“I know,” she said, unbuckling her pauldrons. She stood. “Come help me.”
He joined her at the foot of the bed, lifting her pauldrons away and then her breast and back plates. As he placed them on the bed, she stretched her neck.
“Meer told me there’s a bath waiting in there,” she said, pointing towards the other set of dark wood doors. “And she’ll be bringing our clothes for the party. I’ve asked Honey to attend to you throughout. She understands.”
For half a second, his silver eyes glimmered green.
“You should send the nymph home. She doesn’t belong here.”
“She’s a willing servant. And a nymph attendant is quite rare and desirable. You should be glad that she wishes to repay me in this way, to help us.”
“I shall be glad when all of this is over,” he said through tight lips.
“That makes two of us.” She started across the room towards the bath doors. “Try to rest. If you wish to summon Meer, simply call for her. She’ll come.”
He watched her. “I know how to call a brownie.”
She stopped at the doors, hand resting on the silver handle. “I’m sure you do. But the only brownie I want in this room is Meer. Don’t let any of the others in.”
His eyes narrowed, but he inclined his head, just slightly.
Kaelan readied himself in the bathroom as the day waned.
The light seeping around the curtains faded to whispers.
Meer zipped around Magda, readying her for the evening. Magda frowned at the clothes.
A shining silver-leaf scale corset, both delicate and imposing. Her upper arms left exposed, a sleeveless white cloak trailed down to the ground behind her, fastened across her hip asymmetrically, over skin-tight white silk trousers. Pixie-cloth boots threaded in silver criss-crossed above her knees. The Enneahedron was secured in a pocket under her waistband, pressing against the soft spot of her hip.
Meer ceased her near-invisible racing about and stood back from Magda. “What do you think?”
She held out her arms. The elegant vambraces were silver as well. “Who paid?”
“Your Aunt is quite generous.”
She wondered just how much of her mother’s stolen treasure had gone into this ridiculous outfit. But she’d had to trust Flor with the funds, as it would arouse less suspicion.
Kaelan opened the bathroom doors. In a long black coat, black trousers, and silver vest, he was every inch a Prince.
They regarded each other for a moment.
“We certainly look our parts, don’t we?” she said.
“One last thing.” Meer flashed away and then was back in her spot a moment later. Magda reached up and touched the cool curves of the cornet, which fitted snug to her head, two fine fingers of metal curving over her ears and up to the mid-point of her eyebrows, another interwoven section dipping low to the middle of her forehead. She plucked the hank of her hair out from under it, allowing it to fall over her cheek.
Meer scowled, folding her arms.
She smiled and then turned to Kaelan. “Ready?”
He joined her, standing at her side.
“Meer?” she said. “The doors?”
The brownie vanished.
She edged slightly before Kaelan, nudging him with her shoulder so he inched back. When he was in the proper place, she raised an eyebrow at him.
“You need not feel obliged to stay by my side the entire night,” she said with an imperious air. “But don’t go too far.”
