ã€ŠTo Sail on Seas of Skyã€‹


 Red in the Morning

    The city of Port Augustine was not quite fully awake yet, unlike Elodie Fleetwood. The morning painted the sky the same bright colors as the row of houses along the main river that fed the harbor. The uptown of the island was quiet, except for the occasional carriage passing by or an errand boy beginning his rounds.

    Technically, a young lady like Elodie should not be out at this hour, and certainly not making her way to the marina. She was not a merchant or sea-captain''s daughter, and as such had no acceptable business there.

    Well, she wasn''t a living captain''s daughter. That was beside the point.

    Elodie supposed her independence was a benefit to having become the mistress of the house so suddenly as she had three months ago. No one questioned where the mistress of the Fleetwood House had gone, as it was not their place to. Besides, they were long accustomed to the unusual requests and activities of the Fleetwood women. The previous mistress of the house, Elodie''s own mother, had been far more eccentric in her tenure than she.

    Of course, that was also the problem, the reason she was in this situation now.

    As Elodie neared the marina, she crossed over into where Port Augustine was already awake. The industrial industrious, the working class had risen before the sun and were already working in clockwork harmony. A harmony that Elodie had learned to be a part of, in the last three months. She weaved between carts and horses and workers, disappearing into the crowd like she wasn''t a young lady of "aspiring class" as her grandfather would put it.

    The marina was the most awake of any of the city, as the titular port that had been Augustine''s claim to fame. Already there were many new ships in the harbor, filled with sailors and workmen loading and unloading the cargo within and preparing to depart once more.

    Elodie found one of the quieter parts of the marina, a lone dock that saw no incoming ships, for it was a private dock within the marina. Technically, that meant Elodie herself was not supposed to be there either. But she was never there long enough to run into trouble.

    Once she had found her usual place, she reached into the deep pocket of her skirt to remove the old spyglass. It was once her father''s, as evidenced by the F.V. hastily carved into the side. She pointed it to the ships in the harbor and rotated the rings around the barrel to zoom in and read the carefully painted names on the sides.

    Always look for the Albatross in the marina, if you''re in any trouble. She and her captain will come to your aid.

    Elodie could hear her mother''s voice as clearly as she had the night before she''d disappeared. It was one of a great many cryptic things she had said that night. Although these words more cryptic in that they were spoken with no context. For Elodie had long heard the name of the Albatross and had been taught it was an ally to her.

    Just as she had been taught to use a compass and a spyglass, to tie all manner of knots, to swing a sword, and that red in the sky, like the scarlet in the clouds on this fine morning, were a bad omen for sailors.

    Red at night, sailor''s delight. Red in the morning, sailor take warning.

    Those were just a handful of the things her mother had taught her. All of it being things a lady of aspiring class was to have no need for.

    As she scanned the harbor for the ship she sought, she could not help but take note of the characters who worked aboard such ships. Most were the gruff sorts, the rough kind of working man that a lady like Elodie should stay shy of. Some were merely young men who dreamed of adventure, with stars in their eyes and a bounce in their steps. Only a select few were true gentlemen, with silver words and charming smiles and all the genteel manners of high society. They were naval officers or merchants with high enough profits to integrate into the gentry.

    But all were the same in their work on the high seas and low skies. They were the ones who took great risk for the love of the wind or the gold in their pockets¡ªand perhaps both. They were the ones who faced the cruel fickleness of the wind and tides, pirates, and the horrors that could be found in only the open sea and sky.

    Some of these men might even be pirates themselves, Elodie supposed as she set down her spyglass. She had not found the Albatross to be among the ships that had come in this morning. If they arrived later in the day, they would likely stay overnight, as was the official policy of the Albionese Trading Guild, and so she would see them tomorrow morning.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    She did not yet want to go home, however. Instead, she observed the men at work and wondered¡ªwhich of them did her father resemble?

    Any of the three could fit the enigmatic figure of Captain Felix Vance.

    Her mother did not speak of him often enough for Elodie to carry a clear picture in her head. What she did know that he was charming, enough so to convince her mother to run away with him. And that he had been hanged for piracy with all but two of his crew-members four months before her birth.

    It was for that reason that Elodie did not carry the surname of Vance at birth.

    "A bastard is better than a hanged man''s daughter," her mother would say. "Trust me, I''d know."

    For her mother had not been born within the confines of marriage either.

    Elodie sighed and stowed her spyglass away. She would never have an answer as to what her father was like. He was long dead, and every sailor knew that dead men told no tales. So rather than wait for the dead to speak, she might as well get on with her day and the ceaseless tasks of running the house on Brighton Row.

    Still, she could not help but look out to the ocean and open sky just in time to see one of the ships take off. Starting in the water, as the sails billowed and filled with the wind, it achieved liftoff and took to the red-tinged sky.

    She only could hope that they would take heed of the old adage. After all, she was no sailor so she had no need for it.

    Three months ago, Keira Fleetwood was the mistress of the house and Elodie worried about nothing other than her upcoming debut.

    But then her mother had disappeared in the middle of the night with only a cryptic note left behind and all of the responsibility. Perhaps the responsibility of taking care of the house might have been bearable if Elodie did not need to hide that she was the one doing so, or that her mother was gone at all.

    Keira Fleetwood had been a very eccentric mistress of such an expensive house in the uptown of Port Augustine indeed. She had no patience for social events and parties, and shunned all engagements.

    Instead, she was a recluse who dressed as a man would, in trousers and loose-fitting, practical garments. The kind that she had once donned on the high seas and the low skies. She drank the kind of rum that was preferred by smugglers and men of action, rather than the champagne of the would-be duchesses and political maneuverers.

    And she could not leave the house on Brighton Row for doing so would be a violation of her terms of parole from the Albionese government.

    It was one of the many conditions that had been set for her release, a deal made by Elodie''s grandfather under the table. A hefty price he''d paid for his daughter''s life¡ªfirst in the bribes to the judge, and then in buying the house that he would imprison his daughter and her unborn child in.

    It was nothing compared to the price her mother had paid to outlive her lover.

    These were the resentments that Elodie was caught between for her entire childhood. Her birth had saved her mother''s life. But in doing so, she had returned her mother to a gilded cage she had fought so desperately to escape. And Elodie herself had become a pawn between her mother and her grandfather.

    He would not hesitate to put out a bounty and alert the armies of Albion if he discovered that Keira had broken the terms of her parole. And knowing the disposition of the headstrong and ruthless daughter he had raised, he would likely have an ear to the ground for rumors of her activities.

    As such, Elodie knew the morning she saw the note that she had to keep her mother''s disappearance a secret at all costs.

    So had begun her new life. She''d told the servants that her mother had taken mysteriously and severely ill, and it was not safe to visit her chambers. She could see it in their eyes, that they suspected the truth. But tattling to the true owner of the estate was beyond their pay grade and would jeopardize a comfortable position. So they would not tell.

    But Elodie would still need to keep up with the finances, the maintenance, and any other such business that needed to be attended to. To make it look like her mother was still handling it behind her closed doors. All the while maintaining her own engagements so no one would be any wiser to her secret. She would attend her etiquette lessons and any social events that it would be expected for an unpresented girl at her level of society to attend.

    That was all well and good, and Elodie had managed her routines. But there was one aspect to it that imposed a clock on the whole affair, a sword hanging over her bed.

    When her mother disappeared, Elodie was six months off from her debut ball into high society and the marriage mart.

    Her grandfather had made it clear at her last birthday that her debut was to be the event of the season. Some of it was due to pride, that her barrister grandfather had invested so wisely that he would be able to afford such a party. Some of it was to compensate for Elodie''s parentage and how that would affect her prospects. Carrying her mother''s surname was better than her father''s, given his fate¡ªbut it made it very clear that she was a bastard. Just as her mother had been.

    For all the dowries of glimmering gold, it would be difficult to find anyone of the status that Brendan Fleetwood desired for a grandson-in-law who wanted to marry a bastard.

    Still, because it was to be the party of the year, Brendan Fleetwood himself would be coming to oversee it personally. Which meant that Elodie''s mother needed to return before then. Or else Elodie''s grandfather would inform the Albionese courts that her mother had broken the terms of her parole and would be subject to the same fate as Elodie''s father.

    And that was something Elodie couldn''t let happen, at any cost.

 The Pirate Queen

    After the usual morning routine of checking the ships in the marina for the Albatross, Elodie took her breakfast in her mother''s chambers, to keep up the illusion of her mother being confined there due to illness.

    Then she had to get properly dressed, and quickly for her etiquette lessons at Miss Griffin''s house on Angleby Street. There she practiced dances and tea manners and such with four other ladies of her class. Elodie made the gentle conversations about the weather and social events around the town. One of the girls, Isabel, spoke of her suitors. This was her second year on the marriage mart, and as a result she was getting quite serious about choosing between said suitors. Elodie could only hope that she would be so lucky.

    It was quite romantic after all, wasn''t it, being caught between so many suitors vying for one''s hand?

    After all, Isabel''s family had enough gold from mercantile trades that she was not marrying for money, and not so rich yet as to marry for power. Isabel herself fancied a love-match, and Elodie could only hope the same for herself one day.

    Indeed, her mother had insisted on it.

    "Don''t you dare listen to your grandfather," her mother had said with flashing eyes. "No daughter of mine is going to marry for social status or money or something well-to-do like that."

    She''d slammed down the bottle of rum and tilted her head, something softer coming across her face like a veil. "I married the man my father chose for me, the kind of man he wanted, with money and a minor title."

    It was then that Elodie noticed the ring her mother always wore. The garnet in the center caught the candlelight and in that moment resembled a drop of blood. It seemed especially so as her mother leaned in, a bitter smile overtaking her face.

    "What they don''t tell you is that him being a gentleman doesn''t mean that he''s a good man, it just means he''s got money and land." She leaned back in her chair and looked at Elodie in a way that made her wonder if her mother was looking for traces of her father in her face. "Your father might have been a true sailor, all grit and thievery, but he was a better man than Jonathan Beckett ever was."

    She''d then raised her hand to examine her ring herself and smiled. It was not a kind smile at all, with a cruel edge to it like a shark''s. In the candlelight of that night, Elodie could see her mother exactly as she must have been before her birth¡ªthe infamous Keira Fleetwood.

    Then she looked to Elodie and her smile softened. "If you''re so keen on marrying into society and all that, do me a favor, will you? Make sure you love him. You deserve no less."

    <hr>

    After her tea and etiquette lessons, Elodie returned home and checked on the ledgers for the finances of the house. Her grandfather was the one who paid for everything, but it was up to Keira¡ªand now Elodie¡ªto verify and allocate those funds correctly.

    Once the ledgers were balanced¡ªas they always were¡ªElodie then took to one of the upstairs drawing rooms that her mother had converted into a training room for swordplay.

    There were training dummies lined at one end of the room, the other held a rack of swords. There was a variety of shapes and styles that had been commissioned by Keira Fleetwood. Some mimicked the slanted ends of the blades from Oyeshima, or the scimitars to the islands in the southeast, or the great broadswords of the inhabitants of Thule. Keira had insisted when she''d begun Elodie''s training that she would learn to master all of the styles.

    It was strange, Elodie supposed as she picked up her favorite, the delicate rapier that was the standard of duelists and gentlemen in Cartagenan territory. Of course, her mother had insisted on teaching her a great many things from her days as a pirate. But if Elodie gave them only a half-hearted attempt, a mere trial for the sake of appeasement, Keira shrugged that off and would not make any further insistences.

    But the matter of swordplay was entirely different. When Elodie was around thirteen or fourteen, she''d protested the matter with her mother.

    "Why should I need to learn this, when I never plan to take to the seas?" Elodie had groaned as she picked up the scimitar. It had been giving her more trouble than she would have liked to admit.

    Besides that trouble, the daily fencing lessons felt like an imposition on the things that were more important to her life in Port Augustine. Things like social engagements with the girls in her etiquette lessons, or practice with sewing or embroidery to create her trousseau.

    "Every woman, lady or not, should know how to defend herself," her mother said with the same even patience as she readied her own blade. "The gentlemen would like for you to think they can protect you, but more often than not, they''re the ones you need to protect yourself from."This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    With that, her mother took the first swing. Elodie was quick to block her, and push back, using the leverage of where the metal had interlocked. Her mother withdrew and started to circle her. With appraising eyes, she regarded her daughter.

    "Besides, it would be a shame to waste that kind of talent on tea parties and such."

    She struck again, and Elodie was quick again to block. This time, when the blades interlocked, Elodie sharply turned the blade with a force that sent her mother''s sword clattering to the floor.

    "Yes, like that." Her mother smirked as she went to go pick it up. "It would be silly to waste that."

    She then picked up the sword and straightened herself. "Now, again, and this time I won''t be going easy on you."

    Elodie did have to admit that it was difficult to find a challenge in practicing her fencing skills with her mother gone. There was only so much that could be done with the dummies, and most of what she kept to during her mother''s absences were drills. The kind of movements that reminded her of the weight of the blade, how to move and maneuver it.

    Despite her rebellion in her early teen years, she had long come to enjoy the art of swordplay. It was similar to a dancing lesson, the feeling of spinning around the room in a synchronized movement with another. Spirits ran high and the movement was graceful, beautiful in its own right.

    Even the blades themselves carried their own sort of beauty in the craftsmanship of the metalwork. Elodie could admire how her favorite rapier had such delicate lines, from the slender blade to the intricate details of the handle. She liked how it glinted in the sunlight coming in through the large window.

    More than all of that, however, she had come to feel at home with a blade in her hand. With her sword, she felt so sure of her steps, her strength was unmatched. She was certain such things could be attributed to the years of practice, and her mother''s intentions. For even though such an art was unladylike, Elodie could admit that her mother had a point about gentlemen.

    The evidence of that was in the ring she wore and the murder charge that had convicted her own dear Captain Vance. For it was said that Jonathan Beckett had been murdered thirty years ago by his wife and her lover. And though he was a gentlemen in status, he did not act the part.

    Elodie suspected that was especially why her mother was so insistent that she could fight. So that she would never have to fear any man.

    It was a grim, sobering thought. But one that propelled her nonetheless through her drills.

    <hr>

    Night had fallen by the time Elodie had returned to her room. Sitting on the end of the bed was a package, wrapped in thick brown paper and tied shut with a thin string, the kind that didn''t hold more complicated knots all that well.

    She recalled that one of the maids, Rosemarine, had mentioned that there was a package coming today. But Elodie hadn''t thought it was for her. She examined the scrawled ink on the paper for the return address.

    Ah. It was from the dressmaker''s shop on Cortes Street.

    Elodie had never untied a knot so quickly in her life. She ripped at the paper to get at the contents, revealing taffeta that was the same exquisite blue of the ocean. She stopped, her fingers hovering over the masterpiece of ribbon and lace folded neatly into a square.

    It had been so long since her last fitting, she''d nearly forgotten.

    She inhaled slowly, taking in the sight of the finished ballgown. The one intended for her debut. Then, with all the gentleness and care she could muster, she lifted the dress out of its neatly-folded square and unfurled it to see the whole picture.

    She took it over to the full-length mirror and imagined what she would look like in it on the night of her big debut. She of course had tried on mock-ups and an early version in the lead-up. But she''d never seen it on her with all of the trimmings and additions. It had already been lovely enough, with that pale blue-green color that complimented her peaches-and-cream complexion and fiery red hair. But with the lace and pale coral ribbons added, the effect was arresting.

    She would not try it on tonight. And she certainly would not look at herself wearing it in the mirror. Not until her debut night. She had to preserve a few surprises for herself. But she was already certain that in her finery, every eligible bachelor''s eyes would be on her.

    No one would remember that she was a bastard''s daughter and a bastard herself. No one would remember that her father was hanged for piracy and left as a warning for weeks after on the low tides of the marina. No one would remember that her grandfather was no Albionese gentry, only a shrewd investor and a barrister from the Emerald Isles.

    No, after they saw her like this, all they would see her as was a potential bride.

    Her heart fluttered at the idea as she hung the dress on the door of her oak wardrobe. The wrinkles would have time to fall out of them this way, and she could look at it and dream of her debut ball. She could dream of what it would be like to dance with a true partner, not one of the other girls in her etiquette class. She could imagine her partner''s witty repoire, and what it was like to feel the gaze of a man upon her.

    She returned to her bed and blew out the candle, shrouding the room in darkness. Only the moonlight protruded through the curtains of her bed frame. As she burrowed under her quilt and turned away from the moon, she wondered where her mother was. If she saw the same moon as Elodie, if she was thinking of her.

    Elodie did not fear that her mother had died or come to injury in her quest. Her mother was infamous for her exploits and had once showed her testimonies and gazette articles about the crimes she and her father had committed once upon a time. Her mother was more than capable of handling herself.

    No, the danger came from Elodie''s grandfather. And while Elodie was certain her mother was keeping herself safe, that did not mean that she would complete her quest within the six months she''d given herself.

    Elodie still remembered the note her mother had left for her. It lived in the drawer of her nightstand, kept for the sentimentality of it all.

    Dearest Elodie,

    I am afraid I must leave at once. Your father''s greatest treasure is in danger, and if I do not go, all will be destroyed. I cannot take you with me. Please keep the house running in my absence, so I may come home to you.

    With love,

    Your Mother

 Emissaries of the Black-Sail Fleet

    Elodie had even known exactly the treasure of which her mother spoke. After all, nearly everyone knew of Captain Felix Vance''s buried treasure.

    <hr>

    "But not everyone knows the truth of it." Her mother spun a letter-opener in her hand with no care for the sharp blade. "To be fair, I wasn''t a part of the crew yet when that happened. But it was the discovery that made everyone know the name of the pirate Felix Vance."

    She looked out one of the windows at the setting sun and sighed. "He''d sailed to one of the farthest corners of the Sea of Gales, where no maps mark the way. He found ancient treasure, he said, it belonged to the people who once ruled over the whole sea long ago."

    "What did he do with it?" Elodie''s eyes were wide with wonder.

    "Buried it, didn''t take a single doubloon, and in fact he buried it in the dead of the night with no crew to help." Her mother laughed, only to quickly sober. She looked at the letter-opener contemplatively. "He said they''d never understand. But something was wrong with it. He said that no one should have ever found that treasure, and he said it looking as if he''d seen a ghost."

    <hr>

    Elodie could only hope that this treasure her mother had suddenly left everything behind to chase would be worth it. She had no idea what could be wrong with such a treasure that even a pirate would choose to rebury and hide it, rather than take it.

    She turned once more in her sheets, thinking of the red sky in the morning. There were no signs of an incoming storm tonight. She could only hope that remained true¡ªand that the red sky wasn''t a worse omen than storms and the death that came in their wake. She let the tides of sleep roll over and claim her, letting her sink into their depths.

    <hr>

    Of course, the night was not so kind as to let her stay under the depths of sleep. Elodie was roused from dreams of stars and whales flying through the air and sea-spray to the smell of fire and the song of cannons and screams.

    She flew out of bed and threw on her boots. Just as she''d tossed her dressing gown over her shoulders, Rosemarie burst in through the door.

    "Miss Fleetwood, we have to go, they''re attacking Brighton Row!"

    "Just a moment, I need to go into the fencing room¡ª" Elodie was cut off by Rosemarine snatching her wrist, digging in with her fingernails.

    "No time, Miss Fleetwood, they''ve set fire to the Kenway house at the end of the row, and we don''t know when the constables or the fire brigade will be here to put a stop to all of this!" Rosemarine''s eyes were wide with fear. "Now come on!"

