The Enchanted Greenhouse(121)
“Oh.” It was a lot to absorb. Terlu had spent so much time afraid that she’d be forced to be a statue again, and all it took was the overthrow of a thousand-year-old government. All it took—hah! She began smiling. This book in her hands was undeniable proof that what Marin said was true. If the imperial law still stood, it would never have been printed. She hugged it to her chest, along with her family’s letter, both so precious. “This is an excellent solstice present.”
“My pleasure. Now am I invited to the feast?”
“Absolutely.”
From the ship came a voice that Terlu recognized: “Am I invited as well?” And the head librarian of the Great Library of Alyssium, the woman who had fought for Terlu’s life and lost but still found a way to save her anyway, stepped out of the hold.
“Rijes Velk!” Terlu chirped. She then bowed. “I … oh … Oh, wow.” She felt tears brimming in her eyes as she turned to Marin. It was all so very much. First the letter, then her freedom, now this? Her knees wobbled. “You found her? How? Wow, this is … Wow.”
“It was a really large ruby. And it helped that I knew where she was.”
Shaking his leaves, Ree said, “Told you she’d be surprised! Whee, we did amazing!”
Terlu hadn’t considered the fact that Marin might have known Rijes, but of course she had to, if she was the one who’d brought the statue of Terlu to safety. None of this was a miracle or a coincidence—the two of them already had a connection. Still, it felt like a miracle. “I thought I was asking for the impossible. But here you are. I don’t know how to say thank you. I … Thank you.”
“You look well,” Rijes said.
Rijes looked … very different. At the trial, the head librarian had been encased in robes made of embroidered silk. Her hair had been braided in a pattern that echoed the latticework on the great door to Kinney Hall, and her face had been painted with symbols that affirmed her oath to honor the history, wisdom, and knowledge of the Crescent Islands. Now, she was in a simple tunic, her onyx face was undecorated and wrinkled, her blue-black eyes red-rimmed and tired, and her thin gray hair unbound. She looked like the older woman that she was at the end of a long voyage and not like the embodiment of her office. “So do you,” Terlu said. “You look wonderful.”
Her lips curved into a smile. “You always were more kindhearted than the world would allow. I was very pleased to hear that you are thriving here.”
Belatedly, she realized they were all still standing on the dock in the chill of the sea breeze. “Come inside,” Terlu said. “You must be hungry and tired.”
Marin piped up. “I am.”
“I’m fine,” Ree said.
“Do you have bags? I can carry them.” She thought ahead. “The late sorcerer’s home is unoccupied. It used to be haunted, but the ghost moved on. You can stay there, if you’d like, for as long as you like.” She supposed she should consult with the other residents before welcoming any more people to Belde. She didn’t think, though, anyone would mind, especially Yarrow. He knew what Rijes meant to her. And no one would object to Marin and Ree either—the rescuers of the refugees.
Marin ducked into the hull of her ship and emerged with two bags that she tossed onto the dock with a grunt. “I’d rather sleep on my boat, but thanks.”
“Same,” Ree said.
“How long can you stay?” Terlu asked.
“Only until the wind changes,” Marin said.
“Ahh,” Terlu said, though she wasn’t exactly sure what that meant. A calendar date would have been far more specific, but they were welcome for however long they wanted, though she hoped that Rijes would stay for longer. She picked up one of the bags and staggered. “Books?”
“A few,” Rijes admitted.
“Then definitely Laiken’s tower. It has bookshelves. Oh, and it also has a talking rose named Lotti. She’s in the greenhouse right now, but she lives in the tower. I’m sure she’d love the company. She’s very friendly.” Terlu waddled with the head librarian’s bags, while Marin followed with another pack plus a box of what Terlu assumed was more books. “I’ve been working through the sorcerer’s notebooks…” She led them to the workshop and opened the door.
Behind her, Rijes let out a small gasp as she beheld the bookshelves—it was the sound of a woman who didn’t expect to find happiness but discovered it anyway. Terlu knew that sound well. “This is perfect,” Rijes proclaimed.
It had transformed from abandoned and disheveled to cozy and library-like. “It’s much cleaner than it was.” She was grateful that Yarrow had scrubbed it so thoroughly. She hadn’t expected to be showing it to the head librarian of the most magnificent library in the whole of the Crescent Islands. Terlu lowered the bags of books while Rijes went immediately to the shelves and pulled off a volume.
Flipping through the pages, Rijes frowned at it. “Curious.”
“He used a code,” Terlu said. “I can show you the translation—”
“Yes, that would be excellent!”
Marin said plaintively, “After food?”
Terlu laughed. “Yes, after food. Why don’t you settle in, and I’ll be by with some dinner? And the codebook. Ree, I know your friends will be happy to see you’re well.” If Rijes were interested in the notebooks … this could be a truly excellent development. There was no one else on the island with her kind of expertise.