Page 11 of Spring's Descent
“Ha-ha,” I said, turning back to the mirror as I adjusted the laces of my corset. Lark was gorgeous, and the two of us had been through a lot, but we were friendship witches all the way.
I cinched the white panels of the corset just beneath my breasts, leaving the shimmering fabric of the gown beneath exposed. There were two long slits reaching up my thighs, the thin fabric and corset helping to exaggerate the narrow swell of my hips.
“You really outdid yourself this time,” I said, looking myself over. Lark was seriously gifted when it came to making dresses. She claimed there was no magic involved, but I’d never heard of another person being able to craft fabric like this.
Lark cocked her head to the side, taking in the outfit now that it was complete. “You look incredible.”
“Are you sure it’s not too much?”
“Absolutely not. Life is too short to be boring.”
I fidgeted with the laces again, self-conscious without a bra. “Maybe I should wear the blue dress.”
“The blue dress is for exploring the forest and seducing stableboys.Thisdress is perfect for attracting the types of men who know exactly what they want. The slits up to your pelvis will scare off the shy ones, leaving only those bold enough to act, which is your goal for tonight, right?”
Normally, it would be an easy ‘yes’. Sneaking out to the tavern, finding a passing traveler who had no idea who or what I was exhilarating. Freeing in a way very little else in my life was.
For far too long, I’d been the quiet girl Mother wanted me to be. Then Lark showed up. Mother thought she’d serve as a warning: Mess-up-and-serve-the-coven-for-life sort of a thing. But Lark only ever made me stronger.
Even as a new witch, her abilities came naturally. We would creep into the forest trailing the other witches and had discovered Willowcrest. Every time we snuck out or trained, Lark practiced with her powers. She encouraged me to do the same, despite me only having wisps of magic accessible. Each small act of defiance felt like a win.
“Yes. My goal tonight is to remind myself that there’s an entire world beyond The Black Forest. And maybe if I’m strong enough to survive, I won’t always feel this way.” Cyrus and Mother might have planted guards on our building, but I wasn’t ready to give up my last few days of independence.
“Thisway?” Lark asked, her piercing hazel eyes not letting me look away.
If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t have answered. I would have deflected and moved on… but this was Lark.
“I feel like… like I’m five sizes bigger than I’m supposed to be. Like I’m stretched to obscene proportions while everyone around me is the picture of beauty. I’m a giant in a room of faeries. A weed among a garden of pristine roses. And not just my body. It feels like me—all of me—is just too much.”
“You’re never too much.” Lark squeezed my hands, refusing to let me retreat further. “This coven, hell, this entire section of the forest may make it seem that way, but there’s nothing wrong with you. You’re a wild bird who was born in a cage. A predator forced into submission. We only need to get you out of these bars and into the sky where you belong.”
I swallowed around the tears working their way up. Lark’s abilities allowed her to be more perceptive than most. She saw everything, the good and the bad. Sometimes it left me feeling vulnerable and too exposed, but in moments like this, it felt like being seen. Like maybe I wasn’t invisible after all.
“Now,” she said, straightening up before things got weird. “What are we going to do with your hair?”
“Up is probably best.”
“Down it is,” Lark said, reaching for a sleek black dress. The long-sleeved, floor-length gown covered Lark’s body like a second skin, leaving little to the imagination.
“Black?” I asked. It was a foreboding color among our coven. Lark never cared much for superstitions, but black was the color of death—particularly, the color that was associated with The Dark Faction.
“The night to your light,” she said, shooting me a wicked grin. “Not to mention, my eyes look incredible with heavy liner.”
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t argue.
“We could run tonight,” I breathed, realizing this may be our last chance. We couldn’t sneak out very often without getting caught and my birthday was next month.
Her eyes found mine in the mirror, waiting for me to make a joke. I didn’t.
“I want to see you free of this place before…”
“The awakening will go off without a hitch,” Lark said, spinning to pin me with her gaze. “You are the daughter of Demeter. As horrible as she is, she’s the most powerful witch the Earth Coven has seen—the entire livingworldhas seen—since Hecate. Some even level her skills to that of a goddess. She may be a bitch in every other regard, but the fates wouldn’t take her only daughter. They wouldn’t be that cruel.”
Wouldn’t they?
But I only shrugged as I sat on the edge of the couch to slip on my boots. They ruined the aesthetic Lark had worked so hard to create with the ethereal dress, but we had to make it through the forest before we reached the tavern. And I wasn’t about to go slinking through the trees in the middle of the night in pointed heels.
“My fate is sealed either way. I’ll die or I’ll be forced to marry Cyrus. And right now, I’d prefer death.”