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“We’ve played in the castle a few times and it is truly stunning,” Ora continued, pulling my attention back to them. “You should come to our performance tomorrow night. We could say you’re part of the band.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” I murmured, knowing it would be a bad idea even though I wanted to say yes. I bet the ball would be magnificent and it would be the perfect distraction we’d been searching for to acquire the nitehock, but there would be too many Wolf eyes upon us if we weren’t behind the scenes, and I couldn’t imagine taking the risk.

Sadie and Hector found seats close to the fountain, watching as a little band of brassy horns started to play.

“It’s a masquerade,” Ora offered, seeming to read the hesitation in my expression. “If you’re afraid you might bump into someone you know, like back in Hengreave.”

“I’m sorry we had to leave—”

“It wasn’t any trouble.” Ora held up a hand. Their footsteps slowed, and I looked up into their hazel eyes. “I might seem filled with calm and whimsy, but that was hard won. Not everyone was happy that I chose this life with two hands. I know what it means to need to leave in the middle of the night.”

“I wish I felt that way,” I whispered, dropping my gaze to my clenched fingers. “That I chose my life with two hands.”

“You will when you’re ready,” Ora said. “And when it’s safeto do so. Not everyone can scream their truths from the rooftops, and that’s okay, too.”

My eyes guttered. They didn’t know how close they were. It was true—I couldn’t go around shouting I was a princess of Olmdere or even that I was a Gold Wolf. But there were other truths about myself, too...

I looked at Ora, with their perfectly painted lips, neatly trimmed beard, and flowing velvet shift.

“That’s a beautiful dress,” I murmured instead of the truths in my head.

We wove our way toward the fountain and I admired their rope belt, golden tassels waving in the breeze.

Ora smiled. “You can borrow it sometime if you like.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” I snorted, feeling strange nerves bubbling up in me. “I’m not very appealing in dresses.”

“Appealing to who?” Ora cocked their head, their hazel eyes cutting straight through my defenses. “The first person you should beappealingto is yourself. You wear the things that make you happy.”

I shook my head. “I don’t know what that is...”

Ora took off their fur-lined hat and plopped it on my head. I smiled, smelling their citrusy floral scent in the fabric. “Maybe it’s time to try on a few new hats and see which ones fit.”

I had never really considered it. All of Galen den’ Mora knew me as someone other than the person I insisted I was in my own head... and it seemed they liked me without any other name or label. Just me.

Ora and I joined the others at the table by the fountain, and I kept my jittery hands in my cloak pockets. It felt freeing and confusing all at once. If I gave myself permission to be anything, who would I want to be? No answers jumped immediately to mind, but I knew one thing for certain, though I didn’t know what it meant: I didn’t want to wear dresses like Briar.

I wanted to wear them like Ora.

Twenty-Six

The music of the horns danced around the lively plaza as we people-watched. I loved all the rounded fur hats and thick wool cloaks with silver embroidered hems. The Taigosi human garb was a little worn, but exceedingly beautiful. I admired the details on their thick leather belts and the silver hoops they wore in their ears, far more elegant than the humans in Allesdale.

I didn’t spot Grae, though I kept searching, and I hoped for the hundredth time that morning that wherever he was, he was okay.

“Navin!” Ora called, flagging down the tall harpist.

Even hunched against the chill, Navin stood a head taller than the shoppers meandering around him. He veered over toward us, winding through the tables and chairs.

Sadie sat up, her slumped posture turning rod straight.

“Join us.” Ora gestured to an empty chair.

“I’m off to buy some more resin for the twins,” he said, tipping his head toward the end of the plaza. He glanced at Sadie, lips curving up as he looked at her. “Want to come with me?”

“She can’t,” Hector said before Sadie could reply. “We’ve got some errands we need to run.”

“Oh, okay,” Navin replied, rubbing his hands together.