The Lost Queen (Book 1 of The Lost Queen Series)

Chapter Thirty-Five

It turned out when Kestrel said she was leaving for the Seelie Court soon, she had meant the next morning.

"Are you going to miss babysitting me?" Seraiah asked Wisteria as the elf laid out her clothes.

"I'm not your babysitter, but yes, I will miss you. You're the first human I have ever met, and I kind of like you."

"Thanks?" Seraiah supposed that was a better response than she had gotten from the rest of the elves.

"You're welcome. Now try this on."

Seraiah quickly changed into the close fitting pants that were made of some type of leather material. The linen top had a looser fit, but it was covered by a laced corset vest in the same leather as the pants. Finally, she pulled on a pair of brown boots that laced up to just below her knees. There was even a place for the knife Kestrel had given her.

Everything fit perfectly, as though it were custom made for her, which shouldn't have been possible considering she'd only been here for two days. Perhaps it was another type of magic, she decided.

"Oh, it's perfect," Wisteria said when Seraiah joined her in the main living area. "I hope you don't mind, but I packed some things for you." She held up Seraiah's familiar satchel from home.

"The book that was in there?"

"Still there," Wisteria confirmed. "Though I doubt you will have time for reading. You might be better served using the space for something else."

A sharp knock echoed through the entrance hall. The girls looked at each other.

Seraiah was not expecting anyone. She was supposed to meet Kestrel in the stable yard.

"I'll go see who it is. You wait here," Wisteria said.

A moment later, the sound of footsteps came toward her. To Seraiah's surprise, it wasn't Wisteria who appeared—but Kai. He wore his golden circlet again and looked entirely too put together for the early hour.

His eyes tracked down her body and then back up again in a slow perusal that brought a blush to her cheeks. "I see you got the outfit I sent."

"It was you?" she asked, nervously smoothing her hands down the front of the vest. She wasn't used to wearing something so tight-fitting, but it moved easily with her body.

"It should offer you better protection, though not as much as armor would," he said. "Speaking of which, I brought a gift for you. A belated birthday gift."

"Kestrel told you."

"She did. You should have mentioned it."

"It wasn't important."

"I disagree." He held something out to her.

When Seraiah accepted it, she discovered she was holding a dagger. It was longer than Kestrel's knife and much more ornate, with a dark red stone set in the pommel.

Seraiah pulled it from its leather sheath, testing the weight of it in her hand. She attempted to flip it the way Kestrel had shown her, and was proud when she didn't drop it on her foot.

"You've been practicing," Kai said as he watched her.

"A little," she admitted. "I haven't had time to learn much."

The corners of his mouth turned up. "I fear the day that you do. Do you like it then?"

She nodded, slipping the dagger back into its sheath. There were fastenings attached to it, but she wasn't sure what they were meant to be strapped to. They were too small to be a belt, but too large for a wrist.