By the time Kaien Vaelor reached the far end of the market, he had begun to suspect the morning held a personal grudge against him.
The smell of fresh bread drifted between the stalls. Somewhere to his left, a man was arguing over the price of onions with the intensity of someone negotiating a peace treaty. Kai's stomach gave a hopeful growl.
"Not helping," he muttered.
He checked Mirael's list again. The unfamiliar ingredient sat halfway down the page, written in her neat hand: Rotbell Root.
A green awning marked the stall he'd been directed toward. Bundles of dried leaves hung from its frame, stirring in the breeze.
Behind a counter crowded with jars and folded cloth stood a narrow-faced merchant, staring at an almost empty wooden tray.
"Are you open?" Kai asked.
The man looked up. "Unless you've come to buy the tray itself, that depends what you need."
"Rotbell Root."
The merchant shut his eyes for a moment. "Of course it is."
Kai glanced at the tray. "I'm guessing that's a no?"
"That's a 'not today.'" The man straightened and rubbed his forehead. "My regular gatherers should've been back days ago. I haven't heard a word from them, and half the market seems to have decided today is the day they need what I don't have."
"Do you know what happened?"
"No. They may have found better business elsewhere. They may be taking their time. All I know is that my shelves aren't filling themselves."
Kai examined the few bundles remaining. Some were tied with red thread, others wrapped in thin paper. Tiny labels hung from their strings, each covered in handwriting smaller than his mother's.
"Is Rotbell Root difficult to find?"
"Not particularly, if you know where to look. Difficult to bring back in good condition? Sometimes."
"Why?"
The merchant's mouth twitched. "Because the root has a personality. A terrible one."
"That doesn't explain much."
"It will if you ever split one open."
Kai looked at the list again. "My mother sent me for it. I can't exactly go home and tell her the root has a bad attitude."
"Who's your mother?"
"Mirael Vaelor."
Recognition softened the man's expression. "Ah. Mirael. She knows what she's doing with herbs. Tell her I haven't got any and I'll make it right when my stock comes in."
Kai nodded, but his gaze lingered on the empty tray. He had spent enough afternoons at the smithy, waiting while Taren discussed chipped practice blades or repairs, to know how much he liked the swords on display.
He had never seriously considered how he might afford one. His father kept him busy training, and the odd coins he earned helping at home rarely amounted to much. Still, the empty shelves gave him an idea.
"What if I gathered some for you?" he asked.
The merchant looked up from the tray. For a moment, he seemed unsure whether Kai was joking.
"You want to gather it?"
"That was the idea."
"Do you even know what Rotbell Root looks like?"
Kai glanced at the name on his mother's list. "Not yet."
"Not yet," the merchant repeated. He set down the bundle he was holding. "My regular gatherers know these woods and what grows in them. I can't send someone out just because he has a basket and a free afternoon."
"I've helped my mother sort and prepare ingredients," Kai said. "I know that's not the same as finding them."
"It certainly isn't. Different plants need different treatment. Some you take by the leaf, some by the stem, some by the root. Pull the wrong way and you can ruin the part someone actually needs."
Kai considered that. "Then I'll ask my mother what to look for and how to take it. She's the one who needs the root."
The merchant studied him a little longer. "And why offer to gather stock for me?"
Kai hesitated, then gave him a straightforward answer. "Because I'd rather bring her what she asked for than go home empty-handed. And if I can find something else you need, I could earn a few coins."
"Coins for what?"
Kai thought of the blades at the smithy. "Nothing particular yet. I've helped my mother with herbs before, and she sometimes gives me a few coins for it. I thought I might earn a little more doing this."
The merchant's expression eased. "So you want to help your mother and earn something for yourself. Fair enough."
"I'm not pretending I know everything," Kai said. "But I can listen, and I'm willing to do the work."
The man glanced at his nearly bare shelves, then back at Kai. "All right. Start with your mother.
If you bring back anything useful and in decent condition, I'll pay a fair price. I can't promise to buy every weed you drag through my stall."
