Page 31 of Six Burning Candles

“When has marriage ever actually saved a woman? I’ll wait,” I hissed, closing the distance between us. Janus straightened to his full height, towering over me by two inches. His hardened stare roamed my face. If he was hoping to find fear, he was woefully overestimating his position in my life. Janus was my godfather, but he was in no position to make me cower or back down. I was not a cleric; he could not decide my fate within the order.

“My child, was merely a…thought experiment.” He relaxed, throwing his arms out to his sides. I glared at him. His easy smile left me off balance as he turned to the roses beside us and plucked one from the garden bed. “Think fast, Melrose, what is this?”

“A demask rose,” I blurted out, studying him as he brought it to his nose.

“A fragrant bloom, don’t you think?” He peeked at me, a cheeky wink sent my way. Janus tucked it away in my hair with the other flowers. “Adds to a bouquet quite nicely, makes a wonderful oil as well.”

“That it does.” My eyebrows knitted as he took a step back to inspect his handywork.

“A perfect perfume to wear when meeting a nice boy, don’t you think?”

I groaned out loud, “Janus, really? I thought we dropped the matter.”

He chortled, bringing a fourth to my hair and tucking it into place. “Just one last one, for the road, I suppose. Is it really so wrong to hope for godchildren? Oof, that did not sound as good out loud as I thought it might.”

I sent him a ‘you think?’ look to which he waved off flippantly. He hooked his arm through mine once more. “Bah! Let an old man muse, can you? No, I am just wanting what’s best for you and being stuffed inside the Cathedral all by yourself is not what’s best for you, my child. You’re a brilliant star, shining and sparkling, you ought to share your magnificence with the world.”

“I amperfectlyhappy here, Janus. Please, what is with you clerics in not believing me that I enjoy where I am?!” I scoffed, swatting at him.

“Who else has berated you?” He teased.

I blanched for a moment, unsure if I should tell him the truth.It can’t hurt, can it?Glancing up at him, I still saw my godfather, the one who was there to help birth me. The one who taught me the hymns while my parents rested. The one who held my hand at her funeral…

I believe in Keida. In Avaris. But must it be you?

“Keida, believe it or not,” I choked out.

“Oh! I believe it. This life was chosen for Keida, but she understands the weight of purpose and duty. Smart girl, thatone. One I am proud to have mentored. How is my best cleric doing?” Janus eagerly grinned at me. I rolled my eyes, hugging his arm as we walked slowly through the gardens toward the side gate. We’d talked so long, I nearly forgot about the hidden figures in the bushes. The castle was full of clinking metal from the knights in full armor to the metal workings, it wasn’t an unusual sound. Even in the gardens. Then I caught a flash of silver between tree branches while I regaled Janus with the tale of the festival.Minus the kiss, the sex, and the other stuff.

Horrid, frozen intuition trickled down my spine like sweat. My stomach clenched. A hushed whisper tugged on my skin, urging me to duck. Usually, when things like that happened, I tended to ignore them as paranoia. Only, the voice at the back of my head, their presence was something more forceful than my own gut instinct. Like the hands of a god of wisdom, his blessing still pumping through my veins.

I’ll admit, it looked odd for me to be in the middle of a story and simply dropping to a low crouch. My hands rushed to cover my head, all the flowers Janus worked so hard to weave in my hair falling to the ground. I heard my godfather question me, but the exact words he used were lost on me as I stared down at a pile of flowers…with their stems carved by his thumbnail. Runes I would know anywhere, carved into the flesh of the flower, hidden like a snake in the grass.

Which is exactly what sprang out of a bush at Janus. He yowled, jerking away from me. It was too late, the serpent got him by the ankle and bit down hard. I rushed forward, squeezing behind the snake’s jaw and releasing its hold on my godfather’s leg. Janus tumbled to the ground, pale and already drenched in sweat. Panic pumped through his eyes as we both stared at an inky black serpent with three red eyes and long fangs.

“Avaris preserve me,” he murmured. I held the serpent firmly. If I let go, it might strike at him again, or worse, me. If I threw it, we might never see it coming again. But…I couldn’t kill it. Even as my arms trembled, I couldn’t break it in half.

Janus fell back into the cobblestone path with a heavyfwump.I rose to my hooves, confused and unsure of what to do with my new friend. A familiarclang, clang, clang,of someone in armored boots approached.

Two ruffians in shoddy armor stepped out from the brush, an empty canvas bag in one hand, short swords in the other.

“Shame, we were hoping the little beast would get both of you. Lot harder to take you kicking and screaming, girl. So don’t think about it.”

“What is this?” I glanced back at Janus, to see if I could catch him still breathing. He did not have purple lips or any regular signs that the snake injected him with poison. In fact, Janus looked like a man who’d merely fainted at having a serpent jump scare him from a bush.What is this? A Cardinal of the order? Fainting over a snake bite?

“This is divine intervention, girl,” the first sellsword snickered, stalking forward. He stepped over Janus, forcing me to step backward. I held the serpent fast, but it no longer rattled in my grip. It laid deathly still. I couldn’t spare to look down at it. Instead, I locked gazes with the man slowly approaching me like I was the wild animal. “Poor little cleric’s kid, you’re going to make me a very rich man.”

“I doubt it—” My voice cut out as my legs hit the side of a garden box and I was trapped in a strange corner of the garden. There were no knights within view, I had no weapons on me, and I was holding a snake that would no more defend me than bite me.Great, love this, think Melrose!He finally caught up to me, and I tossed the snake at him.He swatted it away, the serpent hitting the ground and slithering angrily in a haste to the bushes. I panicked, once more, letting my mouth get me in trouble. “What’s the plan here? Huh? Knock the Cardinal unconscious then kidnap the daughter of the Hierophant Rex? Inside the castle? Are you a fool!”

The slap was sharp and jarring. It sent my world spinning even though I didn’t move. I blinked rapidly to get the sky to hold still. My tongue felt fuzzy and steadily grew heavier in my mouth. He grabbed me by the face, forcing me up on the tips of my hooves. I saw over his shoulder as the other also stepped over Janus, neither of them interested in the Cardinal.

Who, if we’re being honest, is the one with all the power here. I was the Hierophant’s daughter. I’m worth nothing…except to papa. Except to Keida, but no one knows that yet. They were here to blackmail Leonardo…and I bet Janus hired them. A Cardinal getting jumped by a magic snake?

Fury licked up my spine as I glared directly at the man holding my face. “You know the problem with enchanted platemail armor?”

“What’s that?” he sneered.

“That it’s never rooted in actual functionality. Falls apart at the seams if you’re good at dispelling enchantments.” I steadied my heartbeat, using the fabric of the cloak and my dress to muffle the sound of me snapping my fingers. A sharp jerk of my knee to the right, and the connections between all the pieces of his armor broke. His face immediately reflected the realization I broke his enchantment. Then all the plates clattered to the floor.