Chapter 7
They outnumbered her, and Tal reluctantly agreed to their idea.
With a goal in mind, their plans solidified quickly.
Sybil would attend as Tal’s chaperone. However, she would quickly make herself scarce to start searching for information on the Pyrie or mages in the offices and library.
Egan would infiltrate the kitchens to talk to the palace staff.
And Rainier procured an invite for himself as some unknown noble from a distant land.
Tal suggested Sybil attend as a potential bride presented by her brother, Rain.
She argued their near-identical resemblance would not go unnoticed, but the roles were decided.
Rainier reminded her that he needed to make nice with the bachelors to get invited into a separate room for private conversation, and he couldn’t do that while pretending to watch over his sister.
Since Carrick’s size made him too conspicuous, he found a position as a footman for another guest, which would allow him to stay outside and listen to conversations with the guards and coachmen.
Tal thought she had the hardest task of all.
She found Daire at the horse stables inside the eastern wall of the palace grounds, readying his mare for a ride—a beautiful, white Friesian named Aggie with an even temperament.
She’d been a gift from the king upon Daire’s appointment.
He coveted the horse almost as much as his own position.
He stood brushing the mare in only his trousers and leather boots, his training tunic hung on the stall.
The early summer sun glistened off the sweat dripping down his muscled back, and Tal remembered the days they would sneak away to the woods.
He had been her first, and while she never held any delusions about settling down, when they got along, she’d been content.
His opinions on political and social matters ultimately put a rift between them.
She leaned against the wood post by the stable doors with her arms crossed while he brushed Aggie. The horse noticed Tal first and huffed a few times, nodding her head. I knew I liked you for a reason, she thought. She missed the mare.
Aggie whinnied and stepped toward Tal.
“Woah there, girl. What are you all excited about?” Daire asked the horse. He still hadn’t seen Tal yet, so she cleared her throat, and he turned his head. His face lit up when he noticed her. “I don’t usually see you around here anymore,” he said by way of greeting.
“I missed my horse.” Tal stepped closer to pet Aggie’s snout. The horse closed her eyes and snuffed, nudging Tal’s hand.
“Your horse, huh? If I remember correctly, she was gifted to me.”
“Perhaps, but Aggie chose me.” Tal shot him a sly smirk.
Daire put a hand to his bare chest in mock injury. “Aggie, my darling, is that true? Have I been betrayed?”
Aggie answered by taking a step further into Talwyn’s space and nipped her ear with her lips. Tal tilted her head and nudged the mare.
“After all we’ve been through?” He threw his arms wide, but a smile lifted his lips. “That hurts, Aggie. That really hurts.”
Silence filled the space between them while Tal debated how to broach the subject of the ball. Instead, she asked, “What have you gathered about the fires at the docks?”
He straightened, and his face hardened. “You know I can’t discuss that with you.”
“But you are investigating it.”
“Is that really why you came here?”
“No.” She hesitated.
Daire broached the subject for her. “Have you changed your mind?”
“You mean you haven’t asked someone else? It’s been weeks, and the ball is tomorrow. The dress—” Tal waited until the last minute to seek out the captain in hopes that his invitation to her had been given away.
“Tal, there is no one else. The dress has been ready since I asked you. The dressmaker has been waiting for you for a final fitting.” He took a step toward her and reached for her arm, but she stepped out of his reach.
“My offer still stands, all of it.” His smile softened, but she saw a hunger in his eyes while he waited for her answer.
“Daire, I want to be clear—”
“Just say yes, Tal,” he interrupted. “It’s okay to want to be taken care of.”
“I’m not marrying you.” She crossed her arms. “I don’t need to be taken care of. I’m only going to the ball.”
Daire thought for a moment. “Okay, only the ball,” a mischievous gleam reached his eyes when he added, “for now.”
“I’m serious. I am not accepting a marriage proposal. And if you try anything, one of my knives will find their way into your side.”
Daire released a thunderous howl. “Hells, Tal, you always were so violent. I only meant that you’ll enjoy the ball, and perhaps you’ll change your mind about… the rest.”
“Not going to happen.” She started walking away, ending the conversation.
“We’ll see!” he called. “I’ll have the dressmaker call for you tomorrow.”
