Dressed in a rose-colored gown, Kit took a seat on the stool in front of the mirror and let her mind wander as her hair was brushed out. She hoped she’d kept the mud out of it and imagined she must have since there wasn’t any on her pillow. Thoughts of mud brought her back to her trip to the village. She was certain Avinia, Isla, and Seph would already know about the state of the citizens. There was no reason to highlight her own ignorance, but as they began to pin her hair up, Kit said, “Le atsa.” All three ladies stopped what they were doing and stared at her reflection in the mirror.
Kit wanted to swivel around to look at their true faces but couldn’t, so as she continued, her eyes flickered from one likeness to the other. “What does it really mean? With you—with who?”
The ladies remained silent for a moment before Avinia slowly began to comb again. “Where, uh... where did you hear that?” she asked, her voice shaking a little, which she attempted to cover with a giggle.
