Chapter Twenty: Goodbyes

"See? You make a fold, then stitch it below to hold it in place. Fold. Stitch."

Avocato leaned close, watching Piarcynka's delicate and careful hands as she manipulated a piece of the glossy black dunefly wing into a brooch for MewMew. It was as much origami as knotwork as beneath her fingers, the fine gossamer was transformed into a miniature dunefly.

"There. I'll sew on the pin when I'm done here. Give it to your mother in thanks for her generosity."

"That is marvelous, lady," he exclaimed, meaning it. "And all the better for being made by you. I know my mother will treasure it. Thank you."

A few more folds, a twist here, a knot there, and the dunefly was finished, caught forever in flight. Piarcynka used small scissors to trim it and clip in a few details before she set it down at the table beside a tiny version of the Rivermin, which was destined for Kedi's mother.

"These are traditional designs. They are stronger than they look. I wanted to make something for Lady Cordell and Kedidi's young lady, but he told me they can't give jewelry to a girl they are not betrothed or married to."

"Mmm," agreed Avocato, more than willing to conspire for the benefit of all parties involved. He knew the ins and outs of court etiquette better than Kedi, and how to circumvent the rules. With a careless wave of his hand he said, "That's true. However, should you happen to send my lady mother two extra pins, I'm sure she would be very happy to gift them to my lovely young cousins."

Latching onto this loophole, Piarcynka was already reaching for another wing. "What would Cordell like, you think?"

"She drew Nikos a silverwing, so perhaps a bird. And I know Clawdia loves flowers, but I think she would love anything Kedi sent her." He picked up the elegant little dunefly for another look. It fit neatly into the palm of his hand. "Once my mother wears this, you had best be prepared for other noble ladies clamoring for one. Limit production and promise me whatever price you decide upon, you'll add two zeros before the decimal point. Trust me, they can afford it."

"Avoo! Don't tease."

"I know what I'm talking about. Promise me. Look what happened at the harvest festival!"

The inhabitants of Vel Pitten had never, in all their days, had anything like it happen before. Lev Raion and his associates had not only bought the entirety of Stillwater Cove Farm's harvest for far more than the market price, but they had signed an exclusive contract with Pipar and Piarcynka for the next ten years. A decade of guaranteed sales was unheard of, but Raion's conversation with Avocato had given him the idea of an extremely exclusive line of spices that would be offered to only a select few. To do that, Raion knew they had to start with the finest spices available, so he and his team signed contracts with almost all the farmers present, and it was the fastest resolution of the spice market in memory. What normally took a large part of the day had been over before the other merchants arrived. He had not been exaggerating when he said the spices from the region were outstanding, and his quick action and generous payouts effectively cornered the market on certain varieties for years to come. When the farmers found out how these remarkable events came about, Avocato was declared a local hero and even more people were convinced he was a prince.

"You bring good fortune," she said approvingly, loading a needle with fresh thread. "I promise."

"Being blue has to be good for something."

"Even those who refused the contracts with Lev Raion made good sales to the other merchants in the panic that followed. I think they will regret not taking his offer."

"Why wouldn't they?"

She paused in cutting out pieces of the dunefly wing. "Some are stubborn, some untrusting, some greedy or jealous we have a prince picking our crops."

Avocato had long since given up trying to convince the inhabitants of Vel Pitten otherwise. Mrica and Miriyalu's bragging had fairly sealed his reputation in the Saan River Valley. There was no going back now. "If only they knew, my lady."

Piarcynka laughed. "Pipar is very happy. This contract will allow him to buy a piece of farmland he's wanted for a long time. It's dryer than our fields, and will be very good for growing spark peppers, the hottest in the world. They're Nikos' favorite."

He had seen Nikos' capacity for spicy foods. "I know to fear them, then."

"I'll send some when we harvest them, since you can get more than letters this year at the academy. And I'll be sure to send some to your lord father."

Thanks to his youngest son, Lord Catomar VI was enjoying a most excellent and memorable summer, as were the chefs at his estate. Avocato had sent his father samples of every herb and spice and even some fruits grown at Stillwater Cove Farm and the local area, along with handwritten notes from Piarcynka on the best way to use each one. Most of the new ingredients were completely unfamiliar, and very welcome. His father's enthusiasm knew no bounds, especially when his chef was able to dazzle all his peers at their monthly dinner in Caer Felix. Lines of communication sprang up between House Cato's kitchens and several of the ladies of Vel Pitten as the cooks tried to stay ahead of their competitors. It was hard to say who was having more fun – the bemused farmers' wives sharing what was for them commonplace recipes, or the chefs half a planet away discovering a whole new world of flavors.

"And when the chefs at other estates start calling . . ." he reminded her in a teasing voice.

She smiled. "I'll give them Lev Raion's comm line. Perhaps he should arrange cooking lessons to go with his spices."

Avocato laughed. "Tell him that! We'll give his new venture more customers than he can satisfy. Before it even gets started."

"I hope. Don't forget, we eat dinner early tonight. You all have an early start. Remind Nikos for me."