Tal waved him off and left the palace grounds.
Egan and Carrick left before the sun came up.
Rainier left after breakfast to bring the kids to the baker’s wife, who had graciously agreed to take them in for the time being, and Sybil went out briefly to pick up her own dress.
She returned empty-handed about an hour before they needed to leave and winked when Tal eyed with suspicion.
The pair met the dressmaker at his shop before lunch.
The spritely middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair and a black pencil mustache tugged, nudged, tsked, and harrumphed for three hours.
Tal grumbled through the whole ordeal, growing more and more frustrated at how much fabric they draped over her, then again as they pulled her hair into a beehive and added color to her cheeks, lips, and lash line.
Sybil enjoyed every minute of it. The only blessing had been that they offered her endless glasses of champagne.
She was practically cheery by the time they’d finished.
In a periwinkle tulle gown that looked like clouds draped over a waterfall, stood a very annoyed but slightly buzzed Talwyn.
The sweetheart neckline met an abundance of cascading fabric and billowing sleeves in an off-the-shoulder style the elite would find scandalous, much to Tal’s delight.
Unfortunately, the sleeves drooped down her arms, and she constantly had to pull them back up.
The bodice hugged her middle and then exploded in vertical waves of more periwinkle tulle in a princess silhouette.
The fabric itself felt surprisingly light, but all the layers underneath more than made up for it.
At one point, Sybil dressed in her own simple gown of gray and white with a square neckline and tapered lace sleeves. She whistled at the sight of Tal. “Never in my life did I expect to see you in something so… big.”
“This will be the only time you’ll see this, so you better enjoy it while it lasts,” Talwyn replied. “These sleeves are so impractical. It feels like I have a mule tied to my hips. And how am I supposed to sit with this vice around my middle?”
“You’re missing one thing.” Sybil pulled a thin, tube-like flask out of a pocket in the folds of her dress and handed it to Tal. “It’s already filled and should fit right between the breasts.” She winked as she handed it to Tal.
Tal smelled the liquid inside and gave her friend a conspiratorial grin. “Where did you manage to get raspberry mead? I thought it all burned with Pochette’s distillery.”
“I promised not to tell. I had the flask specially made for tonight just in case those royals don’t know what a good drink is.”
Tal slipped the flask under her corset and blew the seer a kiss. “Now, how the hells am I supposed to take a piss in this thing? Why would they give me all this champagne if I’m expected to just hold it?”
Sybil snorted and motioned to a back room that held a chamber pot for Tal to squat over.
Tal gave a disgusted snarl. “And why do you get to go without sleeves? I’m already sweating.”
They helped each other pin their masks in place. Sybil’s was a simple, flat gray while Tal’s matched her dress in color but covered half her face with an abundance of feathers.
When the carriage arrived, Sybil unceremoniously shoved Tal through the coach door and plopped all the extra fabric into her lap. By the time they reached the palace, Tal was ravenous, and her fingertips buzzed with the alcohol in her blood.
Daire waited by the front steps in the last rays of sunlight, the picture of a perfect gentleman.
His stiff black and red suit looked new and tailored to fit his muscular frame.
His simple red mask with spiraled gold embellishments dipped down at the end to highlight the square of his jaw. It clashed with her dress.
“It looks lovely on you.” His gaze roamed over her appreciatively.
“I can hardly move in this thing, and it takes an army to put on. You’re lucky I had no idea what it would look like before they dressed me.”
He notched an eyebrow when Sybil emerged from the carriage. Tal pulled his attention back to her by resting a hand on his arm. “She’s my chaperone. Show me this palace of yours.”
Once inside, they walked through a great hall with ceilings higher than most of the buildings in the docks.
Tal narrowed her eyes at the grandeur of it all.
You could fit half the docks in here, she thought.
What a waste of space. She sneered at the golden candelabras, the ornate furniture, the curtains made from the finest linens and silks.
All the kingdom’s money went to this? All around, guests were grouped in conversation, showing off their wealth while well-dressed servants presented trays of food and wine.
Among them, Tal caught sight of Rainier’s dark tresses.
He locked eyes with her, tapping the drink in his hand.
She gritted her teeth, turning away from the ostentatious display.