The agama wrinkled his snout. “I’m only doing this because we’ve gone to too much trouble keeping her alive up to this point. There’s no sense letting her die now.”
“Is that the only reason?” Torvus asked him.
Ramaro’s tongue flicked out. “What other reason would there be?”
I knelt in front of him as he remained seated on his haunches. “Thank you so much for this.” I leaned forward and pressed a kiss against his cheek.
A faint blush tinged his cheeks as I drew away. He quickly shook it off and furiously wiped his paw against the spot where I had planted my kiss. “Disgusting! Is that the thanks I get for saving your hide?”
“I’ll trade places with you next time,” Torvus offered.
Baba plopped herself down in her chair and threw up her arms. “What an end.”
I held up the envelope. “Do you mean this?”
She scoffed. “No, to my supper plans. All I have left is my famous stew.”
My stomach churned like an ocean whirlpool. Torvus looped his arm through mine and bowed his head to our hostess. “You’ll have to excuse us, Baba, but we have some supplies to buy. You wouldn’t happen to have forgiven me, would you?”
She leaned back in her chair and scowled at him. “Why should I?”
Torvus looped his arm around one of mine. “Consider it a wedding gift.”
My mouth dropped open, and Ramaro dropped onto all fours.
Baba scoffed. “She would never marry you.”
“But she’s already accepted. We’re to be married as soon as we reach the Island of Tranquility.”
“And you need those supplies to reach the island,” she guessed.
He smiled and bowed his head to her. “Exactly.”
Baba’s eyes flickered between us, and she again scoffed. “You’re out of practice with lying, boy. I haven’t heard you say something that absurd since you were five.”
Torvus shrugged. “I’ll have to work on that.”
Baba flicked her wrist, and one of the papers from a nearby pile flew into her hand. My mouth fell open as I watched lines appear on the surface as though by magic, which is exactly what it was. The magic writing stopped appearing, and she held out the paper to him.
“Consider this my gift for meeting someone of such uniqueness,” she commented as he took the paper. Her eyes fell on me, and a crooked smile slipped onto her lips. There was something familiar about that wicked grin. “It isn’t every day I get to meet someone from another world.”
Torvus tucked the paper into his pocket and caught my eye. “We should get going before the sun sets. The wharf workers are quicker to scatter to the bars than sailors on shore leave.”
“Wait a sec,” I pleaded as I drew myself from his grasp. I stepped up to Baba, who eyed me with suspicion. “Thank you, Baba.” I leaned down and pecked a kiss on her forehead. When I drew back, I saw her wide eyes and slightly agape mouth.
She sat up and cleared her throat before she waved her hand at the door. “Yes, well, off with you now.”
We turned and moved to the door, but stopped in the entrance when her voice called us back. “Marc.”
He half-turned to her, and I looked over my shoulder. The woman looked so old and frail, seated in that high-backed chair. Her hands grasped the front of the arms, and they were pale and thin.
“Don’t stay away too long, boy, or your lies will get even worse.”
Torvus smiled and bowed his head. “I’ll be sure to swing around soon. Bye, Baba.”
We slipped out, shutting the door behind us. The young afternoon had gotten old during our land adventures. Night would fall in a few hours.
“What was on that paper Baba gave you?” I wondered as we strolled down the street toward the wharf.
