story,” she said. “But Elder Haragru likes to tell it over and over. You know.” Aster knocked on her head and rolled her eyes.
I stood and chewed on my lower lip. “I have no way of paying Effiera for all these clothes. I’ll have to send them back with you—”
“Oh, no. No, no, no. These can’t go back,” Aster said, working herself to a worry. “Effiera said they were a gift. That’s all. You don’t owe her nothing more than a kiss to the wind. And she’d be sorely hurt if you didn’t like them. Sorely hurt. They all worked real—”
“Aster, stop. It’s not the clothes. They’re beautiful. But—” I looked at their faces plummeting from elation to disappointment, and I imagined Effiera’s and the other seamstresses’ faces doing the same if I refused them. I put my hands up in surrender. “Don’t worry. The clothes will stay.” Their grins returned.
I looked at the display covering every free surface in the room. One by one, I lifted the garments, running my fingers along fabric and fur, chain and belt, stitch and hem. They weren’t only beautiful, they felt right, and I wasn’t even sure why. I turned back to the first one I had looked at, sewn from leather scraps. It had one long sleeve and the other shoulder and arm were left bare. “I’ll wear this one tonight,” I said.
* * *
Aster and Yvet helped me dress. Zekiah bashfully turned around and fiddled with Kaden’s wooden swords in the corner. Yvet ruffled the thin strips of trailing fur with her small hands while I attached my single tethered bone around my neck. Aster was just lacing up the back when the lock rattled. We all startled, waiting. The door swung open, and Calantha stepped in. The sword in Zekiah’s hand fell to the floor, and he scrambled to Aster’s side.
Calantha’s single eye glided over me, from shoulder to floor.
She eyed the children next. “Get out,” she said quietly. They darted past her and heaved the heavy door shut behind them.
She explained that Kaden had sent her to bring me down to Sanctum Hall. She stepped closer, her hands on her hips, scrutinizing my attire. I lifted my chin, proudly wearing the dress Effiera had made. It fit snugly and perfectly, but Calantha looked at it with a disdainful air.
“The Komizar will not be happy about this.” A hint of a smile lit her face.
“And that pleases you? You’d like to see his hatred for me inflamed?”
She walked over and touched the dress, rubbing the soft leather between her fingers. “Do you even know what you’re wearing, Princess?”
The flutter returned to my chest. “A dress,” I said uncertainly. “A beautifully crafted dress, even if it’s made of scraps.”
“It’s the dress of the oldest clan of Venda.” She looked at my exposed shoulder. “With a few modifications. It’s a great honor to be given the dress of many hands and households.” She looked around the room at the other clothes. “You’ve been welcomed by the clan of Meurasi. That’s sure to spark the wrath of many in the Council.”
She sighed, the smile playing in her eye again, and gave me one last long look. “Yes, a great many,” she mused, and motioned to the door. “Ready?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
RAFE
“Get your boots on, Emissary. The Komizar says I have to feed you.”
The two of us, alone in my room at last, and my hands were free.
It was a chance I had dreamed about every night as I crossed the Cam Lanteux. I stared at him, not moving. I could be upon him before he even had a chance to draw the weapon at his side.
Kaden grinned. “Assuming you could even disarm me, would it be worth it? Think carefully. I’m all that stands between Lia and Malich and a hundred more like him. Don’t forget where you are.”
“You seem to have a low regard for your countrymen.” I shrugged. “But then, so do I.”
He ambled closer. “Malich is a good soldier, but he tends to hold grudges when someone gets the best of him. Especially someone half his size. So if you care about—”
I grabbed my boots and sat down. “I have no interest in the girl.”
A puff of air shook his chest. “Sure you don’t.” He walked to the table and picked up the goblet that Lia had sipped from earlier. He ran his thumb along the smudged rim, eyed me, then set it back down. “If you have no interest, then we