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“Because I think you did more than just swim Darcy back to shore the night you saved her, and in doing so, you put yourself in danger.” The fish’s fins look like they’re really moving. “Am I right about that?”
“Yes.”
“What do you want to know about divine transformation?” she asks.
“How to achieve it on land.”
The disc stops spinning, and pieces of our conversation slip from my memory as she places it back in the trousseau. “The secret of the Undine’s ritual for divine transformation has been lost to the sea, and for a good reason.”
I stare at her, perplexed by the sudden change in our conversation. We were just discussing the items in her trunk.
I shake my head to clear the fog rolling in. “What’s the reason?”
“A priestess abused the gift of divine transformation so badly that the coven voted to destroy the records of the ritual to prevent such a thing from happening again,” she says. “They didn’t want anyone else gaining power by harvesting souls from innocents, convincing men to barter with the lives of their children.”
My stomach folds in on itself. “The sea witch was a priestess?”
“Yes, she’s the reason why the only records of the ritual lie within the original temple at the bottom of the Sunken City,” she says, a sad look flitting over her features. “It would take centuries to recreate the ritual altar.”
“Forty years, actually.”
She breathes in as if she means to say something, and then grabs my plait, letting it slip through her fingers. “This marriage is important to you, isn’t it?”
“It is.” Even if it’s for the wrong reason, a selfish reason. I have to remind myself that Darcy is not marrying for love either.
We both want this wedding to happen for our personal benefits, and that’s something I have to live with.
“Darcy is a very single-minded woman,” she says. “It’s almost impossible to steer her off course once she has her heart set on something, but she needs the guidance of a very special person.” She holds on to the end of my braid. “You’re a very special woman, Dee. I think you can help her to lean into her goodness instead of her fear.”
“That’s what I hope to do.”
“Then don’t push her away,” Bijou says. “She could really love you.”
“I don’t know. She made this vow not to—”
“Forget about her silly vow. She was sixteen when she swore to never give her heart to anybody.”
“You know about that?”
“Of course I do.” She pulls a quick smile that flattens almost immediately. “But I’ve seen the way she looks at you, and I know she’ll get over that eventually.”
“Do you love her?” I ask, noting how her voice drops off.
“I am a bride of the tide.” She glances at her trousseau and all of the items her mother lovingly curated for her. “I only wish to see my dearest friend happy, so please be careful.”
“Careful? How so?”
“The air seems to shimmer around you whenever you’re close to the professor.” She tugs my braid gently, bringing me closer to her. “I don’t think I’m the only one who notices.”
“We’re not–” I can’t finish that sentence.
Bijou yawns as she stands. “I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted. We should probably get some rest before setting sail in the morning.”
I head back to my room, the ache in my feet intensifying. I fall into bed and find Zephyr’s pants are missing.
Light sparks in the corner of the room, and they appear, fully clothed. They stalk to the side of the bed and hold a hand out.
“Let me see your toes.”
