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My mouth fell open. “Damn, you look like sex with legs.”
Lorotte had said that she would provide us with the custom attire for Oryn, but I had never imagined that it would be so beautiful. Malina’s burgundy skirt was thin with a slit going all the way up to her hip, exposing her entire leg. Her top was of the same fabric. The straps were narrow over her shoulders, and it came to just below her breasts, leaving her midriff bare.
She spun around, the bottom of the skirt swirling around her slippered feet. “I know! And look at you!” She bounced over on her toes and led me by the shoulders in front of the mirror. “Youlooklike the future Lady of Oryn.”
I smiled and slowly spun to get a good look. The style was the same as Malina’s with small differences. My straps wrapped around my neck and the fabric was beaded with small jewels at the hem of the top, underneath my breasts, as well as the waistband of the skirt. And Lorotte was right. The color was perfect. It really did match the eyes.
“Oh, one last thing,” Mal said, reaching into a drawer and pulling something out. She walked back over and stood behind me. “Close your eyes.” I did as she said. She messed with my hair for a few moments. “Open.”
Tears pricked the back of my eyes and my chest tightened. Malina had braided a feather into my hair. A custom for those of Atara. It was subtle enough that no one would likely notice since I didn’t have the paint across my eyes and temples. People would probably just think it was in honor of Odarum.
“And now you look like a Lady of Atara too,” she whispered.
A tear slipped down my cheek. I saw hints of my mother in my reflection. The feather was a symbol that she always donned.
“I miss them,” I said.
“I miss them too. But let’s honor them tonight.”
I nodded my head. “In that case.” I manifested my wings. The design of the top allowed for them without tearing the fabric, and I wondered if that was intentional. I plucked a single feather, before shifting my wings away. “You’ll need one too.”
She turned around and allowed me to braid it into her hair.
The last daughters of Atara.
The air dome in the valley outside the city was held by air wielders and warmed with fire manipulation. For which I was grateful. The lack of coverage on my body did little to warm me on this first winter’s night. The sky was lit with the mass amounts of stars now visible without the moons to outshine them, but nothing else outside of that. Every light in the city was out.
It was my favorite night of the year, as all the realms and stars shined down on me.
Malina and I walked through the near silent city to the northern end of the valley. And when we made it inside the dome, it was like another place entirely.
People were everywhere, nearly all of Voara was there. The females were wearing skirts and tops, just like we were, or dresses. The males wore loose pants and tunics, most cut down to expose the chest, or just button up shirts that were left open. Some had no shirts at all, and Malina wasn’t the least bit disappointed about it.
Music thrummed in the air. The stringed instruments and beating drums moved my soul in a way that I never thought possible, so loud and deep that I could feel it in my veins. Severalpeople were along the perimeter of the dome, standing with friends and family, laughing and chatting over the music. But mostly everyone was in the center. A mass of people dancing, moving and swaying to the beat of the drums. Lines of people, holding hands and stepping in time with the song, moved about. Others were coupled up, their bodies flushed against each other and grinding and moving as one to the beat. It was sensual and intimate.
Malina darted off when she saw something of interest, as I stood there, taking in the view of an entire city coming together to live and prosper in the darkness.
I gave myself tonight. This one night to forget everything, the past, the Glaev, Sages and Worthy and unknown dangers that awaited. For just one night, none of it mattered, none of it existed.
Mavris stepped from the crowd, I hadn’t noticed him among the mass of people, and approached me.
“Kya, you look beautiful.” He grabbed my hand and kissed the back of it. “And might I say, that is a good color on you.”
“Thank you, Mavris.” I smiled warmly. He looked so much like his brother. Speaking of… “Where’s Ryker?” I could feel through the bond that he was near. Usually, I was able to sense him through my Terbis, but there were too many vibrations so close together that I couldn’t separate them.
“You’re my brothers mate. Call me Mav, please. And he’s somewhere around here. I’m sure he’ll find you soon enough.” He shrugged, still holding my hand. He gestured to the crowd. “Would you like to dance?”
“Actually, I would.” My smile widened, and he pulled me into the throng of dancers.
We merged with one of the lines and danced around and around. Spinning and weaving and dipping and laughing. Wewould switch partners for a stint before coming back together. My hair whipped through the air and my skirt swayed.
Out of nowhere, Hakoa suddenly jumped in to take Mavris’s place, pushing him out of the way with a smug grin and whisking me into a spin away from him. I threw my head back and laughed. I heard Mavris shout playfully in protest as if he were offended but the smile on his face said otherwise as he jumped back into the dancing with someone else.
Surprisingly, Hakoa’s large frame moved with grace through the steps of the dances. He had on dark pants and a matching tunic that exposed his chest, and I could just make out some of the tattoos in the darkness.
“You shine brighter than any star in the sky.” Hakoa smiled down at me.
My cheeks blushed, and I opened my mouth to thank him, but then I felt it. That unmistakable feeling of being watched.
