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“Yep. Kissed her and everything. The cheek.” Fieran’s fake glare couldn’t fully hide his grin or the gleam in his eyes.

Merrik couldn’t help but grin rather unrepentantly back. If Fieran could tease him about it, then Fieran approved of Merrik’s and Adry’s relationship.

Now just to talk with Uncle Farrendel in the morning and hope he approved.

Chapter

Seventeen

Adry’s stomach churned as she leaned against the wall and waited for the various operators to make the connections to form the telephone line between Estyra and Treehaven.

Why was she so nervous? It wasn’t like Mama was going to object to Adry’s news. She’d be thrilled.

And yet telling her parents after keeping this a secret for nearly six weeks twisted tightly in Adry’s chest.

Had she timed her telephone call right? What if Mama was already tipped off through the heart bond because Merrik told Dacha first? Or what if Adry had called too soon, and Dacha ended up alerted through the heart bond with Mama?

Before Merrik had left, they’d agreed to tell her parents the morning after he arrived at Fort Defense. He would tell Dacha, and she would call Mama.

The line clicked, and Mama’s cheery voice came through. “Hello, Treehaven House.”

“Hello, Mama.” Adry tried to keep her tone light rather than betray the squeezing tightness in her chest.

“Adry. Is something wrong?” The cheeriness dropped from Mama’s voice.

“No, no, nothing’s wrong.” Adry drew in a deep breath. She hadn’t meant to worry her mama by calling this early in the morning. “I have something to tell you.”

This was it. There would be no going back once she blurted this out.

Her chest was tight, her head light, as she gasped out, “Merrik and I are courting.”

There was an agonizingly long pause. Then Mama’s voice came again, somewhat distantly as if she was distracted. “What was that?”

She had to say it again? Adry released an exhale, forcing herself to speak more slowly. “Merrik and I are courting.”

She let those words settle the churning in her stomach. After so many years of wishing and hoping and believing it would never happen, she was courting Merrik. Not merely her brother’s best friend, but her best friend.

When Mama still didn’t speak, Adry hurried onward. “I know it’s probably a surprise. But the past few weeks made Merrik and I realize, well, that we rather liked each other. We wanted to tell you and Dacha at the same time, so we figured out the best timing and Merrik should be telling Dacha any moment now, so if you feel something through the heart bond…”

“Ah, that explains the rather strange reactions I’m getting from your dacha.” Mama gave a light laugh, her tone far more normal. “We’re both very happy for you and Merrik. Well, your dacha will be, once he gets over the shock.”

Adry’s stomach sank again. “He isn’t…disapproving at all, is he?”

“No.” Mama laughed again. “He’s more bewildered than anything else. This is Merrik. He can’t disapprove of him. Does Patience know?”

“Yes, she does.” Adry smiled, sagging against the wall behind her. Aunt Patience was going to be so relieved—and so thrilled—to finally discuss this development with Mama. Adry suspected the two of them might have joked about this very thing happening a time or two when Adry and Merrik were young.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Adry hung up, though she remained where she was for several more minutes. There was no reason to hurry to visit Aunt Patience and Kari. Unless Adry missed her guess, Mama was ringing up Aunt Patience right now to chat about this development.

Finally, Adry pushed to her feet and gathered the small satchel of a new, raspberry tea she’d bought for Kari the last time she was in Estyra.

What she wouldn’t give to have seen Dacha’s face. Hopefully Merrik would have a chance to call home soon so she could hear about it.

His sword strapped to a belt at his waist, Merrik swiped his hands on the front of his trousers one more time before he set out across the hard-packed dry earth in the early morning hours. The air still had a chill while the faint haze of fog gathered below the bluffs near the rivers.

He crossed the road and cut through the hangar, where only a few of the mechanics were up and puttering about before starting their day.

Once he reached the other side of the hangar, he strolled into the hills to the left of where the flat, shorn grass marked the airfield. The hummocks of grass formed an uneven terrain, and Merrik had to slow his pace to pick his way carefully up the rise that sheltered the hollow where his dacha and Fieran’s dacha practiced their swordfighting every morning.