Page 104 of Fortress of Ambrose
At sunrise, I slip out of the room with Abby’s words on my mind. There is no time to waste. Our guests have hopefully had a good first night’s rest.
It’s time to get the extraction practice started.
Forty-Two
Nore
Nore awoke while it was still dark outside to the sound of a rough tap at the door. She stretched an arm across her bed, but no one was there. She blinked, the haze of sleep blurring her vision. The knock at the door grew more insistent. She got up and accidentally kicked the untouched dinner tray at the foot of her bed. Ainsley rushed in with fresh juice and a bowl of veggies and fruit.
“Are you ready, ma—Headmistress? Today’s the day!” Ainsley held a robe, and Nore blinked the dregs of fog from her eyes as she slid her arms into the sleeves. She stared at the bed, confused.
“Was anyone in here when you brought me dinner?”
“No, no one. You were fast asleep. I didn’t want to wake you.”
It had been a dream. She’d slept in Yagrin’s arms, curled up next to him while he stroked her hair like he used to do.
“Let’s get you in the bath.”
“I am bathing myself.”
“Well, I’ll at least prepare the water.” Ainsley did not stop talking.
Once Nore was clean and her skin bright red from scrubbing it with jasmine-soaked petals to ensure there were no impurities in her skin that would impede her magic, her head was spinning with details she wasn’t well versed in. She held the maid’s wrist, urging her to take a breath. She noticed Ainsley’s eyes were red and her hair wasn’t freshly done.
“Did you not sleep well?”
“I did not sleep at all, Headmistress.” Ainsley pulled a gray frock out of the closet that was the drabbest yet most delicate thing Nore’d ever seen. “I stayed up refreshing on coronation procedures and protocol. There was so much to read, I hardly got through it all. A maid only gets to prepare a Headmistress for something like this once in their lifetime, if they’re lucky.”
Nore couldn’t believe her ears. “Ainsley, you will sleep tonight if I have to watch you sleep myself. In fact, I refuse to see you after dinner. You’re in bed by eight. Alright?”
She curtsied. Nore held out her arms as the itchy fabric slid across her freshly oiled body. She’d never attended her mother’s coronation, obviously. But she knew the fashion in her House like the back of her hand.Thatshe had memorized since she was knee-high.
“And your hair? In the simplest style?” Ainsley asked. “Your grandmother wore hers in a single ponytail. Your mother wore it the same but added bangs. A way to give it her own flair. For you—”
“I want curls.”
“I’m sorry?”
“You heard me. Curls down to my waist and blue flowers in my hair.”
“Headmistress, that would upset things. Early into your reign, you don’t want people talking. Dissenters are like a flock of seagulls once they get started. I prayed in the Caelum this morning with Priest Winkel that you would have a peaceful reign, even if the world outside is falling apart. I prayed that you would chart a course for us to see it through.”
A hope sparkled in Ainsley’s eyes that stuck Nore like a knife between her ribs. If Nore was going to make the best of this position, shouldn’t she wish for the path of least resistance?
“A simple ponytail is fine.”
“What about bangs?”
“Bangs were my mother’s. Straight back, but maybe a braid.”
Ainsley smiled. When she finished getting her ready, Nore stood infront of a mirror, her stormy eyes tracing the plain gray gown. It was made in the most abrasive linen variety available. A Vestiser had crafted it for her mother for a special occasion. But the occasion never came, apparently, because Isla never wore the dress. Nore ran her hands along the corset, taking shallow breaths against the iron that was used in the place of whale bone. Her sleeve hems were kept frayed, threads spilling over her bony wrists. The gown was trimmed a smidge higher in the front, Nore noticed, as Ainsley slid a pair of well-worn heels on her feet.
“I think you’re ready.” There were tears in Ainsley’s eyes.
“You are wonderful. Don’t leave my side today.”
“That is not allowed.”
