Chapter 20 Lenna
Chapter twenty
Lenna
It was a whirlwind of motion once they stepped into the Obsidian Palace’s massive entryway. Lenna didn’t know where to look first.
Rough cut stone walls were lined with golden torches designed to resemble skeletal hands.
Their flames lit an uncanny amount of space, throwing strange shadows against the interior of the Palace carved from the mountain.
Even the air felt charged with magic and power, as if it emitted from deep within the rocks itself.
Lenna craned her neck up to the cavernous ceiling high above, where sharp cliffs jutted out at all angles, connected by narrow, golden bridges.
Gargoyles, disregarding the crossings all together, flew through the open air, and more than one dove closer to glimpse her and the company she kept. There were a few fae standing along those bridges, and she knew they could see her–probably hear her–even from that distance.
“This meeting may not be as smooth as we hoped,” Merrick admitted quietly, “Lord Magnamus can be unpredictable. Keep your head on a swivel and don’t let your guard down.
” Lenna knew that last part was meant for her to follow.
“Don’t mention Esmeray to Lord Magnamus either.
If he knows she’s stalking us, he may rescind his offer to allow us to stay here.
” Lenna chewed her lip as a side door into another dark corridor opened with a flourish.
Three servants appeared, dressed in dark blue tunics with flowy matching pants that cuffed at their ankles.
In sync, the servants bowed, ushering each of them to a separate room down the same hall.
Lenna had only a single moment to shoot a panicked glance back at her companions before she was escorted into a large bathing room by a female gargoyle as short as herself.
The gargoyle pointed to an array of soaps and lotions, directing Lenna to wash up quickly and meet back in the adjoining bedroom to dress.
The bathing room walls were similar to the entryway, though the ceiling tapered only about fifteen feet up.
A large tub that seemed more like a jagged pond took up the entire middle of the room.
Lenna gingerly stepped down the first of three stone steps into the water.
The tub was carved out of a lighter grey stone, as if it had been moved into the room instead of carved from it.
More of the skeletal hands held torches in here, and Lenna marveled at the small magical flames that threw the entire room in light.
She stripped her dirty clothing off, and they vanished with a soft poof the second they hit the floor.
Gaping at the spot the clothes disappeared from, and acutely aware she was naked and alone in this strange, magical place, Lenna subconsciously covered herself.
Magic had taken her clothes.
That thought seemed so absurd to her that she snorted, shaking herself back to the task at hand. Edging closer to the lip of the tub, she took a deep breath and stepped into the waiting bath.
The water was much warmer than she anticipated, and she let out a tight breath as she focused her attention on scrubbing the dirt and crud off her body.
Her pale skin held a brighter, pinkish hue from the formidable sun, and was covered with a fine layer of dust from the day’s trek through the pass.
Lenna winced as she felt the stringiness of her dry hair and dunked her head underwater to scrub at her scalp.
After she deemed herself clean, Lenna climbed gingerly out of the tub, careful not to scrape herself on any of the rock.
Once both feet were firmly on the floor, a fluffy towel and robe appeared on the tub’s rim.
She snatched them before the magic could make anything else disappear, and dried herself off as she waddled into the adjoining room, her aching muscles humming.
The bedroom was decorated sparsely. Only two skeletal hands adorned the walls, the light a bit dimmer yet oddly cozy.
A four-poster bed in the center of the room, expertly draped with rich maroon curtains, tugged alluringly at Lenna.
She desperately wanted to crawl under the covers after spending a night sleeping on the ground.
A dark red dress with golden embroidery lay upon the mattress, and Lenna took a tentative step closer, sliding her hand down the fabric in awe.
It was thick, well made, and looked like it cost a small fortune.
Lenna’s hands trembled at the nasty thought that niggled through her brain.
What if it doesn’t fit?
She knew it was a harsh thought the second it crossed her mind, but after years of having seamstresses fret over her measurements–wide through the bust, wide through the hips, slightly narrower at the waist–trepidation crept in whenever others picked out clothing for her.
