Page 55 of Tasteful Anarchy and Tangled Auras
Chapter 19
Bryn
The morning of Mabon dawns, and the weather promises a spectacular day. It would be better for us if it was a downpour, though. We’re all up and out of bed early, despite our evening activities. I had held Adi as she lay on my chest after, Ossy pressed up behind her, his fingers twined in her curls. My breath had caught as I looked at her sleeping face. Ossy blinked at me placidly. “No one else matters. Anyone in the way dies. No hesitation.” I just nodded and lay back before he could see tears slip from my eyes.
Adi pulls out a brilliant linen gown of rust orange. I can’t stop staring as she pulls it on. It dips off both shoulders, ruched with lace, but it is large and flowy. The sleeves end in lace as well. They are loose, which makes me happy as she’s better with an arm sheath. Then she turns and grabs a pure-white corset. It’s laced up the front and in the back. Ossy steps forwards and holds out his hands. She hands it to him and demurely raises her arms for him to pull it over her. He does and then presses on her shoulder to get her to spin for him. Once she presents her back, he grabs the laces and starts manipulating them.
I approach, curious. Besides, I should probably learn how to do whatever this is as well.
Ossy expertly feeds the laces this way and that. “What in the world is going on?” I ask.
Ossy and Adi laugh. “It’s double laced,” Ossy says.
“What does that mean?”
“Come see,” Adi responds.
I walk to her front. She’s pulling, straightening the vivid underdress.
“Ready?” Ossy asks.
She grabs her breasts. “Ready!”
And then Ossy gives her a tug hard enough to pull her off balance, but before I can object, I see the effect it had. Her breasts are laid out like a breakfast buffet.
“Ohh, that’s how the court ladies make that happen....”
They both chuckle again. I take a deep breath. We need to get moving. Before I can say so, Adelaide turns and wraps her arms around both our waists, pulling us to her. “You’re mine. You’re both mine. I keep what’s mine, so don’t go dying on me.”
We both press our faces to her head, making sounds of agreement and comfort.
“And remember, it’s the Morrigan who blessed us.”
Ossy locks eyes with me over her curls. “Wrath, War, Destiny.”
Then Adi slips away, out the door without another word.
Adelaide
I LEAVE MY MATES BEFOREI start crying. I head for the hall as I strap on my arm sheath with my mother’s short sword in it.
In the meeting hall, the other Priestesses, many of whom I don’t know, are in gowns like mine, though some are ruby red and some are a rich ochre. Our roles today are delineated by our gowns. It’s been years since I’ve worn red, and it will be years before I wear ochre.
I’m so focused on going through possibilities and back-up plans in my head, I am barely able to interact with my Sisters. Luckily, a young Priestess named Maise, dressed in red with the same white corset and who looks to be perhaps descended from the Minch, presses me down to finish my hair. I close my eyes and run through things again as she pins the front of my hair back and starts lacing in the silver chains, making sure they drape above or below my Priestess mark.
