“I did, aye. She died three years ago, my sweet Bessa.” He sighs and makes the sign of Gental. “Haven’t had a chance to find another, what with the Anticipation and all. Business has been too steady.”

I look around the empty inn, but perhaps the time of day is wrong. Still, this man had a wife. He has a daughter. Surely he knows some about females. So I eye him and slide one of the necklaces out of the pile. “Trade for the others. This one you can have for free if you answer my questions.”

“Gladly, sea friend.” He smiles broadly, perhaps a little too broadly.

“How do I prove to a human woman that she is my wife?”

Anellas’s face screws up and his heavy chin jiggles. “Prove? Prove what? You are her man. She should be glad to have a strapping, virile man like yourself. She’s the woman. You don’t have to prove anything.”

Unhelpful. I glance down the bar at the daughter, hovering in the doorway. She bites her nail and looks as if she wishes to say something. “Speak.”

Her gaze flicks to her father uncertainly. When he waves to indicate that she should speak up, she takes a step forward. “What kind of marriage was it?” she asks. “What kind of ceremony? Did you offer a bribe to goddess Belara?”

I lean back, surprised. “Ceremony?”

“Why yes,” Anellas slides back into the conversation, his tone as greasy as his brow. “Surely you had a wedding ceremony? And after that, the bedding? Ho, ho.” He chortles, quite pleased with himself.

The daughter continues to watch her father, creeping forward another step. She twists her hands in her apron. “A ceremony would make it feel real,” she says in a soft voice. “A ceremony in front of family.”

“I am not near mine.” A ceremony? Truly? The only weddings I have gone to have been lavish affairs between a sea lord and his bride, involving days of feasting and many sacrifices to Vor, and so many flotillas joined together that one could step on turtlebacks for as far as the eye could see. That does not strike me as something that Vali would want.

Then again, I do not know Vali.

“A handfast is just your word,” she continues. “Words can be dismissed. A promise can be broken. But in front of family? That makes it real.”

Hm. Her words are wise. I imagine taking Vali to my flotilla and introducing her to my parents, my sister. They would insist upon a feast. They would fuss over my bride once they got over the strangeness of a human in their midst. And they would accept her.

Perhaps that is what I need to do, then. If I take Vali to my family and have her meet the flotilla, she will know that I am telling the truth. That she is my bride, that I will not abandon her. I grunt, oddly pleased. “Thanks.”

She smiles.

I pluck out a bracelet from the pile before Anellas can get his hands on it and shove it down the bar towards her. “For you. For your help.”

Anellas frowns, but the girl is fast. She snatches up the bracelet and runs away before he can complain. He shakes his head as she retreats, glancing back at me. “Women. She’s not wrong, though. Fuss over your female a bit and she’ll be eating out of your hand.”

Eat out of my hand? I imagine Vali slurping fish out of my grasp. Is this a human custom? I’d rather she eat out of her own, but I try not to let my repugnance show.

“Now, my friend.” Anellas rubs his hands together and gives me another too-big smile. “Let us trade. What can I get for you today? Willow bark tea, yes. What else?”

“Ribbons,” calls the girl from the back. “Ribbons for her hair!”

“Hush, girl,” Anellas yells back.

But I like the idea. “Ribbons,” I echo, thinking. “And ugly cloth.”

“Ugly cloth?”

I nod. “Functional. Not pretty. Cloth you can get dirty.”

Anellas nods. “I think I know just the thing. I have some in the back. It’s expensive, though.” His expression turns woeful. “Almost as expensive as the willow bark tea. You’ll want a cup for your lady to drink out of. Or do you have one?”

I flick a hand at him, indicating he should include a cup. If she needs this to drink tea, I will get it for her. Tea, a cup, ribbons, and ugly cloth she won’t be afraid to get stained. I cross one set of arms, thinking, while Anellas touches my gold with covetous fingers. Then, I know just the thing.

“Cooked food,” I blurt out.

“Cooked food? I can make you a fine meal⁠—”

I cut him off with a hiss. “For her.”

“Ahhh. Is the lady near?” When I scowl, he elaborates. “Should the food be portable?”

I nod.

He waggles a finger in the air. “Let me get you hardtack and dried meat. And cheese. And some dried fruit. Does she like nuts?”

I have no idea. But I imagine she will like anything more than raw fish. “Give me some of all of it.”

Chapter

Twelve

VALI

Isit at the entrance of the tent, letting the breeze touch my overheated skin, and I try not to panic.

Ranan is gone.

He’s been gone all morning. Normally if I wake up and he’s not in the tent with me, he comes and checks in on me before he swims out again. I’ve waited for hours, though, and there’s been no sign of him. He didn’t sleep with me last night, either. Not that I expected him to, what with my courses, but it just means I haven’t seen him for that much longer.

Dread bubbles in my belly.

If he comes back, perhaps I should tell him my menses finished early. That I’m fine and I’m not cramping at all. They’re certainly better than yesterday but not gone. If he considers me a burden, though, I worry that he’s going to grow impatient. That no matter how much he swears he’s not going to abandon me, he might change his mind. People say all kinds of things to your face, but they will act very different in private. I don’t know Ranan well enough to trust him yet.

So I do what I can to tidy up and make myself presentable. There’s a waterskin left by the door for me, along with another pack of the sweet fruits. I eat and drink, and then clean up, changing out my rags. The fluff from the cattails helps immensely—I make a thick pad of it between two layers of cloth—and toss the messy scraps into a bag that I keep tightly sealed. By the gods, I’ve never appreciated living in a town as much as I have until now. I’d give anything for a copper tub by a hearth, or even a chamberpot.

But I feel much better once I’ve cleaned up and eaten. I stay away from the water’s edge and keep to the tent on the center of Akara’s back. And I wait for Ranan to return, because there’s nothing else to do. Even if he doesn’t come back for me…he’d come back for his turtle, surely?

I’m relieved when I see the sail atop Ranan’s head crest through the water. He swims towards the turtle, and then climbs up on board, water sluicing down his strong body. His gaze immediately goes to me. I wave, awkward but pleased, and he doesn’t look annoyed at the sight of me.

Ranan crosses over Akara’s broad back to my side and then drops a heavy pack in front of my feet. He crouches near me, his expression full of concern. “How are you feeling?”

I manage a smile. “Better today. Truly, I’m fine.”

“Do you bleed?”

His blunt question startles me. “I’m going to bleed for a few days more, aye.”

“Then you are not fine.” He nudges the sopping pack towards me. “Here. I got you things. Human things.”

“Human things?” I echo, surprised. Is this where he’s been all morning? Are we near a city? Is he planning on taking me there and leaving me? I don’t know how to react to this tidbit of information. “Is…there a city nearby, then?”

Ranan shakes his head, opening the large bag since I don’t reach for it. “I swam to meet a trader I work with. He is a short journey from my grotto.”