It was their last day before they would return to Ventrex City and their lives as cadets at the royal academy. Though he hated to leave Vel Pitten and its leisurely pace, Avocato was looking forward to seeing his friends again and resuming the rigors of academy life.

"I will. Speaking of Nikos, he's probably wondering where I am," said Avocato, rising. He leaned over and kissed Piarcynka's cheek. "Thank you again, lady."

Avocato jogged out of the house, then down to the dock where Kedi and Nikos were already swimming. He didn't stop, but stripped off his shirt and tossed it aside as he picked up speed. At the end of the pier, dove into the clear water as Nikos had shown him. He wasn't overly fond of the sensation of being under water, especially when it got in his ears, but it wasn't unbearable. His long limbs propelled him along, his strokes far more graceful and sure than his first attempt, and he surfaced not far from his friends.

Kedi still whined, but he'd reached the point that it was more for show and to entertain Mrica and Miriyalu, who were reduced to their musical giggles every time. Far more affected by the heat than Avocato - they had yet to experience a day anything less than broiling hot - Kedi appreciated the cooling effect water had, especially as his fur dried in the soft breezes off the Saan. Like Avocato, he saw the immense benefit of being able to swim, something no one he knew (present company excepted) would even contemplate. Most Ventrexians went their whole lives without getting fully wet, and even when they did, it was usually a result of being caught out in the weather and not deliberately jumping into an open body of water. Death by drowning was not so unusual, driving Ventrexians to shun the element rather than embrace it. In all their violent history, water was one of the rare things they had not conquered.

Unless you were Cadet Nikos of Answaar, who could out swim a fish.

"And here you didn't want to learn how to swim," said Nikos.

"Well, no," argued Avocato. "I wanted to learn to swim. I just didn't want to get wet to have to do it."

Nikos laughed. "I'm sorry, Cato, but the two are not mutually exclusive."

"Sadly. Swimming would be so popular otherwise."

"On Ventrexia?" asked Kedi, incredulous. "Still, it's a good thing to know. I doubt anyone else in our class knows how, not even our instructors. Just as it's good to know this is the right season to visit Vel Pitten."

"We have only one season!" said Nikos, splashing him. "We have floods, bugs, harvests, and occasionally the volcanoes hiccup. Nothing else even mildly interesting ever happens here for the rest of the year."

"All good things. Except the bugs. We hold annual celebrations in the Far Reaches," said Kedi, joining Avocato in treading water. "Most center on weather - the first day of no sun, the first day of no night, the first day of spring, midyear, midwinter. Any excuse to dance and eat."

"No sun?" demanded Nikos.

"No night?" Avocato exclaimed at the same moment.

Kedi nodded. "For a month in the winter, the sun never rises, and in the summer, it never sets. It can be confusing if you're not used to it."

Avocato blew out a long breath. "It's confusing just thinking about it."

"And I don't even want to think about it," insisted Nikos, sinking low in the water the way most people would hunker down under a blanket. Here at the equator, days and nights were equal and unvaried, and it was always broiling hot.

Avocato cast his roommate an anxious look. "What's the season now in the Far Reaches?"

Kedi smiled. Their trip to his home was already laid in, and their plan was to go there as soon as their second academy year ended. "Winter."

Nikos groaned, and slipped down beneath the water's surface.

"We'll arrive just in time for the start of the Long Night," promised Kedi.

Giving him a grumble, Avocato joined Nikos in his hiding spot. With a laugh, Kedi resumed floating, saying aloud,

"We're going to have so much fun."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

They left before dawn the following morning. The water was misty and still as the Catchpaw barge pulled up to the dock where they waited with their few belongings and Nikos' family. The twins hugged them fiercely, thanking Avocato and Kedi again for their gifts. Piarcynka kissed their cheeks and Pipar thanked them for such an exciting visit, insisting they had to return. Rinkon very briefly said goodbye to her brother and left without another word. Nikos silently watched her go before turning to his parents for a final blessing, then hugged the twins together.

They could tell by his body language that Rinkon's conduct had hurt Nikos, which was the last thing their friend needed as he said goodby-by to his family for the next year. Without a word between them, Avocato and Kedi immediately applied themselves to improving his mood, poking and prodding him across the gangplank and onto the barge.

"Be careful," Piarcynka said one final time, her worry evident.

"Fear not, my lady," Avocato said loudly, hooking an arm around Nikos' narrow shoulders. Kedi struck a dramatic pose that reduced the twins almost to tears. "He has us to protect him!"

"Fear for me, Mama," begged Nikos as he was dragged towards the stern. For a few moments they were able to keep abreast of the dock as the barge pulled out, and then they were standing together, waving goodbye until the Catchpaw pulled into the river.

"It's hard to leave," Kedi said, and they understood he meant his own experience leaving home as much as Nikos. It was different for Avocato, whose family and home were just an hour or two away. He hadn't traveled halfway around Ventrexia to attend the academy as his friends had, nor entered a whole new culture to complete his studies.

"Yes," agreed Nikos. He was silent for a little while, then glanced between these young men he called his brothers as he added, "But it's easier this time."

Kedi smiled, nodding in agreement. "Yes. Much easier."