(You can read about Velnya, Traven, Jeda, and Jorick in the Amaranthine saga. This story takes place in 1855 near Springfield, Massachusetts.)
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Moonlight splashed on the leaves and the last of the summer grass. Velnya peered through the window and let the evening breeze kiss her skin.
"Turn your head, ma biche!"
She is slipping back to French. Oh dear.
Velnya did as ordered. Her sister's brush strokes were more violent than necessary, and Velnya bit her lip to stop a complaint.
"Place your hand just here." Jeda pressed her fingers against her skull, and Velnya obeyed. This was not the way she had imagined the preparations for her wedding day. In her mind, there was a number of cheerful bridesmaids snipping flowers and giggling, discussing the mysteries that young ladies could on
