the confirmation I needed to know our friendship was as solid as I had thought it was. I told them about the letters Leoro forced me to write and my time with Enverro. Velian eyed our intertwined hands but kept quiet. I knew it was only a matter of time before he gave me an earful, though.

I watched as Mihrra took a sip of the tea provided by the physician and observed the way she leaned into Velian’s side. His fingers were running through her damp hair, and I was struck by how natural it looked, like they had been together for years.

I couldn’t contain my smug smile. “I knew you two would end up together.”

A blush rose to Mihrra’s cheeks and she looked down at the mug in her hands. Velian grinned as he stared at her, and I felt nothing but pure elation for two of the most important people in my life.

“I have to admit I’m a little surprised to see you two so smitten,” Mihrra said, her voice raw, like she’d swallowed a mouthful of sand.

My stomach clenched. They were the first words I’d heard her say in hours and the rough sound was an instant reminder of the trauma she had survived .

Enverro brushed his thumb along mine. “I didn’t stand a chance.”

Velian grunted, and I looked up to see Mihrra roll her eyes at him. At least she was on my side.

I turned my attention to my brother. “Alright, Velian, out with it. What business did you have with the king?”

Heaving a sigh, he told me about the family business selling Ziffem, and how our father worked out a deal with the king that didn’t expire with his death. Tears filled my eyes at the injustice, and the full gravity of all Velian had continued to sacrifice for my sake hit me. For a split second, I wished our father was still alive and Velian had not needed to bear this burden, but as I remembered his terrifying temper, I was glad he was dead.

“I’m so sorry. I had no idea,” I said.

He chuckled. “Good, you weren’t supposed to.”

I looked at my friend, my heart breaking for her as the king's murder confession was fresh in my mind. “Mihrra, I’m sorry about your father, too.”

“As am I,” Enverro said, his apology holding more weight than mine.

Mihrra’s answering smile was more of a grimace as the cut on her cheek stretched tight. “Thank you. It helps to know the truth now, even if it’s not what I’d hoped for.”

We steered the conversation to lighter topics, but it was not long before Mihrra’s eyelids were fluttering. Velian tried to sleep on the sofa, but Mihrra firmly told him to stop being such a mother hen. I quite enjoyed seeing someone put him in his place. He laughed, but I could see the edge of panic still hovering in his eyes as he kissed her goodnight and went to the room next door.

Once in bed and fully alone, I couldn’t stop myself from reaching over and placing my hand over hers.

“Mihrra, are you still awake?”

“Yes.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Thank you for coming to find me. I missed you.”

“I missed you, too,” she said, squeezing my hand.

Tears fell, and I sniffed. “I was so scared.” She didn’t say anything, but I knew it was because she was giving me space to process. Shaking my head, I said, “I can’t believe I got married.” Then it dawned on me. “I’m a widow!”

Rough laughter escaped her before she said, “Don't forget you were a queen for about ten minutes. But tell me, how does it feel knowing you’ve kissed your stepson?”

I wrinkled my nose. “Thank you for that reminder, Mihrra.” I pulled the blankets over my shoulder. “And with that, I’m ready to sleep.”

“You’re quite welcome,” she chuckled. “But before you do, there’s one more thing.”

“Hmmm?”

“You have to tell me what Leoran said.”

“Ah,” I said, rolling onto my back. My stomach soured at the memory. “He told me that if I still wanted to get married, he would have me.”

Mihrra scoffed. “He would have you?”

“Yes, so I politely declined and told him I was very sorry, but I was no longer interested. He said he understood and that he was actually growing quite fond of Davony, which seems like a fitting match to me. They’re both a little… vague.”

Mihrra chuckled in that way I could tell she was trying to hide it. “Kezara, that is not very kind.”

“Oh, please. I know you never thought highly of him. He’s not exactly famous for his intellectual prowess.”

“Then what did you see in him?”

It was a good question, one I had been wrestling with the past few days. “He is kind and remarkably handsome, but most of all, I had a feeling it would make Velian mad.”

I didn’t need to see in the dark to know she was shaking her head at me.

“What do you see in Enverro, then?”

This answer came to me much faster. “Depth. There’s more to him than meets the eye, and he keeps it hidden from people, but I saw it. He doesn’t let people in often, but he opened up to me. He makes me feel safe, and I saw early on that he had a good heart—he only needed someone to trust enough to expose it.” I sighed and hesitantly asked, “What do you think of him?”

She was so quiet I wondered if she had fallen asleep, but then she said, “He reminds me of my brother, actually. A tough exterior with a sad, lonely interior looking for solace.”

I marveled at how she put into words everything I had been feeling but was unable to identify. “I can relate,” I mumbled.

“Can you? ”

I could hear the ache in her voice, and I wanted to fix it. “Yes, I’d been lonely for a long time. Then you showed up, and you accepted me just as I was. I’ve never had a friend like you, Mihrra.” I turned my head to look at her. “You’re my sister.”

“You’re my sister, too, Kezara.” My chest flooded with warmth and I squeezed her hand again. She cleared her throat. “If we’re sisters, though, is it weird if I’m in love with your brother?”

I gagged. “Gross, Mihrra. What’s wrong with you?” We laughed, and I said, “No, it just means that someday we’ll hopefully make our sisterhood legally binding.”

After that, we barely murmured our goodnights before falling asleep.