Page 245 of Keldori By Daybreak

Those who visited stayed in town. It wasn’t safe for them outside of Keel Watch, but we took care of them when they were here. The increase in tourism was good for us, though we’d had to work together to establish a fair exchange rate between Keldorian money and Skalterran coin.

As for anyone who was dumb enough to come here with intentions to harm us, Davyn’s wife stayed in Darragh’s Watch with their daughters. I’d met the formidable woman with her short-cropped hair and scarred face a couple of times. She was a frightening woman, apparently a retired mercenary, but under our employment, I felt safer knowing her presence would help deter those who meant to hurt us.

“Miss Saergrim,” Davyn said, lifting his coffee cup as if to toast me when I entered through the shop’s back door.

“How’s traffic on the bay today, Davyn?”

“Slow. Just a few folk all the way from Willow’s Grave, but they’ve gone down the street to explore. I might be able to get some fishing in if your onchú has left any for me down there.” He nodded at the water towards where Una was now harassing a seal. “Tell your mother thanks, by the way. I grabbed her newest release for Runa. We’ll see if she likes it as much as the last one, but the fellow on the cover looks like me, so I’m sure she will.”

“Wren! Is that you?” Orla’s call beckoned me through the aisles, saving me from commenting on the shirtless man on Mom’s book cover and his apparent likeness to Davyn.

Davyn tipped his coffee at me again in farewell.

Orla’s thin shoulders relaxed as I approached the front register. Her green apron had “Liam” embroidered in white thread, and she pushed shoulder-length hair back from her face.

“You weren’t here when I woke up,” she fretted. “I thought you’d left without saying goodbye until I saw your things by the door.”

“Sorry, I went down to the dock. I couldn’t sleep.” I tried to smile through my nerves, but my pile of bags next to the shop door was agitating them again.

“Are you sure you want to go to that fancy school?” Orla asked. “It’s going to be lonely going to class without you.”

“You still have Sabrina to keep you company on the commute,” I reminded her.

“She doesn’t let me talk in the mornings. Something about it being too early for that.”

“Keep annoying Iseult then. Maybe she’ll finally enroll too.”

“Speaking of!” Orla’s face brightened as she looked to the door.

The doorway bell rang out as Iseult shouldered her way inside, carrying two coffees. Silver light spilled out from beneath her maxi-dress, and she skirted around the counter to give Orla a peck on the cheek and slip a coffee into her hand.

“There’s your poison,” she sang.

“It’s not poison, it’s delicious.”

“It’s mostly milk and sugar.”

“It’s better than leaf water.” Orla returned the kiss to Iseult’s cheek. “Watch the register while I help Wren carry her things out, alright?”

Jonquil leapt onto the counter as Orla came around and meowed dolefully at me.

“Don’t pretend like you’re going to miss me.” I scratched her under her chin to elicit a reluctant purr. “It’s Ciarán you’re going to miss.”

Orla slung an overstuffed duffle bag over her shoulder, but when I moved to help her, Iseult beckoned me back.

“Wren.” She held a hand out to me over the counter.

I stared at it for a moment, marveling at how Iseult’s strange behavior could still catch me off guard after all this time.

“Are you handshaking me goodbye?” I asked.

She grimaced. “Is there an alternative you’d prefer?”

“You can hug me, Iseult. We’ve reached that point.”

I grabbed her hand and pulled her in over the counter so we could embrace over the register. It may have not been the most ergonomic hug ever, but it wasn’t the worst hug either.

“Take care of Orla,” I said.