Kid went over the charts provided by the scribe. He whispered words to direct his attention to specific places so he could plan how to get the key back, or find Gai. He had a suspicion that his old enemy had been entombed like he had been.

Did he want to leave Gai as a loose thread?

He decided that finding the key was more important. He couldn't do anything for the people killed in the battle. Trying to raise the land would present its own problems. If he had the key, he might be able to promote his magic to prevent any like event from happening.

On the other hand, he needed the key to stop Typhon. The wind spirt was destructive and looked to be a constant menace. Once he had done something about that, he could put the key out of reach again until he needed it to solve other problems.

And he felt qualified in using his magic to solve things without having to use the key all the time.

He found a spot on the map that was out in the ocean southwest of where he stood. He needed a boat to get out there and to use for diving.

He copied the spot and directions on a spare sheet of paper with a quill. A word was enough for an accurate drawing. Now he needed a boat to take him out there and bring him back.

“Thank you for your assistance,” said Kid. He checked his wallet and brought out a copper. He handed the old coin over. “Do you know anyone who would let me use their boat to go where I want to go?”

“Not here in Havelock,” said the scribe. He pocketed the coin before he began rolling up the charts. “You might be able to find something on the North Coast. They say the demon wind doesn't roam that far.”

“Thank you,” said Kid. He put his drawing away and went to the door. He looked outside before stepping on the street. He joined the moving crowd, heading north.

He filed away the fact that Typhon could not leave a certain area.

That might be handy when he could deal with the wind. All he needed was his augmented magic and the key. Then he could come back to the island and set up on the border and wait for Typhon to show itself. The rest would depend on who had the greater will.

He wished he had more magicians on his side of the fight, but felt that he might be the last one still walking around. He had no idea what had happened to the tradition. He had no idea where the magicians had relocated so they could train more students. He had no idea if they had been able to relocate after what he and Gai had unleashed.

Their original home had been buried by the ocean according to the map he had been shown. They could have done things, but he had no idea how they could have used their words to do something in the face of the cataclysm they had been forced to face.

Maybe they had devised a way to divert the water and use it as a shield against further trouble.

He decided he had to complete one quest at a time. Once he had the key, and had settled with Typhon, he could look for any surviving magicians and figure out what he wanted to do in the future.

He doubted any survivors would look on him as a gift to improve their lives. He had already wrecked most of the world.

Gai was another worry. Had the other magician survived? If he had, and knew Kid was alive, trouble would follow. The magician could not do anything about that.

He had to keep his eyes open for spells heading his way and keep moving. Eventually if Gai was alive, he would want to continue their duel.

Then Kid could expect some fire stars to appear.

Kid reached the wall within minutes. He walked down its length until he found a gate where he could head north and look for a boat.

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All he needed was a boat. He could run things on his own with his words. He realized he needed supplies. He didn't know how long he would be out to sea, and thought that fish would become tiresome after a while.

He doubted any sailor would sail with him once it became known that he was risking another destruction of the rest of the continent. They might want to stab him in the back and drop him overboard.

He considered his options as he walked away from Havelock. When he reached somewhere that had an inn, he could rest and get something to eat. Then he needed to think about supplies and how much he could afford to get a boat to use for his search.

What could he tell the crew that would keep them on side while preventing them from betraying him and leaving him in the ocean?

He couldn't think of anything off the top of his head. He might have to use words to get them to help him until he had what he wanted. Doing that would lead to problems down the line. He considered the notion as he walked along.

He decided that a half-truth of sunken treasure was better than relying on words that might shift while they were on the ocean.

It wasn't the best solution in his opinion, but it was better than having a crew wake up and decide they had to take their wrath out on the person responsible. He could deal with some of them with his words, but he didn't want to kill anyone if he didn't have to do that.

Kid used his words to speed up his foot travel. He arrived at the fishing village just as the sun went down beyond the horizon. He needed a place to stay, and he could look for his boat tomorrow.

No one wanted a stranger trying to hire them in the middle of the night. That indicated dishonesty and something more valuable to the sailors than he wanted to advertise.

He didn't see any foot traffic. Had everyone gone to bed? He said a word. A building lit up, a sign glowing to tell him that The Wind Fish welcomed all travelers.

He walked down and tried the door. He frowned when it didn't move. He stepped back. What did he do now?

He decided to sleep outside on the porch. That was the best he could unless he spotted someone who would rent him a place for the night.

Kid picked a spot where no one could approach him without stepping on something to give him warning. He cloaked himself in wood cloth so he had something to keep the night air off. He decided that he should get up when the sun came up.

He closed his eyes and told himself to sleep until he was wakened by the sun, or something approaching.

He supposed the people running the inn would want to talk to him when they found him sleeping against their wall. He would deal with that when they came close enough to talk to him.

The sun woke him from his slumber before anyone seemed to have come alive in the inn. He put his cover back where it belonged before straightening. The aroma of cooking drifted to his nose from behind the locked doors.

Maybe he could get breakfast before looking for a boat to carry him away from the island.

He wondered how far the sailors had sailed away from the island. Anything longer than two days might be too much for anyone he wanted to hire.

He doubted he could get more than a week unless he wanted to forge some gold for them.

Once he had to do that, he would have to be on the lookout until he touched dry land again.

Kid heard the bar on the inn doors clack out of the way. He stepped in front of the door so he had a clear view of the inside, and they had a clear view of him. He didn't need any trouble caused by the way he looked.

And he knew he looked like some beggar who didn't have the money for a meal.

The door opened to allow for the maid to clean the floor by pushing the dirt outside in the yard. She paused in her sweeping when she saw she had a visitor.

“How are you doing?,” Kid said. He didn't try to smile. He was no good at it. “I was wondering if you had food for sell.”

“Da is cooking breakfast for anyone who comes in,” said the maid. “I'm Sarah Conover. Come in and take a seat.”

“Thank you,” said Kid. “My name's Kid.”

“That's a strange name,” said Sarah.

“My parents thought they were funnier than they were,” said Kid.

“Don't they all?,” said Sarah. “Take a seat anywhere. I'll be right in as soon as I take care of some chores.”

“Thank you,” said Kid. He stepped inside the common room and looked around. It resembled every other common room he had ever been in. He supposed things wouldn't look different unless words were uttered to reshape what had been put down by human hands.

He noticed the shutters had not been opened yet. The place wasn't ready for business. He might have to wait a bit before he got something to eat. His stomach told him it didn't want to go anywhere else when food was close at hand.

He supposed he could wait for something to be served instead of looking around the village for something to eat. He had time since he didn't know what kind of limitations he might expect once he was out at sea.

At least he didn't have to deal with Typhon unless the limits for the wind changed and he had to do something to protect himself.

Would that limit still exist on the water?