AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Why would you want to participate in a boring fall-themed party?”
“Because I’m bored already, and the Nightshade might strike again, which would allow me to at least get word back to the others that Master Briggs—” she cut herself off. A word that Master Briggs had perished and that someone was creating vampires. As well as to tell them about the spell between us. But as I studied her, something else seemed to change. She was doubting the Nightshade and its purposes. If I could trust her, perhaps she could trust me.
“Very well,” I said. “But we’ll need a cover story for you.”
Bonfyr’s Ball
Reilyn
A gentle knock on the door two days later woke me in the early morning. It wasn’t Araki’s. I recognized that at once, but it did not sound like any of the guards I’d grown accustomed to seeing. Yawning, I pulled a robe over my sleeping shift and answered. To my immense surprise, a woman stood on the other side of the doorway. She was a few inches shorter than I was, with nut-brown hair pulled into two buns at the back of her head. Her skin was a grey colour. Fae. Bright, almost too-big eyes peered out from her face. She wore a canary-yellow uniform dress paired with a white apron that marked her as a maid. She was the first servant assigned to me.
“Good morning, Miss Reilyn,” she said in a chirpy voice accompanied by a curtsy. “My name is Mhrandir. My Lord King sent me to prepare you for the festivity.”
“Where is Mirae?” I questioned.
“She is occupied today,” Mhrandir replied.
I stepped back to allow her to enter and saw a guard behind her struggling with two large boxes. Mhrandir strode into my room confidently and ordered the guard to leave the boxes on my bed. He did so, shooting me a distrustful look before he left. Mhrandir put her hands on her wide hips as she looked me up and down. “My, a beauty you are! I thought I remembered you from the ball. I trust you have been keeping our king happy?”
“Excuse me? What exactly are you suggesting?”
Mhrandir’s cherry-pink lips turned into a coy smile. “Only my Lord King has been in very good spirits of late.”
I rolled my eyes at that. So what if people assumed I was sleeping with him? How did they explain the guards away if that were the case?
“Why are you here so early if the ball isn’t until tonight?”
“There are many celebrations between now and then. Besides, I will have to make adjustments to your gown.” Mhrandir opened the two boxes and laid out two dresses, each paired with jewellery. She stepped back and gestured at them. “You’re to pick which one you like the best.”
I approached warily, not sure what to expect. The first of the two dresses was a dark shade of red, a colour I hadn’t seen before. It was beautiful and fashioned from velvet. The top was corset-style, something I had noticed was fairly popular, although with a lot more frills and embroidery than any real corset. It had a fluttering, loose sleeve that would fall to the elbow. The skirt was embroidered with gold ginkgo leaves, the fan-shaped leaves seeming to flutter softly. It was paired with a simple gold necklace with a ginkgo leaf charm and golden earrings with smaller ginkgo leaves hanging on each side. I brushed my fingers against the material. It was even finer than the one I wore at the first ball. Much more modest as well. Despite the corset top, it had a modesty panel covering my chest to the collarbone.
The second dress was a cool shade of red. It was light and flowy, made of chiffon. The top lacked the corset but would still be close-fitted. Without long sleeves, only thin shoulder straps descend into a heart-shaped neckline. Not quite as daring as my black ballgown but daring all the same. The skirt was unadornedwith an A-line shape rather than the bell of the ginkgo dress. It came with a heavier necklace, one of interlocking flowers. It also came with a delicate flower crown. I picked the flower crown and ear climbers and put them with the first dress, studying it. Since the golden embroidery was on the lower half of the dress, the flowers would work to adorn my upper half. They didn’t go with the necklace. Too different. I removed the necklace and smiled.
“This is the one,” I said, gesturing to the dress.
Mhrandir had been bustling about the room as I studied the gowns, and she came over, nodding her approval at my choice. “Excellent. Let’s get it on you, and I can make the adjustments needed while you wash in the bathtub.”
I frowned. A bathtub? But when I looked to see what she had been doing, I saw she had taken the porcelain basin from the pitcher and magically expanded it into a shallow tub big enough for a person my size to clean myself in. She had attached the pitcher to one edge, and it poured out a continuous stream of water.
“How did you do that?” I asked, surprised as Mhrandir tugged at my robe.
“I have strong earth magics,” Mhrandir replied proudly. “Porcelain is clay, and it’s much easier to connect a small teleportation spell or two to have a flow of water from a nice hot spring rather than having to haul in the water, heat it, and haul it out again.”
I laughed. “That does sound a lot easier. I’m going to have to remember that trick.”
Since my last outing with Araki, magic has lingered in my blood. I could teleport out if I wanted. However, I couldn’t govery far. I knew in my gut the union spell wouldn’t let me get too far from Araki. No matter. I was attending another ball with him tonight. With any luck, I’d be able to contact the Nightshade. Contact them for what?
I shook the thought off. I tried the dress for Mhrandir so she could note the adjustments needed before taking it off. I strode to the bathtub and sank into the water. It was a nice change from pouring water from the basin. The magic kept the water warm and clean even as I washed. Mhrandir worked on the dress while I bathed, and once I was done, she helped me dress. Having another person in the room with me was awkward while I was vulnerable, but she was so focused and professional that my unease faded quickly. It took a few times of trying on the gown, with Mhrandir pulling a little stepladder around me so she could pin it here and there. The process was tedious, but she finally put pins in it here and there before she declared it ready.
“It’s as well as I can do with the time I’ve been given,” Mhrandir said as she opened her pouch and began drawing out various pouches and small cans of colour. “Now take it off, dear. You’ll wear the chiffon for the day’s activities and the velvet for the ball tonight.”
“I thought you said I got to choose which one I liked best.”
“Yes. But you mustn’t be seen in the same clothing for the day and the night. Any lady of the court knows that.” Mhrandir smiled at me. “The gown for the ball is more important to have the perfect fit than the day gown.”
I rolled my eyes, put on the simpler gown, and paired it with the ginkgo necklace and earrings. I didn’t want to strut in gold all day, but I needed some adornment. Mhrandir made afew adjustments to this gown as well, then nodded. She pulled her step ladder to the chair and stepped onto it, getting herself to the proper height. “Sit down and let me do your face.”
I obeyed because I didn’t want to bother with the cosmetics myself. Mhrandir enhanced my brows and lashes, put a soft, sparkling cream on my lips, and then brushed slight powder on each cheek. I was surprised that she declared me done at that. She winked at me when I mentioned my surprise. “My dear. There are whispers enough about you. You must present yourself a certain way now that you are being seen in public again. Explain to anyone who gets catty with you that you’re humiliated at how out-of-fashion your old spinster aunt was when she sent you to that first ball, eh?”
