John pulled in at the docks and helped Thayne unload the stretcher and then Thayne unloaded his pack. He turned to thank John but he was already back on the cart and driving away.
Thayne looked down at the stretcher. They were afraid of her but he didn’t understand why. Perhaps he should just leave her. He had his own problems; he didn’t need hers as well. Maybe she was a wanted criminal or something? It would explain why Glenda and John didn’t want her staying with them.
He picked up his pack and hesitated. He hadn’t seen her move since Glenda had tended her. He knelt down beside the stretcher and touched her cheek. It was hot. She frowned and feebly attempted to move.
Thayne’s resolve left him; he just couldn’t leave her alone in such a state. It wasn’t like he had to carry her all the way to Kent. Besides, perhaps a relaxing cruise down the river would do her some good.
Now Thayne had a problem. He was outside the dock master’s office and he had to go in to find a boat to take them but he would have to leave the girl outside alone to do it. A look around did nothing to reassure him. There were few people around, apart from dockhands, the fish market was further down the docks and the sailors were either aboard their ships or in the nearby taverns. But there were a couple of rough looking sailors leering at his helpless companion from across the street. With nothing else to do Thayne placed his pack on the stretcher and picked it up at her head, dragging it to the door of the office then through it.
The walls, floor, ceiling and furniture were all wood. The desk and chair had been sealed and varnished, while the building had just been treated against moisture, so the wood had a bit of a fossilised look about it. The walls were covered with charts showing trade routes, some marked with the names of ships that run them. There was one map labelled salvage that had a number of pins marking possible locations of lost ships. A large thick logbook sat in the middle of the unoccupied desk. The vague sound of voices came from behind a closed door behind the desk so Thayne set the stretcher down and continued his inspection of the room. As he studied the maps on the wall he came across one that showed one of the corners of the ocean. It was just a line through the middle of the map. It didn’t do it justice, to be depicted so flatly. A line with an expanse of sea on either side. The longest sea venture Thayne had been on was the short trip to Psyhne, and back of course. For a whimsical moment he wondered what a voyage around the world would be like, but it did not capture his imagination and he was moving on when he heard the turn of a door handle and the backroom door started to open.
“So it’s all sorted?” a voice floated from the room, the speaker still out of sight.
The wide back of a man appeared. As he stepped backwards out the door he replied, “Yes, you can sail on the next tide.”
He turned and noticed Thayne. “You have a boy?” he called over his shoulder eyeing Thayne doubtfully.
“Yes,” as the other speaker came into view, he snorted when he spotted Thayne, “not that one.”
Thayne drew himself up and looked down his nose at the shorter first man who could only be the dock master. “I’m looking for passage to Kent.”
The dock master’s eyes widened. “Are you really? I’ll just jump to it then will I sir? What kind of vessel is the master looking for? A brig? Or perhaps a bark?”
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Thayne frowned. The other man’s grin made him feel he was being ridiculed somehow.
“It doesn’t matter, we just need passage to Kent,” Thayne replied gesturing to the stretcher behind him.
The dock master frowned when he noticed the pale, sweating girl. “She contagious?”
“Oh no,” Thayne shook his head vigorously, “It’s not like that we were attacked by trolls. Actually we were with a group that were attacked in fact and she got hit by an arrow. She’s been treated, we just need to get to Kent in a hurry.”
Both men eyed Thayne and the girl dubiously. Finally the man behind the dock master said, “I’m going to Kent. As long as you don’t mind a short stop at Juene.”
“J-juene!” Thayne blurted and quickly shook his head. “No, no of course not why would I? Haha.”
He forced his hands to stay at his sides and breathed deeply. His mind babbled at him that he wasn’t nervous, had no reason to be. So Juene is the capital of magic, it didn’t mean he would be found out and arrested if he went to the Supreme Mage’s home city. He tried a smile but it faded quickly as he had the distinct impression that he looked like he was in pain. His eyes begged the men in front of him to not notice his fear.
“You’ll… have to sleep on deck and stay out of the way,” the captain said hesitantly and crossed his arms. He stared doubtfully at Thayne for a moment longer then clapped his hands. “Right, it’s no good us standing around here all day is it?”
He walked around Thayne and picked up the stretcher at her head. Thayne scrambled to pick up the dragging end and they left the office together with the captain leading the way. Once they were on their way the man spoke again.
“It’s a shame you’re not much of a liar boy. Dino will be sending a message on to Juene, and I have to stop there. Why are you afraid of Juene?”
Thayne stared at the captain’s back filled with indecision. Should he trust this stranger? Even though he didn’t understand it, Professor Globulus had told him not to tell anyone what he carried. Thayne clung to that thought. “I-I’m just in a hurry to get to Kent.”
The captain’s shoulders slumped and he sighed. He nodded to himself and suddenly changed direction. He approached a two mast ship with a bowsprit carved into the shape of a woman, which was unusual for a riverboat.
“Ahoy, the Voyager!” the captain shouted. As soon as someone appeared he asked, “The captain aboard?”
The sailor disappeared to soon be replaced by a short stocky man with a beard in full bloom and an eye patch over his right eye who scowled down at them.
“Casting off to Kent, Jack?”
“Aye, what’s it to you?” Jack growled eyeing the captain suspiciously.
“Now Jack, is that anyway to talk to someone who’s brought you fare? The boy needs to get to Kent quick, he’s willing to pay double, I’d take him but he don’t want any delays and I have a few stop overs on the way. Since you bailed me out of that… situation… I thought I’d send him your way to make us square-like.”
Thayne leaned forward and hissed, “Double?”
The captain ignored him and continued to watch the man on the deck of the boat as he frowned down at them.
“What’s on the stretcher?” Jack asked finally, craning his neck to get a better view.
“A girl who’s been injured. His cousin. They was travelling the forest and were lucky, got away from trolls but she got stuck by one. Old Glenda fixed her up good, she just need’s rest. What would be better than a nice restful boat ride down the river?”
Jack scowled suspiciously. “You know an awful lot of someone you just met.”
“It’s the boy, Jack. He’s a right old chatterbox, won’t shut up.”
Jack still didn’t look convinced but he reluctantly asked, “This’ll make us even?”
The captain nodded and grinned. “I reckon so.”
Jack waved them aboard and as he led the way, the captain hissed through his teeth, “Keep your business to yourself, boy. And buy yourself a change of clothes in Kent. Running around in your underwear isn’t the best idea, though most won’t look close enough to notice if you give them no cause to.”
Thayne didn’t reply but he was feeling more than a little stupid and way out of his depth, and also incredibly lucky that everyone he had met so far had been so helpful. That thought suddenly made him feel anxious. Was it his magical instinct that made him so trustful of those he had met? Knowing his track record, he was pretty certain that wasn’t it. As he let the captain lead the way, a man he didn’t even know by name, Thayne resolved to be more careful and wary about who he trusted from now on. Hoping that it wasn’t already too late.