    With more strength than Elodie would have thought possible, the maid dragged Elodie down the grand staircase and into the streets.

    The street was unlike anything Elodie had ever seen. Perhaps the closest was when the King''s Fair came to town, but even the revelry of such an event was unlike the chaos unfolding before her on Brighton Row.

    Elodie and Rosemarine weren''t the only ones attempting to flee, servants and families from the other colorful mansions were running on the cobble stones, with animals like dogs and cats weaving their way underfoot. All the while, there were pirates attacking, wielding large cutlasses and firing pistols that sent the night sky alight like fireworks.

    In the darkness and confusion, Elodie couldn''t truly tell however who was a pirate and who was like her, a resident of the esteemed neighborhood trying to escape the rampage. The only certainty was Rosemarine''s grip on her arm, dragging her through it all.

    But even that could not remain constant.

    The trouble came when the horses burst out of the Hathornes'' stable. Someone had left the door open to give them a chance to escape before the flames or the pirates claimed their house, perhaps a well-meaning stable boy or someone similar.

    The problem was, the frightened horses cut a path through the crowd, and Rosemarine was forced to change direction and suddenly as a horse came careening toward them.

    The quick change had Elodie off-balance, and in the darkness and confusion, she did not see or expect the sharply-raised cobblestone. Down she went, and her vision went red as others rushed around her. She managed to get back up on her feet, but Rosemarine was gone.

    Others jostled around her as she started to move again, stumbling alone in the dark when someone grabbed her arm, pulling her away from the crowd.

    Elodie turned to regard her savior, only to recoil as she recognized the wide-brimmed hat and the cutlass in the man''s other hand.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    He was a pirate. And he was looking at her with a glint of recognition that she didn''t like.

    Suddenly Elodie felt small, frozen to the spot. She knew she should try to wrestle free¡ªbut then again, looking at the cutlass, maybe that wasn''t such a good idea.

    If only she''d defied Rosemarine and grabbed a sword of her own!

    But without a blade of her own, it was a losing game. She wouldn''t be able to win against a man, for all of his strength and years of experience.

    Another gruff-looking man joined the one who had Elodie''s arm in a vise-like grip. "What you got there, Davies?"

    "I think we have what the Captain''s looking for." The pirate¡ªDavies, Elodie supposed¡ª narrowed his eyes. "No doubt about it, looking at her."

    The second pirate blinked, then smiled. It was an ugly, sneering smile. The kind that made Elodie''s blood run cold.

    "Looks just like her mam, she does."

    Both men started to laugh, a raucous sound.

    "Better take her to Captain Reynard then." Davies pulled Elodie in tighter and lightly pressed the edge of the cutlass against her throat. Not so much that it would make a cut, but enough to leave an impression. A warning shot, even.

    "No sudden moves from you, lass." The men laughed again. "Now, you can either walk yourself, or we''ll drag you."

    "I''ll walk." Elodie tried not to swallow.

    "A fine choice, lass."

    <hr>

    The pirates marched her through the city streets. All of the other chaos seemed to warp around them, like they were the eye of the hurricane and the raid on Port Augustine was the storm.

    At the marina, there were several ships hovering over the docks, ready for a swift getaway. But the kingship of it all loomed overhead, with letters painted in white that captured the moonlight so that all could read¡ª the Foxtrot was her name.

    As they approached, the second pirate fired off a pistol, instantly capturing the attention of one of the crewmates left onboard.

    "Oi, Davies, Rackham, what''s all this about eh?" The sailor leaned over the edge to shout down.

    "We got the girl, is the Captain still onboard?" Davies hollered back. "Thought he might want a chat!"

    "What¡ªoh, I''ll bring you up in just a jiffy!" The sailor hurried over to the side of the boat and dropped down a wicker basket large enough for a good group of men, maybe five or more to fit into.

    Davies removed the cutlass from Elodie''s throat. "Ladies first, then."

    What a joke.

    Elodie swallowed back any retorts on the tip of her tongue and stepped into the basket with Davies and Rackham. Davies still kept the tip of the cutlass pointed at the small of her back, a reminder of what would happen if she didn''t keep quiet, keep obedient like a bird in a cage.

    As the sailor worked the ropes to pull them up, she could not help but observe the Foxtrot in all its grim glory. Of course she''d seen larger of the great wooden ships that could traverse both the air and the water of the Sea of Gales. Mainly from the Albionese military. But this was still greater than most of even the most expensive of the merchant ships that came to Port Augustine. With three masts with billowing sails that caught the wind and held it there, they extended like a pair of wings nearly as wide as the ship was long.

    Elodie wondered if her father''s ship was anything like the Foxtrot.

    Once she was brought aboard the deck, Davies marched her up to a man standing in the center of all the action with a spyglass and a sword on his hip.

    "Davies, Rackham, what are you two louts doing here?" The man sneered. "There''s work to be done, and¡ª"

    He stopped, having finally seen Elodie. His pale gray eyes gleamed in the moonlight and his lips curled back into a horrible smile. "I take that back. Well done, the two of you. Seems even idiots like you can get the job done when the cards are down."

    "Found her wandering on the street on Brighton Row, sir." Davies visibly preened. "She was easy pickings, Captain."

    "Right." The man¡ªCaptain Reynard, she recalled the name was, tilted his head. "Still, might as well check¡ªyour name, lass?"

    "E-Elodie Fleetwood," she stammered. There was no point in lying, not now. Besides, they clearly knew who she was, who her mother was.

    "Oh good, you two didn''t fuck up. Excellent." Captain Reynard straightened his coat. "His Highness will be happy to hear that we were successful tonight."

    "His Highness¡ªyou don''t mean the King of Albion, do you?" Elodie couldn''t stop herself from asking.

    All three of the men burst into laughter.

    "King of Albion¡ªas if!" Captain Reynard wiped a tear away from his grimy cheek. "No, I speak of real royalty, lass, the Pirate King himself!"

    He stepped closer, and if it weren''t for the cutlass still pointed at the small of Elodie''s back, she might have stepped back. If just to put some distance between him. As it was she could feel the hot breath of the pirate captain, reeking of alcohol.

    The joviality had completely disappeared from his pale gray eyes. "Nearly everyone''s been looking for Vance''s treasure since he returned to Libertalia with the tale. When he was hanged, everyone thought that it was lost for good, no one realized that he''d told his woman the secret over anyone else."

    His eyes flicked up and down Elodie''s shivering form, his smile gone completely. "Surely she''ll come once she gets word that the Black-Sail Fleet has you."

    Elodie had heard of that term before, in the papers. The mysterious Black-Sail Fleet, a large coalition of pirates that all flew under the black Jolly Roger flag and reported allegedly to a king of their own.

    A king that apparently was looking for her, her mother, and her father''s long-buried treasure.

    The full depths of what trouble she was in had finally washed over her like the tide. But it was too late.

    "Take her to the brig, chain her up, make sure she can''t leave," Captain Reynard ordered as he stepped back and adjusted his dingy mauve coat. "I''ll call everyone in. His Highness won''t like it if we dally around now that we have what we came for."

    "Right then." Rackham grabbed Elodie''s arm and pulled her away.

    She could only steal one last look over her shoulder at the moon over Port Augustine, the city''s skyline illuminated by fire and obscured with smoke. What would become of her home, Elodie did not know.

    Her view was cut off when Davies slammed the door to the underside of the ship as Rackham pulled Elodie down the stairs. It was then that she realized that what would become of her, she was even less certain of.

 The Wayfinder

    It was dark in the brig, with only an iron grate above to let in the moonlight from above, and a distant torch beyond the mildewing wood and corroding iron bars in the window. The sea-spray somehow kept finding a way into the small wooden room, leaving Elodie''s clothes soaked through and her hair plastered to her skin.

    She wasn''t sure how long she sat there, arms bound behind her back in iron manacles and the chain locked around the pole in the middle of the room. There wasn''t enough give for her stand, and she would not have trusted her legs to do so anyway.

    She was on the Sea of Gales for the first time, as the ship skipped on the small sea-breezes just above the waves, and she could not even enjoy it for being a prisoner of the Black-Sail Fleet. How long had she looked out from the shipyard and wondered what it would like to sail on the high seas and low winds, as her mother had? How long since she''d started looking for Captain Jennings'' ship, had she started to wish for a chance to find out for herself?

    Well, she''d gotten it, and in doing so had opening up a whole new world of trouble. Would the servants continue to hide her mother''s absence? Or would they report it all straight to her grandfather? Would she even have a home to return to or worry about losing, given all the ransacking and arson?

    In the quiet of the brig, she could do nothing else but think.

    Even sleep eluded her, in the horrid discomfort of the position she had been left in.

    Still, the night moved. And she was distinctly aware that the moonlight was fading by the time she saw a face peer through the iron bars of the small window. She was pretty sure her visitor was a man, although his features were still mostly cast in shadow by the lack of light.

    What the dim firelight had managed to illuminate, however, were his eyes. They were blue-green, or perhaps a grayish-teal. Elodie remembered seeing a bolt of taffeta that color, a potential choice for her debut gown. How that seemed like years ago now!

    As soon as those eyes met hers, she looked away. She wouldn''t give the pirates the satisfaction of watching her like a caged animal.

    Still, her curiosity got the better of her, and when she looked back, the face was gone.

    Well, that was for the better, wasn''t it? Besides, with her soaked white nightgown, who knew what one of the lecherous bastards was really looking at? She''d heard about the reports in the papers, like that poor Cartagenan girl who had been kept captive for months aboard one of these ships. Even her mother had mentioned that she dressed as a man initially to keep the wandering hands and eyes of such untoward men off of her.

    Elodie tried testing the manacles again¡ªnothing, as expected. She heaved a sigh and looked up. The sky was starting to lighten¡ªit would be dawn soon. She wondered where they were going, where the Foxtrot would be taking her exactly.

    Captain Reynard had made his intentions clear, that he''d be taking her to the mysterious Pirate King to lure out her mother and make a bid for her father''s greatest treasure. But a more explicit location would have been nice.

    Her attention was drawn away from the dawn by the sound of footsteps coming close.

    Is someone else coming?

    Her unvoiced question was answered by the sound of metal clanking together, a jiggling of a lock and key. The door creaked open, revealing a boy of about Elodie''s age. She recognized the teal-gray eyes from earlier, he was the one who had been gaping in at her.

    Well, she wouldn''t dignify his intrusion with a reaction. She averted her gaze, turning away and hoping maybe he would go away.

    No such luck, however. Instead, he came closer, only to stop when his boots hit the standing water in the center of the room.

    Elodie couldn''t help herself, she looked back to him, confused more than anything else. He hadn''t said anything still, and his expression was as unfathomable as the sea. He then removed his gray jacket, with a few carefully-sewn patches and the occasional dark stain on the sleeve. He took a few tentative steps toward her, then slowly lowered the jacket onto her shoulders.

    Oh.

    He''d been trying to help her.

    Elodie had to admit, she did appreciate the warmth and the coverage from the eyes of others.

    He crouched beside her, making very careful and deliberate eye contact. "My name''s Ventus. I''m going to get you out of here."Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    She was surprised that a pirate boy in with rough men had such a soft voice. He was pleasant to listen to, unlike Reynard and his men had been earlier in the night.

    "Oh, I''m Elodie."

    "I know." He stood up and pulled a set of keys off of his belt. Without another word he got to work, pulling a key and undoing the padlock that had kept her low to the ground and stuck to the pole.

    He then knelt behind her again and unbound her hands.

    She immediately pulled them to the front and had to adjust the jacket over her shoulders.

    "Don''t get too comfortable, to get you above the decks without suspicion, I''ll have to tie them back again." He offered her a hand. "Need help standing?"

    "No, I''m fine." Elodie moved to stand, only to realize she could not entirely feel her legs between the rhythm of the ship hitting the waves due to the low winds, and sitting on them for so long.

    Before she could collapse to the ground again, Ventus caught her by the shoulders. "Easy now."

    Elodie closed her eyes, focusing on the feeling of the ground beneath her once again. She only opened her eyes when she felt as if she weren''t about to fall over anymore. She looked up to Ventus and gave a little nod.

    "We''re good then?" He let go of her, and thankfully for her pride, Elodie did not fall over this time.

    Having to be rescued was terribly embarrassing enough as is.

    With that, he drew rope from a pocket formed by the fold of a scarf wrapped around his waistband.

    Right. He''d mentioned that part, to sell the disguise to get her off the ship or something like that. Still, she wasn''t exactly keen on a plan that left her just as helpless as before.

    The hesitation must''ve been clear on her face, for Ventus spoke: "You don''t trust me, do you?"

    He paused. "Stupid question, I wouldn''t either."

    He raised a free hand over his heart. "I swear on my honor as a son of the Hawkins family that you will not come to any harm from this plan." He paused, tilting his head. "You would know the Hawkins name, right?"

    "You mean the merchant family in Yorkhaven?" Elodie frowned. "Of course, Mrs. Hawkins'' parties are legendary."

    "Oh, good." Ventus visibly relaxed. "So I hope that does mean something to you."

    "I guess it does." Besides, it wasn''t like she had any better plans. "Guess we''d better get on with it then, before anyone else finds us."

    She turned around and placed her hands behind her back. Ventus luckily caught his jacket again and re-adjusted it over her shoulders once more.

    "You know, if you wanted to just get me to come to see the captain or something of that sort, I suppose you wouldn''t have had to put all of this work in," Elodie mused aloud as Ventus began working with the rope.

    "You''re just now realizing this?" Ventus sounded mildly annoyed.

    Still, she noticed how gentle and nimble his fingers were, working quickly to keep the bindings tight enough to be convincing, but not nearly so tight as the iron manacles. She supposed a pirate like any other sailor would know how to work their knots, so it shouldn''t have been a surprise.

    He pressed a tiny length of rope into her fingers. "Tug on this and it should all come loose. It''s a trick knot, so if things go. . . unexpected, then you''ve got your hands free."

    "Oh, thanks." Elodie didn''t know that was possible. She gripped the length between two her fingers as best as she could. She didn''t want to lose it, but she also didn''t want to trigger it early.

    "Don''t thank me yet, I haven''t gotten you off-board yet." He glanced over his shoulder quickly before grabbing her shoulder. He spoke louder, but in a more stilted, unnatural way. "Now, let''s get you to the captain. He has some questions for you."

    With that, he pushed her out of the brig and into the dark hallway. Other than the creaking of the ship on the wind and their own footfalls, the ship was quiet.

    Too quiet, Elodie couldn''t help but think. Then again, perhaps it was just her racing nerves making it feel like she was getting off too easily.

    <hr>

    When they entered the main deck, it was devoid of any other sailors. Elodie supposed that any lookouts were probably atop the masts and they weren''t looking at the main deck. At least, she hoped and prayed to all the sea gods that they weren''t. At least there was light again, with the dawn coming up over the horizon. Elodie was squinting, she''d gotten so used to the darkness of the brig at night.

    They''d crossed the deck to where the emergency rowboats and the wicker baskets were tied to the side when a voice cut through the dawn.

    "Where do you think you''re going, boy?"

    Ventus froze behind her. "Captain requested to see her, Davies. I''m just doing as my captain asked of me."

    "Did he now?" Elodie could hear it in his voice, he didn''t believe a word of what Ventus had said.

    "Want to try that again, boy?" A new voice cut through the morning, and Elodie looked to one of the upper decks to see that Captain Reynard and several other pirates had been in wait for them.

    "Shit," Ventus hissed under his breath. He pushed Elodie behind him and drew his sword.

    She reached for the bit to pull at the knot¡ªbut it wasn''t there. She frowned. She''d lost the bit. She had to find it, or else¡ª

    "What are you going to do boy, fight me?" Davies laughed as he drew his own sword. "You''ve never seen any real combat, you''ve been working below-decks."

    She continued to feel around, her fingers catching the frayed end of the bit. It wasn''t solid in her hands, but if she could just pull she''d be free.

    Ventus raised his sword with both hands. She could see it in his posture, he was still a beginner. He reminded her of the newer soldier recruits she sometimes saw in Port Augustine, when they were on a brief trip to the town or when they would first arrive, before they transferred out to one of the forts off the coast.

    The wind began to pick up, rustling the sails as the dawn began to darken.

    "Go ahead, then, do it!" Davies jeered.

    The glint of sunlight on metal caught Elodie''s eye. Captain Reynard had drawn his pistol, and Ventus hadn''t noticed. Just as she registered the gun, she had it¡ªshe yanked hard on the frayed ends and the rope dropped to deck harmlessly.

    It all happened in the blink of an eye.

    Davies advanced.

    The gun fired, filling the air with a flash and smoke. The taste of gunpowder had somehow gotten into Elodie''s mouth.

 The One-Winged Parrot

    Thunder clapped, the sunrise having gone dark in an instant.

    And she wrapped her arms around Ventus and pulled him back, throwing them both over the edge and into one of the wicker baskets.

    "What on¡ª" Ventus groaned as he rolled off of her, but Elodie had no time for explanations.

    She took advantage of his confusion to snatch his cutlass right out of his hand and she swung at the ropes just as Davies'' hand closed around one of them.

    Elodie hit the floor as the basket plummeted into the sea.

    Upon impact, her world turned upside down, and she was greeted by the icy embrace of the water. She kicked and kicked, but every way wasn''t up and her lungs burned for oxygen. The dappled shadow and sunlight filtered through the clouds and the water, mixed with the white bubbles, made it impossible for her to make out anything.

    Two strong arms weaved their way under her armpits, and she immediately started thrashing against their grip. But they somehow pulled her up anyway, up, up¡ª

    Elodie gasped for air as she was heaved onto the side of the overturned wicker basket. She grabbed onto it, grateful for an anchor in the shifting tides. She heard a thick flopping sound next to her, and saw Ventus throw the jacket up over the side.

    Rain pelted at her and the tides continued to thrash around her, so she clung on for dear life.

    She supposed the sword had been completely lost in going overboard. Which was a pity.

    "Would''ve been nice to know that you can''t swim," Ventus huffed as he started pushing the wicker basket.

    "I can!" Elodie felt her cheeks go red. "I just¡ªI wasn''t expecting that! Where did this storm come from anyway?"

    Ventus shook his head and continued kicking. "Sure, whatever. Can you kick too?"

    "Yeah, but where are we kicking to?" Elodie took the opportunity to look around her for the first time.

    The Foxtrot was still overhead, but they hadn''t yet sent anyone after them¡ªlikely because it was now pitching and tossing in the sudden storm.

    But to the east, where Ventus was kicking, there was an island. Well, Elodie wasn''t sure there was all that much island, but there were many ramshackle buildings, docks, and such spreading off of the tiny sandbar that sufficed for island, with more ships than she''d ever seen.

    Many of which were flying the black Jolly Roger, but plenty more flew flags of all colors and designs, all of which were flapping in the sudden raging winds.

    "I wasn''t going to have us just jump off in the middle of nowhere," Ventus scoffed. "At least we''ve got the storm covering our tracks for a little bit. Lucky, I guess."

    "Lucky?" Elodie retorted as she kicked in the water. "It was a sunny day, how¡ª"

    Ventus shook his head. "Sea''s like that, she''s temperamental, changes in an instant."

    Elodie bit back a response about how even she knew it wasn''t that temperamental. Besides, he had a point, as much as she hated to admit it. So instead, she just kept kicking and hoping that the island full of pirates would provide some refuge from the Black-Sail Fleet.

    <hr>

    It wasn''t long before they came upon a little stretch of sandbar, where there was a crudely-painted sign stuck in the ground.

