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My brother shot me a look over Roza’s head. “Alright, I’ll leave you to it.” He took off at an easy jog and I turned back to Roza.
“What is it?”
She paused for a breath, her sea-colored eyes hesitant. “I can’t find Andreja. I’ve scoured the encampment, but there’s no sign of her. She’s probably still in the city, though I’m not sure where.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, struggling to keep my irritation at bay. “We have bigger storms on the horizon than Andreja. There’s an army on its way here to put down the uprising and take control of the city from Theron.”
“What do you want from me? I can’t do anything about that.” Roza’s lips quirked. “Teodosija stripped me of command after I tried to murder your boyfriend, remember?”
A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth despite the gravity of the situation. “Oh, believe me, I remember. But I need your help to keep this alliance from failing. We’re likely to kill each other before that army even gets here.”
She scoffed, her magenta hair fluttering with the sudden motion. “Why would I want to help you? I hate the elves.”
“You’d be in command again, with me and the others.” Holding her gaze, I continued. “They didn’t hurt you when you were a captive, Roza. You know they’re not all bad. Theron’s people are different.”
Roza looked away, the shadows of past encounters with our enslavers reflecting in her eyes. After a moment that seemed like an eternity, she nodded, albeit with obvious reluctance. “Alright. For you. But this doesn’t change how I feel about them.”
I smiled, relief flooding me. “I don’t expect it to. Just... help us navigate these strange waters.”
Her lips twisted into a smirk. “Only if you promise not to get us drowned.”
The weight on my shoulders was lighter, having Roza by my side. “Speaking of, I want to show you something.”
I thought back to Aella’s reaction to bathing in a pool for the first time. I knew Roza had swum before—I’d seen it myself after we’d delivered Orya’s body to the Astrela sea—but she hadn’t been since.
That had been a hard night; I remembered the moonlight shimmering on her scales as she waded into the sea with Orya’s body. She’d swum out as far as she could, refusing any help, before coming back to the shore. We’d left immediately, making the hard trek over the Salt Wastes. I wondered then why she didn’t stay, and find a new life by the water. But I’d figured it out as we trudged across the harshest part of the desert, the salt in the air stinging my eyes. She hated the elves more than she loved the sea. It was something I’d understood until recently... Maybe asking her for help was a mistake.
The tension between our people was palpable as we walked through the palace’s corridors. Glares, muttered words, and distrust brewed between groups of rebels and Elven guards that studiously avoided each other’s presence.
Reaching a door adorned with delicate silverwork, I gave Roza an encouraging smile. “You’re going to love this.”
As we descended into the underground grotto, I held my breath, waiting for her reaction. The cavern was vast, illuminated by a myriad of iridescent plants, their soft glow reflected in the pristine water of the expansive swimming pool. The gentle lapping of water against the grotto’s walls and the occasional gleam of fish gliding under the surface made it an oasis of calm, hidden away from the harsh desert sun.
A flutter of pride filled me, and I turned to Roza. “I thought you and the other Sirin Remnants might appreciate it here.”
Roza’s expression was a mix of awe and anger. “It’s stunning,” she admitted before her gaze sharpened. “But I don’t think it’s going to endear the elves to the others when they see how much water they’ve been hoarding.”
Embarrassment flared across my cheeks, and I looked away, the weight of the situation sinking in. “I thought the same when I first saw it,” I murmured. “I should have realized how you and the others would feel.”
Roza’s aquamarine eyes softened a bit. “It’s alright, Kael. Sorry, I’m not great at this.”
“What?”
“Being friends.” She shrugged.
“We can brawl if it’ll make you feel better,” I suggested, and she chuckled, kicking off her sandals and stepping into the underground lake.
She sighed, letting the water lap around her ankles. “I’d drown your ass in an instant.”
I scoffed. “Not before I collapsed the cavern on you.”
Roza smirked at me. “You’d try.” She waded further into the pool, the water now up to her waist. “Thank you for showing me this. It’s beautiful.” I smiled, relieved. “Are you coming in?”
I shook my head, gesturing from the tiara resting on my brow down to my sandals. “And waste this outfit?” I still wore the intricate breastplate and skirt Mirijana had put me in. Theron hadn’t had a chance to fully appreciate me in it yet and I had plans to change that...
“Ugh. I can’t wait to change.”
I watched in amusement as she shucked off Zerek’s wet clothes and threw them with more force than necessary onto the chair next to me. She glared at the pile.
