At this announcement, the boy all but inhaled the remainder of the fruits Vaust had brought and packed his belongings. He slid the other end of his blade into the side pocket of his satchel. The mori glanced at him and considered the advice he’d given him. He hoped he’d choose a life where he could use his abilities for good. The life of a Magi was dangerous, but it was better to pursue it and be prepared for it than have it come for you.
And if he was right, the boy would not have much of a choice.
Chapter Five
Devol smiled as the cool breeze blew in from the sea. They were close to their destination and Fairwind already lived up to its name. He and Vaust had covered dozens of yards in seconds and sprinted to the village. He grew ever more excited and briefly surpassed the mori’s speed as they crested a hill.
He paused on top of the hill and looked out with the sun shining on him. The settlement might not have been one of the major cities of the kingdom, but it was one of the most prosperous fishing and shipping ports in the world. Looking at it, even from afar, was enough to confirm that.
It was a village not of tall buildings but vast ones. Large storehouses for fish, tools, ship parts, and more to maintain the workflow and valuables of the village stood alongside equally large dock houses for the numerous ships being built, repaired, or coming in with goods for the market. Most of these clustered around the docks, a vast network of buildings where he could see at least a few hundred men and women going about their busy workday.
Behind the docks, a grid-based collection of streets were paved in rough blue, white, and gray cobblestones. Each thoroughfare was lined with tailors, restaurants, blacksmiths, and other shops ready to serve the populace and visitors passing through.
Devol clasped his hands behind his head and continued to admire the view as Vaust walked up beside him. “We made it.” He beamed and looked at his traveling companion. “Do you think we can find something to eat before we go to the order?”
“That would not be a bad idea,” the mori agreed and studied the scene below as he removed the stopper from his gourd. “The seafood is fresh here, and I know of a few restaurants of great repute you would probably enjoy.”
“Sounds good!” the boy exclaimed and scanned the village again in search of buildings that stood out. “So which one of those buildings houses the order?”
“None of them,” his companion stated and drank thirstily. Devol lowered his arms in confusion as he looked at him. The Magi glanced casually at him as he put the gourd away. “Why so surprised?”
“But the map said…and you said…” He fumbled for words and tried to decide if this was a trick or not.
“Ah, yes, the map.” Vaust smiled and placed a finger on his chin. “You might want to have another look at that.”
Devol whipped his satchel off, opened it, and dug the map out. He unfolded it and examined it quickly. “Look at the line—it leads right to Fairwind!” he said, almost shoved the parchment in his companion’s face, and pointed to the emblem marked Fairwind.
The mori took it and turned so they could both study it. “Right up to it,” he corrected and pointed to the line that stopped at the edge of the town. The boy leaned closer to study the mark. Although it seemed to lead to Fairwind, a small divot off to the side of it seemingly pointed to the east of the village. “I considered simply making you search for it to see how long it would take you to realize your mistake.” He folded the map and returned it. “But we’ll already have to waste time as it is.”
“Then…if it’s supposed to be that way…” He turned his head to look at the other side of the hill but saw only a large formation of stones down the slope and much farther in the distance, a large group of trees before the plains stretched on for miles again. “There’s nothing there!”
“At first glance, no,” Vaust agreed and set off down the hill toward the town. “Are you coming?”
“Where are you going?” Devol demanded.
His companion pointed toward the settlement. “Fairwind. I thought you were hungry.”
“I want to find the order first,” the boy stated and turned to walk toward the stones on the other side of the hill.
The older Magi chuckled. “Rather capricious, aren’t you?” He turned to follow the boy, who leapt on top of one of the stones.
A large patch of dirt in the center of the ring of rocks made him even more confused. “Maybe…” he mumbled, slid off the rock and onto the dirt, and dropped to his hands and knees to search.
Vaust walked around the side of the rocks and leaned against one as he watched him scratch around. “What are you doing?”
“There has to be a secret hatch or something, surely?” Devol responded, continuing to test the soil. “I’ll try the forest next, but if it was somewhere in there, the line would have been more obvious.”
“A decent deduction,” the mori admitted and tapped the side of the rock. “And while watching you scrabble in the dirt for an opening that isn’t there might be amusing for a time, it would only be for a very short time. I will tell you that you are in the right place but looking in the wrong area.”
He grunted in annoyance and settled on his knees to glare at his companion before his eyes widened and he peered at the face of the rock Vaust leaned against. The markings were faint, but he could see what appeared to be etchings in the stone.
