Chapter Six #3
It was the please that finally did it. She couldn’t say no to that any more than she could have sent Perri away when he’d started following her.
She heard too much of herself in that please.
She’d yearned so badly for the sea, to be a sailor, to have her own boat, and to have someone who loved her share it …
A sentient plant hadn’t been part of her dream.
But maybe she was part of his.
Who am I to say no?
She made a show of looking into the pouch and whistled through her teeth as if she were impressed.
“Okay, I take it back. I’ll sail wherever with whomever for this.
Label says these are summer squash from Rivoc.
My ma has been wanting to plant them for seasons, but you can’t get them anywhere anymore.
” Her mother had never mentioned summer squash before, but it sounded plausible.
Marin was sure she’d like the seeds, even if it wouldn’t help with their debt.
“You tell Yarrow thanks from both of us and that I’ll bring an extra bag of flour when I come back around for the monthly delivery.
” She grinned at the shrub. “When we come back round.”
“Gah,” Ree said, so excited that he’d been rendered speechless.
“Thank you,” the former statue said.
Shedding leaves, Ree cried, “My captain!”
Okay, wow, that was adorable. Maybe it was a mistake to say yes, but it was hard to worry about that when he was so obviously and innocently happy. “Call me Marin. It’s short for Mariner, but I always thought that was a bit too on the nose. Also, risky of my parents—what if I hadn’t liked to sail?”
“Who wouldn’t like to sail?” Ree asked.
She was going to like sailing with this shrub. “My feelings exactly.”
“Thanks, Marin. I’m Terlu.” The woman paused and a brief look of horror flashed over her face.
Marin surmised that that was her real name and that she had enough sense to realize sharing it might not have been the most prudent thing to do.
Marin didn’t know how to tell her that her secret was safe with her.
Swiftly, Terlu changed the subject. “Have you known Yarrow a long time?”
“Yarrow. Didn’t even know his name.” As soon as the words came out of her mouth, she realized she’d already used his name when she thanked him for the seeds, even though she wasn’t supposed to know it.
She tried not to wince at herself. She wasn’t any better at subterfuge than Terlu.
“Only talked with him a couple times—first time to ask when he’d need supplies, second time to ask about payment.
Quiet guy. Polite. Didn’t try to haggle, which was refreshing.
Some people see a supply runner coming, and they assume we want to cheat you so they try to cheat me first. It’s a game to some of them.
” She nodded toward the pine forest. “Your guy never played games. I respect that.”
Terlu blushed.
Marin wondered what that was about. He’d saved her by casting the spell to reverse her punishment.
Had he become more to her than just the man who’d saved her life?
For a moment, she wanted to stay and hear the whole story.
But no, she had a delivery to make. It was enough that she knew the statue was alive and well and that she hadn’t, at least so far, made a terrible mistake that would endanger her, Perri, or her parents.
As if aware of her revealing blush, Terlu changed the subject again. “Did you see the serpent earlier? It was singing like a trumpet. I’ve never seen one in person before. I always imagined the trumpet description was just people being poetic, but it really did sound like music.”
“That was Perri. He’s my buddy.” Tucking the pouch of seeds alongside the letter into one of her many useful pockets, Marin smiled.
“I’ll tell you sometime. Or maybe not. Maybe I’ll make up a few fabulous stories, and you can decide which one is true.
Everyone always expects sailors to have incredible adventures to faraway lands…
” She thought of Dax always asking about her travels.
I’m coming. You better be okay. “And yes. Yes, we do.”
Terlu opened her mouth to ask more.
Marin held up a finger. “Another time. I’ve only so much daylight to ride the wind and a lot of islands in my path.
I’ll deliver your gardener’s letter. And then someday I want to hear about that story, how you befriended the Reclusive Gardener of Belde.
I will be disappointed if there isn’t at least one passionate kiss involved. ”
Terlu sputtered.
Laughing, Marin untied her sailboat from the dock. “Come on, new deckhand. The waves wait for no man, woman, or shrubbery.”
Ree scurried onto the boat. “Tell the others I’ll be back with stories too!”
Still laughing, Marin shoved off the dock with her foot. She pulled the mainsail, and the silver sails caught the wind. Crossing to the mast, Ree wrapped his branches around it and climbed.
“Happy sailing!” Terlu called, waving. “And thank you!”
Marin waved and then she tilted her head back and sang a cascade of notes. Out toward the open sea, Perri leaped out of the waves, trumpeting the notes back to her.
He was ready to go and check on his friend.
And so was she. Because he was her friend too. A friend who she couldn’t seem to stop worrying about.