Katryn spent most of the passage to Montport buttoned up in her cabin… going over her books and charts, Jace assumed. She stuck her head into the hold to yell at her passengers when their arguments became audible. She came out for food, after it was made clear that procuring and preparing fish were entirely Jace’s responsibility. She came out on deck sometimes in the evening, when Jace’s lonely watch was ending.
Those were the only times the two really interacted. She came up to watch the stars come out and to clear her head, as she explained to Jace. Jace had certainly spent a few nights lying on his back watching the distant points of light drift lazily across the sky in their odd patterns, but Katryn relished the sight with an enthusiasm he couldn’t understand. Staring at the sky, staring at the sea… there wasn’t a lot of difference to him.
“We’ll make Montport in a day or two,” she told him one night. “I know you’ve been anxious to get off the ship, and believe me, I’m anxious to see you gone.”
“Yeah,” Jace said.
“Have you given any thought to what you’re going to do next?” she asked. “Not that it’s any of my business, or my responsibility.”
“I suppose we’ll see what turns up,” Jace said.
“You’re a strong lad,” she said. “You’re not averse to work, and you’re useful in the water. I think you could get a job in just about any port you blew into. Nothing glamorous, but enough to keep your belly full. The problem is the anchor you’ve got tied around your ankle.”
“What do you mean?” Jace asked, looking down at his foot.
“What do you think she’s going to do for food?” Katryn asked, her eyes rolling down to the planking.
“Oh,” Jace said. “I don’t know. I haven’t been thinking about jobs. I’ve been thinking about…”
“Adventure, right?” Katryn asked. “Yeah. Most people are thinking ‘adventure’ when they first set off from home. Most of them end up looking for a job.”
“Something will turn up,” Jace said.
“Look, here’s an idea,” she said. “And I’m not telling you this because I think I owe you anything, but… well, you’ve got that knife. It seems pretty unusual. Loki’s made sly comments about the advisability of stealing it from you a few times, which means it might be worth something. You show it around the marketplace, you’re liable to get ripped off one way or the other… but the Archtower regulates the magic shops to protect their professional reputation.”
“Do you think it’s magical?” Jace asked.
“It’s your knife,” she said. “If you don’t know, I sure don’t. But if Loki found it interesting…”
“It isn’t magical,” Loki said, suddenly looming up behind her.
“I’d still say it’s worth having it looked at,” Katryn said. “A Montport mage will give you an honest appraisal, and even if it’s just…”
“It isn’t magical,” Loki repeated. “It would be more accurate to say that it is magic.”
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