The man gaped as though Barclay’s words were incredibly foolish. “Of course like the moon. This is the Sea—everything is controlled by the moon. The tides, the coral spawning in the reef, even some of the currents. We may divide our year into four solar seasons and celebrate holidays like Midsummer and Midwinter, but the moon also plays a crucial role in nature. And there are many of its mysteries still left to solve. Not that you younger generations appreciate such things.”

Barclay was offended—he appreciated knowledge plenty. And he was about to tell him so when the man barked, “Now leave! Without permission from the High Keeper, the observatory is for Scholars only.”

At that, Barclay and Hasu fled back down the stairs, and no sooner did they emerge from the curtain than they collided with Viola and Yasha. The towers of books they each carried spilled across the floor.

“Sorry!” Barclay yelped. He knelt to pick up the volumes. “Are you planning on checking out all of these?”

“So what if I am?” Viola asked tightly.

“It’s just…” He scanned the titles. Yasha was carrying the sort of books he’d expect—encyclopedias on rare items of the Sea. But Viola’s books were different. There were biographies of past Grand Keepers, scientific papers on various Sea Beasts, histories of the Desert, the Tundra, and the Jungle. “It’s a lot, is all.”

“Well, I thought I’d assign myself a little extra reading.”

As Barclay lifted another book off the floor, he uncovered a piece of parchment crumpled beneath it. The broken seal of the three-headed dragon glimmered as though gold dust had been stirred into the wax.

“Hasu, Yasha, would you mind catching up with the others?” Barclay asked. “I want to talk to Viola about something.”

Hasu and Yasha nodded, then gathered their books and disappeared through the shelves.

Barclay grabbed the letter and its opened envelope. “You read one of your dad’s letters. What did he say?”

No different from yesterday, Viola tried to snatch the letter from his hands. But Barclay was ready this time, and he yanked it out of her reach. “Don’t look at it….” She sniffled, and Barclay was shocked to see tears glinting in Viola’s eyes. “It’s not—”

“I won’t read it,” he promised. “But you’re upset. If you let me know why, maybe I can help you.”