Page 55

At dawn, Terlu helped Yarrow make another batch of honey cakes.

Together, they slid them into the oven and then washed the bowls and mixing spoons side by side while the cakes baked.

Outside, the snow was crisp white in the morning sun.

A cardinal was perched on a branch of a nearby pine tree, a brilliant red against the white and the green.

Inside, the only sounds were the swish of water, the crackle of the fire, and the purr of the winged cat.

It was perfectly peaceful, and Terlu had never felt more at home anywhere.

As she put away the flour, Terlu said, “After I deliver the cakes, I want to stop by Laiken’s workroom, and, if no one’s around to see, check the other notebooks for more clues as to the shield spell.”

He nodded. “Are you bringing Dendy?”

“He’s working with the other plants to seal more cracks.” She wanted to ask Yarrow to come with her, but she had no rational reason. She just wanted his company.

“Need my help?”

Yes. “Only if you want to come.”

“I…”

“You don’t need to. Up to you.”

He smiled at her in thanks.

It’s worth going alone for that smile. It warmed his eyes, and it made her knees feel gooey. She leaned against the kitchen counter for support.

“Let me know when you’re ready to try the spell again,” Yarrow said.

“I’ll be in the vegetable rooms. The lettuce is nearly ready to harvest, plus I need to weed the carrot beds.

” He pulled the cakes out of the oven, picked up one, and thumped its golden bottom.

The cottage smelled of honey and cinnamon and warm bread. “They’re done.”

She wrapped the fresh cakes in cloth napkins and tucked them into a basket. “Emeral, how about you? Do you want to come? Someone might have fresh fish.”

Emeral stretched in her bed, which was now the cat’s bed exclusively. He licked his paw and then leisurely stood, stretched his wings, and flew up to Terlu’s shoulders.

She laughed. “Guess he knows the word ‘fish.’”

“Smart cat.”

He curled around her neck and settled his wings.

Yarrow murmured, “Lucky cat.”

She met his eye, and Yarrow gazed back at her.

For a moment, Terlu wondered if she dared kiss him goodbye.

But she had a cat around her neck and a basket full of honey cakes in her hands, and before she could make a decision, he turned back to the sink to wash out the still-hot baking tins. “Yarrow…”

“Hmm?” He turned to look at her.

She didn’t know what she wanted to say. “Nothing.”

“I’ll see you soon?”

“Soon,” she promised.

She just… She’d come so close to ruining everything, and he’d forgiven her without any kind of hesitation.

It was so very different from anyone she’d ever known.

At home, whenever she made a mistake—well, they just didn’t let her forget it.

Terlu remembered the first time she’d tried to cook dinner for her family, and she hadn’t opened the flue in the chimney.

She’d filled the house with smoke, and her family had forbidden her to cook anything for months.

Every time she’d entered the kitchen, she’d been treated like she was going to make a disaster.

And she’d been teased about it for years—never cruelly, but still, it had stung.

When she’d tried to explain once to her sister how it felt to never be trusted, Cerri had told her that she’d nearly burned down the house so what did she expect?

He didn’t blame me.

In fact, it was the opposite. He hadn’t turned on her when things went wrong.

It hadn’t become you did this or you failed to do that.

It was we, even though it had been entirely her fault.

Maybe especially because it had been her fault?

He hadn’t wanted her to feel the weight of that blame.

He hadn’t wanted her to stop believing she was capable.

Buttoning her coat, Terlu walked out into the winter morning with the cat warm around her neck and a basket of honey cakes on her arm.

She wondered what her family would think of Yarrow.

He was quieter than any of them were. She’d grown up in a family where the loudest person was heard and so you learned to bellow if you wanted any attention for yourself.

None of them thought she could ever be a librarian, knowing how much she liked to both talk and be heard.

She’d tried to explain there was a role for librarians who weren’t quiet—an important role, to connect the knowledge with the people who needed the knowledge—but they just thought of librarians as quiet hermits who looked down on anyone who wasn’t quietly reading.

Rijes Velk had understood when Terlu had interviewed for the position, as had the librarian in charge of the second floor.

She’d been promised a patron-focused role.

It wasn’t anyone’s fault that the laws changed…

Which laws have changed now?

