”

I lifted my eyes to Eleéth and froze, stunned. She was aurora borealis distilled into a woman’s form with wings made of the night sky. Her lips curved and her amethyst eyes glinted—she was as deadly, if not deadlier, than any Laidrom. Hers was not a smile of welcome; it whispered of power. With a rustle like velvet curtains, she unfurled her wings, feathers black, but glimmering with purples and gold and greens. “I’m pleased you brought her with you, though what relevance she has remains to be seen.” Her voice lingered in my ears even after she stopped speaking. She sat on a bench, her wings easing around her like the full gown of a courtly lady... All I could breathe was Eleéth’s scent: white sleet on frozen blossoms. Her voice was uncaring as the deepest winter. No malice, no joy, all the fairness of unbroken snow. “Do you love her more with wings?”