    Libertalia, the first line read in blood-red paint. Pirate Republic, white letters scrawled below it.

    She grabbed Venus''s jacket and threw it on over her shoulders. She did not wear it properly, for it was still soaked through and smelled like brine and sea-salt. But it was still something to cover up with, as she was still wearing a wet white nightgown and boots. Not ideal, especially given how the docks of Libertalia were already bustling, but it would have to do.

    Ventus stood up and dusted himself off, but the fine white sand still clung to his clothes. The wicker basket he left to bob along in the waves.

    He climbed up on one of the neighboring docks, then turned to wordlessly offer her his hand. Elodie accepted, and was heaved up onto the uneven, mildewing planks of the primary pathways of Libertalia.

    She followed Ventus through the labyrinth of docks that formed a marina that spanned the entirety of the island. She could not help but gawk at the ships and characters passing by. Some ships were really just ragged sloops, but others were magnificent, modified navy ships. Some were even made in styles that Elodie did not recognize, with sails that resembled the fins of a fish with how there were many wooden segments behind the brightly-dyed sails.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    However, it didn''t take long for her to realize that the passerby were staring back at her.

    She noticed how their eyes flicked to her fiery red hair, evidence of her family''s origin in the Emerald Isles. How she was completely drenched in water and not fully dressed, unlike them. How they whispered while looking at her side-long.

    "Ventus¡ª"

    "I see them." He reached for her hand. "We need to get out of the open. They shouldn''t do anything while we''re here, there''s an honor code here¡ªbut that''s more of a guideline, can''t be trusted."

    With that, he started walking faster, and it was all that Elodie could do not to fall behind even with the anchor of his hand. They weaved through more of the docks before coming upon the walkway that consisted as a main street for shops and the like. Elodie tried to keep her eyes on Ventus in front of her, to ignore the eyes that knew she was there, the feeling of being seen in the most uncomfortable way.

    Ventus led her to a two-story tavern that was the origin of raucous singing and laughter¡ªeven though it was barely even morning. The One-Winged Parrot, the sign atop the door read, with a scarlet bird with rainbow feathers on the single exposed wing next to it.

    Who got that drunk that early?

    "We''ll be able to find someone here who isn''t with the fleet," he whispered into her ear.

    Ventus stepped forward¡ªbut Elodie lingered behind, heart pounding and hands clammy. To be on an island filled with pirates was one thing¡ªbut a tavern full of them? Elodie had not even been allowed to visit the taverns within Port Augustine because they were such dens of trouble. Or at least, that was what her grandfather and tutors had told her.

    Ventus looked back, and he seemed to read the hesitation in her eyes, the concerns etched in the crease between her eyebrows.

    "Keep your head down and you''ll be fine." He squeezed her hand, as gentle of as an assurance as she could get, she supposed.

    With that, she followed Ventus into the One-Winged Parrot. They passed many tables, all of which were filled with pirates. The sign outside the marina hadn''t been lying.

    Ventus guided her past their games of cards and tankards of beer and bottles of rum to a table that was close to the bar itself. There was a section of wall behind the wooden bench that served as the seating for the one side of the table, with a painting of a sailboat hung over faded yellow wallpaper.

    The location shielded them somewhat from the view of the other patrons.

    Well, most of the other patrons.

    Elodie was looking around for one of the tavern-maids when she instead caught the eye of a grizzled old rogue at the bar, nursing a tankard of foaming beer. She averted her gaze¡ªbut it was too late.

    "Eh, lass, what are you looking at?"

    "Nothing¡ªsorry!" Elodie glanced back, only to realize his eyes were locked on her.

    "Red hair, that face¡ªI think I''ve seen it before." His eyes were calculating.

    He couldn''t possibly mean¡ª could he¡ª

    "Get lost," Ventus barked as he stretched an arm around Elodie. "She''s mine."

    The rogue took in Ventus for the first time, and his eyes flicked over the boy appraisingly. "Wouldn''t take much to take her from you. Effort would be worth the payoff."

    "Excuse me?" Elodie laughed, a tittering and hysterical sound, incredulous of this man''s audacity.

    Her discomfort was lost on the man, with how he continued. "You''re clearly Fleetwood and Vance''s daughter, so give me one good reason why I shouldn''t shout your name to the pub or take out your friend and drag you to my ship?"

    Elodie sucked in a breath, unsure of how to respond when¡ª

    "My lady, is this man bothering you?"

    Elodie turned to see that a young man had somehow gotten behind her without her so much as hearing footsteps. Which was rather disconcerting but somehow still the least of her problems.

    The newcomer was the tall and dashing type, with shining blond hair like a fairytale prince''s and perhaps the prettiest hazel eyes that Elodie had ever seen with a ring of gold in their depths. Various trinkets dangled around his neck and wrists, and he wore his shirt buttoned incredibly loosely. His jacket matched his hat, both an attention-grabbing teal and the hat held a red feather in the depths. Perhaps the strangest anomaly about this gaudy young man was that he wore only one glove on his right hand, but he''d cut the fingers off the glove.

    Standing behind him was a young woman with wild black hair and a mischievous smile.

    The young man wrapped his arm around her back, touching his hand to her shoulder.

    Ventus glared at him, but the young man ignored him, instead looking straight at the old rogue who had declared Elodie to be Vance and Fleetwood''s daughter.

    "I daresay good sir that the lady has had her welcome of you and would like you to leave."

    The rogue narrowed his eyes, nursing his beer. "What''s it to you? You heard, haven''t you, about Vance''s treasure? Rumor has it his widow is going looking for the treasure. The girl here is her spitting image¡ªshe just might be the key to getting Fleetwood to talk."

    Shivers went down Elodie''s spine¡ªsomething that was not helped by how the young man''s hand tightened over her shoulder, gripping into the fabric of Ventus''s jacket. His tone shifted, still vaguely pleasant but far colder, like the breeze on the last morning of summer.

    "Sir, I believe you are mistaken. I''d take your leave now or¡ª"

    Elodie stiffened and froze. The rogue had pulled out a pistol, faster than she could comprehend. In a beat, she realized that the blond youth had pulled out one of his own, and the young woman behind him had also drawn a revolver.

    "Gentlemen, perhaps we can come to a solution¡ª"

    "Shut it, ginger wench, the men are talking," the rogue spat. "So you brought back-up. I''d bet if I shouted her mother''s name, you''d be outmatched."

    "Move to do so, and you''ll lose your head before you start talking." The gaudy youth pulled back the hammer on his revolver, speaking as casually as if one were discussing the weather. "If I were you, sir, I''d put your weapon down, finish your beer and walk out of here. It''s a lovely day. Might be nice for a walk or¡ª"

    Before he finished, he pushed Elodie down, and she only had the wherewithal to drag Ventus down with her as three shots rang out. When she peeked her head back from under the table, she saw one gunshot about an inch from Ventus''s head in the wall, and the rogue was slumped over dead.

    But the gunshots had drawn attention. And now everyone in the One-Winged Parrot was staring at their table.

    "Jade," the gaudy blond said in a clearly indicative tone. Indicative of what, Elodie could only guess.

    "Yeah, I know," the wild-haired girl huffed. "Looks like we''ll be fighting out way out of here."

    "No you won''t."

    All heads turned to see a woman about Elodie''s mother''s age, with dark hair braided into a tight bun at the nape of her neck, a dark pirate''s hat that was clearly of quality but not so luxurious as what the blond youth wore, and a long black coat over what was clearly a modified Albionese naval uniform.

    One look at those stern coffee-black eyes, and Elodie knew who she was looking at.

 Captain Elizabeth Jennings

    "Captain Jennings, nice to see you again!" The bar-maid piped up. Her smile seemed more genuine than it had been earlier in the day.

    Upon hearing the name, some whispers passed through the room. A few of the patrons immediately slapped down doubloons for the tab and made for the exit, while others continued their patronage, with quieter voices and the occasional suspicious glare in Captain Jennings'' direction.

    By the time Captain Jennings had made her way to the table and the nearby bar, the bar-maid had slid a drink over to where the rogue had sat.

    "Thank you, Bertha." Captain Jennings smiled politely and tossed down doubloons of her own. She glanced at Elodie, Ventus, the blond, and the dark-haired girl. "And whatever this group is having, put it on my tab."

    "Of course, Liss." Bertha smiled mischievously before attending to her other patrons. "It''s good to see you again, you know!"

    "And you as well." Captain Jennings lifted the bottle to her lips, and within seconds, had drained it, slamming it down on the bar. "Well, that was needed."

    She then looked to the blond youth and the wild-haired girl. "Mind cleaning up the mess you made, you two?"

    "Right then, Captain." He tipped his hat and as he passed, he winked at Elodie. Then he and the dark-haired girl picked up the body of the rogue. Each of them slung an arm over their shoulders and dragged him out to a back-door Elodie hadn''t even noticed was there.

    Before she could pay them any more mind, however, Captain Jennings slid into the seat across from Elodie at the table.

    "Well, you''ve given me a fair bit of trouble, haven''t you?" Captain Jennings smiled as if she didn''t really mind. "I can tell exactly who you are. You look just like she did, at that age."

    She then looked to Ventus and her expression dropped. "And you look just like him."

    Elodie frowned as she felt Ventus stiffen beside her, like a cat raising its hackles. "I know. I''m his bastard."

    "I''d heard the rumors." Still, Captain Jennings looked troubled.

    "He helped me escape," Elodie assured her, looking from him to Jennings. "I don''t know exactly what you''re talking about, but he did get me off the ship and helped me get here."

    "He''s also the Pirate King''s son." Captain Jennings folded her arms over her chest. "The man who oversees the Black-Sail Fleet. He''s the one who''s looking for your mother and Vance''s treasure and will do anything to get it."

    "I was on my way out of his fleet anyway," Ventus scoffed, leaning forward. "And I didn''t want anything to do with kidnapping an innocent girl. Hence, this. And I''ve lost far more for my part in this."

    He glanced to Elodie and his eyes softened. "I''d do it again."

    "I see." Captain Jennings did not elaborate.

    The back door rattled, and the blonde youth and the wild-hair girl returned.

    "Took care of the mess, Mum." The wild-haired girl turned toward Elodie, her green eyes bright with mischief and something else. There was a familiarity to her, but Elodie wasn''t sure of why. "So, you''re the one we''ve been looking for."

    "Not so loud, Jade." Captain Jennings sighed and stood. "Bertha, is there any chance our usual room is available upstairs?"

    "When isn''t it, Liss?" The bar-maid shot back jovially.

    "Thank you." Captain Jennings looked to Elodie and Ventus. "Let''s go upstairs with this sorry lot and have a chat then?"

    While she spoke it like it was a question, Elodie could recognize the command beneath.

    "Yes, let''s." Elodie glanced back at Ventus. His expression was stoic as she was learning was the usual, but he nodded and squeezed her hand beneath the table. It was a quiet reassurance.

    I''m by your side.

    <hr>

    The upstairs of the One-Winged Parrot was completely different from the tavern floor downstairs. The hallway was much quieter, much cleaner, and it almost reminded Elodie of home.

    Captain Jennings opened the second door to the right, one that overlooked the back of the establishment and the rest of Libertalia. Elodie could not help herself from stopping at the window and marveling over the view.

    The gaudy blond stopped beside her and grinned. "Ah, Libertalia. I love to see her, too. I''ve been to many ports in my time, but somehow she''s still my favorite."

    He clapped a hand on her shoulder and nodded back to the table. "Join us, will you, my lady?"

    It wasn''t like she had any other choice. Elodie said nothing, instead pressing her lips together as she took a seat next to Ventus at the round wooden table. The gaudy blond took that as invitation to take her other side.

    The wild-haired girl eschewed a chair at all, instead hopping up onto the table and using the chair to rest her boots, while Captain Jennings lingered in front of a painting of a ship, her back to the rest.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    "I had hoped that I would not have to step in, but when I heard about the attack on Port Augustine, I returned as soon as I could." Captain Jennings spoke slowly and deliberately, her voice carrying the commanding calm that one would expect from an officer of the Albionese navy. "I am glad to see that you managed to escape the Black-Sail Fleet, and before Hawkins found you."

    She turned around sharply to face the table. "I had hoped that I could do as your mother had asked and watch over you from afar. But I see that safety no longer lies in ignorance."

    "My mother¡ªwhat did my mother ask?" Elodie''s heart leapt at the mention, a possible lead on where her mother had gone. "Did you know she was missing?"

    "Aye." Captain Jennings met her eyes with a cool, steely glare. "We met, not long after she left Port Augustine. She requested that I keep an eye on you, and she told me she was after Vance''s treasure."

    "So you know where she is then?" Perhaps all of Elodie''s problems were about to be solved after all!

    "No, I''m sorry." Captain Jennings'' eyes flicked down at her boots. "I have no idea where she is now. Nor did she feel that she could tell me anything about the treasure, or what she was going to do with it."

    She approached the table and gripped the back rest of the last chair. "All that she felt fit to confide in me was that there was something about the treasure that was dangerous, and that Felix left it buried for a reason. But it was no longer safe where it was and Keira had to go looking for it. She said that you were not interested in the high seas and it was better for you to stay in Port Augustine where no one knew who your father was."

    "But I''ve been looking for you, I need your help to find her!" Elodie rose from her seat. "She''s breaking the terms of the parole, and if she doesn''t return in time for the debut party, Grandfather will know and put out a bounty for her head! Please, Captain, we have to find her, or they''ll kill her!"

    Captain Jennings tilted her head, and Elodie realized that the older woman was looking at her with pity.

    "Your mother could evade the Albionese navy for the rest of her life if she wanted to." She spoke gently and softly, as if to a small child. "She didn''t stay because she couldn''t leave. I knew her¡ªshe doesn''t give a damn about her father''s gold."

    Oh.

    "You mean she stayed in that house all that time. . . for me?"

    Captain Jennings did not speak. She did not have to. The room fell into an uncomfortable silence.

    "Well. . . what happens now?"

    "That''s up to you." Captain Jennings folded her arms over her chest. "We can drop you back off at Port Augustine, and check on the condition of the estate. However, you risk this happening again, as the Pirate King of the Black-Sail Fleet is determined to get his hands on your father''s treasure."

    "Besides, they set Brighton Row on fire, I have no idea if there''s even a house to go back to." Elodie''s voice was soft as she considered it for the first time. She could only hope that Rosemarine and the other servants would be alright. "But if me being there is dangerous¡ªthen maybe it''s not time to go back home yet."

    Captain Jennings nodded, as if she expected that answer. "We could also take you to your grandfather''s estate in the Emerald Isle or his household in Albion proper. I''m sure he wouldn''t begrudge you for what your mother chose to do. And given that would put you in the heart of the empire, there would be stronger protections for you."

    He probably wouldn''t. But it still felt like giving up, and like turning her mother in.

    "Is there anything else?" Elodie prompted.

    "Well, it''s not necessarily my preferred option, but I am certain that it is what your mother probably would have wanted all along." Captain Jennings inhaled sharply. "I could keep a much closer eye on you if you''re aboard my ship, at least until the treasure is found."

    "And we might be able to help your mam find it," added the wild-haired girl.

    "I would ask you to contribute, to earn your keep," Captain Jennings warned. "I don''t intend for you to do so on raids, just in day-to-day upkeep of the Albatross. I do still intend to return you to Port Augustine eventually."

    Elodie folded her hands in front of her as she considered what the captain was saying.

    A part of her wanted to take the offer to go to her grandfather in Albion or the Emerald Isles, and live the life she''d always intended, as an upper-class lady, a merchant''s shining granddaughter. She''d get her debut in three months¡ªalbeit, in a completely different city than she''d hoped¡ªand she could get married and have that life that had been expected and wished for ever since she was born.

    But she couldn''t help but be intrigued by Captain Jennings'' offer. Over the past three months, staring out at the marina, she''d had a lot of time to think about her parents and their history as pirates. For most of her life, overshadowed by her father''s sentence and her mother''s parole, she''d had no desire to take to the seas and skies. Because to do so would mean forsaking the hopes and dreams of all around her.

    And she did wanted a happy marriage and an ordinary life.

    But would she ever get that?

    She remembered the fight that she and her mother had the night before she left.

    <hr>

    "You really think they''re going to accept you?" Her mother scoffed as she leaned against the threshold of Elodie''s bedroom, arms crossed over her chest. "Bastard daughter of a bastard daughter? You might not carry your father''s name, stoirin, but I''m sad to say that they will never accept you because of it. Trust me, I''d know."

    Elodie had whirled around, her face hot. "Maybe they didn''t accept you because you never just played by the rules everyone asked you to! Did you ever think about that?"

    Her mother''s expression darkened. "I did, actually. You think all these well-to-do rules and fanciness is going to protect you, but it doesn''t! They''re always going to whisper about you, they''re always going to find any reason to exclude you, and only the worst sort of men will marry you, the ones that are only in it for your grandfather''s gold!"

    Elodie clenched fistfuls of her skirts and shut her eyes. She was a lady, so she was going to act like one.

    Unlike her mother, the former pirate queen.

    "If you''re not going to say anything helpful, then just go downstairs and drink another bottle of rum." Her words came out bitter, cold, composed. Exactly as her etiquette teacher would have wanted.

    Her mother recoiled, but she did not run. Encouraged by her mother''s silence, Elodie continued with open eyes and a cruel slant to her voice.

    "Theodore Edgeworth is a gentleman, and he could give me the kind of life you''ve always wanted for me. Maybe it won''t be a love match, but maybe that''s too much to hope for."

    "I never wanted this life for you." Her mother averted her eyes. "If I''d truly had any say in it, I would have raised you on the sea and skies, where you belong."

    When she looked back at Elodie, regret crept in.

    "But maybe it''s a good thing that you''re such a docile, kept lady." Her mother could not keep the sneer from rising in her voice. "The gods know my life would''ve been easier if I could have been like that."

    Before Elodie could apologize, the words already on the tip of her tongue, her mother disappeared.

    It was better to let her mother cool down, Elodie had decided as she''d smoothed down her dress. Cooler heads would prevail with sense in the morning.

    But the morning came and Keira Fleetwood was gone.

 High Seas, Low Skies

    Was her mother right? Between the rumors, the reputation that hung around her like factory smoke since birth, and the danger of her mother''s enemies coming to look for her, perhaps the ordinary life her grandfather had wished for her was out of Elodie''s reach.

    Maybe it was time to look elsewhere.

    "I''d like to sail with you," Elodie declared, looking Captain Jennings directly in the eye.

    Captain Jennings smiled. It was the faintest thing, on her stoic, strong features. But it was there all the same.

    "Your mother would be proud," she said.

    Elodie''s stomach lurched. She only hoped she would be, when this was all over and they saw each other again.

    <hr>

    It was decidedly different, to step aboard a ship with her own two boots, no blade at her back and in the light of the day. Instead of the smell of smoke, gunpowder, and blood lingering in the air, Elodie tasted the salt of the sea-spray. The sun and the light sea-wind felt pleasant on her face, and sent her auburn hair flying about like the sails.

    Without the terror of what had brought her there as with the Foxtrot, Elodie could properly revel in the excitement of it all. This was the sort of place where her mother and father had met, where they''d had their adventures!

    Standing there, Elodie could suddenly understand her mother''s rage-tinged melancholy all the better.

    "Come on, this way, I''ll take you to your cabin!" Jade gestured for Elodie to follow her toward one of the doors leading to the inner corridors of the ship.

    Elodie obliged, and couldn''t help but observe the captain''s daughter as she approached. For where the captain was an austere military woman, with her hair held back in rigid braids and her tight-fitting uniform, everything about Jade Jennings was wild.