She wished she knew what was going on in Alyssium. What had happened to the library? What happened to Rijes Velk? Was she okay? Was she safe? Had the books survived? So much knowledge, so much history, so many life stories.

At least Yarrow’s family was safe. And he’d talk with them. Eventually.

Until then, the honey cakes are his words.

As she approached the blue cottage, she saw that Yarrow’s relatives had already made significant progress.

One of the cousins, Percik, was up on the roof, repairing the shingles.

Another relative, Finnel, was working on a window, while an aunt, Harvena, and an uncle, Ubri, cleaned inside.

Greeting them all, Terlu handed out the honey cakes.

This time, it was far less awkward than the first morning—there was no expectation that Yarrow would be with her.

They chatted amiably about the cakes, the weather, and the work, before she left to continue on.

She made her way toward the sorcerer’s tower.

Ahead, she heard the waves crashing against the rocks.

The sky was streaked with clouds, but the sun peeked out between them.

Birds were circling over the dock, and she saw one of the cousins…

Vix maybe?… was fishing off the end of it.

She’d have to ask his name again to be sure.

Emeral launched himself off her neck to soar toward the dock.

She had no doubt that if Vix had any luck, the winged cat would have an excellent breakfast. His meows were irresistible.

She took a deep breath of the sea air. She loved the salty sharpness of the breeze mixed with the scent of pine. In the distance, the seabirds were calling to one another, and she heard the steady crash of waves on the rocks.

She hadn’t known it was possible to fall in love with a place so quickly.

Terlu walked up the steps, now clear of snow due to the number of people who’d come and gone in the past few days.

Hearing voices from within the workroom, she hesitated for a moment.

She wouldn’t be able to look at the notebooks without being asked why, which made this a wasted trip.

On the other hand, she could still deliver honey cakes.

She knocked on the door. It was opened a second later by Ambrel. “Ah, good morning, Terlu! Ooh, you brought Yarrow’s honey cakes? Please tell him thank you and I’m looking forward to meeting him. I know technically we met when we all arrived—but that was such chaos that I don’t think it counts.”

Behind her, Rowan piped up. “You will meet him, and he will be friendly and welcoming. I’m going to insist. He can’t keep avoiding us forever.”

Well, he could if he tried. He had taken the first step by agreeing to talk to them, but that didn’t mean he was ready to actually do it yet. “I don’t think forcing it—” Terlu began.

Rowan reached beyond Ambrel to pull Terlu inside.

“Come eat breakfast with us, and we can gossip all about my antisocial brother.” She was halfway through dressing, with a loose sleep dress on top and work pants underneath.

Her black-and-gold braids were unpinned and curled around her face like vines before they wrap around a trellis.

Ambrel was already fully dressed, in a wide skirt with many pockets beneath a heavy leather apron.

Her hair was pinned up under a scarf. A curl had unfurled next to her cheek.

As Rowan passed by, she lovingly tucked Ambrel’s curl back under the scarf before asking Terlu, “Are you sleeping with him? Is that why you’re so willing to overlook my brother’s faults? ”

Terlu felt herself flush bright red. She was not going to answer any questions about her relationship with Yarrow.

Ambrel swatted Rowan’s arm. “Be nice. It’s completely inappropriate for you to badger her about Yarrow. She can’t control whether he wants to talk with us or not.”

Rowan protested. “I’m just making conversation.”

“She misses the florist shop,” Ambrel said to Terlu. “That’s why she’s being difficult.”

“I’m sorry you had to leave it,” Terlu said.

“It burned. There wasn’t anything left to leave.” Rowan sighed heavily. “Sorry. You’ve been kind to welcome us. And sorry about”—she waved her hand vaguely—“harping on Yarrow. He is the way he is.”

“It’s your home,” Terlu said. “Of course you’re welcome here.” In truth, she was the new arrival. She didn’t think she had any kind of say over whether they came back to their home or not.

Rowan shook her head. “It was our home, and I think it can be again. But you… You belong here, I can tell. You love it here.”

Terlu wondered if she’d seen her outside, thinking that very thought as she looked out across the sea.

It’s so true that even a woman I just met can see it.

She wondered if it was as obvious how she felt about Yarrow.

She’d never been good at hiding her emotions; she felt them across every inch of her skin.

Blushing, she set the basket with the remaining honey cakes on the worktable and turned to view the workroom.