Gods…
That was incredibly thoughtful.
“So I thought the red gown would be perfect. And it should fit, with the exception of being a bit on the long side, so just don’t run around in it.”
“I’ll try not to.”
She picked it up, handing it to me. “Underneath is a red slip. Just basic. You should get changed. I have a feeling they’ll be here soon.”
The flutter in my chest increased until it felt like a nest of a dozen birds had taken flight while Vonetta went into the living room. I quickly dressed, donning the silky slip that barely reached my thighs and then stepped into the loosely draped gown of silk and chiffon. Gathered at the waist and form-fitting through the bust, it reminded me of the gown I’d worn the night of the Rite. The skirt of the dress was sheer to the thigh, forming two gauzy panels, and delicate golden thread was woven throughout the entire dress, stitched to form delicate vines. The neckline was looser than the rest of the bodice and the straps were fitted so they lay just off the shoulders. There was no hiding the scars in this kind of dress, but I…I was done hiding them anyway.
“The gown is beautiful,” I called out. A moment later, Vonetta returned.
She smiled when she saw me. “Definitely no running, though.”
I looked down to where the dress formed a crimson puddle against the tile. “Definitely not.”
“Come. Sit. Let me see if I can do something with your hair,” she said, tossing the pouch. “Just hold onto this.”
Catching the pouch, I found it surprisingly weighty. I sat on the chaise, wondering what was in it while Vonetta retrieved the brush and an army of pins from the bathing chamber.
“I thought I had a lot of hair,” she said, gathering the sides of my hair. “But damn, you almost have me beat.”
Running my fingers over the velvety pouch, I thought of Tawny. “A friend of mine would sometimes help me braid it. Not braids like yours, but a couple that she would then twist into a knot so my hair wouldn’t be visible under the veil.”
“Your friend? Is she back in Solis?” she asked after a couple of moments.
“Yes. Her name is Tawny. You would like her, and she would love you. She’s a second daughter—meaning she is destined to Ascend,” I explained as she twisted and plaited the sides of my mostly dry hair. “She has no idea what the Ascended are truly like, and I have no idea if she’ll Ascend now with me being gone.”
“Kieran and Casteel once told me that a lot of the people of Solis are innocent—that they are unaware of what the Ascended really are. I used to find that hard to believe,” she admitted as she gathered the braided sides and began to twist them into a knot at the back of my head. “But the more Descenters I met, the more I learned that the Ascended are masters at hiding the truth.”
“They are.” I swallowed as I stared at where the curtains were secured to the posts and swayed slightly in the breeze from the open doors. My mind disobeyed me. I thought of tonight, and the possibility that the first group of Ascended may reach Spessa’s End. “I hate what’s about to happen,” I blurted out.
Her fingers stilled. “The wedding?”
“No. Gods. I’m actually looking forward to that,” I said, letting out a little laugh.
“You sound like that surprises you.”
“It does,” I admitted softly. “I was thinking about the Ascended. What they may do when they reach here. I…I hate that I’m the reason everything you all built here is now at risk.”
“We were always at risk,” Vonetta said. “Sooner or later, we would’ve been discovered, and there would be a fight. We all knew that when we agreed to come here.”
But like with New Haven, I was the catalyst that made things happen sooner, before they were ready.
“I imagine most brides don’t think of sieges on the night of their weddings.”
“But you’re not most brides, are you?”
Gods, she had no idea how true that was.
“You’re about to marry the handsome, albeit annoying as hell, Prince of Atlantia, Penellaphe.” Her warm hands brushed my shoulders as she gathered up the rest of my hair, letting it lay against my back. “And from what I’ve learned about you from my brother and Casteel, the Ascended have already stolen a lot of joy from you. Don’t let them steal this.”
I drew in a deep breath and nodded. “I won’t.”
“Good. Can you open the pouch?” she asked. “And hand me what’s in it.”