Leelo tilted her face up to him. “Would we, though?” She smiled, the light returning to her eyes. “Even if my mother had told me about Nigel before, I’d have saved you. I’d save you every time, Jaren Kask.”

To Jaren’s relief, Fiona and Isola were already waiting when they arrived. They wouldn’t move the boat until dusk, to give themselves the added advantage of darkness, but they would still have to go carefully. There were Watchers on duty, and it was entirely possible they’d be patrolling the beach Jaren needed to launch from. Leelo had spoken with Isola that morning, and she had agreed to provide a distraction, if it came to that.

He studied Leelo’s mother surreptitiously, trying to find some trace of her daughter in her, but they were as different as spring and autumn. Fiona was not old by any means, but she looked so faded and brittle compared to Leelo. Once again, he had the feeling that Leelo was special, even here. Maybe it was simply because he loved her, but in the slanting late-afternoon light, she looked ethereal.

“Is everything all right?” Leelo asked her mother when she reached her. “Are you sure you’re up to this?”

Fiona nodded. “Of course I am.” She looked past her daughter to Jaren, who was hanging back a bit, unsure.

“You must be Jaren,” she said, holding out her hand. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

Jaren stepped forward and took her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, too. Thank you, for helping me.”

When she smiled, Jaren saw Leelo in the small gap between her teeth, in the genuine warmth in her eyes. “You’re very lucky, you know. Most Endlans would have killed you on sight. It’s a miracle you found Leelo.”

Jaren blushed and looked at his feet. “I sort of think of it as fate.”

Fiona studied him for a moment, and Jaren forced himself to meet her gaze, hoping his eyes could convey how much he loved Leelo. That he was good enough to deserve her love, too.

Finally, Fiona nodded. Jaren glanced at Leelo and was somewhat relieved to see she was blushing, too.

The boat, fortunately, was repaired and already loaded into the pulley system that would take it to the surface, as Leelo knew it would be from her reconnaissance mission in the middle of the night. She’d found new oars propped against the cave wall and lashed them to the inside of the boat.

“Just remember,” Fiona said as they took up their positions. “We treat the boat with a special sap that is immune to the poison, but it usually has months to cure, and it’s only been a few weeks since the last application.”