Afia intended to journey from Bakunini to the closest port in the River Valley, which was located in an insignificant little town called Löffel. According to her grandmother, this journey up the Merle River would take a little over three weeks. While the port was not particularly far, her grandmother’s boat was not meant for anything other than the casual wandering of a Hermit Seer.

Life on the Merle was significantly quieter than home. Although Afia spent plenty of time on her own, the absence of distractions like plays, libraries, people-watching, and friendly visits with family made her journey very lonely. Grandma wasn’t much for conversation. Everything she said to Afia either turned into an anecdote or a sermon. While Afia relished hearing it all, it made for poor company.

At the very least, Afia had a lot of time to think.