The last thing Cal needed was an oily, old cheapskate to tell her what her findings were worth. Many people thought of her line of work as a hobby, but it was a little more than that. What she collected was dust compared to what might have existed. Magical beings and creatures used to inhabit the world and there was still evidence in some people. Cal had seen people with wing marking on their back that grew with their skin since birth. The only thing left were remnants that washed up on the shores. 

It was known to everyone that the rarest items always came from the strongest storms. So far, Cal had found been lucky to find spots that not many people knew of. After several years of traveling, she managed to network with the lighthouses to get ahead of the warm fronts before the storms arrived. If people knew how much work was put into finding items of a magical world that no longer existed, this trading post would be a lot more generous with her earnings.  

Cal tossed her sack onto the countertop and leaned against the ledge, watching people walk around the courtyard. She recognized a couple of faces, but the village had grown since she had been a little girl. Even the small temple across the courtyard looked different with the renovations that had been done.  

“What’s this junk?” a gravelly voice demanded with the loud thumb of a goblet on the counter. 

Cal turned her glare to the large oily man behind the counter. He snarled down at her with a long, thin mustache draping over his stained shirt. She could hardly watch him talk with his yellow decaying teeth and green slobber stringing between his lips.  

“Cut the crap, Dekot. You know this stuff exists as much as I do.” 

Dekot looked at the sack before side eyeing her with disgust. He poked his sausage-like finger through her sack and pulled out a jar with a few glowing rainbow hairs curled around one another. Shifted the jar in the light above him, he huffed and set it in his pocket. 

“Hey. I want to be paid for each item up front. Hand it over.” Cal held out her hand and glared at him until he complied.  

Dekot took the jar out of his pocket and set it on the counter. He forced the drawer open with lots of clinking as metal hit against one another. He plucked one golden coin with five triangles engraved around the hole in the middle and pressed it into her palm.  

“Nine more,” she demanded. 

Dekot leaned down in her face, his pungent breath swarming her senses, “That’s plenty.” 

“Fine. Eight.” Cal watched him scowl at the coin in her palm.  

“I’ll give you two.” Dekot slapped two more coins into her palm and slipped the small jar into his pocket. He rummaged through her sack some more, lining object that interested him along the edge of counter. There were several gemstones, animal parts, different sets of teeth, amulets, liquids from countless creatures, torn papers, and rare tools. She knew some of the items she shouldn’t be giving to Dekot, but if she wanted Vissen to be her homeland, she would have to continue giving him items to meet her quota.  

Dekot pulled out a weathered wand with a crack running along the end. He held the wand under a magnified glass clamped to his counter and focused on the crack. Eventually, he put the wand in his pocket and placed fifteen coins in her palm. 

“This one's actually worth being paid for.” 

Cal rolled her eyes and put the coins into pouch hooked to her belt. She set her elbow back on the counter with her palm held out. 

“What else’re you wantin’ now?” Dekot asked.  

“The other items you’re taking. I better get some mynts for those or I’ll take them to someone else.” 

Dekot mimicked her before putting more coins into her palm for each item. By time he was done, she had collected around two hundred coins. She knew she had been under paid, but she’d live with it. She had brought the better stuff to the better traders anyway.  

“Bring me somethin’ more interestin’ next time,” Dekot said as he turned his back on her. 

“Sure.” Cal slung the sack over her shoulder and walked away from the trading post. She was glad to be done with Dekot and on to her next destination.  

She traveled past the courtyard and onto the Serpent’s Wall. Over the edge, she could see the waves crashing against the rocks below. She leaned against the railing and watched the boats bob in the water as fisherman unloaded their catch for the day. Cal had been many places, but she had never seen a village that built a wall off a cliff, extending into the sea like a pier. It was something she enjoyed every time she came back. 

Cal pulled away from the railing and made her way down the stairs leading to the tavern at the docks. She pushed through the swing doors and squeezed her way through the crammed tables to the back where she settled in a booth. She pulled her hood down and let her braid drape over her shoulder. She thought about waiting for a waiter, but she rolled out her map and used her compass, the saltshakers, and a rock as paper weights.  

With her map set out in front of her, she had a better vision of what she could work with. She hadn’t gotten lucky with her last adventure, and she was a bit tired over going in the same places. Sure, the places were reliable, but she wanted something a little more adventurous. Somewhere not a lot of people would go to. 

Cal would have to gather information on weather from the lighthouse, but it was about time the storms traveled west again. The last couple of days had been humid and the clouds were slowly collecting. If she could ride the current, it was likely she could find a collection of rare items to trade.  

“Hiyah, Stranger!”  

Cal glanced up from her map at the boy across from her. His big brown eyes watched her with a beaming smile. His sandy hair was as fluffy and unruly as the last time she had seen him. It didn’t look like he had learned proper clothing during her time away since he still had a red handkerchief tied around his neck and his blue and white striped shirt. 

“Hi, Mindy.” 

Mindy frowned playfully as he leaned his chin into his palm with big puppy eyes, “Come on, Cal. You just got back! Can’tcha smile?” 

“I’ll smile if I feel like it.” Cal sinched her divider and walked it across the map from Vissen to Gebet. It wasn’t too far, but if she went that route, she could gather supplies and go further out on the coast.  

“Can I at least know whatcha saw?” 

“Mindy, I’m trying to concentrate. Best you could do is get me a drink.” 

