When Kacia discovers the forbidden magic running through her veins, she is given a choice - pretend her powers belong to her worst enemy, and use them to help him cement his claim to the throne - or forfeit her life. Can she play along for long enou...
I nodded. The thought of spending more time with Ash - or Mari - didn't fill me with glee, but testing my powers would be more fun that sitting here memorising colour charts.
"If we tell Ash I'm sick, do you think he'd go without me?"
Aleela's reflection looked dubious as she finished braiding my hair.
"I doubt it. Although, he's not looking forward to this any more than you are, so maybe he'd use it as an excuse for neither of you to go."
"I don't understand why he doesn't just say no."
"Mari's family are really influential around the court and Mari herself is extremely popular with the Lathrian public. There's been a lot of unrest in Lathria recently - the riches from the Etealian conquest haven't trickled down to ordinary citizens. There are plenty who'd rather see Mari's family on the throne."
"I bet Mari would love that too."
Aleela shrugged. "She likes being on top, and being adored. But she'd be quite content to have that as Ash's queen, rather than as a ruler in her own right. She wants the fuss, but none of the work."
I laughed.
"Watch out for her though - she isn't idle, by any means. If she wants something, she's ruthless."
I nodded, but wasn't fazed. Mari was vain and entitled, but she didn't seem worse than anyone else I'd met here.
"There. I think you're done," Aleela finished with a flourish, smiling at her handiwork. At Aleela's insistence, I was wearing a fitted navy dress with matching, delicate heels. She'd swept my hair into a side braid, interwoven with orange clips that glinted like tiny beads of lava. My usual guard's jacket was thrown over the top - I was 'on duty', after all, but I wouldn't look too out of place among the party's guests. Aleela had even raided the makeup cupboard in the bathroom. Fed, rested and painted, I looked pretty. I gave my reflection a tentative smile.
"Gorgeous," Aleela told me, stepping away and looking wistfully from my dress to the wardrobe overflowing with more.
I bit down on my glossed lip, thoughtful. "Tomorrow evening, you should come over after you've delivered Ash's food. We can try them on together."
"I couldn't..." she started, but her eyes had flickered immediately to the wardrobe.
"Come on," I coaxed her. "It will be fun."
"Okay," her lips parted in a wide grin. I'd expected convincing her would be harder than that. Aleela may have grown up surrounded by luxury, but that didn't mean she'd ever got to enjoy it for herself. The prospect of indulging herself for an evening was too enticing. To my surprise, I realised I was looking forward to it too. The elaborate dresses and many-layered skirts looked less intimidating if I didn't have to leave the safety of my room, and I liked spending time with Aleela.
Before I could say anything else, a knock at the door interrupted us.
"Come in," I called out, stepping back into the receiving room and smiling at this small victory. Ash had knocked every day since the afternoon tea.
"You ready?" Ash asked, poking his head around the door. His eyes barely glanced over me before he'd retreated back into the shared space, waiting for me to catch up.
"Have fun," Aleela whispered as I tottered towards the door - the heels were probably a mistake, but Aleela wouldn't let me consider flats. I poked my tongue out at her.
"See you later."
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