“There’s still time,” Grae said. “We’ll figure it out.”
“We’re going to have to.” I loosed a slow breath. “Turning back is a death sentence.”
“Going forward feels a lot like one, too,” Hector muttered.
“All the more reason for tonight to go off without a hitch.” Sadie gave her brother a look, his expression lightening at the reminder of the plan he himself had concocted.
“Thank you for coming on this journey with me,” I said. “You’ve put yourselves in the thick of it to save your friend, to help her and my sister, to help me and my people. It’s more than any royal should ask for.”
“No, it’s not,” Sadie replied, giving me a grin. “We’re your pack, Your Majesty.
“Packs stick together.”
With low beams and a frozen earth floor, the building appeared to be old stables, now used as a changing room for human entertainers. We’d been left to dress while Galen den’ Mora began their performance in the great hall. Their music floated through the high open windows and into the stables. I had seven songs to get ready and then I was expected to sing. My stomach clenched. I was about to sing for a pack of Ice Wolves.
I stared at my warped reflection in the mirror propped against a splintering gate. Ora had outdone themself. I’d given them a brief rundown of how I wanted the outfit to feel, and they’d taken it from there.
They had left a flowing garnet ensemble for me hanging on a tack hook. Fawn trousers hugged my legs, the hem of the dress cut short at the front and trailing in a train of bloodred feathers at the back. Feathers created epaulettes on the shoulders, matching the feathers in my mask, and the front of the dress was double-breasted with carved golden buttons. Black-heeled boots completed the outfit, making me look both carnival-like and military in styling, an odd combination that made me feel strange yet powerful.
A little note on the garment bag read Za Faunique. The Phoenix.
That’s what I felt like then—reborn into something else—neither solely masculine nor feminine, but both. This outfit was only further confirmation that Ora understood my raw confession back in the wagon. They’d taken my truth and turned it into something beautiful and strong.
“It’s nice, this.”
I jumped at the sound of Grae’s voice, my curls bouncing off my shoulders as I turned to find him leaning against the doorframe.
“What is?”
His cheeks dimpled. “You seeing yourself the way I’ve always seen you.”
I turned back to my reflection. “You see me covered in red feathers?” I gave a mocking twirl, the train fanning across the frozen ground.
“No.” Grae chuckled, pushing off the doorframe. His fingers lifted, tracing the line of my mask to the shell of my ear, making my skin tingle in the wake of his touch. “I see you like every other person is in the shadows and the moonlight only shines on you.”
My hand lifted, gripping around Grae’s fingers. In my heeled boots, I barely had to lift to meet his eye line. “And you are like every sound in a room going quiet until I can only hear your song.”
He grinned, arms enveloping me as he bridged the last distance between us. His kiss lit up every corner of my body, rushing through me like a river after a rainstorm. I slung my arms around his neck, leaning into his solid chest, tasting him with my tongue.
The only light. The only song.
“Calla!” Sadie hissed, her sharp words forcing us apart. “You’re on. Let’s go.”
“Shit,” I cursed, having completely forgotten why we were there in the first place.
Grae chuckled, releasing me. “Have fun, little fox.”
Hector appeared beside his sister, his eyebrows raised. “You’re going to miss your cue.”
“It was my fault,” Grae said. “Wait.” He halted me by the crook of my arm and wiped a thumb down the corner of my mouth.
I had forgotten I’d painted my lips red. Grae’s lips were smudged scarlet as well. I gave him a mischievous grin, turning and following Sadie toward the main hall.
“Hector found the apothecary’s room,” she whispered, her voice barely audible as we rushed down the hall. “It’s a floor above, unguarded. We should only need a few minutes. Make it good, songbird, and there will be no eyes upon us.”
“No pressure, then?” I muttered, lifting my heavy feather train so I could walk faster.
“Not much,” Sadie taunted. “Just the fate of your kingdom hanging in the balance. Nothing too big.”