25. CHAPTER 25
Aveline
When I returned to my room, there was an assortment of gowns laid across my cot.
One such gown was currently occupied by a small white cloud of fluff.
Upon hearing the door click shut, Quinnick perked his head up, yipping and scampering over to me when he realized I had come back.
He fell onto his back happily and I scratched his belly, his joyful little squeals bringing a smile to my lips.
With a heavy sigh I stood before the cot, running a hand across the dresses Sorin had picked out for me.
There were some with intricate beading, bolts of gossamer and tulle.
Even silk. One thing was a common thread between them all—each dress was the color of deep, midnight blue.
I raised a brow at the thought that perhaps he liked me in that color.
I cast my mind back, trying to think of a time when I had worn a dress of this color in his presence. I had worn a deep blue that night in Stormgaard, the night I had revealed my scars to him. The night I had tried to poison him.
I made use of the communal washroom and quickly bathed myself from the grime I had accumulated on the journey back from Stormgaard.
There was no time to soak in one of the small tubs, and I wasn’t sure I even wanted to at the thought of how little they were cleaned.
I returned to my room and plaited my hair down my back so it would dry with thick, elegant ringlets.
I didn’t have a proper vanity or mirror, but I made use of the reflection from one of my tincture bottles.
I lined my eyes with kohl and applied pink rouge to my cheeks.
My hair was mostly dry by the time I had applied the cosmetics, a knock sounding at the door as I pulled my hair out of its plait and shook it out.
“Enora!” I threw myself into her arms. “I went searching for you upon my return from Stormgaard, but I couldn’t find you.”
When I stepped back from her, she appeared tired. As if she hadn’t had a good night’s rest since I had left.
“I was working with Noor in the library on some artifacts,” she replied, glancing at the dresses laid out on the bed over my shoulder. “Are those—” Her words were cut off as she pushed me aside and kneeled before the dresses, running her hands along the delicate material with an excited squeal.
When she met my gaze, her expression was devilish. “Aveline…are these from him?” Her knowing smile told me she already knew the answer to that question.
I straightened to my full height; my hands clasped before me. “They are.”
“Well, what are you waiting for! Let’s try them on!” She stood; her own frame adorned in a deep plum gown with a pleated, silken skirt.
“Is that—” I scrunched my nose in thought.
“Yours?” she finished for me, twirling in a circle to show it off.
She was taller and more slender than I was, but the gown still fit her seamlessly.
It fell to her ankle instead of her feet, the adjustable bodice pulled tight by the laces to compliment her more elongated figure.
“It is. I might have stolen it from your things. It suits me better, anyway.”
She was right.
I answered her with a laugh and a shake of my head as I approached the bed. Quinnick had curled up atop the dresses as I had gone to prepare for tonight, and he let out a grumpy growl as I attempted to pull a dress out from beneath him.
“Will you help me into this one?” I asked, holding it up for her to see.
Her gaze was bright as she nodded enthusiastically. I stripped out of my robe and pulled the dress on. It fit me like a second skin.
It had long, tight arms made of delicate, sheer material and adorned with beading and sapphire gems. The neckline ran across my chest to dip low and expose my entire decolletage and a generous amount of cleavage.
The arms were off the shoulder, allowing my hair to fall in ringlets across the open expanse of skin.
The neckline was beaded, too. Tiny, delicate gems adorning the edges.
The bodice sparkled with a midnight blue sheen, as if the stars themselves had exploded across it.
The flowing skirts boasted a slit that reached my hip, exposing my long, pale legs as I walked.
I was lucky I had brought at least one pair of heels, no matter how impractical Enora had thought it was.
As she zippered the dress, I pulled my hair to the side to allow her better access to the back, which incidentally also dipped dangerously low.
My hair would cascade down my back to cover my scars.
I would certainly be turning heads in this dress tonight.
I stepped back for Enora’s assessment and the shining tears in her gaze were the best stamp of approval. “You look absolutely breathtaking, Aveline.”
I softly smiled at her. “As do you.”
