Like so many people in the world of Shaman, Ciara sat before her mirror, adding touches of color to her cheeks and above her eyes, choosing exactly which jewelry to wear to the prince’s birthday. Her familiar sat on her shoulders, fidgeting with the mass of red hair that fell from her head and trying to tame it into a stylish fashion that it simply was not interested in holding. Although the mane was frustrating, the monkey had been in a good mood since she’d woken in yet another body with her thumbs back intact. Aura only knew how the hooved and pawed familiars handled the lack of dexterity, but the capuchin monkey was glad for her own hands back.

Well almost. They weren’t exactly the same hands. She wasn’t the lemur she’d been born anymore, but monkey was an improvement over addax.

With a small sigh and a smile, Ciara shooed her familiar away and simply clasped the waves back and over a shoulder rather than attempt to sport some elaborate up-do. This was a party for Tristan, and the magnetism she’d had for so long was going to take more than enough attention away from Arthur’s son. Ciara had no intention of attempting to take even more. I might have been easier to simply sit the party out and spend time on her own, but the woman had spent countless years alone to only just return and besides, the prince’s mother seemed to have gone and Ciara was certain Arthur would welcome a friend.

The woman also had a fondness for parties.

Resigned to her look, Ciara bent to pull Nalani into her arms but the primate wanted nothing to do with it. “You will ruin that dress. Besides, I have legs. I can walk on my own, thank you.” Ciara had to stifle a smile at her ever independent familiar’s argument but nodded in acquiescence and opened the door into the corridor. Though they were mostly there for light, the lanterns along the walls were also a primary source of heat in the night-chilled, stone-encased halls and Ciara began to wish she had thought to find a dress that would match one of her shawls, rather than a emerald green she had on. Of course, the ballroom would be full of hot bodies and hearths to keep the guests, and Ciara warm.

Nalani tagged close to her fairie’s heels as they maneuvered expertly through the halls, and only when they arrived at the throngs of people waiting for entrance did they part. Unlike so many fairies, Ciara loved her familiar as much as any mother would love their child. Her and Nalani had a special bond that few understood, and the monkey acted much like a young child at times because she knew that Ciara would tolerate the behavior. Sitting on the banquet table and picking food from the communal dishes, for example, brought only a sigh and a shake of the head from Ciara before she began to maneuver through the crowd of young teens vying for the prince’s next dance.

She was heading to the king to ask for a dance, but a scowl on the wall caught her attention. It was truly unbecoming for a girl with such a lovely color of hair to be unhappy at a party. Certain she couldn’t be more stealthy if she wanted to, Ciara approached the younger redhead and smiled. “Parties go by much more pleasantly if you dance, you know.”