She nervously slid the dress over her head and felt the fabric almost…
come alive. It slithered down her body, contorting itself, sizing up and down, adjusting its own measurements until it perfectly fit her body–better than any seamstress could ever match.
The creamy material caressed her skin, causing a whimper of shock to escape Lenna’s hanging jaw.
Lenna realized her face showed more surprise than she anticipated as she walked over to the full-length mirror next to the bed and gaped at her reflection.
Before, she’d hidden her plump curves and soft stomach under loose flowing smocks and dresses–per the request of Leon, and societal expectations throughout Doortan that focused on the importance of extreme modesty.
Modesty pleases the gods, her mother used to snap when Lenna tugged at the high necks, scratchy fabrics, and full skirts she wore before marriage.
But those gods, who seemed so distant and cold in the Slate Kingdom, felt closer here, in Irridessen, where beings wore what they fancied, donning garments that didn’t conceal or hide away their figures.
Now… Now she felt beautiful for the first time in decades.
The red dress fit perfectly. Her breasts were still covered but a slight sight of cleavage rose above the vee neck of the gown.
The fabric clung to her curves, through her waist, across her stomach and hips, before pooling at her feet.
The golden threads glowed in the light of the torches in the room.
Flat golden slippers appeared next to her, and she slid them on with the same ease as the dress.
“You look lovely, Oracle.” A soft voice with a rich accent spoke from the door of the bedroom.
Lenna turned to see the same gargoyle female that had shown her to her room upon arrival.
Lenna had been too enchanted with the Palace that she barely registered the being when they first arrived.
The female’s horns were a lighter grey than Merrick’s and curved ever so gently from her head forward.
They were only a few inches long with a smooth, pearlescent sheen.
Her wings matched the horns, also smaller than Merrick’s and more feminine.
The talons at the tips less sharp and deadly, more rounded.
Her short black hair waved down to her throat, her skin a deep bronze hue.
But it was her eyes that caught Lenna’s attention most of all–they were ruby red.
The gargoyle bowed. “My name is Ballah, and I will be escorting you to the throne room to meet the Regent.”
“Thank you, Ballah.” Lenna liked her already. She possessed an air of order and kindness that instantly put Lenna at ease.
Ballah inclined her head and gestured to the open door. “Captain Merrick and Spy Master Laurent are ready and waiting for you. They’ll meet us before we enter the throne room.”
The titles surprised Lenna since Merrick and Laurent were stripped of their positions by Queen Adara.
Thoughts churning, she opened her mouth to ask Ballah, but the gargoyle turned on her heels, wings slightly flaring out, and led Lenna out of the room.
Lenna hurried behind, holding the skirt of her dress to keep up with the clipped pace Ballah set.
Merrick and Laurent were waiting at the end of the corridor, resplendent in their individual outfits.
Laurent stood tall and immaculate in a new satin robe, the same red as Lenna’s dress, with golden stars embroidered along the wide sleeves and down the length that stopped at his knees.
Black pants and boots finished off his outfit.
He inclined his head in greeting and gave Lenna a tight-lipped smile as she appeared.
“You look lovely, Lenna,” he murmured. Laurent seemed much more at ease here than he’d been in Spinella.
“I also think this dress suits you much better than what you were wearing when I found you,” Merrick chimed in, shooting Laurent a scathing look that made the fae chuckle.
Merrick had changed again and was now dressed in more formal attire from head to toe, in a shade of grey slightly darker than his wings.
Twin serpents were carved into the leather vest on both sides of his torso, their intricate scales flowing from the nape of his neck, down to the knife belt at his waist. Various bronze buckles adorned the top, also intricately carved.
He looked every inch the warrior Lenna had heard about.
Truly the Spy Master and the Captain. Poised and deadly.
Lenna gave both males a grin as they simultaneously offered her their arm. She stepped in the middle of the two and looked from gargoyle to fae. “Let’s go get this Prism.”