Second Council of Neltsar
Aentarra's supple legs mingled with satin sheets while a gentle breeze from the balcony caressed silky skin and puffed the curtains—curtains almost as sheer as one of her opulent gowns. She stretched, arched her back, then uncoiled from the sheets, goose-bumps rising with the wind's soft touch. Bare feet met the marble floor, sending a shiver all the way to her shoulders, where she shook it away.
Music drifted in from the courtyard and drew her to the balcony, her smile growing with each step. Morning doves cooed from their perches in the elms, adding their plaintive voices to the exuberant trilling of a thrush sitting next to a pink magnolia blossom. A smile stayed on her lips until the aria ended, then Aentarra went inside and dressed herself: black boots slid
