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“How did it go?” I asked.
“Just fine,” Fina said. “Not my strongest area, of course, but I doubt the council members know how to rotate a field to keep it producing properly all year. We all have our strengths.” She linked an arm through mine. “Listen, we have the rest of the afternoon off while the council is doing their important deliberations, and I want to go into town. I need to see the dressmaker.” She sipped her coffee. “Not want. Need. I did not bring enough warm clothes for this climate.”
I laughed. “I don’t know, that seems like it might be a bit of an ordeal…”
“Adora, will you go?” Fina asked.
“Of course,” Adora said. “The town square is beautiful in the snow.”
“Come on, Reyna,” Fina said. “There’s a bookstore.” She grinned at me.
That got my attention. Adora must’ve seen it on my face, too, because she broke into a laugh.
“Fine, fine,” I said. “I’ll go. I’d like to see what kind of work the tailors do here, anyway.”
“Right?” Fina said. “We have to learn about our potential new kingdom. Let’s finish our coffees and I’ll have my girls call a coach.”
This would be a welcome distraction—and it wasn’t like I had anything on my schedule other than returning to the library to investigate the map section more. And if I did that, there was always a chance that I’d run into the king again. I cringed internally at the thought. The last thing I needed was a reason for the king to keep considering me ‘interesting.’ Definitely better to spend my time with one of the women I hoped would be chosen to be his queen.
We made our way into the waiting coach, bundled up in fur-lined cloaks with our fine shoes swapped for sturdier boots. Fina and I were struggling to adjust to the cold, but as fat flakes of snow drifted down from the white clouds overhead, Adora looked like she belonged here. Her cloak was pale blue and lined with white fur, which made her blonde hair look even lighter. She didn’t seem to mind the cold at all, not even when her cheeks and the tip of her nose began to turn pink.
“This will take some serious getting used to,” Fina said. She stumbled a little on a patch of ice. Adora laughed, caught her elbow, and helped her into the coach.
We rode away from the manor, through the elegant gates and back out into the hustle and bustle of the city. I leaned closer to the window as we rumbled over the cobblestone streets. The town was busy with activity, people moving in and out of the shops and residences. Laughter and music rang out from the busy pubs. I pressed my nose to the window. Part of me wanted to leap out of the carriage and join them, to see the places from the inside in ways I never could in Daybreak. But that wouldn’t happen here—at least not today.
There was a clatter from the pub, then a series of barks. Two wolves tumbled out of the front door, their brown pelts gleaming in the sunlight as they snapped their jaws at each other, then lunged in a playful fight and rolled over the street. A passerby huffed in irritation, sidestepping around the wolves’ fight as she hurried to her next destination.
Then one of the wolves suddenly shifted back. She was a young woman, not much older than us contestants. She stood suddenly nude in the street, but none of the passersby seemed to notice or care at all. The woman stuck out her tongue at the other wolf, then laughed and brandished her hands in a clear tease. She turned on her heel and started to bound down the street, shifting mid-run back into her wolf as her friend made chase.
“Did you see that?” I asked. “They just shifted in the middle of the street!”
“Was it at the pub?” Fina asked.
“I think so,” I said. “Is that common?”
She laughed. “It is in Duskmoon. Usually not until the sun goes down, though. What about in Starcrest, Adora?”
Adora turned her nose up daintily. “No comment.”
“Oh, gods above,” Fina said, leaning forward with a predatory grin. “Have you done it? A little wolf streak after a few too many drinks?”
Adora bit back a smile. “I said no comment.”
“I knew it!” Fina squawked. “I knew you had a wild side!”
We all broke into laughter, then Fina and I relentlessly teased Adora until she was flushed pink. The carriage stopped in front of a small shop, tucked away at the end of an alley in a narrow stone building. The display behind the glass window was gorgeous: elegant fabrics draped artfully over chairs and coat racks, displaying the wealth of options available inside. A small sign hung above the door—Camille’s—but there was no other signage. It seemed one had to know this place existed to shop here at all.
Fina stepped out first. “Oh, I’m so excited about this. My maidservants said this is the finest tailor in all of Efra.”
The shop inside was even more beautiful than the window display suggested. I sighed with pleasure as we stepped over the threshold, simply because it was warm. A fire roared in the hearth, blocked by a decorative screen. Gleaming hardwood lay under our boots, dotted with plush rugs tossed artfully around. The back wall was entirely mirrored, with a small platform for clients to stand on for tailoring measurements. The other walls were covered with fabrics, gowns, cloaks, suits, dressing gowns, even towels—anything made of cloth was here.
“Welcome, welcome!” A woman stepped out from behind a plush velvet curtain, leading to the back room, I assumed, with an assistant hot on her heels. She was tall and angular, dressed in a simple and obviously well-fitted green gown that hit just below her knees. The short hem briefly shocked me, but she made it look natural. Her dark hair was pin-straight and cropped her shoulders while her eyes were deep-set over her birdlike nose. “I’m Camille Delacour. This is my assistant, Micah.”
The assistant’s head barely reached Camille’s waist. He swept into a low bow, then disappeared behind the curtain, and reappeared with a bottle and three glasses. He guided us to a low couch by the mirrors, then poured us each a glass of fine red wine.
“Wow,” I said, settling back into the couch. “This is lovely.”
“Thank you,” Camille said. “I received notice from the court that you may be joining me, so I did want to prepare a nice experience for you.”
