Rainbow Snippets: Odette the serf

_{^{Rainbow Snippets is a Facebook group for LGBTQ+ authors, readers, and bloggers to gather once a week and share six sentences from a work of fiction–a WIP or a finished work or even a 6-sentence book recommendation.}}

Tracking Trouble will be taking a little break for the next few months as I share snippets from my upcoming novella, Someone Else’s Shoes. It’s a retelling of Cinderella set in the spellster universe.

This snippet continues on from last week, where Alla spoke about the collar keeping her from using her magic…

“Oh, my lady.”
Alla glanced up at the familiar cry. Her heart thumped a few extra beats as she hastened to confirm no one else but herself shared the foyer with the old woman. “ ‘Dett, we’ve spoken about this. You can’t call me that. It’s just Alla.” No matter how many times Alla told the woman, she always had to remind Odette not to refer to her in such a manner. Neither of them could ever be too certain of some word getting back to Alla’s stepmother.
And if it did…?
Odette waved the concern away as if angering Alla’s stepmother didn’t mean a lashing. Unlike the majority of the serfs living in the estate, she had been inherited by Alla’s father, much to his disapproval. But her ownership had come from well before his birth. The woman’s collar still bore the family crest etched into the steel plating riveted to the old leather even though the practice of marking serfs was outdated.

Alla will return next weekend with more of Someone Else’s Shoes. In the meantime, check out these other snippets.