Three days later, Misha was standing at the port, waiting for the boat to arrive. It was considerably earlier than they had anticipated.
A bird had come to inform them that the ship carrying their herbs had pulled into port. With Nel cooperating seriously in developing Misha’s new medicine, they had just started to see promising results as they got the news. It was almost like it had all been planned.
Having just been woken up from a rare nap by Miranda, Misha had been all but stuffed into the carriage. The vehicle rocked a half asleep Misha down to the port where a familiar salty breeze washed over her. Uncovered, her hair was left to flow freely in the ocean breeze. The breath of humid wind carried away the last of her sleepiness.
Which boat is it?
Misha was there to serve as a signpost for the new arrival, so there was nothing she could do but stand somewhere obvious and wait for them to notice her.
“Miiiiishaaaaa! Long time no see!”
Misha was suddenly rocked by someone jumping onto her from the side, wrapping her in a big hug that almost bowled her right over. When she finally pulled herself back enough to see who had attacked her, her eyes went wide.
“Kent?! What are you doing here? Where’s your grandmother?”
Kent grinned, like a child watching their prank succeed. “Granny is doing great. She’s back at the village. I’ve been traveling around doing merchant training. I was just up north.” In the months since they last met, he had grown quite a bit, taking on a more mature air. He puffed up proudly as he said, “We brought the herbs you were looking for!”
After Misha had left, Kent and his grandmother had been invited to visit the village where their textiles were made. As much as the village had developed because of their business, it was still a remote mountain village with little to offer in the way of stimulation. Having grown up in large cities all of his life—and having had quite the eventful life after that, for better or for worse—he had found himself tired of it all fairly quickly.
He had tried going to the school in the village, but his grandmother had already taught him reading, writing, math, and even accounting and management. The studies they undertook there were little more than child’s play to him.
His grandmother had settled into the village well, and her health had recovered. Feeling no need to stay there himself, Kent had decided to tag along with a group of merchants who had come to pick up the village’s products, leaving only half a month after they had arrived. Though his grandmother had sighed at his restlessness, she saw his curiosity as a good quality for a future merchant, and so she’d encouraged him to go.
Joining the company as an apprentice, he found the experience acquiring and selling merchandise to be dizzyingly educational. Kent had already been fearless and clever, so he adapted to the life of a merchant immediately. He quickly learned the tricks of camping out in the wilderness, a skill he had never encountered before, and he was soon helping to prepare meals for everyone.
They crossed mountains, oceans, and borders. Before he realized it, he was quite far from home. While he had to admit to feeling some level of homesickness, it was overshadowed by his excitement at all of the new experiences.
But just as suspicions about the area around them turning dangerous had the company starting talks about heading home, Kent came across a pair of familiar colors.
With the other merchants engaged in negotiations where a child like him wasn’t welcome, Kent had been free to wander the city. They were at the largest port in the country, so there were always people from all sorts of places coming and going. Just walking around and seeing them all was plenty of entertainment. All of the unfamiliar languages he came across left him with a longing to learn them.
While he was walking, he caught sight of someone that made him freeze in his tracks. Someone, probably a man, was conversing with the owner of a merchant ship. It was hard to tell much about the person, as they were wearing a heavy cloak that disguised all of their features.
Merchants prized trust and etiquette. Someone who covered their face during negotiations would immediately be shown the door. It was obvious the owner of the ship wasn’t interested in taking these negotiations seriously. As desperate as the hooded man was, it was clear he wasn’t going to get anywhere.
But Kent found himself drawn toward the two men and was soon walking their way. He had seen the briefest glimpse of the hooded man’s hair, the same color that one of his precious friends had.
He had tried to steal her purse in a market, and despite that, she had listened earnestly to his problems even though he’d been one step away from becoming a young criminal. She had even brilliantly helped solve his problems. It didn’t matter that Kent was young; he felt he owed her a debt he’d never repay.
As much as the man hid under his hood, Kent was short enough to see the man’s face. When he saw the man’s green eyes, his heart skipped a beat. Platinum-blond hair and green eyes—an unmistakable pair of attributes. He never expected he would meet another member of that phantom tribe so soon after leaving home.
“Hey, mister, do you need help?” Kent grabbed the man’s hand.
The two adults reacted with immediate caution at someone cutting into their conversation, but upon seeing the bright smile of a child looking back at them, they both relaxed.
“Anyway, sorry, mate. My plans are already filled up, and so is my cargo hold. You’ll have to find someone else!”
Seizing the opportunity to run now that the hooded man’s attention had shifted, the owner of the ship waved and walked away.
“Wait...” For a moment, it seemed as though the hooded man was going to give chase, but he ultimately gave up with a slump of his shoulders.
“Hey, are you looking for a ship? How far are you trying to go?” Kent asked, pulling at the man’s hand again.
The man gave a troubled smile. “I’m trying to get to Redford. I’ve heard it’s too dangerous to go by land these days, but going by sea seems equally dangerous this season,” the man grumbled a bit.
Kent frowned. The storms at sea this time of year were really bad. Heading to the next port over was one thing, but all the way to Redford? That would be quite a challenge.
“Can’t you break up your trip into multiple stops?” The innocent smile Kent had worn a moment ago was gone, replaced by the calculating expression of a merchant. Sensing this change, the hooded man’s behavior also shifted, the gentle smile he wore for children pulling back.
“There are people in need of medicine in Redford. I’m in quite a hurry.”
Kent pondered for a moment. Misha had said she was going to the Kingdom of Redford. This man from the People of the Forest was urgently delivering medicine to the same place. Maybe assuming the two were connected was a bit premature, but...
But Misha is really kind. She’d definitely try to get involved...
Kent took a deep breath, then started pulling the man’s hand. “My uncle is the boss of a big company. I don’t know if he can get you a ship, but I can at least introduce you.”
The man’s eyes went wide. “Why?” he asked the obvious question.
Kent gave a bright smile, staring up at those familiar green eyes, even if they were a bit lighter than Misha’s had been. “Someone who looks like you saved me once. So this is my way of saying thank you. We merchants have a strong sense of duty, you know.”
As expected, finding a ship that would take the man all the way to Redford proved to be quite difficult. It was impossible to predict the weather at this time of year. The threat of shipwreck was much higher during this season, so for two months across the summer, the number of ships traveling such distances declined sharply. The risk of losing the ship at sea weighed much more heavily than the risk of losing two months of business. Besides, being stranded at sea would likely cost them all their lives.
There were some ships still planning on going out during this season, but most of them already had their schedules and their cargo holds accounted for. It might have been possible to squeeze him and his cargo on one of those ships anyway, but if a storm hit and they needed to lose weight, it would obviously be his cargo first over the side. There was no point in rushing to deliver the herbs if there was no guarantee the herbs would actually make it to the destination.