Page 20 of Leviathan's Song
She nodded, looking impressed. “Sounds like it. Josh said he’s heard of him and he’s a popular draw in certain circles.”
I chewed on my lip for a moment as we approached The Velvet Cloak Masquerade and Costumery and stopped to think. “I kind of want to go.”
Sidney laughed and pulled the door open, holding it for me to enter. She wrinkled her nose at me as she said, “No, you don’t. It’s okay though, there will be other parties.”
I stepped through the entry and eyed the racks of clothing. Seeing Levi in an environment like that, getting to watch him perform and interact with his magic in a way that was such a core part of who he was? That sounded… really attractive.
“No, I do. I want to go,” I told her.
She paused, flipping through the clothing on the rack, and glanced at me. “Did you not hear the part where I said it was down in the warehouse district?”
I thought for a moment, because that did seem sketchy, but eventually shrugged. “You’d be there, and I’ll have my wasps.” Not that I actually ever wanted to have to use the things, but now that I had them, I should try to live my life, right? “Plus, you said your brothers would all be there. I can’t imagine someone messing with Aaron, let alone all of you.”
She stared at me for a moment, considering. “You never ask to do stuff like this.”
I just stared at her, knowing I had her. A slow grin crept over her face until suddenly she was beaming. “I’m going to be a valkyrie, and for you, I’m thinking... eighth-century elvish royalty meets moon goddess,” she announced, ecstatic.
I didn’t have any idea what that meant, but Mistress Adereth, the older, elvish woman who worked in the store, sure did. She wore a high-necked dress and a permanent frown and had some very minor artificer abilities, which leaned toward object enchantment.
We were ushered into a changing area where she quickly took our measurements and began bringing us costume pieces, frowning all the while. Maybe it was just her face.
Everything Sidney approved of looked really skimpy. When I pointed this out, she told me I could wear something more modest if I wanted, but to be prepared to sweat my make-up off.
By the time our assistant was done with me, I was wearing a white wrap top that left my midriff bare and a heavy collar necklace that dangled thin chains down my front and back. I had on gauzy, billowy white pants that gathered at the knee, and they would require shorts underneath them to keep them from being indecent by today’s standards.
Sidney took one look at the gladiator style sandals Adereth brought out and vetoed them. “If you get stepped on in those, our night will be over.” She turned to the assistant. “She’ll need real boots.” I finally settled on some cute ankle boots, and Sidney was satisfied.
She had gone full valkyrie with the winged headpiece, a molded corset that looked like armor, and a belted bottom piece that left her legs bare, save for small red cloth panels hanging down the sides. She was going to wear her own boots since they already had knife sheaths built in.
When Mistress Adereth walked up behind Sidney, I felt her magic build a split second before she touched the corset and it cinched tight on Sidney’s waist. Her breath gusted out, and I cackled when she wheezed. “Holy mercy, lady! Warn a girl!”
We found something simple and mysterious looking for the boys, and Sidney bounced on her toes while I paid. “You’re like my fairy godmother. This is way nicer than anything I would have bought for myself.” She slid me a sly look and wiggled her eyebrows.
“You’re the one who decided our salaries,” I muttered. Also, the trust fund didn’t hurt. Buying some costumes was the least I could do, considering all she put up with for the last week.
* * *
By the timeTuesday rolled around, I’d finished six wasps in total and armed them. I was sick of looking at them, tired of working on them, and physically and magically drained from powering up that many shards in quick succession. Large heartstones took more magical energy to work with, but even small ones took their toll in quantity.
I tried to wear them as jewelry pieces as much as possible, but since they were a bit large, most of the time they ended up simply nestled in my loose clothing or in my pockets or purse. Even tucked away, they were still easily summoned if I needed them, but at least Sidney wasn’t complaining about my “creepy devil bugs.”
Even though she didn’t care for them, she still verified I was wearing them every time we left the house, especially after she swore she saw a glimpse of the two Phantoms from the market while picking up breakfast Sunday morning.
On Tuesday morning we packed up our costumes, and I packed some makeup for us to use for the rave, and a night bag to stay at Sidney’s place. She was a little more skittish about us going, but I felt more confident with my wasps and her family there.
In the end, I had to remind Sidney six times that there was no point in closing shop early to go to the rave because it didn’t start until after dark anyway. Thankfully we did brisk business most of the day and it passed relatively quickly. By the time we packed up and locked the doors, my friend’s excitement was palpable.
We made our way through Dry Gulch and arrived at Sidney’s apartment to get ready for the evening. I noticed before even entering that I couldn’t feel her brother’s magic nearby. “Where’s Josh?”
“The guys will swing by and pick us up when it’s time to go,” she said as she unlocked the door, and we dumped our bags on the living room floor.
Her apartment was outfitted mostly with hand-me-down furniture from her parents or other family, and it was worn, scratched, and threadbare. Even so, or perhaps because of this, I’d always found it to have a welcoming and homey atmosphere. Scuffed hardwood floors and paint chipping from the kitchen cabinets didn’t detract from the feeling of family and togetherness that permeated her home.
We piled into her small, shared bathroom, and I worked on my makeup while she stepped into her costume. Her corset eventually had me cry-laughing and her cursing, because even though it was pre-fitted to her form, I still had to close up the back. No easy task, that. We ended up with her braced against the bathroom wall, and I felt like I needed a crowbar by the end of it.
While I got dressed Sidney stepped out to the kitchen, coming back with some goblets. “I know you prefer your tea warm but it’s already sweltering in here, so I made it iced,” she said as she handed one to me.
I took a sip without paying much attention and choked on it. “Oh, and I added vodka, we’re pre-gaming,” she said as I coughed. She brushed her hair out and started plaiting it into intricate braids.
