Eventually, I decided to go find Oraya. I wondered if she was still trapped in conversations with nobles, or if she’d finally managed to extract herself, too. Just as this thought crossed my mind, I turned a corner to see her standing at one of the garden walls, looking out over the festivities below. I stopped short. I couldn’t help it. I needed to just take a minute to look at her. Her wings were out now, the red shockingly vibrant even under the moonlight. Her gown glittered like the night sky itself. And her posture—she held herself like such a queen. Sometimes, I found it impossible to
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