    Her loose-fitting men''s clothes and dark hair flapped in the wind like the wings of seagulls. One might believe with the skip in her every step that the girl would take flight any second.

    An intuition, a feeling of some sort overcame Elodie as she drew closer, and she glanced over her shoulder to see Ventus following the gaudy blond pirate across the deck. As she did so, he just so happened to look at her and catch her eye.

    He gave a little nod, as if to reassure her. I''ll be alright.

    Elodie was relieved that they would take Ventus aboard the crew after all. She would have hated for him to have nowhere to go for her sake. He had saved her, after all. That had to merit some sort of reward?

    As quickly as the moment occurred, it had passed, and Elodie returned her attentions to Jade as she stopped before her.

    Jade''s eyes gleamed as she regarded Elodie, now by her side.

    "You know," she said in a low voice, "I think I''ve been waiting to meet you all my life."

    Elodie frowned. "What do you mean?"

    Jade blinked, then shrugged as she turned to open the door to the inner decks of the Albatross. "We must''ve been born around the same time I reckon, when''s your birthday?

    "Late autumn, only about a week from the day for the Lady of Desolation."

    Jade grinned as she swung open the door. "Aye, mine''s about three days from the Lady''s day. I figured as much, knowing how Mother escaped the fate of the rest of the Bonny Calico."Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    The Bonny Calico¡ªher father''s own ship.

    As she followed Jade down the steps and let the door close behind them, she realized what else had been said.

    "What do you mean, ''how she escaped their fate?''"

    "Well, surely your own mother told you?" Jade to her credit, was not irritated at the question. Merely amused in the way that she smirked over her shoulder at Elodie. "They would''ve hanged the both of them, women or no, if it hadn''t been for us."

    "Oh, right." Elodie did know that part of the story. "My mother told me that was why her father came back to make his bargain. But she never mentioned that Elizabeth Jennings was with a child too."

    "Indeed, otherwise they wouldn''t have cared." The bitterness in Jade''s voice was punctuated by a snort. "They didn''t want to destroy ''lives of the innocent'' or something like that."

    She paused, and the shadows between the lanterns and windows built into the side of the corridors felt darker to Elodie, colder somehow, especially as they turned the corner and descended another flight of stairs, leaving all windows and natural light behind. The inside of the Albatross was far bigger than Elodie would have thought, with many interlocking corridors all lit by lanterns with little crystals inside that glowed a warm amber like flame or the pale imitation of sunlight.

    A good way to utilize the Manoan crystals as more than just what allowed the ship to ride on the winds themselves, Elodie realized as she recalled the ship schematics in her mother''s room.

    When they turned another corner, Jade''s brightness had returned.

    "Well, never mind all that, the point is, we both saved our mother''s lives, and we were born around the same time," Jade continued blithely. "My mother always told me the story, and I always wondered what you were like, out there. There''s a connection there, you see?"

    "There is," Elodie agreed.

    "Besides, it''s frightfully lonely with few girls my age around here." Jade winked at Elodie. "I suppose there is Kas, but he''s still a silly boy, unfortunately."

    Elodie laughed.

    "Well, here we are." Jade came to a stop in front of a door at the end of the row and pulled it open. "We usually save these rooms for any surprise escort guests. Which I guess you are¡ªbut not usually the types that have to earn their keep."

    "I really don''t mind," Elodie was quick to say. "I know there''s so much time on the high seas and skies, so I''m sure I''d want to pass the time somehow anyway."

    "Aye, but don''t worry, there''s plenty of time for fun too." Jade paused. "Well, I''ll leave you to it, then. When you''re ready to see around the place, you can come find me or Kas above-decks."

    "Thank you." Elodie hated how soft, how weak her voice sounded.

    But Jade just smiled wider and clapped her hand on Elodie''s back. "Don''t worry too much about responsibility today. Mother''s not heartless, and most struggle with seasickness on their first day. So if you stay here, no one will begrudge you."

    With that, Jade stepped back and started skipping back down the corridors. Which left Elodie to enter her cabin for the indeterminate voyage.

    It was nice, as far as she was concerned. Then again, given that her first set of lodgings aboard the Foxtrot had been the brig, anything was a step up. But this was closer to her room in Port Augustine.

    There was a bed with canopy curtains, just like her bed in house on Brighton Row, but it was built into the wall with some railings to prevent the occupant of the bed from being pitched over the side. A little round window faced the outside, and a quick glance told Elodie that she was facing starboard. Beneath that window was a desk nailed to the floor. On the opposite side of the bed was a clothes-press bolted to the wall.

    The room wasn''t utilitarian either. There were some creature comforts, such as the worn, faded rug covering most of the nicked wooden floorboards, or the mirror on the wall right by the clothes-press.

    It was smaller than her former bedroom, less luxurious for certain. But it would at least be a comfortable place to rest on her journey. And right now, there was nothing that Elodie wanted more than to rest.

    She hung Ventus''s jacket in the clothes-press and kicked off her boots before diving into the bunk. Before she even hit the mattress, she''d plummeted into the depths of sleep.

    <hr>

    Warm golden light streamed through the little round window when Elodie finally awoke from her dreamless slumber. She slowly rose to her feet and made her way to said window to see the rose-tinged skies. Her sea-legs were still somewhat shaky, but she was grateful to at least not be seasick.

    Then again, she was a pirate queen''s daughter. It would only make sense that she would take relatively well to the seas and skies.

    Idly, Elodie wondered how long she had been asleep for. It was evening now, but it could easily be the next day, given how completely exhausted she''d been.

    She laced up her boots and opened her door, ready to step out into her new adventure, when she saw a package wrapped in what looked like an old torn sail with a few stains on it waiting outside.

    Thought you might need a change of clothes

    -J

    Well, Elodie would have to thank her the next time that she saw the wild-haired daughter of Captain Jennings.

 A Gentleman Pirate

    She retreated back into her cabin, relief overcoming her like a gentle wave to not have to stay in her undergarments and night-shift that reeked of sea-salt from the events of the previous day and night.

    Jade had been so kind as to include additional undergarments and a fresh shift for a nightgown. Then there was a loose white shirt that was perhaps a bit large for Elodie and billowing sleeves and a corset with a delicate blue-and-white pattern that reminded Elodie of tea sets from Oyashima to the far east. Black trousers and a plain gray muslin dress in one of the slimmer-skirted styles of the fashions coming out of the Queen''s court were folded beneath.

    Elodie was not ready for trousers yet, but she appreciated the practicality of them being included. She''d have to acquire more clothes when possible¡ªshe made a mental note to discuss this with Captain Jennings later, when they were in a good port city.

    She dressed quickly, and made an attempt to comb through her hair before tying it back with a scrap of the sail that had come loose in her attempt to get to the clothes. Then she made her way through the labyrinth of corridors she vaguely remembered from Jade''s tour and entered the sunset.

    <hr>

    The deck of the Albatross was more sparse now, but it was certainly still busy. Elodie had to keep sharp and move quickly to stay out of the way of the sailors as she took her lay of the land. Or so to speak.

    She kept an eye out for Jade or Ventus, or even Captain Jennings for at least the comfort a familiar face might bring. But alas, she saw none of them, and decided she would get off to the side where she could at least observe the goings-on and the rise and fall of the sea.

    She darted past a pair of sailors carrying a heavy-looking crate and found her refuge along the side of the ship. She leaned against it, letting her hair fall over her shoulder, the drying auburn waves fluttering with the wind.

    She could no longer see Libertalia, or any of the island of Leonida. She was well and truly in the middle of the ocean, floating on the sea-foam and riding the currents of the wind and the tide. There was nothing at all but skies and seas for all the eye could see.

    There was something terrifying about that, the feeling of being unanchored, ungrounded.

    But there was also something incredibly freeing. It called to something in her blood, the daughter of a pirate king and queen. Perhaps she had always been made for such a thrill. Elodie could not help but smile.

    "Ah, it''s good to see milady out here."

    She turned her head to see none other than the gaudy blond pirate boy with his back against the railing, turned away from the endless ocean. It unnerved her, as she had not known how long he had been there.

    "I''m Kas, by the way." He leaned his head back, his hazel eyes gleaming with something she did not understand. "Kas Beaumont¡ªI don''t think we had the chance to exchange names."

    "Elodie Fleetwood," she said, mostly out of reflex. She then felt the heat rising to her face. "Sorry¡ªyou probably know that already, don''t you?"

    "I do, but I never correct a lady, if I can help it."

    Elodie pressed her lips together, and looked back out at the water. The golden light turned the sea as dark as wine or the liquid that came from the jeweled-looking fruits that grew in the trees around Port Augustine.

    "Enjoying the view?"Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    There was something softer about Kas''s voice, something that made her feel more at ease.

    "I''ve just never been outside of Port Augustine before," she confessed. "I had no idea that the world was so. . . so big!"

    Kas laughed good-naturedly. "It still doesn''t fail to amaze me, for what it''s worth. And I traveled plenty before I ever set foot on a ship like this."

    "A ship like this?"

    "A pirate ship¡ªsorry, privateer, Captain will give me an earful if I don''t use the proper terminology." He grinned all the same.

    "How did you end up on a privateer ship, then?" Elodie asked.

    She noticed the briefest darkening in his gold-rimmed hazel eyes. His smirk did not falter, however. "Have any theories, my lady? Maybe I was born to sail the seas and skies. Or perhaps I am like your friend we picked up, or dearest Jade, born among the pirates?"

    "I don''t think you are." Elodie pressed her lips together as she examined Kas. "Your accent is much crisper, and you speak like the students at the college. Clearly you have expensive tastes given¡ª" she gestured at the jewelry¡ª "All of that."

    His eyes gleamed as his head bobbed back. "Very good. You have an eye for detail¡ªyou should ask Captain to put you on lookout."

    "You still haven''t answered my question." Elodie tilted her head. "You don''t have to, if you don''t want to. You can come out and say it."

    "And where''s the fun in that?" Kas turned around, propping his elbows on the side and leaning back so he could look up at the sky between the billowing sails. "Besides, it''s no real secret. I don''t mind telling you."

    Elodie planted her hands on her hips. "And you''re going through all this song and dance about it why?"

    "Because that''s what makes a conversation fun, my lady, it''s a battle of wits!" He adjusted his hat, so it wouldn''t blow off as the sea-winds picked up. "You should try it sometime, it does get so terribly boring being on the sea for so long."

    Elodie huffed a sigh. "If you aren''t going to talk, you might as well not waste my time."

    She started to storm off when Kas grabbed her arm.

    "I''m sorry," he said, the smile less conniving and the slightest bit more sincere. "Look, maybe I''ll tell you the story some other time. But let me at least escort you to dinner."

    "Escort me?" Elodie raised her eyebrows.

    "Well, I suppose you haven''t been there yet, and Jade''s a bit busy at the moment." He let go of her arm, but his hand still hovered over her skin, lingering like the kiss of the sun. "Besides, I thought you might not want to be on your own."

    "I guess not." Elodie tilted her head, reconsidering Kas.

    "Don''t worry, I can be a gentleman at least sometimes." He tipped his hat to her, then slipped his arm into hers. "May I?"

    "You may."

    <hr>

    Dinner in the galley with Kas had been much more fun than Elodie would have guessed. The other sailors on the Albatross didn''t pay them much mind, probably because Elodie and Kas were obviously the youngest ones there. So they had sat at the end of one of the tables, next to one of the little round windows looking out to the sea foam and spray from the bottom of the boat scraping the waves. And as they ate, Kas had a way of captivating her attention with stories of skullduggery.

    There was something magical about the way that Kas spoke, the way that he knew how to tell a compelling story. Of course, she noticed that there was a pattern to it too, behind the bejeweled descriptions of treasure and breathtaking recounts of swashbuckling action. Kas was at the center of his own legends, a witty and clever hero of ancient myth. Or at least, that was the way he told it.

    Elodie suspected that there was some exaggeration, that Kas had made these stories of his own exploits larger than life.

    But she found she didn''t entirely mind, either. It took her mind off of her mother, of the house on Brighton Row, and the hunt for her by the self-proclaimed Pirate King of the Black-Sail Fleet. Instead, she was drawn into the kind of stories her mother would once tell her, when she was small and came up no higher than the kitchen table.

    She''d felt safe, for a moment.

    Such a feeling was in short supply these days. Short enough supply that she would willingly ignore who she was finding that in. Because there was something about the way Kas''s hazel eyes shined, the way his jewelry reflected the sunlight and his smile made her knees feel weak that reminded her of stories her mother told her about the mythical beasts that roamed the high seas and low skies.

    "Aye, they were beautiful," her mother told her, a wistful look in her coffee-black eyes. "Dangerous, yes, they could take down an entire fleet on their own. But the leviathans and their ilk were maybe the loveliest things I ever saw."

    There was something about Kas that reminded her of her mother''s stories about the leviathans.

    He was someone to take care with, that was for certain. But he was a boy her age on the crew of the Albatross, an ally for the time being.

 Beyond All Veils

    As she looked out the window of her cabin, her thoughts drifted to a different boy aboard the Albatross.

    She had not seen Ventus since she had boarded, although she had kept an eye out for him. Elodie hoped that he was alright. She was deeply grateful for what he had done for her, to help her escape Captain Reynard and the Foxtrot and the Black-Sail Fleet. But in doing so, she recognized that he had thrown away everything he''d ever known, and had ended up in what had essentially been enemy hands, the Albionese navy.

    At least Captain Jennings seemed open to pardoning him, to letting him work on her ship. Hopefully that meant that he''d be safe from the same fate that befell her own father¡ªhanged and left out on the rocks by port as a warning.

    Ventus certainly didn''t deserve that, for helping her.

    She idly wondered what she could do, to thank him for it. She''d have to figure out something, some way to do so.

    But that was a problem for the morning, she supposed. There was so much that awaited her in the morning, the true beginning of her life aboard the ship as a contributor. She only hoped that she could do her part well.

    But first, she had to finish running a brush through her hair. It was all tangled from the sea-water and the distress of the past day and night. As she worked through it, her auburn tangles turned to waves as smooth as the taffeta gown that had been in her wardrobe the night Brighton Row was set aflame.

    Did that dress even remain? Or was it now ash?

    She couldn''t let her mind linger on these questions for too long, otherwise they would drive her mad with worry.

    Elodie looked out the window, an idle curiosity as she weaved her hair into a loose braid over her shoulder¡ªand was quite surprised to see none other than a narwhal floating alongside the boat, right outside the window.

    She''d read about them before, seen the illustrations of the mystical animals¡ªbut nothing compared to seeing them for herself, she decided.

    They were great gray creatures, with deep lines in their skin like the designs in woodwork, the bumps and swirls and knots from the heart of the trees themselves. These lines, unlike those of the ordinary whales, glowed a silver like the moonlight as they propelled themselves from the depths and into the air. The water rolled off of them, catching the silver of the moon and their own bodies as they flew through the air in large pods.

    Perhaps their most distinctive trait was the long spiraling horn that protruded from their foreheads, also that distinct yellow-tinged silver of the moon.

    Elodie could see that the one on her side of the Albatross was not the only one. No, there were many narwhals around them, more and more joining their side. She''d heard that the narwhals liked to stay around ships like this one. To see it for herself was a marvel.

    The floorboards began to rumble as a humming came through the air, and with it a song unlike any she had ever heard¡ªwhale-song.

    Even though Elodie had never heard such a song before, it called to something within her bones. It was intimately familiar, the kind of song that you were born to hear and feel. It was so beautiful, so serene¡ªand yet the way that the narwhals sang, it left a deep unease and sorrow in its wake.

    She had to hear it, she had to get closer. She was like them, Elodie just knew it. She belonged among them, somehow. They had to teach her their song, so she could too sing like that. Maybe that would fix something in her, maybe that would save her.

    She abandoned the hairbrush and did not bother to put on her boots or the jacket that Jade had lent her. Neither seemed so important. All that mattered was getting to the deck, to be able to see the narwhals, to hear them sing.

    She did not need the light of the lanterns placed periodically down the corridors, even though they left little shadow in their wake. For how the corridors were labyrinthine in the daylight, navigating them now was all too easy. All she had to do was follow the call.

    It was as familiar as the way home, as her mother''s own shanties-turned-lullabies.

    She slipped onto the deck, moving like a shadow, like a dream.

    If she hadn''t known better, Elodie might have suspected it all to be a dream.

    The narwhals were soaring all around the ship in their pod, leaving trails of moonlight in violet, green, and deep indigo-blue with glittering silver stardust scattered all throughout, the cosmos themselves opening up into their deepest colors. And the song, it was everywhere, it was within and without, and it called to her.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    She had to be with them, she just knew it. They were her truest kin, where she belonged.

    Her blood burned every second that she lingered on the polished, yet nicked floorboards. Yet with every step forward, there was something muffled, something that seemed important and yet, what could possibly be more important than this?

    She made her way to the side of the ship and climbed up on it to get a better look. She reached out to one of the passerby narwhals, but it wasn''t quite close enough to touch. She just had to reach a little further¡ª

    "Elodie, stop!"

    It was as if cold water had been dumped on her head.

    All at once, reality came rushing back. The sides of her head pounded on the beat of her racing heart as she turned¡ªonly to feel her feet slip out from under her.

    She started to reach out wildly, only for strong arms to sweep under her back and knees and pull her back in to the safety of the deck.

    "Ventus!" She looked up into the ocean-like eyes of her rescuer¡ªmultiple times over, it seemed. His expression betrayed nothing, with the usual stoic frown. "I''m so sorry, I¡ª"

    "It''s alright. I''ll carry you back to your cabin."

    "No, no, I can walk¡ª"

    "I''d rather make sure you got back safely."

    Elodie frowned. "At least let me down, you can still escort me back¡ª"

    "To be honest, I''m not sure I''d be able to catch you a second time," he interrupted coolly. "So I''ll carry you."

    "Oh." Elodie felt heat rising to her cheeks. "Thank you, I guess."

    He said nothing, as he carried her back into the interior corridors of the Albatross. The narwhal song was far away now, muffled by the wind and the tide and the creaking of the ship. Otherwise, the journey passed in agonizing, eternal silence. Elodie was not used to being held this close by a young man her age, or any age for that matter.

    Although she supposed if anyone had to carry her, she at least preferred Ventus to Kas. She at least was certain of his intentions, that he meant well. And there was the matter that he had at least saved her from the pirates of the Black-Sail Fleet.

    She was jostled out of her thoughts when he finally set her on her feet again¡ªmainly just to open the door.

    He gestured for her to go in, which caused her to tilt her head in confusion. "After you¡ªbut¡ª"

    "I''m not leaving you alone until the pod passes."

    "Oh." Her first thought was to protest. It was untoward¡ªand what if someone like Edgeworth found out¡ª

    How''s he or any of the other bachelors in Port Augustine going to find out?

    An inner voice that sounded uncannily like her mother interrupted all of her worries about what was proper and what wasn''t. And she was right, Elodie decided, as she looked up at Ventus. She might as well put aside what wasn and wasn''t proper.

    This was her adventure, after all. Her quest, to find her mother and save them both.

    She was on a pirate¡ªwell, privateering¡ªship, far from anyone who might have any reason to care about what she was up to. She would marry soon enough to a proper man after this was all done. This would be her one and only chance to break some rulers, to do as she pleased with no care to scandal or consequence.

    Such a scenario was entoxicating, and like with the song of narwhals before, she could not help but surrender to it and all that it enticed.

    "Well, come on on in, then."

