Part 27 (2/2)
”What!”
”You are now her cousin,” Pony repeated, more slowly.
”How did that happen?”
”You married Windwolf.”
”He's her cousin?”
”Yes, which, by law, makes you her cousin too.”
It was such a sane reason that Tinker found it comforting.
”Please.” Pony indicated that she was to head back to the observation room. ”Sparrow has a gown ready for you.”
Tinker winced. ”Oh, I don't like the sound of that.”
”Why not?”
”In my own clothes, I'm still me. I can't see the change, so I don't notice it.”
”I am sorry, but it will be better if you look your best.”
Fortunately-in a manner of speaking-only Sparrow was in the Observation Lounge. The other females had been banished to another part of the s.h.i.+p, most likely because of the limited s.p.a.ce in the room. Pony took up a post by the door and practiced at being invisible.
”We only have a few hours before arriving at Aum Renau,” Sparrow told her. ”We'll be going straight from the airfield to an audience with the queen. You must be ready.” She handed Tinker a ma.s.s of fabrics. ”This is a court gown.”
Tinker fumbled with it for several minutes trying to make sense of it, until Pony finally took pity on her and reorganized the layers. He held it out then, by the shoulders, for her to see. It was a deep, rich, mottled bronze that looked lovely against her dusky skin, a silk soft as rose petals. While the skirt flared out full, the bodice seemed to be skin-tight, with long sleeves that ended in a fingerless glove arrangement. It wasn't something she'd pick out for herself-to start, there was no way to roll up the sleeves to keep them out of grease. Tinker wasn't even sure how you would get it on; she supposed you pulled it over your head and wriggled a lot. Over the bronze silk was another layer of fine, nearly invisible fabric with a green leaf design, so that when the bronze silk moved, it seemed like sunlight s.h.i.+mmering through forest leaves.
Sparrow waved toward a folding screen set up in the corner. ”Step behind there and put it on.”
”Just pull it over my head?”
”There are small hooks here that we'll close after you slip it on.” Sparrow flipped the material up to show tiny hooks and eyes, oddly enough made of cling vine and ironwood instead of metal.
Pull and wriggle. She tried not to think of Pony standing on the other side of the mostly fabric wall as she gyrated half-naked.
”Wolf Who Rules sent footwear.” Sparrow fastened the tiny hooks in the back of the dress. It fit nearly as snugly as Sparrow's gown. The female elf clucked and pinched it tighter. ”It needs to be taken in more.”
Sparrow handed slippers that matched the gown-tiny dainty things that Tinker loathed on first sight-but sitting on the floor were two pairs of stylish boots heavy enough to please her.
She tried one of the slippers on, hoping that they'd be too small, and found they fit perfectly. ”How did you know my size?”
”Windwolf had your clothes measured,” Pony said.
Tinker marveled at the slipper. ”Truly? The high heels I was wearing were too wide.”
Sparrow sniffed. ”He asked me to measure your clothes, but I knew how humans make their clothes-standard sizes that fit no one well. I measured you while you were sleeping.”
How utterly creepy.
”So, why is the queen here?” Tinker asked Sparrow to avoid thinking about it.
”I don't know.” Sparrow smoothed away a hard, resentful look. ”We no sooner arrived than the queen requested that you be sent for, and that triggered an argument over you-”
”Me?”
”You. Windwolf wanted to keep you in Pittsburgh until you adjusted, but Soulful Ember insisted that you be fetched, which resulted in my being sent back. I had to leave before learning why the queen has come to the Westernlands.”
”Considering the speed at which the court moves,” Pony said, ”you may not have missed more than the formal greetings and exchange of gifts.”
Sparrow fidgeted. ”No, something has happened; I've never seen the court like this. The queen has her full guard with her and two dreadnoughts.” She glanced sharply at Pony, as if she had said more than she intended. She picked up another gown. ”Change into this one and give me that gown to have altered.”
It was more difficult to wriggle out of the tight bronze silk than it had been putting it on. She handed it out to Sparrow and slipped the next one on. While she disliked the notion of her her wearing a dress, she had to admit that the gown was a lovely mottled green. She came out from behind the screen, smoothing down the skirt, to find Sparrow gone. wearing a dress, she had to admit that the gown was a lovely mottled green. She came out from behind the screen, smoothing down the skirt, to find Sparrow gone.
”What are dreadnoughts?” Tinker asked Pony, glad she didn't have to look ignorant in front of Sparrow.
”Guns.h.i.+ps,” Pony told her. ”Very big guns.h.i.+ps.”
”Here, hook me up in back.”
He hesitated a moment before crossing the room to fasten the little hooks.
She found herself blus.h.i.+ng as his fingers brushed her bare skin. In the full-length mirror, she could see their reflection, him leaning over her, the muscles of his arms rippling under his tattoos.
She looked away, for some reason embarra.s.sed by the intimacy shown. She hunted for a safe subject to talk about. ”The Wyvern female triggered her spell tattoo for some type of s.h.i.+elding. Do yours trigger defensive spells too?”
”Yes. The s.h.i.+eld is to protect you from damage you can't avoid. They are a last resort; but they can not be taken away from us, short of removing the skin from our arms.”
”The Wyverns' are red.”
”Red is the Fire Clan's color.”
”The queen is part of the Fire Clan?”
”She is head of the Fire Clan.”
”And Windwolf is Wind Clan?” Getting a nod, she asked, ”Does that make me Wind Clan too?”
Obviously this was a ”why is the sky blue” question. Someone could tell her a reasonable answer, but it stumped Pony. ”You were human, and humans don't have clans, so there was no other choice but for you to join the Wind Clan.”
She looked down at her spill of mottled green silk and the tips of her bronze slippers peeking out from the edge of the skirt. ”Why am I not wearing blue?”
Pony indicated her dau dau by touching his own forehead. ”That speaks of your alliance. But it is not necessary for a by touching his own forehead. ”That speaks of your alliance. But it is not necessary for a domana domana to announce their clan; only the lesser castes do.” to announce their clan; only the lesser castes do.”
Tinker frowned, recalling all of the blue Sparrow was wearing, from the cerulean overdress to the ribbons woven in her hair.
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