A Pirate’s Life for Tea (Tomes & Tea #2)

Epilogue

T he bees were distressed.

Tessalyn squinted at the honeycomb, mentally tallying the eggs, watching how the bees moved over the brood cells. Many were already capped, and many more had larvae visible to the naked eye: tiny white squigglies— the technical term, Tessalyn thought—that were still developing inside their cells.

But there weren’t as many larvae as Tessa expected. Which could mean the queen was taking a break from breeding for a time… or it could mean something more nefarious.

It could mean the hive’s queen had died.

“Notice anything?” Her professor, a man with an easy temperament, sharp brown eyes, and bronze skin, asked. He was wearing a thin shirt as his protective gear, which was a bold choice by her standards—although to her recollection, he’d never once been stung.

Around them, Natilau—the capital city of Leonol—was bustling. The city was built near the ocean, close enough to see glimpses of it through the dense rainforest, buildings constructed right into the ridiculously thick tree trunks. The rainforest flooded, after all, so raising the homes off the ground just made sense. Homes littered the space between branches, connected with swinging rope walkways and open-air balconies. It was humid, as it always was this summer, and even the ocean breeze didn’t temper the stickiness.

Tessalyn was sweating in her protective gear, but she didn’t dare take it off. Not with the bees this agitated. Not when they didn’t recognize her like they recognized Professor Leen. Inside the mesh hat, she tried to blow a stray strand of blonde hair out of her face, but it was a futile attempt.

“Either a brood break, or… they’re queenless.” She frowned, squinting again at the honeycomb. She’d only recently taken up beekeeping, but it was a fascinating subject. After archeology, sociology, hydrology, and a deep voyage into ethics, it was nice to explore a trade instead of theory.

For now, anyway.

Professor Leen smiled. “Indeed. Look here.” He guided her around the hive, lifting another frame out of its protective wooden box. The bees buzzed around them, but as always, none viewed him as a threat. He pointed at the dark brown spots of a new honeycomb. “Uncapped queen cells. I noticed this issue several days ago, but I believe there’s a virgin queen within the hive. Until I know for sure, I can’t pair a new queen with this hive.”

“So, they’ll just panic until she starts laying eggs again?”

“A hive without a queen is a dead hive. The workers are doing everything they can to prevent that.” Leen replaced the honeycomb, closed up the hive by lowering the lid at the top. “It’s a delicate process… but we can intervene if necessary. It’s just very, very tricky to decide when the time is right.”

Tessa opened her mouth to respond, but someone cleared his throat behind her. She stiffened, grimacing. Professor Leen, meanwhile, smiled wide. “Ah, James. I’ve been wondering when I’d see you back in class.”

“Regretfully, I’m only here for Tessa today.”

“Of course you are,” Tessa muttered.

James was well-built and moved with powerful grace, so when he crossed his arms, the intention was clear. Not right now, Tess.

She stuck her tongue out at him. She was far too old for that kind of thing, but it felt good in the moment. When his lips twitched, she ignored the surge of irritation and glanced at Professor Leen again. “I appreciate the insight. I’ll be back tomorrow.”

“We’ll continue from there, then.” The professor hummed, waved, and strolled around the wooden balcony to another set of students.

Tessa peeled off protective layers, following James to the spiral staircase built around every tree trunk. The beekeeping tree was one of several educational pillars in this part of the city, and students of all ages bustled around the others. She’d toured nearly all of them by this point.

James had toured… exactly one. The swordsmanship tree. Because he was a stick in the mud who saw no value beyond the one skill he already knew.

In Leonolan society, he wouldn’t amount to much. Not that he cared about that, considering his roots.

Their roots.

They emerged on ground level, and he led her silently towards the cabin they shared outside the city. Once upon a time, she’d shared it with his mother and his aunt, but they were long gone—one perished in a flood, and one… well. One fought to the death.

James held open the door to the small home. It was dangerous to build on ground level, but they’d chosen a hill that rarely flooded, and the privacy couldn’t be beat. He didn’t speak until the wooden door closed behind him, until they were truly alone.

“A letter came for you. From a Lord Wylan.” He fished it out of his jacket, tossed the envelope at her. It was sealed with crimson wax hued in gold, a private gift to all lords from Queen Tilaine herself.

She bounced on her toes. “By the Stars, he wrote back?” She moved to snatch the letter from James, but he danced out of her reach. His expression shifted into something stormy, so she cut him off at the pass. “Oh, come on, James. You know the Arcandor is the only one who can help us.”

“The Arcandor is dating a former Queensguard.” The words were pulled through gritted teeth.

“She’s marrying that Queensguard soon. Don’t be disrespectful.”

James looked ready to strangle her, which was very amusing. “Tess, we are trying to stay hidden. They already know we’re somewhere in Leonol. With my aunt—” he choked on the word, clenching his eyes shut.

“She took care of that problem, didn’t she? They’re all dead.” Tessa fingered the hem of her shirt now, nervously. It was a lighter hemp material, breathable in the sticky heat of the rainforest.

It didn’t stop the sweat that dripped down her neck.

James inhaled slowly. “Yeah, and what’s a bigger red flag than four spies missing at once?”

“Why do you think I wrote Lord Wylan?” Tessa set her jaw now, finally snatching the letter from his grasp. She danced away—dance, yet another thing she studied before academic learning took over—and unfolded it. Her eyes skimmed the meticulous script, and she smiled slightly. “He can house us. Hide us.”

“We’ll be safer in Shepara—”

“I thought we were safe here .” Tessa sunk into a chair by the window, wishing she could open it to let some air in… but they had a rule against that too. Just once, she’d love to just live . It shouldn’t seem too tall an order.

She’d heard a rumor that the Arcandor’s Queensguard fled the palace. Fled Tilaine. That she’d opened a bookstore, a tea shop, and settled near dragon country—a spot even Tilaine would hesitate to attack.

She had to know if the rumor was true. If Tawney really was a safe spot for refugees from the Queendom.

Silence stretched between them. James paced, digging his fingers into his short hair, which was shaved nearly to the scalp. His eyes flicked to the sword propped by the door—a Queensguard sword, tucked away in a leather sheath.

“If anyone there finds out who you truly are—” he whispered.

“They won’t.” She spoke so quickly she nearly tripped over the words.

More silence.

Finally, James glanced out the window, at the two gravestones propped between the curving roots of a towering pendantra tree. In the late afternoon, they were almost entirely cast in shadow. Tessa followed his gaze, swallowed hard.

They hadn’t been related to her, but they were family nonetheless.

“We travel my way—”

Tessa flicked the parchment. “Actually, Lord Wylan called in a favor. Well, Diarn Feo did. Well , the Arcandor did. A ship will dock on the summer solstice to transport us north. Apparently, they were already headed this way for the wedding.”

James balked. “ Who ’s already heading this way?”

Now Tessa smirked. “The Dastardly Pirate Dreggs, of course.”