    The door closed behind them, solidifying her choice.

    She strode over to the bed and perched on it. Ventus did not take the open desk chair, instead leaning against the wall by the dresser. He looked out the window and his frown deepened.

    "It''s strange."

    "What do you mean?'' Elodie tilted her head.

    He met her eyes. "I''ve been at sea a long time. I know some sailors are different, there are some like myself who can work above-decks in siren territories, their songs don''t bother us when most can''t help it. But I''ve never heard of anyone falling under the spell of narwhal song."

    While the tips of Elodie''s ears burned to hear it, she realized he was right. She had of course heard that the symphony of the majestic flying whales was beautiful¡ªbut she hadn''t ever heard of it being like siren song.

    That''s what it had been like, she realized. The horrifying accounts of the rare sailor who managed to break free described how it had been all like it was a dream, how they had to follow it, they had to go¡ªand how startlingly awful it felt to wake up from.

    "Neither have I."

    A long, terrible silence filled the space between them. Elodie found herself toying at the hem of her nightdress, unable to look at Ventus.

    "It''s alright, by the way." The words were awkward, but Elodie could hear the heart in them. She couldn''t help but look up and meet his eyes. There was something arresting about them, she decided. He drew you in, just like the ocean itself.

    He was the one who broke the gaze, who looked away. "We all have our own strengths."

    Elodie bit her lip. "I don''t feel like I''ve been all that strong."

    He looked back to her and blinked. "Then you aren''t giving yourself enough credit. You could have stayed in the brig. You could have taken the easy route out with Jennings back at port. But you didn''t, so there must be some sailor in you."

    Elodie shrugged. "I suppose we''ll find out."

    "It''s in the blood for both of us." He smiled. "It''ll come easier than sleeping."

    Elodie could only hope so.

    Still, she found herself smilng back at him. It was an easy thing, with those captivating ocean-eyes. But there was a bitterness to it, the taste of coffee at the back of her throat.

    "Thank you." It wasn''t much more than a whisper. "You don''t have to do all this, you know. I wouldn''t blame you if you didn''t want much to do with me after all this."

    Ventus frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. "What the hell are you talking about?"

    Elodie flinched at the cursing. "I am grateful, don''t get me wrong. But I understand if you resent that I''m the reason you had to leave your previous ship. And I''m sure I''m keeping you from duties or sleep, just to keep me company¡ª"

    "Just stop." Ventus then sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Look, I''m not the best with words. That didn''t come out right. My point is, you''ll drive yourself mad thinking that way. I wanted to help you, and the way I see it, we''re in this together now."

    He then tilted his head. "Till the ends of the seas and the skies and the world falls off, I''m your man, Elodie."

 The Windward Isles

    So began Elodie''s life aboard the Albatross. When she''d heard that she would be doing work and chores for Captain Jennings, she had assumed that it would typical women''s work, cleaning and cooking and laundry. She knew that the Captain did not want her doing the particularly hard work, to keep her out of harm''s way. But she hadn''t expected the Captain''s true request.

    "You''ll be running messages, we''ve been needing more of that sort around here," Captain Jennings declared when Elodie reported to her the next morning. "You''ll be checking in around places, checking for any messages that need to be delivered or reported back to me, perhaps even carrying any smaller packages."

    Elodie of course had been happy to do so. It only made sense to contribute¡ªand it was quite similar to the work of running the house on Brighton Row back in Port Augustine. When she''d mentioned the thought to Kas, upon delivering a letter to him from the Captain, he informed her that this was likely on purpose.

    "Cleaning and the rest, that''s hard labour too," he pointed out. He took Elodie''s hand, ensared it before she realized what was going on. "It leaves marks, callouses and the like that don''t go away so easily. You''ll want soft hands for the marriage mart, when we find your mother and everything goes back to how it was."

    There was some kind of bitterness under that, punctuated by how his calloused fingers brushed against her soft, pale ones. In particular, Elodie noticed that the hardest callouses were on his index finger¡ªthe one that would pull the trigger of a revolver.

    He met her eyes, and she wasn''t quite sure what was whirling behind the colorful hazel. "The marriage mart is brutal, especially for girls like yourself."

    "Girls of questionable repute?" Elodie laughed. "You sound just like my mother."

    "Your mother knew what she was talking about." He was uncharacteristically somber, and he looked down to their joined hands. "It''s a good thing that the Captain''s protecting your chances. You shouldn''t take that for granted."

    With that, he walked away, as much a mystery as he ever was.

    Still, he was good company, just as Ventus and Jade were. She found herself seeking them all out from time to time on the high seas, albeit for different reasons. She went to Jade when she missed the jovial camradaerie of girlhood, to laugh with another girl her age and talk about anything and everything.

    To Kas, she went when she wanted to forget, to get caught up in the spell only a storyteller could cast. And he was always delighted to entertain, to bewitch¡ªthat is, until one of his strange moods overtook him, and he would leave.

    To Ventus, she went for the comfort of the quiet, and the trust that someone always had her back. What they had escaped together and the night of traveling alongside the narwhals had forged them together closer than chains made by the finest blacksmith in Port Augustine, or indeed all of Leonida.

    Life at sea became routine. So routine, and so isolated from what once was, that sometimes Elodie found herself forgetting why she was out here. But she was always quick to remember, when she looked around at the endless blue and felt the joy arc in her heart like the flight of the gulls and would wonder if this was what her mother missed, if this was why she drank so often.

    For all that her time on the high seas had felt as infinite as the endless sea and sky all around her, it had been only two weeks from when she''d been taken from Port Augustine to when the Albatross reached their target¡ªthe Windward Isles.

    "They''re ours, or at least, that''s what the King would prefer." Kas pulled his spyglass away from his eye and handed it to Elodie. "As for what they think, well¡ª"

    "They think the king''s as much of a bastard as Libertalia does!" Jade clapped Elodie on the shoulder, and she had to move quickly to catch the spyglass before she accidentally dropped it on the deck. Her expression turned more contemplative as she took in the smaller archipelago of islands, some floating above the waterline and connected to the water-bound ones via wooden bridges. "They''d rather be free of us, I suppose."If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    It was an interesting contradiction about their lifestyle, Elodie found. Kas and Jade and Captain Jennings didn''t seem to hold all that much love for the King of Albion. But they were under his service, were a part of his navy as privateers.

    "So why were we coming here again?" Ventus was the one to broach the silence from where he perched on the siding behind the rest of them.

    It was funny, how over the course of the past two weeks, the four of them had found themselves drifting to each other. It was only natural, Elodie supposed. Nearly everyone else aboard was closer to Captain Jennings''s age¡ªa much older, more experienced sailor. To the other privateers, the four of them were just children, never mind that they were of-age.

    "We''ve got a lead on Elodie''s mum." Jade leaned against Elodie and smiled reassuringly. "An old friend, one who sailed with Captain Vance a few times. Wasn''t part of the crew when¡ªwell, you know that part¡ªbut he knew your old man, and he might know a bit about the treasure that your mum''s after."

    Elodie said nothing, instead pressing her lips together as she lifted the spyglass to get a better view.

    The islands were lush, with several peaks overflowing with the most vibrant green she''d ever seen. At the tops of those peaks, smoke blended into the clouds¡ªevident of the fire sleeping within the islands'' heart.

    "The islands are beautiful, it really is too bad that we won''t be staying long," Kas drawled, lifting a hand with a fingerless glove covering it to his chin. "I wouldn''t mind retiring in one of the King''s colonies here. Would be close to paradise, I think."

    "As if you could give up the seas and skies," Jade laughed, hitting him in the arm.

    To this, Kas only rolled his eyes.

    Elodie lowered the spyglass and handed it back to Kas. "Thank you."

    "For my lady? Anytime." He even bowed, more of a mockery than the real thing.

    It was Elodie''s turn to roll her eyes, punctuated with a heavy sigh.

    The light fall of boots to the deck alerted her to turn around and see that Ventus had leapt down from his perch.

    "Are you guys just going to keep standing around and yapping, or are you going to get ready to disembark?"

    "He has a point." Kas sighed, and placed the spyglass in the internal pocket of his sleeveless emerald-green jacket. He then clapped a hand on Ventus''s shoulder. "We should go prepare, thank you for reminding me, friend."

    "Uh, you''re welcome." His ocean-eyes widened, but he didn''t shy away from the contact or dismiss the endearment.

    "And I should report to my mother." Jade stood up straight, but lingered around Elodie. "Chin up, we''ll find answers soon."

    All Elodie could do was smile and nod as she was left with the horizon and her own thoughts.

    She would be meeting with one of her father''s old comrades. Someone who knew her mother, her father, and Captain Jennings, and had survived the whole thing. Beyond just the premise of having another clue to where her mother had gone, it was tantalizing. What kind of stories could this man tell her about her mother in her prime, about the father she never knew?

    It occurred to her then that maybe she should have been asking Captain Jennings about these things. Then again, it wasn''t like she saw the Captain all that often since her first few days aboard the Albatross. And those times had been strictly business, with the receiving and delivering of messages, as was her new job.

    The Captain was usually quite curt with her too. Sometimes she might ask a few questions, as to how Elodie was adjusting to sea-life and such¡ªbut then her dark eyes would grow sad and the woman would dismiss her.

    Maybe that was because of how Elodie looked like her mother, when she was younger. Maybe it was because she was a reminder of the friendship that they had once shared, only to be cruelly ripped apart by the Albionese navy. Maybe it was because she was the evidence of what had driven them apart.

    She also recalled that Captain Jennings had mentioned in the upstairs room of the One-Winged Parrot that Keira had seen her briefly, when she''d first left Port Augustine but before she''d disappeared from the Sea of Gales entirely. When she had met her old friend, she''d only done so to intercede on Elodie''s behalf¡ªbut not to catch up with or reconnect with said old friend.

    Her mother would speak with such fondness of Captain Jennings¡ªbut there was bitterness in it too. They had both made deals with their own devils¡ªa gilded cage or a chain¡ªall to escape the gallows that claimed Elodie''s father and the rest. Perhaps the difference between those devils were still too great, after all this time, to be overcome.

    Elodie released a sigh she hadn''t realized she''d been holding. She supposed none of it mattered now, anyway. The past was past, and whatever the two women had shared, for how they both lingered on it, was destroyed.

    She had to focus on the problem incoming¡ªthe business of her father''s greatest treasure and the bounty on her head by the Black-Sail Fleet. The answer to it all lay with her mother.

    Elodie wondered what she would have to say to her, when they finally found her again.

 The Informant

    The Albatross docked at Rainbow Harbor, where true to the name a rainbow cut through the sky in its colorful arc overhead. The marina was tucked into a peninsula and long stretch of white-sand beach, where the big city and the capitol of the Albionese colony had been built, cutting into the jungle-covered foothills. Still, the tall trees with the brightly-colored fruits like jewels and the flower-filled hedges grew up between the cobbled stones. The land would not be tamed to an Albionese will so easily.

    "This is the biggest of the islands, and so when Albion claimed the archipelago, they decided to build their port here," Kas explained as they disembarked. "They call it the Rainbow Harbor because there''s nearly always one in the sky here."

    He then frowned, looking up at the puffy white clouds starting to roll in. "Probably because it''s half-raining all the time."

    He then looked to Elodie. "We''ll have to get you a hat, then."

    "What about you?" She turned to where Ventus lingered behind her, hands in the pockets of his coat. Elodie insisted he come with her, despite the distrust in Captain Jennings'' eyes. She believed him when he told her that he''d be by her side. Hopefully soon enough, the Captain would see that too.

    "I don''t mind getting wet." He shrugged.

    "I hate how it makes my hair frizz," Kas declared as he adjusted his. "Then again, this is supposed to be a rather quick stop."

    A skeleton crew of the uninterested sailors would be left to watch over the ship in the harbor and keep an eye out for those who were disembarking. Some had tasks from the Captain to restock the necessities¡ªand if they were efficient, they would have some time for leisure.

    But as for Elodie and the rest, their time was to be occupied by the search for Captain Jennings'' informant.

    "He doesn''t live in Rainbow Harbor," she''d told them in the privacy of her office. "It''s a ways out, on one of the floating islands off of this one. It will be a hike, but it''s worth it for the kind of intel he might be able to provide, as he was with Vance when he found the treasure."

    Now, Captain Jennings blazed the path ahead, leading their small group through the city.

    It wasn''t so different from Port Augustine, Elodie supposed as they passed the great marketplace by the marina. If it weren''t for the plant life, the rainbow in the sky, and the looming jungle and volcano overhead, she might have mistaken it for home. At least, initially.

    The people of course looked different. Among the Albionese settlers were the people of the Windward Isles, the Windward Voyagers, with their brightly-colored clothes, curly dark hair, and sun-tanned skin.

    But beyond that even, beyond the places where the Albionese and Voyager cultures had collided, were the Manoans.

    Elodie had seen a few of them before. Nearly everyone had seen a Manoan from time to time. After all, the remnants of their civilization were everywhere, in the coins that they used, the ruins all across the Sea of Gales, and the very crystals that they used to make their ships skip across the waves and soar into the air. It was said once, before Albion and Cartagena had kings, that the Manoans had once ruled over the entire Sea of Gales.

    So it was only natural to see them from time to time.

    But Elodie had not seen so many of them in one place before.

    On street corners and alleyways, by flags of deep indigo blue, the bright turquoise-tinted green of their crystals, and burnished gold, they gathered. They stood out with their white hair, their light eyes and light brown freckled skin, and their traditional clothes with shimmering layers of gossamer in jeweled tones, pinned in place by extravagant jewelry.

    The Manoans watched the passerby with suspicion in their eyes, speaking only in whispers.

    Something about it made Elodie feel uneasy¡ªbut sad, also.

    What would it be like, to know that your people had once ruled over the entire world, or so it seemed¡ªonly to find yourself scattered across that world, seeking what had fallen into antiquity?

    She wasn''t so sure. Perhaps someday the people of Albion would suffer a similar fate. She''d read her history, more of an idle curiosity than a devoted study that was expected of gentlemen. But even she noticed in the records and books how empires came and went, much like the tides. Manoa, Thule, Aubrais, they''d all had their days in the sun. It was said that even Cartagena was beginning to fade in their power over the Sea of Gales.

    Someday the sun would set on the Albionese Empire. But Elodie doubted she would be alive to see it.

    <hr>

    True to the Captain''s warning, the informant lived a long way from the Rainbow Harbor. The sun had changed from east to west in the time that it took them to traverse the mountain trails to the place where the wooden bridge met the mountain, anchoring the floating island to the sea-bound rock.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    A smaller village was built into the floating isle, with smaller wooden cottages as the main buildings and dirt roads, similar to what Elodie had seen in Libertalia. There were more of the Windward Voyagers going about their business here¡ªbut there were also more shady-looking characters on the porches or hanging around the street corners.

    Furthermore, there were no Manoans here.

    Captain Jennings led them to a cottage at the very edge of the floating island, with part of the back porch built off the end with wooden supports. Sitting on the porch was the very image of a washed-up mariner, nursing a green-tinted bottle.

    His pale blue eyes lit up, however, at the Captain''s approach.

    "Ah, Jennings, how good to see you!"

    "It''s good to see you as well, Baptiste." Captain Jennings smiled as she came to a stop. "Retirement''s suiting you well."

    "And privateering''s done the same to you." He grinned, revealing several missing teeth. "You''ve come a long way. I remember when you were Elias, the cabin boy."

    He then sighed. "But I''m guessing you''re not here to share the memories over a bottle of rum, eh?"

    Baptiste pointed the open end of his glass bottle at Elodie. "You look just like your mother, lass."

    "Thank you."

    "Such a beautiful woman, your mother." He chuckled and shook his head. "Everyone could understand why your father went to such lengths to get her. Could have had any woman he wanted in the Sea of Gales, but he went for the married woman with a husband who¡ª"

    He trailed off and made to stand up from the old wooden rocking chair. "Never mind that. It''s too bad your father can''t see you now, sailing with one of the greatest pirates I ever knew. He''d be proud."

    Elodie hummed noncommittally. Somehow, she doubted that. Even if she did like the idea.

    "Come on, we''ll talk inside," Baptiste continued, blithely ignorant of Elodie''s response. "And we''ll see if I can tell you what you want to know."

    <hr>

    The inside of the cottage was mostly dark and grimy, with rum bottles scattered around the place. The disembarking party took the rickety wooden seats around the makeshift table made from a barrel and a couple planks of wood that Baptiste insisted was a table. He continued to nurse his bottle, offering nothing to the guests.

    "Let''s get down to business, shall we?" Captain Jennings clasped her hands together on the table and leaned forward conspiratorially. "I''m sure you''ve heard the rumors by now."

    "Rumors about what?" Baptiste raised an eyebrow. "Seems like half the Sea has gone mad. The Black-Sail Fleet''s supposed to be gathering up forces, there''s rumors about treasure and Keira Fleetwood''s involved, of course, and that''s not even mentioning whatever''s going on with the Manoans."

    "With the Manoans?" Kas frowned.

    "You should''ve seen them all around town with those banners." Baptiste frowned and took a swig. "Something''s not right with them, you can see it in their eyes."

    "We''re not here about the Manoans." Captain Jennings'' voice was crisp and clear, leaving no room for nonsense or vying from where she was steering the conversation next. "Keira Fleetwood has gone missing, and the Black-Sail Fleet will do anything to find her."

    "Including threatening her daughter, eh?" Baptiste sighed, leaning back in his chair. "I''d heard rumors about a raid on Port Augustine. Nearly forgot that Fleetwood settled down there. Such a shame, what happened to your father lass. He was the second-best pirate I knew, you know. Certainly the best captain I ever sailed under. A brilliant man, he was. Well, some said he was mad, but¡ª"

    "You were a part of his crew, back when he found the treasure the Black-Sail Fleet''s looking for then, yes?" Captain Jennings folded her arms over her chest and leaned back. "You''ll have to forgive me, Baptiste. I don''t believe I''d joined on yet at that time."

    "No, you hadn''t." Something dangerous gleamed in Baptiste''s eye, like a sword catching sunlight. A reminder for how even if this pirate was in retirement, he was still a pirate. "Keira hadn''t joined on either yet. Of course, that was the beginning of when some started to believe old Captain Vance was a madman."

    Elodie frowned. "What do you mean?"

    "We''d found an old Manoan map, he''d stolen it from some well-to-do back in the Old Country, and we''d been tracking down the treasure for months, nearly." He took a swig again. "We''d found some island that wasn''t marked on any of the other maps, covered in Manoan ruins, and absolutely wild¡ªbut there wasn''t a man around, except for us, of course. I still remember when we unearthed it¡ªgold and jewels and crystals, more than I''d ever seen in my life, enough to make my grandchildren rich."

    At that, he broke off into raucous laughter, the punchline evident.

    "Ah, well, and we all celebrated that night, dancing and drinking and toasting to our new fortunes." Baptiste trailed off, his expression grew more troubled. "It was sometime during then, that your old man slipped off, he somehow managed to move all of that himself, put it somewhere no one else would find it."

    "What? Why?" Elodie found herself leaning in. "Why would he do that?"

    "That''s the part that made some of us think he was a madman." Baptiste shrugged. "Said he had a bad feeling about it, like it was cursed or something similar. He said that he just knew, somehow, that we''d all come to bad fortune or trouble to take it."

    "I''m surprised he managed to walk away still the Captain," Kas muttered.

