Bookshops & Bonedust (Legends & Lattes, #0)(58)

“See, you still owe me that story though, remember? So, it’s kinda like I already paid.”

“You won’t sit still for me to read it to you. So now it’s my turn to propose a deal. I’ll pay for what’s in your hands, and then …” Viv plucked one of the lassies out of a basket. “You get your bun. And we’re square.”

Gallina looked from the parcel to the bun with a speculative expression. “Fine. But mostly for the bun.” She shifted her gaze to Maylee and said in a loud stage whisper, “She’s shit at reading out loud. Put me right to sleep.”

Viv sighed and fished thirty bits out of her wallet, dropping the coins in the cash box. She tossed the bun toward Gallina, who whipped a dagger from her bandolier and speared it with a sassy smirk. She took a deliberate bite out of it and waggled the package at Viv. “I can prob’ly come up with a use for the paper, too,” she mumbled through her mouthful.

“Rackam likes the literate!” Viv called after her as the gnome hiked toward The Perch.

“It’s a good bun, Maylee!” hollered Gallina over her shoulder.



* * *



“Highlark!” exclaimed Viv.

“Ah, Viv, what a relief to see you idle and not leaking all over everything.”

“Uh, this is Fern.” She laid a hand on the rattkin’s shoulder. “Thistleburr is her shop. I don’t think you’ve met.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” said Fern as she finished depositing some coins into the cashbox.

“He’s got almost as many books as you do,” said Viv.

“A bibliophile?” asked Fern, brows rising with interest.

“She exaggerates my collection,” replied Highlark, inclining his head. “Mostly reference texts. I confess, this is a charming idea.” He ran a forefinger down the front of one of the bundles. “Treachery, alchemy, and brotherhood. Intriguing.”

“Pretty literary stuff in that one,” said Fern.

“You’ve read them? All of them?” asked Highlark, in apparent surprise, as he gestured across the tables.

“Not exactly. But I’ve read all of those. Do you like Tensiger?”

A more genuine smile bloomed on Highlark’s face than Viv had ever seen. “You might even consider me a bit of a fan.”

Fern tapped another bundle. “Then this one might be of interest, too.”

When the surgeon finally departed, he had three bundles under his arms and a bun in his teeth.



* * *



As the horizon began to burn red out over the sea, the tables were well and truly picked over. They hadn’t sold everything—maybe only half—but Fern had needed to take the cashbox inside to empty it when it became overstuffed with coins. The entire endeavor had been wildly more successful than Viv had imagined it might be.

Maylee had left shortly after delivering her contribution, and now the baskets sat empty on the tables, nothing but crumbs lining their bottoms.

Viv carried them down to Sea-Song, returning them to Maylee with Fern’s thanks, a murmured sweetness, and a promise to visit the following morning. She wanted to make up for yesterday, but it would have to wait until they were alone.

When Viv got back to Thistleburr, Fern had already cleared the makeshift tables of books and was indoors.

Stacking the planks, Viv stowed them close to the boardwalk. She arranged the trestles over them until Pitts could retrieve them later, while twilight indigo gnawed away the sunset.

When she entered the shop, Fern let out a whoop and Viv started in surprise.

“Eight fucking hells!” the rattkin cried. “I can’t believe we did it! I don’t even know how many we sold!”

Satchel looked up from one of the chairs. Surprisingly, he had his feet propped on the stool, a book across his bony lap. “Eighty-seven books, m’lady.”

The rattkin blew out a breath. “Just Fern, Satchel. No ‘m’lady’ needed.”

The homunculus didn’t reply to that. Somehow, Viv doubted he’d honor the request.

The remaining wrapped books stood in neat stacks in the back hall, and the shelves throughout the shop were more thinly populated, awaiting the new shipment.

“Maybe you should wrap up all the books from now on,” said Viv, only half joking.

Fern laughed. “If only it was that easy! We really sold these cheap. It bought me some time and made some room, but if I did that with new stock, I might as well be giving them away. Still. That was amazing. And those buns didn’t hurt. I hope you thanked Maylee again for me.”

Viv bobbed a nod before addressing Satchel. “What’ve you got there, then?”

The homunculus looked down at the book and back up at her. “M’lady … Fern insisted I do something that could not be considered labor. This seemed the most obvious option.”

“And what do you think?”

He cocked his head to the side, blue eyes flickering. “It’s possible I can see the appeal. But perhaps I should sample one of the moist ones.”

Viv tried hard not to choke on her laughter.





29





One problem with successfully offloading a heap of books on the visitors and citizens of Murk—one that Fern loudly blamed herself for not seeing in advance—was that the demand for reading material was entirely satisfied. Thistleburr might as well have been a tomb in the wake of the sale.