“Alright! Obviously, nothing tipsy since you’ll be leavin’ us lickity split. I’ll be right back!” Mindy got up from the booth and disappeared into the chaos of the bar. 

Cal shook her head and studied her map some more. There was Quion and Ponere, but she had been there before. It was possible she could tag along with another sailor to Siren’s Reef, but those sailors weren’t hunting for the same thing. Not to mention most of the sailors weren’t the friendliest.  

Mindy slid into the booth with a large jar full of different chocolates. He was careful as he set a small plate on the edge of the map where the sea was for the jar to sit on. From the looks of it, there were swirls of chocolate drizzle, fudge, chocolate ice-cream, chocolate chunks, and whip cream on top with chocolate shavings. 

“Are you wanting me to die from a chocolate overdose?” Cal asked with her eyebrow raised.  

“I thought you were adventurous! I didn’t know it stopped at your love for sweets.” Mindy criss-crossed his legs on the bench of the booth and pulled a long spoon from his pocket. 

“More so your love of sweets,” Cal corrected. “What is this anyway?” 

“Well, it’s a jar of dirt. I just invented it. Don’tcha think it’s neat?”  

If it was possible for his eyes to sparkle, she knew they would. He seemed rather proud of himself as he slid the spoon across the table and waited for her to take a bite. Cal got a spoonful and let the different textures roll over her tongue. It wasn’t entirely bad, but she was more of a fan for chocolate strawberries rather than loads of chocolate. 

“You want a bite then?” Cal asked as she held the spoon out to Mindy. 

“Sure!” Mindy dipped the spoon in the whipped cream and took a big bite. “Oh! You wouldn’t believe what I heard. Apparently, the reason the seas have been so bare this season is because this composer or whatever fell off the edge of the world. Some say they may be a god.” 

“Mindy, be careful with what you hear. That sounds like rubbish. It’s simply migration season. For all we know there could be a red drift coming in. What can some musical scholar do anyway?” 

“Well, that's the thing! They were a sorcerer and that’s why.” Mindy held out the spoon to Cal for her to take another bite.  

“I may find their wands, but they don’t exist anymore.” Cal took the spoon and chewed on a large fudge chunk as she stared at the map. The cracked wand she had found hadn’t been far from Vissen. It had only been about eighty or so kilometers north along the shore. 

“Still- how cool would it be? A sorcerer managin’ all of the earth?” 

“Yeah- like crossing the Bridge?” 

“Caaaal, you know more than anyone to stay on the east side! You can find better articles there. And I know that anythin’ washin’ up on shore comes from the current. The Bridge must be where it’s coming from!” 

“There is no telling how far away the Bridge is from here. We could starve or get wrecked in a storm. Don’t get me started on the rumors these drunken lunatics have said who think they've made to the Bridge. A chance at meeting hell spawn is not on my bucket list before keel over.” 

“The King can’t be that ruthless, Cal.” 

“It’s all rumors. Besides, you ignore every bad thing someone does to you.” Cal handed the spoon over to Mindy again and pulled her pocket journal out of her belt. She flipped it open and ran through her coordinates to see where she hadn’t been yet. She knew she couldn’t go to the popular spots and there weren’t many spots left that hadn’t been discovered.  

“Hey, sometimes people just need a chance.” 

“There is a line, Mindy.” Cal looked up to see Mindy with the spoon in his mouth as he slouched in the booth. She sighed and crossed her arms as she leaned back. “How far along are you with covering your debt?” 

“I’m close but... I still can’t afford rent. If I can’t pay for it by ‘morrow I’m screwed. I’ll be fine though. Don’t worry about me. I’ve been able to make it so far without payments.” 

Cal drummed her fingers against her arm. There weren’t many places left to discover besides the unknown part of the eastern sea. She had stored away enough money for emergencies, but it could serve for something more stable. She knew she was tired of walking everywhere and a little trip to sea wouldn’t be too bad.  

“When’s your shift ending?” she asked. 

“Oh, in an hour or so. I should be home before dark. I just hope the landlord isn’t there by time I get around there. She won’t let me leave until I pay and I don’t have the money and I can’t miss work again.” 

Cal nodded and pondered on the idea a little longer. There would be risks, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world. If they made it, they would me rich as could be and there would be enough in it for Mindy to pay of his debts. If they didn’t make it, they’d be on to the afterlife, and they wouldn’t have to worry about any debts. 

“When you get back, pack your things and meet me at Barsen’s Range. We’ll take an overnight carriage to the port in Hijan.” Cal put away her makeshift-paperweights and tied up her sack. 

“For what? I can’t pay off my rent in Hijan and I still owe my debt to the city and my boss.” 

“No need. I know your landlord hasn’t taken care of that leak in there. Per the city, you don’t have to pay and the debt you carry isn’t even under your name.” Cal crossed her arms and smiled at Mindy, “I’ll be taking you as my assistant.” 

“Wait, really? Where will we go?” Mindy asked. 

“I’m not sure. Maybe I’ll explore the uncharted parts of the eastern sea...” Cal slung her sack over her shoulder and put up her hood. “I’ll see you soon, Mindy.” 

Mindy hopped out of the booth and wrapped his arms around her neck. “Thank you! Thank you thank you thank you.” 

“Get back to work, Mindy.” Cal watched him hurry back to work with a smile on her face. She knew he wasn’t going to stop thinking about leaving. If he wasn’t careful, they both could be in trouble with the law, but she had a trip to prepare for and one last person to meet.