    "Well, that was the part where he was brilliant." Baptiste sighed, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "We''d sailed with Vance for sometime, knew he wasn''t the kind to back out easily. Wasn''t the kind to take it all for himself, either. I didn''t understand it, and I''d be lying if I said I wasn''t furious myself that he was squandering all of it¡ªbut no one understood the sea like Captain Vance, I''d reckon. The Lady of the Waters herself must have smiled upon him. If he said it wasn''t right, then I had no choice but to believe him. Most of us felt the same way."

    "My mother said she left to protect his greatest treasure, the night she left." Elodie clutched fistfuls of her gray skirts. "She''s after what my father left there."

    "He must have entrusted her with the true location of it." Baptiste frowned, then tilted his head. "That would be why Hawkins is looking for her, I''d imagine. This was back before he had his own ship, you know. He and your father, before he died, they were as thick as thieves¡ªwell, because they were thieves!"

    Baptiste burst out into laughter again, but was quick to sober. He looked Elodie directly in the eye, that dangerous gleam returning.

    "Lass, if you want to find your mother, I''d look for the map that Hawkins has," Baptiste declared. "Hell if I know how you''ll get it. But that''s the key to where your mother is."

 Carina

    The sun was low in the sky by the time the disembarking party returned to Rainbow Harbor. Captain Jennings had thanked Baptiste for his trouble and given him a small sachet of gold doubloons as a "bonus" for all that he had told them. Elodie certainly wasn''t sorry to leave his cottage or the miserable little village on the floating island behind.

    The party had been quite quiet on the hike back to the harbor, and Elodie suspected it was for the same reason she was quiet. There was a problem ahead of them, a puzzle with no obvious solution.

    How would they get the old map from Captain Hawkins and the Black-Sail Fleet?

    That silence permeated as they returned to Rainbow Harbor, as they boarded the Albatross once more.

    "We depart in an hour," Captain Jennings declared as they stepped on board. Her voice was quiet, but it still carried with all the gravitas that such a title as Captain demanded. "Make sure you''re all ready by then, or we leave without you."

    She then turned to her first mate, a man by the name of Mr. Heyin. "I''ll be in my study for the rest of the night. Don''t expect me at the dining hall, and don''t let anyone in."

    "Yes, Captain."

    And so Captain Jennings left for below-decks, without another word to Elodie, and so much as another glance toward Jade.

    To her credit, Jade seemed unphased by this. She simply shrugged and turned back towards Elodie, Kas, and Ventus.

    "Well, I suppose that leaves us free for tonight." She planted her hands on her hips. "I was thinking perhaps we could¡ª"

    She froze, her green eyes as wide. She then pointed at something behind Elodie. "Over there!"

    Elodie turned just in time to see a girl sprinting through the marina, followed by a group of men. Her white curls fluttered behind her like a war flag, her colorful loose clothes like a pair of wings. She ran so fast, even barefoot, that Elodie was certain that if she tried hard enough, she might be able to take flight.

    But alas, the girl wasn''t able to take flight. For how she darted around the other sailors unloading their goods and changed directions quickly, her pursuers were gaining on her.

    The pursuers were perhaps even more attention=grabbing. For they also were white-haired, and wore the dark blue wide-legged trousers and short-sleeved jacket with golden trim that was characteristic of the Manoans.

    But the girl herself must have been Manoan, that was obvious from the hair.

    Why would she be running from her own kind?

    Elodie looked to Jade, only to find that the pirate girl had looked to her. There was an understanding in those green eyes, the solidarity that could only exist between women. They had to help her.

    "Oi! Over here!" Jade stepped back out onto the dock, Elodie following behind. She waved her arms to try and get the girl''s attention.

    Luckily, their shouting and arm-waving did the trick¡ªthe girl''s eyes locked onto theirs. They were strange eyes, one as blue as the waters around Rainbow Harbor, the other a pale green.

    They were wide from terror¡ªbut Elodie saw relief for a moment pass over her features, then determination knit her eyebrows together. She had a destination, an escape, and they, the girls of the Albatross, would help her.

    She changed directions, leaping over a barrel as she headed for their dock. Elodie grabbed the sword from Jade''s hip, as Jade drew her revolver.

    "Ah, you''re a swordswoman, are you?" Jade glanced back at her. Then her delicate features grew into a large grin, like the sun splitting the sky open. "Good, you''ll watch my back and I''ve got yours."

    Elodie nodded and bit her lip. She spun the sword testing its weight. It was the typical pirate cutlass, with the slightly-curved blade and slanted tip. Keira Fleetwood''s sword of choice, even if it wasn''t Elodie''s. Luckily, that meant plenty of practice.

    She and Jade were there to greet the girl as she stumbled to a stop in front of them. She planted her hands on her knees, only to glance behind her as the pursuers turned onto their dock.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    "Get on board," Elodie pointed with her blade at the ship.

    "We''ll cover you," Jade added, raising her pistol to aim at the advancing men.

    "Thank you." With that, the girl scurried onto the gangplank. Kas brushed past her, drawing his pistol with a flourish as he joined Elodie and Jade.

    "Can''t leave me out of the fun, you know." He grinned.

    Elodie wanted to chastise him, to tell him that this wasn''t fun and games of any sort. But she didn''t exactly have the opportunity, for while the men had slowed to a stop, one man had stepped forward from the group.

    He wore a golden armband on his left that none of the other men had, and he appeared slightly older, with a steely blue-green gaze.

    "Hand over the girl, and we have no trouble." His voice was cold, commanding, like the ocean in the night. "She is none of your concern."

    "Unfortunately, she became our concern when she came aboard our ship." Jade closed one eye, adjusting the hold on her pistol.

    Kas placed a hand over the barrel of Jade, a clear cautioning gesture. He then stepped forward, and placed his own pistol in his holster. He took care to show that his hands were empty as he approached the man.

    "Listen, good sir, I don''t know what exactly was happening here, but you''ve made quite a commotion." He smiled, stepping even closer. "Perhaps we could come to an understanding."

    "The girl''s a thief." The man stared down at Kas, clearly unimpressed. "You don''t want her on your ship."

    "Yeah, we take care of our own, that''s the way it''s always been done." One of the younger men spoke up, stepping away from the group. "That''s how it''s always been, leave the Manoans to their own, and the Empire of Albion doesn''t have to give a shit."

    The tall man with the golden armband turned to glare at young man. Perhaps for his crass language or for stepping out of line¡ªElodie wasn''t exactly sure which was the offense here. Perhaps it was even both!

    Still, when he looked back, Kas pounced.

    "She must have stolen something important, then, for a girl to be chased by a group of upstanding men such as yourselves." Kas folded his arms over his chest. "I wonder what it could be, to deserve such a pursuit?"

    "Mind your business, boy."

    "Oh, but you forget, my friend was correct, earlier." He nodded at Jade. "I''m afraid it became our business the second she came onboard. Really, I think it became our business the moment that you involved the entire marina in the chase."

    "Enough pretty words, boy." The man was the one to step forward. "Either get the girl, or get out of my way."

    "Ah-ah, I wouldn''t do that if I were you." Kas smirked. "I''d take another look."

    That was when Elodie turned her head at the exact same time as the tall man with the golden armband.

    In the time that Kas had spoken, several of the sailors onboard the Albatross had drawn their own firearms, and aimed them at the man. One of them including Captain Jennings, with Heyin behind her.

    "Kindly step away from my marksman, I don''t tolerate threats against my crew." Captain Jennings ascended the gangplank and onto the dock. "Now, I don''t know about you¡ª"

    "General Archenar." The man did not move away from Kas. "Listen, you might be some fancy Albionese navy bi¡ª"

    "I''d watch your tone," Jade snarled.

    "Jade, enough." Captain Jennings met General Archenar''s steely gaze¡ªa clear battle between equals. "We''ve made enough of a scene here, and I doubt you want trouble from the authorities. Let''s reconvene within an hour, I''ll bring the girl, and we''ll have a nice chat to straighten all this out, yes?"

    General Archenar''s eyes narrowed. "Look, I don''t know what you think you''re playing at, but¡ª"

    "Sir, I must insist¡ª" Kas grabbed the man''s arm, and stared into his eyes. Something about Kas''s expression was positively captivating, even Elodie could not look away. "Accept her offer. You must accept."

    "I¡ª" Archenar wrenched himself free of Kas''s grasp. But there was something blank in his eyes.

    "Yes," he mumbled to himself as he stepped back. "There is sense in that, I suppose."

    He looked back to Captain Jennings, who to her credit looked unfazed by all of this. "We meet by the fountain in Cooke''s Plaza in one hour. Bring the girl."

    With that, he turned and left, the confused Manoan men in his wake.

    Once he was gone, Captain Jennings spoke again. "Took you long enough, Kas."

    Kas shrugged. "He was strangely resistant to my charms."

    Jade snorted.

    "Mr. Heyin, is everyone on board?" Captain Jennings did not look away from the harbor as she called for the first mate.

    "Yes, Captain. We''ll tighten that departure time to ten minutes."

    "Excellent." Captain Jennings sighed and straightened her uniform jacket. She then turned to the Manoan girl, who was standing by Ventus, as shaky as a newborn deer. "You were lucky. I don''t suppose you have a name?"

    "Carina." The girl bit her lip. "I didn''t steal anything, you know. It was given to me."

    "They just decided that they wanted to take it back, then?" Captain Jennings raised an eyebrow.

    Carina''s expression became more guarded. "You don''t have to believe me. I won''t make more trouble."

    "This lot will see to it that you don''t." Captain Jennings looked to Jade and Elodie. "Looks like you got someone to help you run the messages. Help her learn the ropes."

    With that, Captain Jennings strode off, presumably back to her office.

    Elodie glanced back behind her¡ªthe Manoan men were gone. Hopefully they would stay that way.

    When she looked back to Carina, Kas and Ventus were standing around her, eyes on the girl in a way only a young man''s could be.

    There was something acrid, something that felt like perhaps a leviathan rising in Elodie''s chest, setting her throat afire watching them.

    They were being kind, she lied to herself. Carina deserved kindness.

    But it made her wonder if their own kindness towards her had been because she had been the shiny new girl aboard. She looked to Jade, wondering if she had felt the same way about her arrival.

    But Jade had already been watching her with something that was more intense, more forlorn. She just smiled and slipped her hand into Elodie''s.

 The Leviathan Within

    Elodie could not shake the vicious feelings stirring in her chest as she sat with the rest of the young pirates off to the side in the dining hall. With the way that Ventus''s teal-gray eyes lingered on Carina, or how Kas was chatting her up, taking her hand constantly, she couldn''t help it.

    "Were they that obvious when I joined?" Elodie pushed around the rations on her plate with a fork. Watching the three of them made the tuna stew much less appetizing.

    Jade shrugged, stealing a spoonful off of Elodie''s plate. "I mean, I didn''t exactly know Ventus before you joined. But Kas¡ªwell, Kas is like that with pretty much every lady we run into."

    She paused and glanced up at the ceiling. "Some of the gentlemen too, come to think of it."

    She shrugged again, returning to her own rations. "Honestly, I thought you''d be glad to be rid of Kas."

    "What''s that supposed to mean?"

    Jade snorted. "I think everyone knows that he gets under your skin. I mean, that''s what he does, and he likes that you put up a fight about it. But if she enjoys his charms, let her."

    Elodie supposed that Jade had a point.

    "Besides¡ª" Jade gently jabbed her elbow into Elodie''s rib, a teasing gesture¡ª"that means I''m not having to fight them to talk to you. Competition was getting a bit heavy."

    "You were competing?" Elodie raised an eyebrow.

    For a second, something darker shifted in Jade''s eyes. Something forlorn, like the way that Elodie''s mother would look out at sea. But like that very sea, Jade''s eyes shifted again, jovial once more to the point that Elodie wondered if she''d imagined it.

    "With the way that they were crowding around you? Of course." Jade was quiet again for a moment. "That poor girl, though. The Manoans usually take care of their own and don''t cause problems like that."

    "Do you think she did steal?" Elodie dropped her voice low, so Carina would not hear her.

    "No." Jade tilted her head, considering Carina. "No, I can tell you right now that girl is no thief. She''s too shy for it, even more prim I''d argue than yourself."

    "Is that even possible?" Elodie joked, thinking of her arguments with her mother.

    "You might''ve been looking at high society, but there''s pirate in you." Jade looked to her with fiery admiration. "I think with more time at sea, we''ll make a buccaneer out of you yet."

    Elodie laughed, but quickly sobered. Once they found her mother and her father''s treasure and did whatever had to be done with it, she wouldn''t be a pirate anymore. She couldn''t be. No matter how she might enjoy the smell of the sea-salt or the view of the endless seas and skies, she simply could not fall in love with it. She had to marry well, to increase the standing of the Fleetwood family and their holdings, she had to secure her future.

    There was no place for any of that on the high seas.

    It made her sad, to think that all of this would come to an end, and sooner than she would have liked.

    Perhaps it was better, then, that the boys directed their attention to a girl who could return their feelings, who had a longer-term future with them.

    "I really wouldn''t worry about them," Jade added after a long quiet. "Never understood the fuss around them anyway, boys."If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    It truly was a shame that Elodie did.

    <hr>

    It was a clear night, the moon high overhead when Elodie had delivered her last messages around the ship, giving out the assignments and whatnot. She wandered back on deck, to at least look at it all one more time before returning to her cabin. When she did, however, she saw a lone figure standing at the prow, her white curls all around her like a veil.

    She knew her envy of Carina and the attentions she had received were unfair. After all, while how exactly she''d gotten in her situation was a mystery, it had been an ordeal. Enough that Elodie had wanted to help her, to draw her sword and come to the other girl''s aid.

    Seeing her stand up there all alone reminded Elodie of that.

    She decided to go to her.

    "It''s a beautiful night, isn''t it?"

    Carina turned, her movements small and her shoulders hunched, her eyes mistrustful. Elodie supposed she couldn''t blame Carina there. They were all strangers, after all.

    "If it makes you feel any better, I''m fairly new here, to all of this." Elodie gestured around her as she stood next to Carina. "I only joined up two weeks ago. Never would have thought I''d end up on a pirate ship of all things."

    "Is that so?" Carina''s voice was cool, refined, like a mountain spring. There was the careful control there of a society lady or one of the boys at the college in Port Augustine. Elodie knew it from how she had learned such things.

    Still, it surprised her to hear it from Carina. Elodie had never heard of any nobility among what remained of the Manoans. And the people of the Windward Isles, while they had their own hierarchies, had no interest in joining the upper echelons of Albionese society.

    But Carina had been trained in such things.

    Another mystery, Elodie supposed.

    "I''m Elodie, by the way," she offered.

    Carina nodded. Still, there was a flicker of curiosity in her eyes. Elodie decided to take that as much of an invitation as she would receive.

    "I was in Port Augustine until about two weeks ago, when pirates showed up and raided the place," Elodie continued. "Ventus helped rescue me and get me to Captain Jennings, she was a friend of my mother''s, you see. And they''ve been helping me, they''re good people."

    "I see." Carina tugged at a pendant on her neck, with a blue-green pendant that matched her blue eye. There was something that looked like a sigil of some kind, something arcane carved into the stone and filled in with gold, that glowed as it caught the moonlight. She stared off into the endless night with a certain pensiveness, that same forlorn quality perhaps that Elodie had caught in Jade.

    Elodie sighed. "I suppose what I''m saying it that we''re both outsiders. We ought to help each other. And I understand if you don''t trust any of us yet. But they really are good people."

    Carina said nothing, staring at her with her unique mismatched eyes.

    "I never said thank you, for what you did on the docks."

    "You did, at the time," Elodie reminded her.

    "Well, I''d like to say it again." With that, Carina turned away, truly as prim as Jade had ascertained her to be.

    Elodie supposed that was the end of that. She wasn''t entirely sure what to make of the newcomer, and the mysteries that came with her. But she could also recognize that she would not be making any headway on that tonight.

    "Let me know if you ever need any help," Elodie offered as she turned away. "And don''t stay up too late."

    Carina said nothing.

    Elodie started across the deck, to the door that led to the insides of the ship and eventually, her cabin. It had been a long day, one filled with questions and calamity. But at least they had a direction to go in, an idea of where exactly her mother might have gone. That would simply have to be enough to sustain her.

    Between the fluttering sails, she heard the light fall of bootsteps, and with it, turned to see none other than Ventus standing there.

    Elodie nodded to acknowledge him, and then continue on, when she felt a hand at her shoulder.

    She whirled around to see that Ventus had followed her.

    "I was looking for you."

    Perhaps Elodie really was her mother''s daughter, for how several vile, venomous retorts fought their way to her lips. Then again, perhaps she wasn''t, given that one look into Venus''s eyes dissolved them all.

    "Till the ends of the seas and the skies and the world falls off, I''m your man, Elodie."

    So she forced herself to smile. "Of course, what do you need?"

    "I''m up on lookout duty for a while." Ventus jerked his thumb up at the maze of wooden beams, ropes, and sails overhead. "Thought you might enjoy the view."

    He paused, some color filling his fine-boned cheeks. "I also wouldn''t mind the company."

    "Oh." Elodie glanced behind her at Carina, but she had already disappeared from her spot on the prow.

    When she looked back, Ventus had already hopped onto one of the lower beams.

    "Well, are you coming or not?" He called down.

    This time, Elodie did not have to force a smile¡ªin fact, it came rather naturally to her as she hiked up her skirts and fastened them to her belt. Then she joined him up on the beams and followed him into another world entirely of netting, sails, and the wind.

 The Flying Gang

    Elodie followed Ventus up the masts and between the sails, clinging to the ropes as her last safety. She felt like a cat, her footsteps light but decisive and sure. It came more easily to her than she might have expected, given that she wasn''t exactly one for climbing trees and such as a child.

    He led her into a web of netting between the beams and masts, a hammock hanging higher in the air than Elodie had ever been. Ventus let himself flop into it gently, only to look up and see Elodie''s own apprehension.

    "It''s perfectly safe," he assured her. "The ropes are strong, and there are other places like this throughout¡ª-we''d hit one of those before we hit the deck."

    He paused. "I also wouldn''t let you fall."

    Elodie couldn''t help but smile as she joined him. The moment of falling into the netting was terrifying, especially with how the ropes gave a little under her weight. But true to Ventus''s word, she did not fall through.

    "Told you." He grinned.

    She laughed, and they both sat up, adjusting their position so that they could better look out into the seas and skies ahead. The moonlight gleamed off of the waves, turning them silvery-blue, and millions of stars shone like diamonds around them. The wind of the high altitude whipped loose tendrils of Elodie''s auburn hair and the grayer streaks of Ventus''s dark hair like the sails beneath them.

    "It takes your breath away," Elodie declared after a moment of silence.

    Ventus laughed, something Elodie had not heard from him before. "Moments like this? These are the best parts of being a sailor."

    Elodie watched as a little of the humor fell away from his face, giving way to something more contemplative.

    "Then again, I wouldn''t know anything else," he continued quietly. He tugged at the sleeves of his jacket, picked at a fraying thread where a button once had been. "I''ve never been on land for longer than a day."

    "How could that be?" Elodie couldn''t help but wonder aloud. "Not even when you were a baby?"

    "Maybe when I was a very small child, but even so, I wouldn''t remember." He shrugged. "I must''ve been a small enough child when I first came to live with the Black-Sail Fleet. They''re all I remember."

    Elodie tilted her head, considering her memories of her capture aboard the Foxtrot. "Doesn''t seem like much of a place to grow up."

