Page 36 of Of Serpents and Ruins
STELLA
As I stepped out of the room into the hall, voices echoed toward me. Male voices—one warm and earthy, the other smooth and quick. Kine? Elias? Thank goodness they made it! They spoke quietly, their words muffled.
Quickening my pace, I slipped forward. The polished tiles were cool beneath my feet, each one hand-painted in delicate designs. Little waves. Tiny fish. Glittering serpents.
It was so strange to be walking through this place. It was as if the memories stood just beyond a curtain, and I was almost in arm's reach.
My fingers traced a line across the cool stone wall. As I emerged at the end of the hall, I opened my mouth to announce myself, but Kine must have heard me coming because he was suddenly in front of me. His golden eyes were white-rimmed, his brow lifted.
"Bug!" He grabbed me in a great bear hug and lifted me off the ground. "I am so sorry," he whispered, squeezing me so tight I could scarcely breathe. "We should've asked Hord for that escort. I didn't think we'd get into that much trouble so fast. I thought it'd be easier to get you here with fewer people drawing attention."
This man gave good hugs. Even if I'd been so inclined, how could I stay mad at him?
"It wasn't your fault." I squeezed him back.
He felt so much more familiar now. We'd been in this place together before. I could almost hear him in my mind, talking about something with shifting and water and hot cakes. The scent of his cologne—blueberries, lemongrass, and charcoal—stirred even more memories here.
I pressed my cheek to his shoulder. "I'm just glad you're all right."
"Me too." He set me down and then stepped back, lightly cuffing my cheek. His brow remained furrowed, the concern apparent in his features. "Elias said you and Buttercup rode out like a greased serpent in a jet chute. Glad that bit of memory kicked in for you and you remembered how to escape on your noble steed."
I laughed at this and nodded, my hand still on his shoulder. His azure tunic and the much darker blue bandolier highlighted his golden-brown skin. Was he actually my brother? Was that who he was to me? He'd said he kind of was.
"I guess riding a triceratops is like riding a bike."
"Sure, sure. Whatever a bike is." He grinned, but his gaze still traveled over me as if to make sure nothing had gone amiss. His breath caught in his throat, and his brow puckered.
"She's going to be fine. She's stronger than you give her credit for." Elias stepped up behind him, shaking his head. His smile was much softer, his dark-blue eyes likewise surprisingly gentle. His expression warmed as soon as he saw me. "I knew you could do it. Looks like you're healing up good." He gestured toward my throat. "Those'll be gone in no time at all."
My hand rose to my neck, heat striking my cheeks. "I'm fine."
A spark of fear flared within my chest. And yet…yet I still craved Brandt. As good as it was to see Kine and Elias, my heartbeat for Brandt. Being away from him stung. The heaviness in my chest intensified.
"Do you know… Do we have any way of knowing if Brandt is all right?"
His name was still so strange on my tongue. My heart skipped.
Elias frowned slightly at Brandt's name.
Kine nodded, squeezing my hand. "Yes. He's safe. They took him back to Castle Serpentfire. Got a few knocks, but no serious injuries or lasting harm. His inner court is used to kuvasting him."
I remembered that word! It was a type of combat and conflict resolution that could to the death or just until one party yielded. It was for resolving disputes. Brandt had been good at it. That bit of recalled knowledge somehow made my insides flutter.
Elias gave a soft laugh as he folded his arms. "Candy knows how to wear him down. Don't know what he'd have done without her."
Heat twisted in my belly. Candy. I hated her.
"Well, don't stand on ceremony," Auntie Runa called from beyond the hall, her voice firm but playful. "Let the lady breathe. Come in, darling girl. See if you remember this. You certainly spent enough time here when you were a youth."
Kine and Elias both stepped back, giving me space to enter the enormous open layout of the rest of the house.
My eyes widened. This place was like something out of a fairy tale. Whole sections had actual waterways cut through the floor, but it wasn't like a pool running through the home. It was as if the river entered the house in tributaries and became a part of it. There were structures and interlocking stone columns that seemed designed to provide support even if the earth shifted, and portions of these canals had decorative sluice gates.
Plants grew with abandon. Large domed windows allowed sunlight through. Some looked as if they didn't even have glass. Ferns and vines cascaded down some of the walls. Sculptures adorned the enormous room at random. Colorful mats and blue-green bag chairs formed comfortable seating arrangements at intervals throughout the spacious room with polished tables in between. Dark woven rush rugs were set out along the stone floor and earth floor, most stretched out in immaculate rectangles with a few scrunched a little to the side.
The waters lapped at the stone-sided canals, and the air was thick but fragrant like a greenhouse, a sauna, and an oasis all at once. The interlocking stones had been painted with vivid delicate designs, even on the pillars with broad bases. In a few places, large, jagged juts of something like black mortar cut through. I frowned. Not part of the design. Something more sinister. Like the gouges I’d seen in the earth. Here, in the walls, the stone seemed a little more brittle rather than lighter, but there weren’t any fissures or spiderwebbing to suggest deeper structural damage.
"Honk."
