Page 48 of Swords and Curses

Eldon sat down on a stool and put his elbows on the bench. Rosa pulled out two cups as she ordered the last of Zalan's staff out of the kitchen. "Not that I'm complaining about having the extra hands, but I swear some of these guys have never seen the inside of a kitchen."

"You might find that Zalan told them to help you, and they are more equipped to holding a sword than a serving tray."

Rosa blew a damp strand from her face. "That would explain a lot." She placed a steaming cup in front of Eldon and sat down opposite him. "What's with the face, Blaise?"

"Daddy issues," he answered before drinking some of the bitter black liquid.

"Sounds about right. If it makes you feel better, Nimue was up and about when I left the cottage," she said delicately. Eldon tried not to laugh at her subtle prodding. "She seems different."

"The queen was using her mind as a spyglass and slowly driving her crazy. I had no idea." He shook his head. "Maybe I should have. Eli knew it was there, but he wanted to make sure we could trust her before he removed it."

"That's smart," Rosa acknowledged. "Oh, come on, Eldon, don't look at me like that. Ever since you got here, I've heard about how evil she is and how the queen's always used her as a pawn. Links go both ways, and we are desperate to know what the queen is planning. If it had been anyone else, you would've used it to your advantage. You don't exactly see clearly when it comes to Nimue."

Eldon scowled into his coffee. "Maybe you're right. It doesn't matter now. I've closed all the gaps, so the queen is going to have to find another way to spy on us."

"Nimue seems a lot calmer because of it. We've called a truce."

"That's good to hear. She needs a female friend, and so do you."

"I think she needs you more right now. She'd do anything to protect you," Rosa replied.

"Her protecting me got my mother killed."

"We all make mistakes when we think we are doing the right thing." Rosa shrugged. "I can't say that I wouldn't have done the same to protect Bal. From what the stories say, you've made bigger mistakes than all of us put together."

"How many times do I have to tell you the stories are full of shit?" Eldon drank more of his coffee and let the heat seep into his empty stomach.

"Even the most exaggerated stories have a kernel of truth in them," Rosa argued.

"No, they don't."

"Oh? Why don't you tell me about Morgan then?"

Eldon's coffee cup shattered in his hand sending hot coffee and porcelain over the bench top. Rosa stared at him unflinchingly as she took the towel from her shoulder and mopped up the mess.

"I know you mean well, Rhosyn," Eldon began, managing to keep the anger from his voice, "but don't mention that name to me again. You don't have to bring up my mistakes. I live with the burden of them every day with no possible relief in a death that has been denied to me."

"You cannot die, but you refuse to live." Rosa threw the sopping towel into the sink. "We all fuck up, Eldon, but it's how we choose to move on and learn from it that matters. We all have things we need to atone for, so stop acting like such a fucking martyr."

Rosa stormed from the kitchen, leaving him too stunned to move.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Rosa hid in the leafy foliage of the greenhouse and took ten deep breaths of the warm, moist air. She shouldn't have yelled at Eldon, but he needed to snap out of his own pity party. Magic flicked at her fingertips, and she rubbed her hands, causing it to sink back down.

"Rosa? Are you in here?" Balthasar stood on the dirty pavers.

He's going to ruin his shoes, Rosa thought numbly.

"How did you find me?"

"You always end up in here or the library when you need to think," Balthasar said, sitting down on a stone bench. He made no move to comfort her, respecting her boundaries as always.

"Did Vera tell you I yelled at Eldon?" Rosa hugged her arms around herself.

"She didn't have to. The whole mansion heard you yelling at Eldon."

"He deserved it," she growled.

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