The Enchanted Greenhouse(61)
Another person!
More than that, it was a person from beyond the island of Belde. It was easy to believe that the rest of the world was only a distant memory, not a thing that currently existed, while you were surrounded by impossible greenhouses.
The sailor was a woman with silvery skin, the same tone as her sails. Her white-and-black striped hair was tied back with a silver ribbon, and she wore all blue with black boots up to her knees. She grinned at Terlu as the boat slid beside the dock. “Tie it off, would you?”
She tossed a line to Terlu, and Terlu （to her relief） caught it. She knelt to tie it to one of the clamps on the dock—she’d tied off canoes often enough on Eano that her fingers remembered how to shape the correct knot, despite her years in the library.
“You the one who raised the flag?” the sailor asked. “What do you have for me?”
“Hi,” Terlu said. “Thank you for coming. It’s really nice to … Well, lovely to meet you.” She pulled the letter out of her coat pocket.
“I’m Ree,” the shrub said. “And you … wow. Hi. You’re a sailor.”
The sailor laughed, not unkindly, and said, “Hello, Ree. Yes, I am.” To Terlu, she said, “You could’ve just left the note in the box. That’s what the gardener does. You the new gardener? What happened to the other one? He okay?”
“He’s fine. I’m…” She had no idea how to describe who she was or why she was here. She held out the letter, as if it was a viable answer. “I’m a friend. I’m helping with the greenhouse.”
“Huh. Good for him.” The sailor grinned. She had a friendly smile, broad and open. She glanced at the letter before tucking it into a pouch at her side. “Not a supply list? He usually leaves a list of what he needs—flour and wax and yeast and such.”
“It’s a letter to his family in Alyssium. Do you know how long it’ll take to reach them?” She wasn’t certain how to say she didn’t know where she was without it sounding too odd. She knew Belde was far from Alyssium, but was it north, south, east, or west? How many miles? She didn’t think Belde was one of the outer islands, given the lack of storms—the outer islands were known for wilder weather, at least according to the stray bits of news she’d heard in the library—but did she really know? “Not to pressure you, but if I could give him an idea of when to expect a response…”
Ree blurted out, “I love the sea.”
“Me too, my new friend,” the sailor said. “Me too.”
Terlu grinned at the little shrub, who seemed awed by the sailor. “Ree would like to accompany the letter, to make sure it reaches its destination. If you don’t mind the company.”
“This won’t be a short or easy jaunt. I don’t know that the open ocean is any place for an inexperienced, um…” She trailed off, clearly not certain what Ree was.
“I’m a wax myrtle,” Ree said. “I’m a halophyte. You’re a real sailor.”
“He wants the ocean,” Terlu explained.
Ree jumped in. “I won’t be any trouble! I’ll clean the deck. All the time. So much cleaning. And I’ll climb the mast. Oh, can I climb the mast? Please? I can climb the mast and shout, ‘Land, ho!’”
“I’m sure you’d be spectacularly helpful, but I don’t need a deckhand. I’m a solo sailor. Besides, Alyssium isn’t the best place to sail these days. It’s a mess, with the revolution and all. It’ll be a while before the city settles down.”
Wait—revolution? What did I miss? “What’s happening in Alyssium?” She tried to sound casual, as if this wasn’t significant news that could alter the course of history and potentially affect her life and her future and her safety, as well as the life and safety of everyone she knew both in the capital city and beyond. “A revolution, you said?”
“You haven’t heard?”
“The seagulls don’t gossip much, and we don’t get many other visitors.”
The sailor laughed again. “Fair enough. The short version is the revolutionaries finally overthrew the emperor—like, literally, they threw him out a window—and the empire has pretty much fallen. It’s been brewing for some time. You must have at least known that?”
She’d been a statue for six years. So, no, she didn’t know. “I’ve been busy.”
“Well, the long and short of it is that Alyssium is in chaos, and there’s no more Crescent Islands Empire. It’s just the Crescent Islands now. You’re sure the gardener is okay? He hasn’t ever sent a letter to anyone before.”
“He’s well, but it’s important his family receives it quickly, if it’s at all possible to sail there.” How chaotic was it? Was Yarrow’s family in danger? What about the library? And Rijes Velk? Don’t be silly. Revolutionaries wouldn’t touch the library. It’s full of treasures. She was certain that it and the head librarian were fine.
The sailor shrugged. “If it’s important, I can manage it.”
“I can help,” Ree pleaded. “I eat danger for breakfast.”
“You eat breakfast?” the sailor asked.
“I only eat danger.”
“That’s hilarious and adorable, but the answer is still no.” To Terlu, she said, “I’ll deliver the letter as quickly and safely as I can. You’ve got my payment?”