Malia POV:

The next hour was a whirlwind. The store owner, Delphine, a slightly hunch-backed woman, outfitted the group with entirely new wardrobes in the latest and finest Aeonian fashions—all on the government’s dime. She dispatched a column of men to fetch and bring back rack after rack of items.

Lucie helped Malia. She tied a wide, violet scarf around Malia’s chest and knotted it in the back. She fitted silk bracelets around Malia’s wrists, a clear, ...