Weysh fluttered his wings, making a tight landing on the southern boardwalk. If you were looking for Island food, there was no place better than the docks, and especially no place better than Suli’s.

“Hey! A dragon!”

“Perfect landing!”

A group of drunk young men, a mix of Creshens and Islanders, hooted and cheered at him on their way. Weysh let Yenni down and changed.

“Byen, I love the docks. It’s the next best thing to Sainte Ventas,” he said.

He took Yenni’s hand as they walked beside the water. Various shacks and restaurants lined the boardwalk.

“Is that where your family is from?” Yenni asked over the cries of a fruit seller.

“It is,” said Weysh. “My uncle and cousins live there. I’ll take you to meet them sometime. Oho! Suli’s is right up here.”

As they closed in on the confection of colorful umbrellas out front, the music of the Islands wafted out to meet them.

“Ko’ra!” Yenni cried.

“En?”

“That stringed instrument! You call it maybe . . . a harp, or a guitar, but we call it a ko’ra. Oh, it sounds like home,” Yenni said wistfully. Weysh smiled down at her.

Inside was busy as usual, but the conversation was set at a low hum, just under the romantic plucking and soft drums of the music.

“Aye! Is trouble come?” Weysh’s friend Isaac weaved through the packed tables toward them. He worked as a host for Suli, sending money back to his maman in Sainte Ventas. Weysh sometimes took things back to Isaac’s family for free when he was making a trip there to retrieve supplies for Suli.

Weysh gripped his arm. “Good man, Isaac.”

“Is a long time from ah see you, brudda. Where you been, en?”

“Ah, well, you know. Here and there,” said Weysh evasively.

“An’ who is dis?” he said, flashing a gap-toothed grin at Yenni.

“I am Yenni Aja-Nifemi ka Yirba,” said Yenni. She held out her hand in greeting but Isaac took it and placed a kiss on the back. To Weysh’s surprise, it didn’t concern him at all. Strange. Just a few weeks ago another man even looking at Yenni might have sent him into a jealous fit. Was it because he couldn’t smell her scent?

“Welcome to Suli’s,” said Isaac.

“Tell me you have a table free,” said Weysh.

“For you man, I’ll build a table. I’ll tell ol’ man Suli you come, en? He gon wan’ say hi. You wan’ de patio?”

Weysh looked to Yenni.

“What is a ‘de patio’?” she asked.

“Outside, lovely.”

“Oh! Yes, that sounds nice.”

“The patio it is,” Weysh told Isaac.

“All right, brudda. Gimme half a secon’, en?”

As he left them waiting by the entrance Weysh squeezed Yenni’s hand. “Well?”

“Perfect,” she said happily. “Your friend Isaac is very nice. His accent reminds me of my friend Diedre’s, but it is much thicker.”