Reign Queen by L. Gibbs (10 ebook reader txt) 📕

know what princes and princesses did with their time.Nothing different from what I did. They got into more trouble, butthey had each other to egg them on.”

Kambry drew her hands away and sat upstraight. “I want you to think back to a particular event.”

“I can’t promise to remember everything theydid.”

“If you were watching, you would rememberthis afternoon.”

“Okay. When and where?”

She took a deep breath and set her shouldersstraight. “It was after the murder of the king and queen. Tomovisited. They were both around eight years old.”

“Okay. And where did this event takeplace?”

“I think it was the garden. It was definitelyoutside and among rosebushes. I believe there was a wall of stonebehind them. They were on a sanded path.”

Lessa’s mouth twisted as she worked to recallsuch a place. She leaned away from Kambry slightly.

Was she already realizing what Kambry wasasking about?

“There are several areas along the border ofthe garden, near the surrounding walls. A few have climbing rosesthat cover trellises. Or are you talking of rosebushes?”

“No, rose vines would be right.” Kambry shookher head, recalling the tangle of stems about Tomo’s legs. “Thornyones.”

“Few roses are without thorns.”

“So I’m learning,” she said wryly.

Lessa raised a brow. “That doesn’t sound likeyou are talking about real roses.”

Kambry walked around the low table in frontof them. She forced herself to sit in the chair facing Lessa. “Didyou ever see Russal manipulate plants, roses?”

Lessa’s expression flattened. “I haven’tthought of that day in a long time. Roses, you said.”

Kambry nodded.

Lessa’s lips tightened, but she straightenedher shoulders. “I saw Russal and Amily manipulate plants. Theypracticed it. But one of the first times was an array of tiny pinkroses that climbed all over not just the trellis placed there forthem, but the castle wall behind them, even a set of stone benches.I was four and thought it a monster of a plant, almost alive.”

“Did it come alive, with magic?”

Lessa chewed a moment on a thumbnail. “Russalwas arguing with Tomo about being able to control plants, even theair. Tomo didn’t believe him. Amily was there, and she thought Tomowas calling Russal a liar.”

“Were you with them?”

Lessa shook her head, her eyes still lost inthe memory. “I was hiding. There were several boulders in the area,cropping up out of the ground. I crouched behind one. What happenedterrified me so much that I avoided Russal and the garden for weeksafterward.”

“What happened?” Kambry whispered thequestion, leaning forward, her fingertips on the low table betweenthem.

“Russal wasn’t angry, but Tomo had woundedhis vanity. He looked around at the plants nearby, the roses, thesand of the pathway, the few decorative bushes that lined it. Thenhe looked back at that monster rose vine.”

There was silence, and the moonlight that litthe room grew eerie and chill. Kambry prompted her, “What did hedo?”

“The vines crept along the ground towardTomo. The roses were these tiny pink things, ruffled, soft looking.I remember Tomo laughed. The thin vines, despite their sharp needlethorns, looked innocent and not dangerous at all. They curled andclimbed up Tomo’s legs, and he just stood there grinning.”

Kambry stared at Lessa, but in her mind sheimagined the fragile vines climbing around Tomo’s knees.

Lessa winced. “Maybe it was Russal’s pride;he was such a huffy boy. After that day, he had little huff for awhile.”

“What did the vines do?” Her word choice madeit sound like Russal hadn’t anything to do with the action. Perhapsthat would make it easier for Lessa to describe what Russaldid.

“They tightened. At first, Tomo didn’t react.Then, I guess, the thorns cut through his stockings and into hisskin. He jumped, and they tightened, and it was almost furious howthey converged on him. He was tearing at them to get them off, butthey kept climbing and tightening.”

“What did Russal do?” She had to know. It wasimportant for her to know if Russal had intended to hurt Tomo.

“He froze. I was hiding, but I was screaming,too. Me and Amily both. They might not have even heard me. She wasmuch closer and terribly frightened.”

Chapter Eight

Kambry covered her facewith her hands. “Did Russal stop? Did he seem to enjoy hurtingTomo?”

Lessa snapped to attention, rising from thecouch, her hands clenching. “How did you know that was what Ithought? I was never more frightened of Russal than that day. I hadnightmares he would send vines into my room to choke me to death.The garden had become my private nightmare.”

“You think he did it intentionally,” Kambrysaid, her voice broken and tight.

Lessa shook her head. Her hands stillclenched. “I don’t know.” Lessa sat down, her head hanging, hereyes in shadows.

Kambry was leaning over the table, herknuckles pressing into the cold marble surface. “Amily stoppedhim.”

“When Amily tried to help Tomo, and thethorns cut her hands, Russal seemed to snap. He bellowed at thepale-blue sky. I remember the words. ‘Kavin release him! Pleaserelease him!’ I think he had tried to make it stop, but it hadn’tworked. He was crying. His words were all broken up. Apologizing,pleading with Tomo to forgive him.

“It was agonizing. I stayed hidden behind theboulder, afraid that if I came out the roses would tear after me.Russal didn’t like me. He might not make them let me go.”

Freed from the memory, Lessa’s voice calmed.“That wouldn’t have happened. It was just what I believed. Russaldemanded action from Kavin, and it delivered. He didn’t know how tomake it stop once it began. Kambry, he didn’t enjoy it. I don’tthink he intended to hurt Tomo, teach him not to taunt him, sure,but hurt him? No, I don’t believe that. And he stopped. Those crazyroses pulled away and wrapped themselves back through the trellis,wall and benches. I never sat in those benches again. Even Amilyavoided Russal for days afterward.”

Lessa sat back on the couch, leaning into itsdeep cushions. “Tomo and Russal were best friends after that.Inseparable. Tomo was devoted to Russal. I think it was importantfor him to know that Russal had the power to destroy, even withsomething as delicate as a rose vine, any enemy that came afterthem. Does that make sense? It didn’t for me at first. I thoughtTomo was crazy