The Pandora Curse (Greek Myth Series Book 4) by Elizabeth Rose

say that.” He wanted to say more, but just then Zetes called to them from beyond the trees.
    “My lady, where are you?”
    At the sound of his voice, Vara stiffened in Nikolai’s arms and pushed away. The silver lining of her eyes disappeared as she got to her feet. The tough façade was back. She held her head high and called to her steward.
    “I am here, Zetes. I have found the seer without his horse.”
    “The men want to know if they should start eating or wait for you?”
    Nikolai hoped she would choose him over food. He had been enjoying her presence and sharing their stories of childhood together. He wanted that moment to last. He wanted to talk more about her curse and convince her that her life could be different. But when he noticed her eyes turn the color of weathered acorns, he knew their precious time spent together was over.
    “You tell the men that the first one to take a bite before I am there will go for two days without eating. I will get my four servings before anyone else is served.”
    “Aye, my lady.”
    Nikolai’s heart sank. He could see now that what he’d glimpsed was only a spark in the midst of a very dark night. He had to find a way to break through this curse, to reach the true Vara inside the hard shell, crying out to be saved. If only he could tell her he was there to help rid her of her vices. If only she could willingly give them up by just handing them over. That would make his task so easy. Instead, the caring, gentle Vara was once again locked away in the midst of a very deep, dark void. The Pandora Curse ran strong within her. So strong that even her tainted childhood might not be enough to scare her into changing and releasing her vile vices forever.
    He followed her back to camp, she leading her horse, both of them on foot. They didn’t say a word to each other, and he wondered if he had imagined the soft-spoken moments they’d just shared together. Once they approached camp, a commotion started.
    “What goes on here?” Vara called out.
    One of her men pulled something out from the supply wagon. To everyone’s surprise, Agatha, the king’s daughter, was a stowaway.
    “Look what I found, Queen Vara,” said the soldier. “She was stealing your food.”
    “What?” Vara handed the reins of her horse to a page and faced the child. “Is this true, Agatha?”
    When the little girl nodded, every one of the men there fidgeted and backed up slightly, and Nikolai knew it was because they expected Vara to explode in anger.
    To everyone’s surprise, she didn’t.
    “Hmm,” she said. “What to do with you.” She took the little girl by the hand and led her to the fire. She sat her down and then sat next to her. “Bring us some food,” she called to the page.
    The boy hurriedly did as ordered. He placed food in front of Vara first, and then in front of the little girl.
    Agatha reached out for it, but Zetes stepped forward to stop her. “No one eats before our queen has had her four helpings,” he told her.
    The little girl looked up to Vara in question. Vara looked over to Nikolai who nodded slightly.
    “She is a princess,” Vara called out for all to hear. “Royalty. She may eat along with me.”
    Nikolai leaned against a tree and just watched as Vara’s mouth opened wide and she shoveled in pieces that even he would have cut in two. She then gulped some wine, dribbling it down her chin. Nikolai didn’t say a word, but she obviously knew he was watching her. She looked up sharply, wiping her mouth on her sleeve.
    “What are you looking at?” Her voice was no longer soft nor caring. Her vice of gluttony controlled her now.
    “I am looking at you,” Nikolai answered. “I have never seen anyone eat the way you do.”
    The entire camp silenced, and tension filled the air. Then Agatha giggled which only seemed to infuriate Vara more.
    “Take the child to an unoccupied tent,” Vara commanded Zetes. “Give her anything she wants, but I don’t want to see her again