The Secret Curse (The Queen's Rise Series, #3) by Bethany Atazadeh

Author:Bethany Atazadeh
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: magical abilities, dragon, shape shifting, girl saves herself, royalty, queen, villain origin story, evil queen, prince
Publisher: Bethany Atazadeh
Published: 2024-01-26T00:00:00+00:00

14

WE’D BARELY REACHED THE small cookfire and the wooden stumps around it where half a dozen Vaade were seated, when Koda put a hand on Tehya’s shoulder and said, “Watch the Jinni girl until I get back.”

She scowled. “He won’t change his mind.”

Did she mean the Dragon?

The fact that Koda didn’t immediately argue said a lot. “Tehya,” he murmured after a long pause, “I have to at least try to talk to him.”

The others around the fire kept their eyes on their food, pretending they couldn’t hear every word. “If you want my help, watch her.”

Tehya gave him a short nod, turning away.

Startled, I opened my mouth to protest too.

Koda cut me off with a sharp look, as if to remind me of our deal. “Stay.”

Glaring at his back, I wrapped my arms around myself, wrinkling my nose at both Koda abandoning me and also a little bit from the way I’d started to smell after living in the same clothes for so long.

Tehya studied my dirty red and white dress with a similar expression. “Come with me,” she said on a sigh.

Following her through the bunks, we stopped halfway down the row, stepping between two of them, where Tehya dug through a wooden box until she found whatever she was looking for.

“Here.” The cloth hit me in the stomach, and I caught it instinctively.

Standing again, Tehya pulled the blankets from the bunks on each side down, forming a privacy screen. “Change.”

“What about a bath?” I countered, wishing I could scrub an entire layer of dirty skin off.

Tehya shrugged. “Only if you want to do it with company.”

Glancing back over my shoulder at the other Vaade, I wordlessly shook my head. I’d ask again later and hope for different results.

Unraveling the bundle of clothes, I found a sleeveless deerskin dress with a pretty, blue pattern sewn around the neckline and waist. It was simple compared to my multi-layered, off-the-shoulder gown, but it was clean.

With a glance at Tehya, who simply stared back, I figured she wasn’t going anywhere, so I stripped without complaint.

As soon as the stiff red and white fabric hit the ground, I breathed a sigh of relief. The soft deerskin dress felt like wearing a cloud after being so tightly wrapped for the last few days.

Tehya picked up the dress, leading me back to the fire, where the Vaade all blatantly stared at me. A delicious smell wafted through the air that had my mouth watering. They were eating something that looked like yellow-colored bread or cake.

As I watched, Tehya poured a similar yellow liquid over a large flat rock in the center of the fire. It sizzled, starting to cook instantly.

“What is it?” I asked, trying to sound indifferent so they wouldn’t know I was drooling over the sweet smells.

“Corn cakes,” Tehya replied without looking at me. She made a few more circles of the thick liquid until the rock was full, then sat, still not looking at me.

The tense atmosphere reminded me oddly of the Jinni castle.

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