She reached behind her head, pulling a diamond encrusted clip out of her own hair. She motioned for me to turn around, securing the front pieces of my hair back with the clip so that they wouldn’t fall into my eyes.
“There. Perfect.” She announced.
“You’re sure?” I asked, touching the clip tenderly. “Enora…this is too much.”
She winked at me as she gave my hand a squeeze. “I insist.”
I inhaled deeply, steeling myself. This would be the first time I was seen at court in Gothryn, and I wasn’t sure how many humans would be in attendance. I would surely stick out like a sore thumb.
“Are you ready?” I asked her, running my hands down the soft, silky material of the dress.
“Yes, but we are missing one thing…” She mused.
“What’s that?”
“A mask. It is a masquerade ball after all,” she replied with a flourish of her hand as she moved to the door. She turned back to me as she glided into the hallway. “There is something we need to talk about later. After the ball.”
I frowned; brows drawn together. “Is everything all right?”
Enora plastered a smile across her face that I could tell was forced from a mile away. “Everything is fine.”
She started down the corridor, and I dutifully trailed after her.
“And where, exactly, are we supposed to procure masks?” I asked at her back.
Night had fallen and torches were lit against the walls of the stone corridor, illuminating the darkness every few feet.
Pools of lit candles were nestled along the corridor walls, casting romantic shadows against the stone as we approached the curved staircase that would lead down to the main hall.
We took the steps down toward the main level.
Enora cast a glance over her shoulder at me as she reached the bottom of the steps.
“Noor will have masks we can borrow. She has everything. Bit of a hoarder, really.”
I laughed at her back as I followed her toward the library.
I had never been in this wing of the castle before.
Plenty of fae and humans had been milling about the main arteries of the palace, but this wing was mostly deserted in preparation for the ball.
I followed Enora through a wide set of double doors that were propped open, intricate stained glass set into the frame of the oak.
The scene unfurled as we approached and I realized it was a horde of flying dragons.
I skidded to a stop right past the library entryway and Enora turned back, amusement in her gaze.
I had never seen anything so grand in my entire life.
This library was built more like a sanctuary than a place of study, the vaulted ceilings adorned with heavy wooden arches.
It was several stories high, four or five if I had to guess from my vantage point by the front doors.
Floor to ceiling bookcases extended from one wall to the next, broken only by carved pillars that supported the upper galleries.
A wide ivory staircase the color of bone cut through the center of the space to spiral upward, connecting each landing to one another. There were desks adorning each level with lanterns lit, several fae forsaking the party in favor of reading and searching for books among the stacks.
The narrow balconies running the length of the hall on both sides allowed for a peek onto each level.
The far wall was adorned with ornate arched windows.
The faint glow of moonlight poured in, casting angled shadows across the floor.
Common magic was on display here; floating candlelight spattered across the ceiling to give the illusion of stars above.
My mouth dropped open in awe as I scanned the wooden shelves packed tight with centuries of books.
The long hall and high ceilings gave the impression of a cathedral.
I breathed deeply, and the air smelled of old paper, resin, and smoke.
I had half a mind to forgo the party myself in favor of researching forbidden histories and forgotten magic.
“This is…” I started.
“Incredible?” Enora finished for me.
She continued on and I had no choice but to follow after her, though I could stand here and admire the library’s beauty for an eternity. The dress Sorin had selected for me was the perfect length, I did not need to gather my skirts to trail after her.
Enora stopped at a desk toward the back of the space, beneath the arched windows that peered out over the Blackwater Lake beyond.
A woman sat behind the desk, her hair cut short and almost as white as Enora’s. Her ears were pointed sharply, a pair of black spectacles propped atop her nose. Her skin had faint lines of wrinkles, but that did little to reveal her true age. Fae aged much differently than humans.
She turned toward us at our approach, a wide smile spreading across her face. Her teeth didn’t exhibit the telltale point that Vireth possessed.
She was Veytari.
“Noor, this is Aveline. Aveline, meet my mentor, Noor.”
Noor smiled up at me, the skin around her eyes creasing. She grasped my hand in hers, patting the back of it. “It is wonderful to meet you, Aveline. I have heard many wonderful things about you.”