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Riven’s voice was suddenly low. “The city.”
I pulled off my nightgown and tossed it onto Riven’s face before he could follow me. I heard him clamber out of bed and I made a point of locking the door.
Riven didn’t try to open it, but his voice was thick with wanting as he spoke through the bark. “I’m glad you’re rested because you will be uplate.” His shadow slipped under the door and poked my side before he left.
I wore one of the long silk gowns Riven had ordered for me. Its sleeves were light and airy, but covered my scars in layers of translucent fabric that extended past my wrists. Dynara helped settle my hair into gentle waves that rolled down my back. She threaded tiny faebeads of sunlight into the strands that matched the thin faebead necklace trailing down the slit between my breasts.
She flitted her hands under my skirt, letting each layer settle on top of the other. The entire dress was constructed of silk leaves thatmimicked the look of an Elder birch. Most of them were a deep red, but the ones that connected along my waist were a bright gold.
It was like wearing art.
Dynara’s thick tresses were braided in thin loops behind her head with strings of pearls hanging from each of them. Her gown was made from structured silks to form a crashing wave that fanned over one shoulder and transformed into a sea-foam spray along the skirt. The high slit at her hip showed that she wore no shoes but ribbons of glowing blue that churned against her skin all the way up to her thigh.
I blinked, realizing that they were water. “Magic?”
Dynara smirked. “I had to trade Nikolai my best broach for them.” I watched as the water lapped against her skin, always in a beautiful pattern that reminded me of the long lines of Elvish embroidery. “I wanted my last night here to be one to remember.”
I gripped her hand. I had already spent the better part of an hour trying to convince Dynara not to go, but she wouldn’t budge. She had laid the groundwork to free the courtesans once and for all and she wasn’t going to abandon it now. No matter how dangerous.
“Do not fret over me. Nikolai designed exactly what I need and the plan won’t fail.” Dynara squeezed back. “Enjoy tonight, Keera.”
She pulled me out of the burl by my hand and walked us down one of the swirling branches of the Myram. Riven and Nikolai waited for us at the bottom. Nik smiled happily up at both of us, but Riven’s violet eyes were wide as they drifted over every inch of my body. His jaw went slack but then his eyes narrowed as he pulled me into his arms.
“I see you aren’t done with the teasing,” he whispered hotly.
I gave him a coy look. “I have no idea what you mean.”
Riven’s eyes flashed as his hand found my neck, his thumb caressing my jaw. “You look absolutely stunning,diizra.”
“You’re welcome,” Dynara chimed before slipping her arm through Nikolai’s.
He lurched in surprise but then a kind smile settled across his lips. He pointed at the rows and rows of tables that lined the grove. “Shall we?” His arm extended into the direction of his mother who was chatting excitedly with Syrra and Rheih with her new spectacles over her nose.
Uldrath waved excitedly across the meadow with his father behind him. I caught Pirmiith’s gaze and lifted my hand. The Elf’s warm smile faltered as the Halfling woman beside him sneered in my direction. She scooped up the young boy and I saw the resemblance between them. I glanced at Riven. “Is that Uldrath’s mother?”
His jaw hardened as he nodded. “Noemdra.”
My brows furrowed. “Is she angry with you?”
Riven wrapped his arm around my shoulder and turned us away from Noemdra’s feisty glare. “She is Tarvelle’s niece and she has … questioned the legitimacy of what we discovered in the capital.”
“She doesn’t believe Tarvelle was the mole?” I stole another glance at the Halfling, seeing Tarvelle in her green eyes and long brown hair.
Riven shook his head. “She says it is impossible.”
“Nothing is impossible when someone is desperate enough.” My chest tightened. In some small way I understood what Tarvelle had been trying to accomplish. He had no reason to trust me or the alliance I had forged with Riven and Killian. He would have done anything to destabilize the Crown, even helping Lord Curringham, if it gave him a chance of saving his people and his land. But it was easy for a stranger to believe the worst of someone.
Riven guided me through the rest of the crowd and found a table full of friends. Syrra was speaking with Elaran at the end of it,introducing her to some of the Elverin, while Vrail and Collin sat at the other end. Vrail was chattering away, oblivious to Collin’s dazed expression. His eyes fell on me and the spell broke. He didn’t grimace but bowed his head, knee bouncing before he excused himself and left without another word.
Vrail lifted her hand to follow him but he was already gone.
She turned and saw Nikolai helping Dynara into her seat. Vrail’s brow furrowed before quickly looking away. “You look lovely, Keera. I’m glad you’re well.”
I wrapped my arms around her and sat on the bench. “We visited Vellinth.”
Vrail’s eyes sparkled. “Isn’t the magic system there amazing? Its history far exceeds the Age of Wielding. There are scrolls at the library that date back to …” Vrail launched herself into a ten-minute history lesson on the libraries of Vellinth.
I glanced at Riven, who snickered, but neither of us interrupted the Halfling. I had grown fond of her tangents, and they passed the time as Feron took his place at the front of the Myram tree. Pirmiith stood beside him, ready to interpret whatever he had to say.
