The orchard was quiet, the gnarled branches the only audience to our heroic descent, until a childlike voice cut through the air.
“Uncle Gavin, you’re back!” Annie tumbled from one of the tree branches, nearly tripping in the grass as she raced toward us.
She was a blur of arms, limbs, and a swinging braid, and Gavin scooped her up with a shake of his head. He raised an eyebrow with mock seriousness.
“Were you climbing the trees, misfit?”
“No. I was waiting patiently for your return in the grass the whole time.”
“Suspicious.”
He dropped her to her feet when she squirmed, and then she barreled into me, knocking me back into the grass. Her scrawny arms looped around my neck.
“Careful, Annie,” Gavin warned.
But she rolled her eyes. “I’m just saying hi to Aunt Marin, geez.”
My gaze snapped to Gavin’s.Aunt Marin?I mouthed, letting him twist on the hook for a second. But he didn’t even flinch. Gavin shrugged, dropping his pack to his feet and stretching his shoulders.
“She says what everyone is thinking, just louder and without a filter. And whatever you do, don’t tell her any secrets.”
Annie scrunched her nose, her voice dropping between clenched teeth. “I’mfantasticat secrets!”
I tried to stifle a grin—I really did—but my lips wobbled with my heart, and I had to drop my chin to my chest to hide it. Gavin had found his family, and somehow, after facing thewicked sea and sky, I’d found mine again, too. Maybe it was the manor's magic, or maybe it was just Gavin’s trick coin at work, always landing the way it was meant to.
But even as the thought settled, a shadow crept across the grass, and clouds gathered in the distance. A roll of thunder echoed over the sea. There wasn’t time for a long reunion, or worse, a long goodbye.
“Is Bowen here?” I asked Annie as we pushed to our feet, brushing the grass from our clothes. The ground tilted, and I swallowed around the sour taste in my throat.
“Yes. He’s up at the house with Cass. We’ve been keeping watch the last few days. Was my map helpful?” She twirled her long braid around her finger.
“It was perfect. We couldn’t have done it…” I pressed a hand to my collarbone and forced the words out. “…without your map.” I met Gavin’s darkening gaze over the top of Annie’s head. “You’re the real heroine of this hunt.”
“I knew it.” Annie sighed in relief, then reached into her pocket. She pulled out a pale green shard, letting it rest in the palm of her gloved hand. “I found this for you on the beach. Cass says you have a whole collection.”
I curled my fingers around the sea glass, feeling the sparks of energy flow up my arm. I gave Annie a wink. “I do. We’ll have to add this one to the jar in the library.”
Annie scrubbed a hand along the back of her neck, her guilty gaze dropping into the grass. “What library? I’ve never seen a library.”
Gavin grunted. “Looks like I’m not the only bad influence around here, huh,Aunt Marin?”
I coughed into my fist, a laugh escaping at the end. Then I lifted my shoulder. “What can I say? Locks are meant to bebroken. It’s never too early to teach a kid the basics.”
Gavin retrieved his pack and then slid mine off my shoulder. “Come on, let’s head back to the manor before those storm clouds hit.”
Thunder cracked over the cliffs. The wind barreled in from the sea, sharp with salt, and like a lure, it drew me closer—longing for the spray against my cheeks, and the weight of the waves swirling around my feet.
Cass and Bowen met us at the terrace. I wiped the back of my hand across my brow and tugged my damp shirt away from my skin. The weary travelers had returned looking like something the sea had cast out.
“Marin!” Cass pulled me into a hug, her arms loosening slightly when I gulped a shallow breath against her shoulder. She eased back, smoothing the hair from my face. Her eyes were wet, lashes spiking with unshed tears. “Did you find it?”
Gavin reached into his pack and pulled out the shard. It shimmered faintly in the graying light.
Bowen let out a low whistle and clapped a rough hand on Gavin’s shoulder. “We knew you could do it. Anyone else, I’d have laughed in their face. But you two? It was never a matter of if, just when.”
I cocked my head with a teasing smile. “It was mostly Gavin. I let him… do most of the work…” I drew in a sharp breath. “…then swooped in with the brilliant plan at the end.”
Cass’s brow creased as she gently nudged me back toward the rail so I could lean against it. She cast Gavin a worried look and said over her shoulder, “That’s what partners are for, doing the grunt work so you can take all the credit. Why else would you keep this towering menace in boots around?”
