38
Tap, tap, tap.
I opened my eyes, blinking at the early morning light spilling in through my window.
Tap, tap, tap.
It took me a moment to remember how I had ended up on a soft bed in a fancy, painted room.
“Yes,” I called.
“It’s Nora. I’ve been sent to collect you.”
“Come in.” I sat up, running my hands over my face. My fingers grazed my lips and heat burned in my chest.
Nora stepped into my room carrying a small leather box. “By the Guilds, your hair.”
“What?” I leapt to my feet. “What’s happened to it?” I ran to the mirror, afraid it had somehow become orange or purple or some other outlandish color.
The black had stayed in place while I’d slept, but the mass of my hair had tangled in an almost impressive way.
“You can give a mouse peacock feathers, but it takes them more t
