BTS: A Court of Embers

8: The Ashes Fall Down

The nightgown did not completely restrict movement.

The sleeves were loose enough to let Maren raise her hands overhead. The question revolved around how far she could spread her legs. Should she need to run, she didn't want a rigid lace hem to stop her from gaining ground. Emberlynn squeezed the ends of her dark hair with a towel, the steam in the bathroom scented with lavender from tonight's oils. As the servant pulled away and began to fold the used towels, Maren peered at her over a shoulder.

"Can you braid my hair tonight?"

Emberlynn nodded without a word, leading Maren through her bedroom to the bench before her vanity desk. The thief sat down, slightly disappointed that she'd have to face a wall rather than a mirror or even her view. But as Emberlynn ran slender fingers over her scalp, she relaxed into the touch. There was no use in worrying further. She'd done her best to memorize the hallways, the passages, the layout of the garden from the dining room window. She did not know the direction of the stables if there were any horses that could lead her away, but she didn't mind taking the journey on foot. Hooves were loud and so were whinnies.

"Emberlynn," she said suddenly. Her servant hummed a response. "Thank you."

Emberlynn chuckled, the sound as pretty as what Maren imagined a pixie's laugh to be. "For what, exactly?"

Maren shrugged. Sometimes, there didn't need to be a reason.

"I feel like those that serve do not hear that enough." She wondered if her servant were smiling or nonchalant. She wondered if human gratitude meant anything at all to those with the power of flight and world. The braid fell onto Maren's back, damp hair wetting the back of her neck.

Emberlynn's warm hands squeezed her shoulders. "Let's get you to bed."

Maren nodded, standing and following her to the bed. As she climbed in, her heartbeat pounded in her ears, everything within her body seeming to speed up though she needed to be settling down. The anticipation flowed through her system, the thought of sleep so distant that she wasn't even sure if she yawned convincingly. Laying her head on the pillow, she closed her eyes and rolled over, opening them back up as soon as she heard Emberlynn's soft footsteps wandering to the door.

When the locks clicked shut, the flames in the chandeliers simmered down to embers and became wisps of smoke. The fireplace did the same, a rich darkness settling over the bedroom that only the light of the full moon from her window penetrated. When the writhing shadows stilled and the sheen of night turned the contents of her room the same shade as the dark sky, she turned right back over and peeled the covers back.

It was freezing.

Cold air swept through her gown, goosebumps forming on her skin as she dropped one foot over the side of the bed and let her other follow suit. She shivered at the touch of the marble floors, the drop in temperature paralyzing her for a second. She grit her teeth together to keep from shivering, both of her arms wrapping around her body.

She glared at the fireplace. Was that the only source of warmth in this room? Even then, shouldn't there have been some heat left over?

Swearing underneath her breath, she opened the drawer to her nightstand, hesitating before reaching for the book.

She didn't need it that badly when such a beautiful mirror laid somewhere among these halls. If she brought it to the market, she wouldn't need a vendor to scour pages or look over information. She wouldn't need to be told its value. The payoff would be immediate, her coins in a purse before midday tomorrow. And would she have to bring Lady Juniper anything then? If she found the means to buy her own name, if she did so without alerting any soul in the Highmore house, then she would hold all the power.