"Fair enough."
The merchant ducked beneath the counter and emerged with a folded piece of parchment. He spread it between two jars, holding down a curling corner with his thumb.
A rough map showed the paths outside Aokiri, a stream, and several marks in faded brown ink.
"Old gathering routes," he said. "The marks show places where certain plants have been found before. No guarantee they'll still be there. Seasons change. So do paths."
Kai bent over it. "What's this crooked line?"
"The stream."
"And this?"
"A fallen tree, last I checked."
"This looks like a chicken."
"That's a hill."
Kai studied it from another angle. "A very unfortunate hill."
The merchant snorted. "Take it to your mother. She'll make more sense of it than you will. And bring it back when you're done."
"You're trusting me with it?"
"I'm trusting Mirael to make sure you return it." "That's probably wise."
The merchant folded the map and handed it over. "If you find good stock, I'll give you a fair price. Don't rush the work just to fill a basket."
Kai tucked the parchment carefully beside the list. "Then I'll see what I can bring you."
For the first time since he'd arrived, the man smiled. "I'd be glad to see anything worth putting on those shelves."
Outside the stall, the market carried on as though nothing had changed. A vendor called out the price of apples.
A child darted between two carts, pursued by a woman shouting his name. Kai headed home with an empty basket, a borrowed map, and a plan that had seemed simpler before he'd said it aloud.
By the time he reached the Vaelor house, the sun had climbed above the rooftops. He found Mirael at the worktable near the window, stripping leaves from a bundle of pale stems.
Yuna sat opposite her with an open notebook and a small heap of seeds arranged into careful rows.
Mirael glanced at the basket. "That was quick."
"I have news."
Yuna looked up. "You lost the list."
"No."
"The basket?"
"It's right here."
"Then you bought the wrong thing."
"Would you let me finish?"
Yuna folded her hands. "I'm listening."
Kai set the basket on the table and produced the map with a flourish. Mirael put down the stems.
"Why do you have a gatherer's map?" she asked.
"Because the merchant has no Rotbell Root. His regular gatherers haven't returned, so I offered to find some. He said he'd buy other useful plants too."
Yuna's eyes brightened. "You're going gathering?"
"Apparently."
Mirael unfolded the parchment and examined it. "And he lent you this?" "He knows you. I think that helped."
"It certainly did." She traced a finger along the stream. "Some of these marks are old. This patch here was cleared after the last heavy rains. But the paths along the eastern bank should still be easy to follow."
Kai leaned closer. "So you think I can do it?"
"I think you can begin," she said. "That's different from expecting to bring back everything on a merchant's shelf."
"I wasn't planning to carry the entire forest."
"Good. We don't have room for it."
Yuna grinned into her notebook.
Mirael reached for a shallow wooden box and lifted out a small knife with a curved tip. Beside it lay a pair of thick gloves, several cloth wraps, and two drawstring pouches.
"Use this for cutting stems and loosening soil," she said, offering the knife handle-first. "Not every plant should be pulled. Keep the roots separate from the leaves, and don't crush anything just to make it fit."
Kai turned the tool in his hand. The blade was short, its edge clean and well cared for. "I thought I'd need a bigger knife."
"For plants?" Mirael raised an eyebrow. "Are you planning to duel the shrubs?"
"Only if they start it."
"Then I'm sure you'll be victorious."
She placed the gloves beside the knife. "Wear these when you're unsure what you're handling. Some plants are harmless to touch; others aren't. And if you can't identify something well enough to harvest it safely, leave it where it is."
Kai nodded. "What about the Rotbell Root?"
Mirael crossed to a shelf and brought down a small jar containing a dried, twisted piece of root. Its skin was dark and ridged, with thin pale fibers running along one side.
"Look at the shape," she said. "The fresh root is firmer and a little lighter. You'll usually find it in damp soil, near low ground. Loosen the earth around it before lifting. Try to keep the outer skin intact."
"Because of its personality?"
