Page 10 of Obsidian Throne
Mila updated me on the politics of the situation, which were confusing and strained. It was enough to remind me what this wedding was really about.
We were making a point.
My eyes darted from the black dress hanging in the corner of the room to the kohl in Taisiya’s hand.
I was more than ready to send a message to Ava that she would no longer have power over me. It was a riskier move with the dukes, but from what I had read on Socairan wedding customs, it wasn’t like my wedding gown was forbidden… just, very frowned upon.
But then again, so was I.
Once I was finally dressed, Mila took a long look at me.
Two thick lines of kohl boldly accented my eyes, with a lighter dusting shadowing the creases, and my lips were a crimson shade so deep, it was nearly black.
My hair was pulled completely up for a change, smoothed and twisted back into an elegant bun with a few artful curls escaping. Mila rested a few jeweled combs into my hair, the gems shimmering between black and gray, almost like a stormy sky.
It felt fitting, for the storm that always seemed to rage within me.
And then there was the dress...
“I can’t pretend I’m not anxious to see their faces when it comes time to remove this thing,” Mila said as she helped me don the customary opaque veil, settling it over my head until it fell in soft waves all the way to my thighs. “Perhaps we’ll get fortunate, and one of them will die from the shock of it.”
“Or perhaps Evander will…” I added, then I shoved the nervous thought away.
He had, after all, told me any black dress would do.
Here was hoping he didn’t want to eat those words.
CHAPTER SIX
ROWAN
Iheard the music before I even rounded the corner, and my lungs seized.
This was it.
Mila had talked me through every minute of this ceremony while I got ready. I would walk down the aisle alone, as Socairan women always did, still wearing the stars-blasted stupid veil that practically blinded me.
Leave it to the Socairans to assume a bride being able to see to walk down the aisle was a frivolous desire.
Oh, well.I supposed it would make my reveal that much sweeter.
My heart galloped within my chest, and butterflies danced in my stomach. After several slow, deep breaths, they still hadn’t faded.
I wasn’t sure what I was more nervous about. Seeing Evander again for the first time in weeks, or what he would think when they took my veil off.
Taras escorted me as far as the main doors, sending Mila ahead, then stopped. “I’ll stay on this end of the room to guard your back.”
I nodded gratefully, taking another deep breath. His shadowy hand gestured for two guards to open the massive doors to the banquet hall.
This is it.
The short, pointed heels of my black leather boots thudded softly with each step, echoing in the silent room.
It was unnerving, being able to see so little in a room where I knew I was surrounded by enemies. Iiro. Aleksander.
And Ava, of course.
I used that thought to propel myself forward on slow, measured steps. The sound of an organ played my entrance, but I barely heard it over the sound of my breathing.