The Enchanted Greenhouse

Terlu and Yarrow ask Rowan and Ambrel to help them search for the ingredients. Rowan is still angry with her brother, and he confesses that he missed her and apologizes for not writing to her or visiting her. Rowan gathers all of the humans and sentient plants together so that Terlu can explain her plan. In an attempt to show their support, the sentient plants praise Terlu’s skills with magic, and she fears that she will have to flee from Belde. However, Yarrow’s family already deduced that someone was working magic, and they defend her actions: “The emperor’s gone, and his laws don’t reach here anyway. You’re not going to be punished for what you did out of kindness” (321).

With the matter of Terlu’s magic addressed, Lotti divides the group into search teams. Birch teams up with Terlu and Yarrow. He apologizes for leaving, but Yarrow retorts that he blames his father for what happened before his departure. After Yarrow storms out of the greenhouse, Terlu tries to help Birch understand how incidents like his time in the caves gave his son abandonment issues: “You taught him he can’t trust the people who are supposed to love him” (325). Terlu realizes that Laiken may have hid the shells in the caves under the greenhouse, and Yarrow is determined to go with her. She suggests that they ask the dragons from the hedge maze for help navigating the labyrinthine caves.

Accompanied by three dragons, Terlu and Yarrow venture into the caves and leave a trail of string to mark their route. The darkness reminds her of being stored in a closet when she was a statue, and she holds his hand for comfort. Yarrow assures her that she’s no longer alone and thanks her for changing his life.

The dragons locate a shell and lead the humans deeper into the network of caves. When the string runs out, Yarrow declares that he’d rather lose the greenhouse than risk Terlu’s life, because he loves her. Terlu is stunned speechless.

The dragons lead Terlu and Yarrow to a stone altar upon which rests a tortoise shell filled with smaller shells. Yarrow sets the smaller shells on fire and then carries the tortoise shell out of the cave. To his surprise, his father and sister are waiting for them when they exit the cave. Birch tells his son, “I should never have given up on our home—or on you” (338). Arm in arm, Terlu and Yarrow walk to the dock and toss the shell into the sea together.

Next, the couple brings the dragons back to the maze, but they leave the door open in case the dragons want to explore more of the greenhouse. Although only time will tell if the destructive spell on the greenhouse has really been broken, Terlu feels confident that their plan worked. She feels ready to write to her family and composes a letter in which she describes her love for them, her longing “to find a place where she belonged and had purpose” (343), and her joy now that she knows that place is Belde.

The narrative moves forward a few weeks. Lotti and the rest of the sentient plants are finished repairing the cracked walls, and Laiken’s ghost passed on after the rose informed him that the greenhouse is safe. Terlu continues experimenting with different variations of the bubble spell.

One evening, Birch invites Yarrow and Terlu to have dinner with the family, but the couple opts for a quiet night together instead. Yarrow surprises her by making a dessert with oranges. She’s touched that he remembered her story about her grandmother’s oranges and cherishes this “bit of home” (351). The two share a passionate kiss.

Five days later, Marin arrives with a letter from Terlu’s family, supplies for the Winter Feast, and a group of refugees from Alyssium. The sailor reveals that she’s the one who brought Terlu to the island, that the imperial investigators have been disbanded, and that the law that led to her being turned into a statue has been struck down. Terlu is deeply grateful for the peace of mind that these revelations bring her and for the risk that Marin took by transporting a convicted criminal. In a further testament to how the Crescent Islands have changed, Marin gives Terlu a book entitled Spells from Caltrey, which aims to teach ordinary people how to work magic. The sailor observes, “Brand-new world out there. A second chance for a whole lot of people, not just you” (357).

Rijes emerges from the ship’s hold, and Terlu thanks her for saving her. Terlu welcomes the former head librarian to Belde and invites her to stay in Laiken’s tower. Although Rijes is elated to see the sorcerer’s books, she laments the loss of the Great Library. Terlu tells her that Belde is the perfect place to begin again.

Terlu hurries back to Yarrow’s cottage and tells him that she loves him. She also tells him all about the arrival of Marin, Rijes, and the refugees. She’s nervous to read her family’s messages, so she asks him to read them first. With a warm smile, he informs her that the letters from her parents and sister are full of understanding, forgiveness, and pride. She reads the messages for herself and discovers that she has a niece. Terlu allows herself to envision a joyful future in which her relatives visit her on Belde. Next, she reads the spellbook Marin gave her and discovers that one of the authors is Caz. She cries, overcome by the proof that she was right to give the spider plant sentience.

On the morning of the Winter Feast, Yarrow suggests that Terlu invite Caz and her relatives for the Summer Feast. At noon, all of the island’s human and sentient plant residents gather in the rose greenhouse, and the celebration commences. The space is filled with laughter, music, and a myriad of delicacies, including a greenhouse that Yarrow made out of sugar. After the meal is over, Terlu asks Yarrow if he’s ready to leave, and he gratefully accepts.

After saying their goodbyes, the couple takes a stroll through the greenhouse complex. Terlu asks Yarrow if he’s all right with how many people are living on the island now, and he explains that he’s more than happy about the changes that she’s ushered into his life: “[Y]ou make my world better. Every day, in a million different ways. You brought me to life” (371). He apologizes for leaving her alone in the woods when she was a statue and explains that he was certain that the awakening spell had failed. He asks her if she’s happy since she didn’t choose to come to Belde, and she answers, “I’m home” (372). Surrounded by flowers, they share a kiss.