Five days of riding passed since the incident at the orchards. They rode, they flew, they set-up camp, they buried garbage, they broke camp, but most of the time they traveled and made only the slightest of idle conversation. They put the incident at the orchard behind them and agreed to not talk about it on the second day. Nadia remained quiet and reserved, except for when she made the all the decisions about where and when to camp, what to eat, and how long to rest. Sometimes it had felt like a fun camping trip with a new fried. They’d even done some careful insect hunting. The packaged food from home began to run dry, but that also made their luggage a bit lighter.

On the fifth day from the orange grove, the air gained a faint hint of salt. Having agreed to relieve him occasionally, Nadia balanced herself on the back rim while Josh rode. With ease and adroitness, she rested her back against his to watch the path behind them. Not that she wouldn’t have rather seen what was ahead, but the thought of looking over his shoulders and pressing her chest against his back made her uncomfortable; back-to-back seemed less personal. The variety of sights was poor anyway, for the greatest portion of the flight was through relatively flat farm land. Occasional hills, pastures, and rice pools offered visual relief.

“It’s kind of like Ohio, but not nearly as bad. Just bigger. And hot.”

The smell of the salt air aroused Nadia’s sinuses. She jumped from the bike, which quickly returned to the path. She grasped the pole supporting the seat and plowed the path with her wooden sandals to bring it to a halt. Josh braked to avoid dragging her further.

“What’s with you? That’s five times now. Can’t you just tell me to stop?”

She pulled a map from the duffel bag tied over the handle bars. After checking it, she looked down the road and spotted a collection of quaint cottages in the distance.

“I can smell the ocean. I bet we’re near the Port of Reeds. The last time I smelt the ocean I was ten years old. This smells exactly like that, only fresher, absolutely pure. I’m going to be a guy again, nothing’s going to stop me. I’ll be back to my old self again even before school starts! Oh, I can’t wait, I’m going to sign up for every macho contact sport that’s available. And I’ll find girls attractive, just like I used to. I’ll be able to pee while standing up. Even better, I’ll be taller than everyone again!”

“You’re not exactly short.”

“Not short for a girl, but when I was a boy, I was six feet tall. The change cost me at least five or six inches.”

“How sad for you.”

She laughed, “Let’s walk the rest of the way. I’ll let you wheel the bike for me.”

They entered a small village with thatched roof stone cottages straddling both sides of the road. Old weather worn stone walls crumbled in disrepair, and the dirt in-between the stones allowed weeds to invade them. Gaping holes fell through many of the worn thatch roofs. One of the cottages was nothing more than a crumbling stone shell. An old man in a smock and black boots rested near the ruined building.

“Are we near the Port of Reeds?” Josh asked the old man.

“You’re not far youngling. These here are the dwellings Lord Nostrum rents cheap to poor travelers who come to his harbor,” He laughed. “It’s a mite empty by daylight, most of the renters work in the service of Nostrum. You’ll find the port a mite more full of the personage. Don’t get much traffic from the west road these days, any news from the west?”

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“No news. All is well. This Lord Nostrum, does he have any ships?”

“Enough for the trade I’d say.”

“The trade?” Nadia asked.

“What other trade is there youngling lass? The trade in fish, the bounty of the sea. Shrimp, flounder, blowfish, lobster, crabs, halibut, salmon for the entire region since time began. Everything you can pull from the ocean, though at a premium of course. Go see for yourself.”

“Thanks a bunch for the information.”

“Welcome to it lass. Be discreet, and keep yourself near your man lest you find yourself wont for protection.”

Nadia blushed and walked forward quickly with the bike, which forced Josh to keep pace, “Why does everyone assume that I’m your wife?”

Josh put his arms behind his head, “What else would they think?”

Nadia elbowed him in the ribs.

----

The Port of Reeds was a sprawling seaside fishing village that hugged the juncture of three roads leading into the northern, western, and the further eastern lands. Most of the stone cottages left smoke drift upwards in the late morning air. Thick chimneys extended from the center of their tightly-woven, sun-faded, thatch roofs. A group of children played a variation of kick ball in an empty field outside the crumbling low wall that surrounded the village. Horses trod the dirt roads, especially the main road; large, brown, rugged horses clomped their hooves.

Stone structures lacking front walls served as stables, and sometimes the chained horses within were offered for sale or trade. Merchants posted along the road sold from their carts. There were big carts, small carts, carts drawn by man and carts drawn by beast. They were filled with everything from grain to garments, from building materials to curious trinkets. Merchants called to the populous, all vouching for the freshness, durability, or some other quality exhibited by their merchandise. Nadia and Josh heard the low rumble of ocean surf. Stalls preparing and selling fresh fish surrounded them.

The morning’s work of gutting the fish had been done, as attested by the piles of innards in wooden barrels behind each stall. The odor of fish lingered in the air. A great range of cleaned saltwater fish were on display, kept in shade by the overhang of each stall. Some stalls even featured shellfish, shark, turtle and porpoise, the latter of which made Nadia grimace. Piles of salted and unsalted fish were loaded on a horse drawn carts to be shipped inland. Woman pressed at the stalls as they angled for bargains. The wives of the fishermen were special customers in their own lines, each entitled to a measured amount of meat for their daily needs. They spent their time in line conversing, or pointing out newcomers to speculate on.

Much attention fell on Nadia and Josh. They ignored the gossips and gawks to find a fish stall that wasn’t busy. It’s patronage at the time consisted of a few stray cats and a small but heavily pregnant woman in a yellow kimono. The stall keeper first chased away the cats with a broom before attending to the woman. When he finished measuring her due portion, he wished her and her family well before seeing her off with a smile. The woman glanced at the strange pair quickly as she left, but otherwise took little notice. The stall keeper paid little attention to them until he realized other people were in line and they were in the way.

“Go away. I don’t sell to traders who haven’t negotiated a price with Lord Nostrum.”

“I’m not here to trade.”

“If you wish to buy, the market price is twelve copper tethers per pound. Better yet, why don’t you go to the inn for a cooked meal.”

“I want to see Lord Nostrum,” Nadia demanded, “Where can I find him?”

The stall keeper separated the falling piles of herring and carp while staring brazenly at the two, “Since you search so blindly, for two tethers I can give you a clue as to his whereabouts.”

“I don’t have any tethers.”

“Then you won’t get any help from me. Now get before I call the guards; I have legitimate business to take care of.”

They left the stall and walked down the road a bit.

“That was helpful, didn’t your dad put some, and by some, I mean a ton, of that local money in your bag?”

“Yes, but it’s gone.”

“Gone?”

“Yep, gone.”

“How?”

“Probably the friends who rescued us at the brook. Not like I was willing or able to go after them.”

“Are you serious? Those crooks!”

“They might have saved our lives. Fair trade. Anyway, why should we have to pay that salty dog anyway? I bet we’ll get the information for free at the inn.”

She smiled as if she was quite sure of herself.