    "It isn''t." Ventus let go of the fraying thread and looked up and out, into the ocean. "But there are some who are like me. I started off on one of the bigger ships, one that often sailed with my father''s. There was a cook on there, Esmerelda. She had children of her own, the gunner was their father, and she looked after the other pirates'' children. But I didn''t stay there long."

    "Why not?" Elodie frowned.

    He looked back to her and smiled wryly. "I''m bad luck, you see."

    "What do you mean?"

    He looked back out, skyward this time, and frowned. "Usually, you''d see it by now. Storms tend to follow me, wherever I go. Cloudy skies and strong winds and high tides."

    Elodie blinked. "Like how the weather changed so fast¡ª"

    "Aye, that was probably my luck coming in handy for once." Ventus nodded. "Sailors and pirates especially know to follow superstition, there''s a truth to it. And they knew soon enough that I was the reason that misfortune followed. So they started shifting me around from ship to ship within the fleet¡ªnot that they could throw me out entirely."This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    "Why''s that?" From what Elodie had experienced, she imagined that Captain Reynard would have no trouble doing something as heartless as abandoning a kid on shore.

    "Because my father would have their heads. One crew tried that¡ªand he was quick to make an example out of them."

    The way he said it, so casually, so coolly, took Elodie aback.

    "Oh."

    "My old man does look out for me, in the best way he can, I suppose." Ventus became quiet. "I''ve only met him once or twice, you know. He can''t really see or talk to me often."

    "Because of Mrs. Hawkins up in Yorkhaven." The pieces finally fell into place for Elodie. "You''re not her son."

    "No." He sighed. "I''m not. No one knows who my mother was. Best guess is that she was some barmaid or innkeeper''s daughter who seduced my father, and fell into some misfortune where she could not keep the child."

    "I see." Elodie found herself reaching out to touch his arm, to provide some semblance of comfort. "We''re both bastards, then."

    "Aye." The wry smile returned. "Bastards and pirate heirs¡ªthe perfect team."

    "But if your father''s been looking out for you¡ªwhy did you help me? Why did you leave the Black-Sail Fleet?" Elodie could not help but feel sorry for him.

    He tilted his head. "You know, sometimes you don''t listen."

    "What''s that supposed to mean?"

    "I already told you¡ªI did it because it was the right thing to do." He placed his hand over hers on his arm. "Nothing more than that. And while he did do his best¡ªReynard''s not the kind of man you want to serve under."

    Elodie could only imagine.

    "I''m not exactly pleased to be cozying up with the Albionese navy, but Jennings isn''t a bad captain," he continued. "Certainly one of the better ones. And seeing as I''m allowed to keep my head and all, I guess it''s better than anything else."

    Elodie didn''t know what to say to that. So she said nothing, until Ventus removed his hand from hers.

    "I didn''t mean to tell you all that." He sighed again. "You''re easy to talk to, you know."

    "I''m glad you think that."

    "Jade and Kas think so," he pointed out.

    "Fair enough."

    They fell into a more comfortable quiet¡ªthat is, until Elodie had thought about their dilemma regarding her mother and Captain Vance''s treasure.

    "I guess we''ll be looking for your father and his map," she said. "You know, I didn''t realize that he and my father had sailed together."

    "Oh yes, that would have been back when the Flying Gang was still together." Ventus leaned back, where the ropes curved up into small walls. "Nearly every big-name pirate then was a part of it."

    "The Flying Gang?"

    "You haven''t heard of the Flying Gang?" Ventus grinned. "I would''ve thought your mother would have told you all about the Flying Gang."

    "No." Elodie rolled her eyes. "Tell me then, will you?"

    "Aye aye." Ventus saluted her, then laughed. "Well, my father sailed with yours until he had the funds for his own ship. But they remained comrades¡ªthey and several of the other big-names of the time sailed together and were the ones who took Libertalia from Albion."

    He glanced back out around them again. "They thought that the world should be more like it is on pirate ships. No kings, where everyone contributes, everyone looks out for each other, and no one man has all the say. Libertalia was a chance to make that."

    Elodie considered that as he spoke. A world with no kings, a world where everyone had a say in what went¡ªit was as if the world was turned upside down. But she could see how it would appeal to the lawless, and it was a code of their own honor.

    "However, when the Empire of Albion had their own privateers turned against them, and there were no more wars against Cartagena, they cracked down on the pirates, including your father." Ventus looked back to her. "My father gathered the Black-Sail fleet then, all of the pirates who were left banded together, and began a war of their own against Albion. It was said that your father''s death was what caused him to finally snap."

    "Oh." Elodie wasn''t quite sure what to think about that.

    She supposed people really weren''t all bad or all good. She''d known that for a long time, being the daughter of pirates. But it was difficult to wrap her head around that the man who had arranged her kidnapping to lure out her mother, who wanted to find some dangerous treasure for his own means¡ªessentially betraying her father, as she had found out¡ªwas also a man who had been one of her father''s closest friends, who looked out for his bastard son in his own way, and had mourned her father so deeply.

    "Revenge is the deepest form of love, I suppose." She echoed a sentiment her mother had always told her. She''d come to know as she''d grown up that her mother had referred to her father, who had killed her mother''s first husband to avenge her and win her freedom.

    "I wonder how true that is." Ventus was contemplative again. "I think I''d want something different."

    "What would that be?"

    "I don''t know," Ventus admitted. "But I''ve had my father enact revenge for my sake. And I don''t know that it made me feel any better about what happened."

    They fell into a silence, and that was when Elodie heard it.

    The song of the narwhals was still the sweetest, the most enticing she''d ever heard.

    But this was pretty damn close.

    It could only be siren-song.

 Sirena Corisande

    Elodie clutched onto the ropes¡ªbut she could already feel it, the all-too familiar pull of the music. Her heart races as she tried to fight it, to force herself to stay where she was, to keep her heart and mind as her own.

    "Elodie!" His voice was like a gentle current, pulling her back to shore, back to what was safe and what was real.

    She felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up to see Ventus''s teal-gray eyes.

    "Elodie, follow my voice, okay? We''ll get you down, and then¡ª" He glanced over his shoulder, back at the origin of the siren song. "Something''s wrong."

    "How do you know?" Elodie hated how her voice shook.

    "I don''t know," he admitted. "I just. . . do."

    He then shook his head. "I''ll keep talking, okay. Just. . . just try to listen to my voice, alright, and we''ll get down from here."

    "Alright." Elodie steeled herself, and pushed off of the netting.

    "We can get down faster if we use the ropes¡ªdo you know how to climb down?" Ventus climbed onto the nearest beam and offered her a hand.

    "No, but I suspect now''s a great time to learn."

    "That''s the spirit, I suppose." He paused, and grabbed one of the long ropes with several knots tied into it down several yards. "Then again. . . You can hold on tight, right?"

    "Yes, why?"

    "Now''s the time to hold on tight." He pulled up a length of rope and looked to her expectantly. "Hold onto me, alright?"

    Elodie''s breath hitched¡ªshe knew where this was going. "I don''t think this is a good idea, Ventus."

    Then came the high notes of the siren, piercing through the whistling winds and the rustling sails. Elodie could hear what Ventus had, now. This was not a beguiling song, so sweet and alluring. No, for how sweet the song was to her ears, she could hear the pain, the fear, the lament before its time.

    "You''re right," she murmured, clinging onto the dangling ropes around the mast and beam. "She''s hurt, I think."

    "Wait, you can hear that?" Ventus blinked, only to shake his head and return to attention. "Sorry, I. . . I got lost in my thoughts. I''m not used to talking so much. I¡ªI just don''t know what to say, in times like this."

    "But your voice, it somehow¡ªit distracts?" Elodie tilted her head. "How do you do that?"

    Ventus shrugged. "I don''t know. All I know is that like my old man, I''ve always been able to keep my head clear when the sirens roll around."

    He then looked at her askance, after a quick look at the rope in his hands. "You might be the same."

    "What do you mean?" Elodie didn''t understand.

    "If you heard her well enough to understand what she''s really singing about, then you should''ve tried to jump by now." He gestured as best as he could without dropping the rope. "You might have some immunity."

    "But that''s not right at all." Elodie frowned. "I can feel it pulling, a little, like a rope tied around my waist."

    "But you''re able to talk about it, and fight it," Ventus pointed out. "Look at us, having a calm conversation about it and all."

    "But still, what about the narwhals?" Elodie remembered the trance that their song had put her in all too well.

    "Now''s really not the time to be discussing this," Ventus pointed out as he glanced around. "Or the place. Especially if that siren''s in trouble. We should help her."

    "Should we?" Elodie couldn''t help herself from questioning. She''d heard the stories, of sirens luring sailors and passengers on the high seas and low skies all the time to their deaths.

    "We should." Ventus stated it so matter-of-factly, like the closing of a tomb. "It''s what''s right, and they''re a living creature in pain as much as any other."

    He paused, noticing her apprehension. "And also, she''s still going to be singing her song, whether we help her or not¡ªand she could still put other sailors in danger."Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    He had a point, Elodie had to admit.

    "Then let''s go help her."

    <hr>

    By the time that they''d descended onto the deck, most of the Albatross''s night crew had cleared it. Only a handful of sailors, were working, and Kas and Carina were waiting for Ventus and Elodie when they finished their descent.

    "Is she immune to then?" Ventus asked, looking to Carina.

    "Most of us Voyagers are," Carina declared, lifting her chin. She glanced off into the distance, where the siren''s lament was coming from. "I''ve heard songs like this before, when I''ve been out on my canoe. She''s trapped in a fishing net."

    Her stoic expression gave way to anger as she curled her bangle-clad hands into fists. "This is supposed to be their waters, their sacred areas. But the soldiers and the so-called governor from Albion wouldn''t listen. They just want more money, more fish¡ªand they don''t care where they get it from or who they''re hurting."

    "We''ll help them, my lady, don''t worry." Kas smiled at her, and Elodie once more had to quell the rising leviathan within her chest. He looked to Ventus and Elodie, something flickering over his expression as he grew more serious. "I''ll go let Mr. Heyin know to steer us toward the siren''s song."

    "Mr. Heyin''s taking over for the helmsman, then?" Elodie asked.

    "He''s immune." Kas paused. "Captain and Jade aren''t, though. They''ll be below-decks with the others, barred in until the danger passes."

    Elodie nodded. "Godspeed, then."

    Kas grinned and saluted her as he ran off.

    It didn''t take long for him to deliver the message. Which, Elodie had only realized when he returned, was what she should have done. But then again, she supposed all the usual rules and roles flew away in emergencies such as this.

    Luckily, the siren in the net was easy to spot as they drew nearer. In spite of the situation, Elodie could not help but marvel that she had been so lucky as to see a siren in-person, and would hopefully be one of the rare few to tell the tale.

    The siren was beautiful, with the longest, silkiest black hair that Elodie had ever seen, with glowing pearls strung all throughout, a finned headdress framing her ethereal face. The siren thrashed within the net, tangling her worse in the thick rope netting. The thin shimmering layers of fabric around her body knotted around the netting, further entrapping her. Then there was the tail, long and iridescent, with flowing fins.

    She was a creature of beauty. Upon looking at her and hearing her song, Elodie could understand all-too-well how so many threw themselves overboard for the sirens. She could feel that pull, that magnetism¡ªbut it was not so strong that it could not be resisted.

    The siren was deadly, she reminded herself as the Albatross dropped its anchor.

    "We''ll lower a canoe," Kas decided once all had been said and done. "Since she''s stuck, we''ll need to work to get the netting off."

    "I''ll go down," Carina volunteered. "I''d bet all the gold in the King of Albion''s vault that I''m a stronger swimmer than the rest of you."

    "I''ll accompany you." Ventus drew his pocket-knife, a silent endorsement.

    Kas nodded. "Elodie and I will lower you down, you just shout up when you''re ready, alright?"

    Ventus nodded.

    "You can help with that, right?" Kas glanced at Elodie.

    "Of course."

    So that business was conducted, and Carina and Ventus were lowered into the water beside the Albatross. The siren stopped her singing at the arrival of the two rescuers. But what else was happening, Elodie could not hear.

    Clearly, the siren was talking to both Ventus and Carina as they worked to free her. But about what, Elodie wasn''t certain.

    "Jealous, are we?" Kas''s voice cut through her attempt to try and listen in.

    "Of who?" Elodie was confused.

    "Her, Carina." He nodded down at the canoe. "I saw your face, when I called her ''my lady.''" He paused, his tone turning more bitter. "And I saw how you looked down at her, being with him."

    In spite of herself, Elodie felt her whole face turn afire. She looked away, if just to grant herself some dignity. "It doesn''t matter. What I thought does not matter. You''re far too charming for your own good, and I was a fool to believe that meant anything."

    "Then maybe I shall have to come up with my own name for you." Some of the glamour had returned¡ªbut there was something still quiet, uncharacteristically sentimental in his voice. "Darling, sweetheart¡ª"

    "You do not have to do anything." Elodie looked back to him, finally having schooled her features into ladylike serenity.

    Only to be disarmed by the way he was looking at her. Oh, there was the same smirk that revealed that he thought himself the favorite of the gods, but there was something in those golden-rimmed hazel eyes that had some way of stealing her breath. It wasn''t fair.

    Still, she somehow found breath enough to continue.

    "You needn''t spare any charms that you do not mean," she finished primly.

    "And what if I do mean them?"

    She shook her head. "Then you really are too charming for your own good."

    "What I''m hearing is that you find me charming."

    Elodie rolled her eyes, but found herself laughing all the same. "You truly are incorrigible."

    "But you like it all the same, don''t you?" When she looked to him, there was something pleading in his expression, something much more vulnerable.

    She was ready to shoot back like a cannon, that she wasn''t, but Jade''s words to her in the dining hall held her in place.

    "I guess I do." It felt like waving a white flag, of sorts.

    "Maybe there''s hope for me yet."

    Before Kas could elaborate on it any further, Ventus shouted for the ascent.

    It didn''t take long to recall the rescuers.

    "The job is done," Ventus declared as he helped Carina step out. "She''ll let her friends know that she was rescued by our ship¡ªthey won''t bother us."

    "She was awfully chatty then," Kas teased, folding his arms over his chest. "Anything else that you talked about?"

    Carina''s eyes widened, and she looked to Ventus, who sighed.

    "I''m not sure if I believe her, but she claimed. . . " he trailed off, looking troubled. He looked out to sea¡ªbut the siren''s glowing shape had already disappeared. "She claimed that we share the same mother. She even had the right name, something only my father told me the first time I met him¡ªCorisande."

 Vanity Fair

    Elodie didn''t know what to think of that. She supposed that she''d heard occasional stories, more legend and rumor than anything substantial. Besides, the more prevailing wisdom was that the sirens only left dead men, and no tales beyond that. There could be no resulting children.

    Furthermore, Captain Hawkins was very much alive.

    But she supposed it might explain a few things regarding what Ventus had told himself and his history¡ªand what she had witnessed with her very own eyes.

    "I don''t know what any of this means," Ventus declared after a long silence. "But at least we should be safe now, whenever we travel in siren territory."

    "And we did a good thing." Carina placed a hand on Ventus''s shoulder. "The sirens are meant to be free."

    It was her turn now to look introspective. "The greed of the Empire of Albion knows no bounds."

    She reached for the pendant hanging around her neck, the one that had the arcane symbol carved into it. Only to let go when she locked eyes with Elodie, when she saw her looking.

    "You should go tell the Captain that it''s safe now," she declared, with an unexpected imperiousness.

    "Aye-aye," Elodie muttered.

    ...

    The rest of the night and into the next day were uneventful. The four of them kept quiet about what the siren had revealed regarding Ventus. And Elodie decided to keep quiet about what Kas had said to her. But after that exchange, she found herself looking his way more than she''d like to admit.

    Of course, she found herself looking to Ventus, too.

    And often when she did, their eyes were on Carina.

    It made her wonder if there was someone she wasn''t noticing, whose eyes were turned toward her.

    Elodie thought she would probably be much more observant than the young gentlemen. It was often so, as she''d learned in her tea lessons. When one of the other young ladies like Isabel talked about the young gentlemen they were courting, their oblivious nature was oft-cursed. All while discussing the wandering eyes and who they belonged to for possible signs of a new candidate for a suitor.

    Perhaps that was just the lot of being a woman, Elodie supposed.

    <hr>

    As the sun was beginning to set, the Albatross spotted a sandbar, exposed by low tide to create an island¡ªand already docked there, another ship.

    It was unlike any that Elodie had seen in the marinas of Port Augustine, or even in Libertalia. The structure was a classic, the typical Albionese schooner preferred by the nobility to make their travels. But the entirety of the ship was covered in garlands of flowers with pastel streamers and ribbons, with the sails being curiously pale pink, and not just because of the setting sun.

    Perhaps what made this ship, the Vanity Fair as it was painted in curled letters on the side, even more strange was that on those pink sails, was painted the Jolly Roger in jet-black.

    "Ah, allies of ours," Captain Jennings declared when Elodie relayed the sighting below-decks. "Go tell Mr. Heyin that we''ll be docking at the sandbar tonight. It''s been a long time since I last saw Molly."

    The sun was nearly in the sea by the time the business was done. But when it was, the crew of the Vanity Fair was already on the sand bar, having started a fire. Elodie was admittedly taken aback to see them all around the fire and to realize¡ªthe crew of the Vanity Fair was made up entirely of women.

    And not the rough, wild sort of women like Jade, Captain Jennings, or even Elodie''s own mother. These were women who might wear trousers, yes, but with all the frills, ribbons, and other such trimmings that they could stitch on. They were beautiful, feminine¡ªjust like their ship.

    As they initially de-boarded, the young women regarded the mostly-male crew of the Albatross with suspicion, the tension rising until Captain Jennings made her appearance. When she emerged from between the men, the other women visibly relaxed, and one of the women in particular emerged from their crowd to meet her.

    The other women''s frills were nothing compared to what this particular woman was wearing. Her pink coat was a standout, with puffed sleeves, layers of ruffled lace around the hem and the sleeves, and ribbons lacing down the thinner part of the pink sleeves. With her feather and rose-trimmed pink hat, it was clear who exactly was the Captain of the Vanity Fair.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    "Ah, Elizabeth!" The woman''s face broke out into a lovely smile, as brilliant as the dawn. "I was wondering if you were still on the seas!"

    "You know the sea is my one true love, Molly." Still, Captain Jennings smiled back. "Your crew''s grown some."

    "As has yours." Molly''s pale-green eyes fell onto Elodie and Carina, her red-lipped smile curling sly. "Who''s this?"

    "Ah, yes, we''ve taken some new crew-mates." Captain Jennings nodded. "Carina, Elodie, this is Captain Margaret Aubrey. She''s an old friend."

    "Ah, a Manoan girl, you don''t often see those on the high seas anymore." Captain Aubrey nodded. "And as for Elodie. . . Don''t tell me¡ªis her mother¡ª"

    "Keira Fleetwood, yes." For all the surface cheer, there was a tightness to Captain Jennings'' voice as she spoke the name. "We had a run-in with the Black-Sail Fleet a little over three weeks ago."

    "You have no idea how excited I am to make your acquaintance, Miss Elodie Fleetwood." Captain Aubrey stepped forward, and with a flourish, extended her hand like a gentleman would to another gentleman.

    Of course, Elodie decided that shaking it was the best course of action¡ªeven as her grip on what exactly was happening was becoming more and more tenuous.

    "Your mother''s story, of how she met Captain Vance and escaped her loveless marriage was what inspired me to take to the high seas nearly twenty years ago," Captain Aubrey continued. "So many of us heard about Keira Fleetwood and Elizabeth Jennings during the trial, and we wanted to be like them."