Mirael paused. "The merchant told you that?" "He seemed personally offended by it."
"Then he's handled a damaged one." She returned the jar to its shelf. "You'll understand why I want it wrapped separately."
Yuna leaned forward. "Can I come?"
Kai blinked. "You want to?"
"Of course. I could help identify things."
Mirael shook her head gently. "Not today, Yuna. I need you here to finish the seed records, and Kai needs to learn to work through the map himself."
Yuna's shoulders sank. "I would have been useful."
"You would," Mirael agreed. "And you'll have other chances."
Kai nudged his sister's notebook. "You can tell me how badly I did when I get back."
"Oh, I will."
"That's the spirit."
Mirael fitted the knife into a simple sheath and helped him arrange the pouches in his basket. She added a waterskin and a piece of bread wrapped in cloth. Kai watched her work, suddenly aware that he'd arrived with an idea and very little else.
"You don't have to do all this," he said.
"I know." She tightened the last knot. "But I'd rather you come home with a few decent plants than a basket of broken stems and a headache."
He smiled. "I'll try to make the investment worthwhile."
"Start by coming home before dark."
"That's an investment I can manage."
Outside, Taren was repairing a loose board along the fence. He looked up as Kai stepped into the yard with his basket and supplies.
"Where are you off to?"
"Gathering ingredients for the market."
Taren took in the gloves, knife, and map. "And here I thought you'd found a way to escape work for the day."
"I did. It turned into different work."
"A familiar mistake." Taren tapped the board into place. "Keep your bearings. The woods can make a short walk feel longer when you're watching the ground instead of the path."
"I will." Kai replied.
"And don't let your mother catch you coming back without eating that bread."
Kai lifted the wrapped loaf. "I was planning to eat it before I reached the trees."
"Then at least one part of your plan is sound."
Kai left to the sound of his father's laughter.
Beyond Aokiri, the road narrowed between fields and low stone walls. The last houses slipped behind him, replaced by long grass bending beneath the breeze. Ahead, the forest rose in layers of green, its upper branches moving slowly against the pale sky.
He had walked its outer paths before, sometimes with Taren, sometimes with friends. Today he stopped at the first fork and unfolded the merchant's map. The inked lines looked considerably less helpful without the merchant's finger pointing at them.
"Stream to the east," he murmured. "Hill that looks like a chicken to the north."
A bird called overhead. Kai glanced up, then back at the parchment.
"I'm choosing to believe that's the hill."
He took the eastern path.
The air cooled beneath the canopy. Sunlight slipped through gaps in the leaves, scattering bright patches across the trail. Somewhere beyond the trees, water moved over stones with a soft, uneven murmur. Kai followed the sound until he reached a narrow stream and crouched beside it.
He checked the map, then the plants growing along the bank. Tall reeds crowded the wettest ground. Small white flowers dotted the grass farther back. He recognized several ordinary herbs from Mirael's table, though seeing them rooted among a dozen similar plants made him hesitate.
He set down his basket and chose a low cluster with narrow leaves and purple-tipped stems. Mirael had used the same herb in a cooling wash after training. He checked the leaf shape twice before touching it.
"Right," he said quietly. "Leaves first. Don't take the whole thing."
He slipped on the gloves, cut a few healthy stems, and laid them on a cloth wrap. The work was slower than he'd expected. Each cut required him to hold the plant steady without bending its neighbors, and the first bundle looked disappointingly small.
Still, the leaves were clean. The stems weren't crushed. He folded the cloth around them and tied it loosely.
Kai sat back on his heels and regarded the little parcel. One useful ingredient. Not a fortune, certainly. Perhaps not even enough for lunch at the market. But if he could learn to do this well, he might finally have a way to put aside more than the occasional coin from chores and helping Mirael.
But it was something he'd found and gathered himself.
He placed it carefully in the basket, then looked along the stream where the bank curved out of sight. The map showed more marks farther ahead, and the afternoon was still young.
Kai stood, brushed the soil from his knees, and followed the water deeper between the trees.