“I’m not looking for work. I’m looking for a friend, actually.”
“Then your friend is the swindler.” Vi sighed and started walking away. “They’re back on the northern side. Go that way,” the woman called after her, somewhat begrudgingly.
“Thank you,” Vi shouted back.
Sure enough, back on the Northern side, Vi found two vessels flying Le’Dan flags. They were smaller than she would’ve expected, dwarfed by most boats anchored at port. Clearly the Le’Dans favored speed and nimbleness above all else. The smaller of the two ships had the wordsDawn Skipperpainted along its hull. It had two masts and four portholes on the side, and its figurehead was a simple, needle-like spear, keeping with the minimalistic look of the entire boat, save for the aft rudder. That was of comparable scale to the ships nearly three times theDawn Skipper’s size.
Was this really the best she had to get her to Meru? Vi suddenly felt a kernel of doubt at her plan. This ship looked like it would tip in a modest swell.
“… good, I’m glad everything sounds like it’s going smoothly.”
That was Jayme’s voice. Vi slowly rounded the hull of theDawn Skipper. The dock stretched down its side, between the two Le’Dan vessels.
“Everything’s according to plan,” an unfamiliar voice responded. “I don’t think there’s any reason to think we’ll be delayed.”
“Excellent.”
“Pleasure, as always.”
Jayme was talking with a blonde woman who stood on the gangplank of theDawn Skipper. Whatever conversation they’d been having had just ended. Jayme continued off the vessel, and the woman returned onto it.
Vi paused, debating if she should hide somewhere. She didn’t want to upset Jayme by seeming nosy, or eavesdropping. But lying was likely worse. It wasn’t Vi’s fault she happened on something. She hadn’t been intentionally lurking.
Before Vi could make up her mind, Jayme spotted her. “V—Yullia.” She seemed surprised. “What’re you doing here?”
“I wanted to see the port.” Vi shrugged. “And the Le’Dan ships.” She didn’t know why she didn’t just come out and say that she wanted to see Jayme as well, and make sure everything was all right.
“They’re impressive, don’t you think?”
“Smaller than I would’ve expected.”
“They’re fast,” Jayme assured her. “So I’m told.” Jayme continued walking away from the ship. Vi glanced behind, but the other woman had vanished. As if sensing Vi’s confusion, Jayme offered an explanation without being asked. “Look, I trust Erion well enough… but I wanted to see it for myself. If we’re getting on one of these things, I wanted to speak to the crew, make sure everything looked good. I’m not the most versed in vessels, but I at least wanted to know what we were in for.”
“Oh… So that’s what you’ve been up to.”Well, that made sense. Vi felt suddenly silly for doubting her friend. “Good thinking.”
“It’s my job to look out for you.” Jayme linked arms with her, and Vi’s worries were finally laid to rest. “Now, let’s sample some of the real Western fare. Not the fancy stuff Erion is serving us.”
* * *
She had never eaten anything more delicious thanmannik.
Vi had gorged herself on two of them and was now going back for a third from the street stall two alleyways off the docks in the poorer section of town. The woman behind the stall took her third coin and lifted the lid off the tall cooking basket to her right. Steam billowed up like a chimney, filling the air with the sweet aroma of sauced meats and steamed bread. She handed two moremannikto Vi with a smile. Of course she was nice to them, they were likely her best customers today.
“You’re going to explode.” Jayme half-spoke, half-laughed at her. She was perched on a wide stoop leading to the back door of a modest home. The door itself had multiple locks—all rusted and weeping with age. So they didn’t seem to be at any risk of being in the way anytime soon.
“Not possible when I’m eating the most delicious thing on earth.” Vi took up her space next to her, passing Jayme hers. She took another large bite, letting the gravy from the minced meat dribble down her chin.
“It is pretty good,” Jayme admitted, nibbling the side of her own bun.
“More than pretty good,” Vi insisted. “This is better than candied nut rolls during the solstice.”
“Well, I’m glad we got to try some before we left.”
“It won’t be long now, will it?” Vi wiped her mouth with the heel of her hand, relishing the feeling of not being scolded for the unladylike act.
“A few more days and we should be off to the Crescent Continent,” Jayme agreed.
“You won’t find any ships going there,” the elderly woman spoke up from across the alley. Both girls turned sharply, not realizing they’d been overheard. At their attention, she continued. “The Crescent Continent has blocked all travel on account of the White Death. Bold, since they gave it to us to begin with.”
