Aetherhaven grew from a star to a floating jewel of a city. Mounted atop massive crystals, the city was a technological marvel like something out of a science fiction book. As we floated through the harbor, I saw many transparent domes with plants and grasses growing inside as well as homes.

  There was a huge variety of airships here, from huge galleons to little windfaring sloops. I’d say the Food's Errand was squarely in the middle, size wise. But we were a sight for sore eyes. As we went in sailors came on dock to stare at our damage. Some of them took their hats off.

  “Could have been any of them out there,” Brufo commented.

  I nodded, watching the scene from the gaping hole in the dining room with him.

  Once we’d docked, a white-haired mustached man in a midnight blue uniform came aboard, claiming to be Harbormaster Zedro Mortifer. On account of the damage to the ship which had been reported as we came in, he wanted to hear the story straightaway himself.

  Lorlux told him of our choice to risk the Western Current to avoid a sudden squall, and subsequent attack by monkeys, and crash, and Jungle King Kola. In his version the monkeys made off with a great deal of loot and goods, which we had been carrying. I saw Val and Brufo exchange glances at that.

  Once the Harbormaster had gone, Lorlux turned to the crew who had assembled. “Normally we’d start things off right, with a propel meal in town and boarding at an inn, but I’m afraid we’ve come here robbed and in shambles. However, all is not lost. We shall make inquiries into a [Sage] to evaluate the cat companion, at the very least.”

  He looked at me carefully.

  “Regarding the lance item, there is something else to consider. It--”

  “She,” Lancie corrected.

  “--She has bonded our dear Daniel already. Wouldn’t you like a real live Driften Waker beside us? We may let him have this one I think.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief, as Lancie whispered to me excitedly, though I noticed Val glaring. What would she be upset about?

  Everybody was excited to go ashore. Valietta and Brufo went, mentioning ingredients and looking into a [Sage] while they were at it. Sleipnir was on maintenance, and Lorlux was nowhere to be found. It left me, Lancie, and the monkeys, sitting playing cards in the kitchen.

  “I’m bored,” Lancie said. “Do you guys still do anything fun like sky jousting?”

  “I have no idea. Hey, want to go see about getting Mossy looked at by a [Sage]?”

  I suggested it recklessly, but as soon as I did Lancie’s eyes gleamed and she grew excited. “Yes, that’s a great idea! Let’s go!”

  I scooped up the cat from my room and off we went, leaving the two monkeys to guard the ship.

  “Think they’ll be here when we get back?” I asked.

  “Probably. Brufo left them plenty of bananas.”

  The city was dazzling. Lancie and I drooled at ice cream parlors through the window, but penniless we had to turn aside. There were no signs for sages or obvious bookstores that I located poking around the streets near the harbor. Funny, wouldn’t it be common for adventurers to come back with loot?

  I flew up to get a better look. When I grabbed Lancie’s hand, she morphed back into her short lance form, aerodynamic and sleek. Carrying the moss kitten this way, I flew up and surveilled, though I wasn’t sure what I was looking for. I flew around, looking for a library or something like that.

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  I did this for half an hour, then got tired and went to rest at a forested park at the top of a hill. This one didn’t have a protective bubble around it. I settled on a rock and planted Lancie into the soil, resulting in the lance morphing back into a girl. I put the moss kitten beside me.

  A tall green-robed man with mint-colored hair and a long beard came up to me. “Excuse me.”

  Lancie jumped, then whirled around in midair and snarling tackled him. “Ughghhh!”

  “Lancie! Get off him!” She scrambled up. “I’m sorry about my friend.”

  “Awfully rude of you to both trespass and beat up an old man, haha.” Some tree roots swirled and pushed the man up from the soil back to standing. “I am no worse for the wear, it will take more than that to kill old Reed, haha.”

  “I’m just trying to find a [Sage]. I’ve never been to Aeven before. Where do I find one?”

  When I tried to catch his eye, I noticed his eyes milky. Reed was blind.

  “Heh. Heh. You’re in luck. You’re looking at one. Reed Ralian, [Garden Sage] and Keeper of the Grove of the Heart in Aeven here. I simply tend the garden and prune the trees here, and harvest the tomatoes and strawberries when it’s time. What sagely question have ye?”

  I looked for some reason at Lancie, then flushed when I realized I was probably hoping for Val's opinion. But she just made a hurry-up gesture. Like get on with it.

  Then something very strange happened. Before I could open my mouth to explain, Reed looked down at the flower fields we sat in as strawberries started to pop up. He saw the moss kitten and gasped.

  “This…This creature is a [Carbuncle of Growth]. I had thought they were extinct. They are sacred to my order. Such a beast greatly increases the grow speed of any plants in its vicinity. If I may ask, where did you find such a creature?”

  “On the other side of the Western Current, I found the kitten inside a Grover ship’s hold.”

  “From the Lost Continent,” Reed mused. “And just like that a precious beast and story lies in front of me. Reed, don’t aether this up! Please, kind sir, what would you accept for your Carbuncle? The amount of people we could feed…The heartwood we could grow!”

  “Daniel,” Lancie hissed in my ear, “the cat’s obviously quite valuable. Why don’t we just tell the sage good day and go sell it now that we know what it is?”

  I shook my head.

  “I’m not going to sell Mossy. I don’t have the authority to do it anyway.”

  Reed looked us over shrewdly. “So you are what, sky scavengers or something? Sky pirates? Are you the captain boy?”

  “Me? No way!”

  Reed crossed his legs and seemed to float, until I noticed that roots had extended from the ground to hold him up.

  “What I can offer are living goods. Woods and fruits and spices. What I do not have is gold like the markets. If that is what you’re after you might as well just leave.”

  I scratched my chin. A plan was beginning to take form in my head, but I didn’t want to get his hopes up.

  “Say, Reed, you mentioned being able to provide wood. What I really need is a wooden airship repaired. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

  “I still perform heartwood ship repairs, aye, though as you’ll see it’s just me left tending the grove. We haven’t had any acolytes in a few years.”

  I wondered why that was, but bit my tongue. I said goodbye, but not before Reed gave me a basketful of strawberries. We flew off back to the Fool’s Errand in plenty of time for dinner.

  Dinner was had in the kitchen now, since King Kola had decided to yeet our dining room table into oblivion, with all of us crowded around the kitchen table or sitting on the counters in some cases. It was another sweet gazpacho, brightened with strawberry, but I’d eaten variations on this dish about three times in two days.

  “I found a [Sage],” I announced, and told them about Reed. “...He’s a Heart Grove Keeper or something like that. He said the moss kitten is a [Carbuncle of Growth].”

  Everyone had fallen silent and was looking at me.

  “Let me get this straight,” said Lorlux. “You found the the Keeper of the Grove of the Heart. And we have something he wants. Is that right?”

  I nodded. Lorlux smiled his too-wide smile, mouth arrayed into sharp teeth.

  “Tell him we accept. A heartwood ship is a very precious thing indeed, Daniel. I trust you’ll proceed there first thing in the morning…”

  Val cleared her throat. “About the morning. I was able to withdraw a little money from a bank here. It’s not a lot, but it’s enough so we can get some proper lodging in town for the evening. What do you think?”

  A big cheer went up among us. I was surely tired of sleeping in the ruins of a room.