    Captain Aubrey then leaned in conspiratorially. "The night after the sentencing was published, I stole a ship from my fianc¨¦''s estate and never looked back."

    "Oh." Elodie recognized the details from a certain story her mother had mentioned once, in idle passing. A young duchess in Albion who was engaged to a count or something like that had stolen a ship and run off not long before the wedding itself was supposed to happen.

    It was a grand scandal.

    "My mother heard your story," Elodie said. "There''s nothing she liked more than a scandal."

    Captain Aubrey''s eyes glowed, with the validation that could only be brought on by her heroine''s approval.

    "I''m glad to hear that." She paused, tilting her head as she took in both Elodie and Carina. "These are fine young ladies, Elizabeth. I know better than to ask Jade, even if my dear Susanna does tell me that I should try harder to recruit her¡ªbut I must ask these two upstanding young gentlewomen¡ªis there any chance I might be able to steal you away aboard the Vanity Fair?"

    Elodie heard a sharp inhale behind her, and she found herself looking to Carina, just as Carina looked toward her.

    "I''m afraid I can''t," Elodie said as she armed herself with her most charming smile. "I promised my mother I would stay with Captain Jennings, in the instance of her disappearance."

    She then looked to Captain Jennings. "Besides, I am indebted to her help."

    "Ah, well, I did hope that one Fleetwood woman might come aboard my ship." Captain Aubrey shrugged and turned to Carina. "And what about you? I''m sure you have a great many stories."

    Carina looked more uncertain, and yet. . .

    "I''m just a drifter, madam, just passing through." She held her chin high, straightened her posture as she spoke. "But I appreciate your offer all the same."

    "Well, the offer''s open to any of you fine gentlewomen, should you grow tired of the company of men." Captain Aubrey winked, then whirled around, holding her hand high over her head. "Well ladies, let''s give them a warm welcome and make merry! Captain Jennings has returned!"

    Cheers broke out along the sandbar.

    What pursued was one of the most enjoyable nights that Elodie had ever known. She chatted with some of the other girls her age who were aboard the Vanity Fair, with introductions being made by an all-too-happy Jade. Most of the older men and women talked about trade routes, the sea and such that was the trade of piracy. All the meanwhile, Captain Jennings and Captain Aubrey shared a bottle of rum.

    "So where are you headed to next, Lissie?" Captain Aubrey asked after taking a swig.

    "New Aubrais, we''ve got to pick up some more supplies, refresh the water supply," Captain Jennings said.

    "Well, be careful then, we just came from there and the Black-Sail Fleet is all around the place," Captain Aubrey cautioned. "But the Manoans there are holding one of their festivals¡ªso it should be a fun time."

    Captain Jennings smiled and shook her head. "There''s always a festival in New Aubrais."

    "Cheers to that." Captain Aubrey stole another swig before Captain Jennings could have her turn.

    Of course, Elodie was then pulled away by Jade after that to be introduced to Susanna Tyler, a pretty blond girl on the Vanity Fair, and became overtaken by the revelry.

    It wasn''t until far later in the night that she spotted Kas again by one of the smaller fires that they''d lit, by himself with a bottle of rum. Which surprised Elodie, as she expected him to be swarmed with ladies, given what Jade had told her.

    His eyes lit up as she approached him, and he lifted the bottle. "Want some?"

    "I''ll pass." She smoothed her skirts and sat next to him on the crate. "I would have thought you''d be busy being charming."

    He laughed. "That''s one way of putting it, I suppose."

    "And you''re dodging the question, as always."

    "You didn''t really ask a question."

    "It was implied."

    "Was it, then?" He tilted his head back and smiled fondly at her. "For what it''s worth, I would have missed your banter, Fleetwood, if you''d gone with Aubrey and her crew."

    "Oh." Elodie found herself blushing again. "You''re awfully sweet, when you want to be."

    "I try to be, when it counts."

    "It must not count much when it comes to me."

    His expression sobered. "It''s most important when it comes to you, darling."

    "Oh," Elodie said again, her breath hitched.

    She looked up to the stars for an escape. "It''s a beautiful night, isn''t it?"

    "I suppose so."

    When she looked back to him, he was looking at her. And not at all at Carina.

 Fading Echoes of a Lost Empire

    It was two days later that the Albatross made landfall at the island of New Aubrais. This city was especially infamous in Port Augustine. It was close by, a little to the south and the west, and had been the subject of many skirmishes between Cartagena, Aubrais, and Albion¡ªbut had recently come under purchase by the Albionese, as had the island of Leonida.

    The island was small and swampy when Aubrais had claimed it, but they built a city that spanned its entirety. And what a city it was! For how Elodie had heard the stories, seeing it with her own eyes was another thing altogether.

    The city was built in a mix of the traditional Aubraisian and Cartagenan styles, with the brown-stone buildings built into matching supports around the canals, with the beautifully-wrought ironwork supporting and added as a trim of sorts. Not that Elodie found that the buildings needed much decoration. No, the inhabitants of New Aubrais had taken care of that matter thoroughly.

    Streamers and banners hung from every building and in-between them, with little strings of brightly-colored paper pendants with intricate designs cut into them. Music played from every street corner, the walkways full and consisting of life. Trees with drooping limbs covered in moss rustled in the wind.

    Captain Jennings and some of the older sailors went to retrieve the drums filled with pure water, but the five youngest crew-mates were sent out to "get some fresh air."

    Jade had informed Elodie that what this really meant was that the Captain had come to find them irritating, and so wanted them to go and get some energy in hopes that they would return a little less irritating.

    "The joke''s on her," Jade added with a grin and jerked her thumb at Kas. "This one never stops being so annoying."

    "It''s a part of my charm," Kas declared with his hands planted on his hips.

    Jade snorted. "It has more to do with your little trick."

    "Oh, that''s right, you did something to General Archenar." Carina was the one to speak up. "He wouldn''t normally give up so easily."

    Jade looked back over her shoulder at Carina. "You knew the men who were chasing you?"

    "In a manner of speaking." Carina pressed her lips together into a line as thin as a pin and looked down to her boots.

    There was a silence in the group for a moment before Kas decided to break it.

    "There''s no harm in telling you lot, I suppose." He winked at Elodie. "Not that there''s much to it. I find it easier to persuade others¡ªalthough Jade tells me that there''s some sort of trick to it, because the things I say are allegedly just as inane as the rest of my nonsense."

    "Because it is," Jade insisted. "But sometimes you say it with this force and for some reason we all go along with it."

    Kas shrugged. "I don''t know, it''s always been a gift of mine."

    He paused, then looking out into the canals. "But I suppose I''ve learned how to use it better ever since¡ª"

    He shook his head, interrupting his own monologue. "But never mind that. I take it, my lady, that you''ve never been to New Aubrais before?"

    He took Carina''s hand, and Elodie had to quell the jealousy rising in her chest.

    Carina, to her credit, tore her hand away. "No. I''d never left my island before."

    "I''ve never been here either," Elodie found herself saying. She felt quite pathetic for it, slapping her hand to her mouth too late.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    "Oh, you''ll love it then." Kas grinned. "We have to try out the beignets before we leave."

    "What about you, Ventus?" Elodie turned to the tall, gangly boy who was lagging a bit behind Carina. "Have you been here before?"

    Ventus shook his head. "Not really¡ªI''ve been on ships that have stopped here, but I never really left the marinas."

    He then paused, his expression looking troubled. "It''s too loud, too crowded."

    "Don''t worry, we''ll be back to the marina soon," Kas assured him. "Maybe we''ll get you a beer or two, make it easier to enjoy it."

    Ventus shook his head again. "I''d rather not."

    Kas opened his mouth to argue further, likely on the merits of hedonism as it pertained to New Aubrais¡ªonly for a shout to interrupt.

    "Sister, come, join us!"

    They stopped just as a group of Manoans in silvery-teal cloaks approached, clad in jewelry with more of the crystals like the one on Carina''s pendant.

    "Excuse me?" Carina lifted her head high, but drew her arms close, hunching her shoulders¡ªa betrayal of her otherwise stoic expression.

    "Come, leave the barbarians behind, today we celebrate, for our king has returned!" One of the Manoan women reached out a hand for Carina, but she stepped back.

    "We have no king." Her eyes flashed. "Excuse me, I have business to attend to¡ª"

    The woman stepped forward and snatched Carina''s wrist, moving fast like a snake.

    "Hey, let go of her!" Ventus shouted, but the woman paid him no mind.

    "These barbarians are not your birthright, child of the heavens, for we were meant to rule over the seas and the skies!" The rest of the group crowded in and around the young privateers. "Our kings have returned to us, and they''re ready to take back what is ours!"

    "No thank you." Carina yanked her hand free, and drew herself to her full height, squaring her shoulders back.

    In that moment, she looked so regal, so royal, that in her mind''s eye, Elodie could see her in a crown and on a throne, leading an entire empire in the way that the King of Albion or the Queen of Cartagena did.

    The Manoans must have recognized this too, for they shrank back¡ªbut only for a moment.

    "It''s her," one of the men whispered.

    Carina''s eyes widened, all pretense of authority dropped. "Run."

    Elodie didn''t need to be told twice.

    She took off, pushing through the crowd of people¡ªshe was certain she sent at least one man sprawling. But she continued all the same, darting around the merchants and peddlers lining the streets. As she darted around a corner, she found herself caught in a stream of pendants.

    She kicked and fought to get free, only to fall to the ground with a loud ripping noise. She scrambled to her feet and attempted to continue her run¡ªbut only tripped, her legs still tangled amongst the string and colored paper.

    A strong hand pulled her up, and she was face-to-face with Ventus.

    "Thanks," she huffed as she looked over her shoulder.

    Kas and Jade rushed into the alleyway and stopped.

    For a moment, Elodie''s heart soared in relief, that their pursuers had been so easily dissuaded by a short chase. Then she realized who wasn''t among them and her heart sank.

    "Where''s Carina?"

    "I don''t know, we lost her somewhere back there." Kas glanced over his shoulder. "But at least they aren''t following us anymore."

    "We have to find her, then." Elodie took Ventus''s knife off of his belt and tore through the string of colored paper pendants that had bound her. She handed it back to him, handle-first, which he accepted without another word.

    "We don''t know that she didn''t just take another route," Jade offered. "It''s not like we exactly ran for long."

    "Besides, she wasn''t too keen on staying with us," Kas added. "I got the impression she was just using us to get where she wanted to go. And maybe that was here."

    Elodie raised an eyebrow, and then turned to Ventus. "Will you help me?"

    "Always," he said, without hesitation.

    "Come on, then, she was scared of that group, and we haven''t any time to lose." She looked to Jade and Kas one more time. "Now, are you man enough to help or not?"

    Kas bristled at having his honor questioned, but he drew his pistol all the same.

    "And here I thought you didn''t like Carina," Jade said as she tossed Elodie her sword.

    "I don''t," Elodie admitted. "But she''s in trouble. So we''re going to go save her."

    <hr>

    They returned to where the Manoans had been. Of course, they were gone, but their street-tent remained. Elodie ducked inside, curious if it might hold any clues as to where the group had gone¡ªand where they might have taken their missing crew-mate.

    Kas was the one to find such a clue. Of course it had been lying in plain sight, on the table¡ªalthough when Elodie had looked over the papers on the table, she hadn''t seen it. But perhaps she hadn''t searched it properly.

    Whatever the reason, Kas had been so lucky as to find an invitation in Manoan letters, the ancient script that populated the ruins scattered across the Sea of Gales. Furthermore, they were lucky that Kas had apparently studied Manoan script at some point in time.

    "There''s a party at the pink mansion on Clairmont Street," Kas declared as he pocketed the letter. "All of the Manoans on the island were invited, to meet their new king."

    He looked to Elodie, a gleam in his eye. "I think I''d like to meet this king of a no-longer existing empire for myself."

 The Lost Princess

    The pink mansion on Clairmont Street was impossible to miss. The golden-lined turquoise blue banners hung from every balcony looked more like military banners than the well-crafted and lovingly-made pendants and banners strung all over the island-city. Furthermore, the crowd of people in teal cloaks in-coming, past individuals in uniforms similar to what General Archener wore on the Windward Islands guarding the iron-wrought gates were a sure sign that this was the place they were looking for.

    The four younger crew-mates had climbed up the side of the other mansions across the street from the pink one, and were watching ducked behind the iron-wrought balcony that went all around the second floor.

    "So, what''s the plan?" Jade asked.

    Kas squinted, then his eyes lit up, all hazel-gold. "Any chance you have those fireworks from that one island in the Oyeshima Empire on you?"

    Jade blinked. "Surprisingly, yes."

    "You had fireworks on you this whole time?" Elodie cried.

    "And on a ship?" Ventus added.

    Jade shrugged, and pulled the brightly-colored paper-bound explosives out of the leather satchel strapped to her hip and thigh. "I honestly forgot these were in here, you''ve got a good memory, Kas."

    "And it''s lucky that you did, because that''s an ample distraction if I ever saw one." Kas then looked to Elodie and Ventus. "You two should go inside the mansion and look for Carina."

    "You should go with them, Kas, you tend to be really lucky," Jade pointed out.

    "You''re playing with fireworks, you''re the one who needs the luck." Elodie placed a hand on Jade''s wrist. "Don''t worry, Ventus and I are a team. We''ll be able to get her out safely."

    Kas looked away, a strange and ugly emotion flashed across his face. "That''s settled, then. When I fire my pistol, that''s the signal to get started."

    "Right then." Elodie nodded and looked to Ventus. "You ready?"

    Ventus sighed. "A little late to be asking that question, don''t you think?"

    He then pushed some of the dark gray-streaked hair out of his eyes and stood up. "Come on, let''s get going, then."

    <hr>

    Elodie and Ventus took their places on the other side of the gate, by the willow trees, and that was when Kas fired twice to the wind. Ventus boosted her up the iron fence, and then climbed quickly up after her as the Oyeshiman fireworks crackled and sparked. Even in the bright daylight, they sparkled with colorful lights in the shape of dragons and foxes. Trails of smoke were left in their wake, with no night-darkness to conceal the ugly remnants.

    They scrambled into the branches of the willow tree as screams broke out amongst the Manoan party-goers, and their guards rushed forward from their posts. Ventus was the first to climb over the balcony on the second-floor, and offered his hand to Elodie to help her make the crossing.

    By the time that Kas and Jade had made their mistakes, the fireworks gone and the soldiers having returned reluctantly to their posts, Elodie and Ventus entered into an empty corridor on the second floor of the pink mansion.

    The inside looked as much like any other Albionese mansion, Elodie supposed, with the pastel blue walls, the white trim inspired by the ancient architecture of the Manoans, and the light wooden floor. But the touches of the presumably Manoan owner were evident in the details.

    The deep teal-shaded dark azure curtains made of a silk reminiscent of the Oyeshiman islands with intricate golden painted designs like the carvings of Manoan ruins and the trim on the guards'' uniforms fluttered from the window in place of the preferred white gauze and lace. Paintings of cities in the sky filled the walls, and instead of the usual kings and philosophers Elodie recognized in the forms of bust were unfamiliar ones with strange, ethereal crowns.

    They headed down the corridor, and darted past an open set of Aubraisian-style doors that peered into the internal balcony that overlooked the main ballroom of the event. Elodie could not stop herself from glancing inside.

    The Manoan party-goers had cast aside their cloaks, and were spinning and dancing to some of the most beautiful music Elodie had heard, the closest instrumental recreation of siren and narwhal song as their beautiful silks spun with them, their golden jewelry and gem-encrusted bangles catching the candlelight of the chandelier like small suns. Rich-looking food covered the tables, and garnet-colored wine filled their goblets, made of intricately-worked gold.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    A pang of guilt washed over Elodie. She supposed it could not be easy, to no longer have a homeland to belong to. She was lucky that her grandfather still had connections to their homeland of the Emerald Isle, that he still owned an estate there. She knew where she was from and she knew what that meant.

    That had to be so much harder for these people.

    And their dances, their music, their clothes, their food¡ªit was all so beautiful. The revelers'' joy was so contagious, so tangible in the air.

    It made her feel bad for a moment that they had become enemies, and that she was breaking into their party.

    But then she remembered the terror on Carina''s face, the way they gave chase in the streets of New Aubrais, and previously in the Rainbow Harbor of the Windward Islands. That sympathy dissolved like sea foam in the morning air.

    She was here to rescue a compatriot¡ªshe hesitated to say, ''friend.'' That had to be enough.

    Still, as they continued through the corridors, a horrid thought occurred to Elodie. She tugged Ventus''s sleeve, and he came to a stop.

    "How will we figure out where she is, in this mansion?" She asked in a whisper as she drew them both by the curtains. They''d been lucky so far in that no one, no maid or else wise had come across them yet. But that luck would not hold out forever, and furthermore they would have to get themselves and Carina back out undetected.

    Ventus shrugged. "I thought you had the plan."

    "Oh." Elodie glanced around. "Well, then. . ."

    She supposed that the empty second floor was as much of a clue as anything. Because what if the party-goers were being prevented from entering¡ªthat meant that the man that they called king, and perhaps Carina, were up here.

    After all, the group they''d run into on the streets had mentioned there being a Manoan king. Never mind that what remained of the empire had languished for centuries, allowing for Cartagena and Aubrais and Albion and Oyeshima to rise in their stead.

    "I had a friend at my tea lessons, Vesper, her father owned an estate in New Aubrais," she recalled aloud as she started back down the hallway. "In the most important rooms, the one where the master of the house resided, there are often secret passageways¡ªit''s very Aubrasian, you see."

    "Is it, then?" Ventus followed close behind, hands in his pockets.

    Elodie stopped by one of the white wooden panels, trying to recall what Vesper had told her. "Oh yes, they have it built into their Palace of the Sun, in their capitol. She told me that she''d spent an entire rainy day last summer looking for all of the ones built in her father''s estate."

    "And you think that these aren''t guarded because¡ª"

    "I don''t," Elodie admitted, as she knocked on the panel.

    An echo greeted her, and she grinned. "But they left this one un-guarded."

    She then pried open the panel to reveal the passageway.

    Ventus awkwardly stuck his arm out. "Ladies first, then."

    <hr>

    They crawled around in the dark and dusty passage for not all that long before they came across the peephole into what Elodie presumed was an important suite, and with it, a hidden door.

    And she was delighted to discover that she was right, that Carina was in there. But she wasn''t alone.

    Rather, there was a man in there with her, with two guards posted by the door.

    The man resembled Carina, with white hair¡ªalbeit, not as curly as hers, and his freckled skin not quite as dark. He had the angular face that reminded Elodie of Kas, or the other young gentlemen at the college in Port Augustine. He wore a diadem on his head, with a diamond as red as blood.

    The man knelt before where Carina sat in a chair, looking more helpless and defeated than Elodie had ever seen her. Still, when Carina looked at the man, her expression was still fierce and resolute, a spark of the Carina that Elodie had come to know within.

    "Sister, I know you don''t understand yet, but this is for our people, our birthright." He took her hands, his eyes pleading up at her. "I still want you to hold on to the key, as you''ve guarded it from the barbarians all this time, barbarians that wouldn''t think twice about forcing you to part with it at any means. That means you must understand its importance, as their princess."

    Carina said nothing.

    The man sighed, then stood up, straightening his jewel-toned short-sleeved jacket. "I had hoped you wouldn''t be so stubborn, Carina. Just consider it¡ªI''m just sorry you''ll have to skip this party."

    "Sire, your time is coming," one of the guards said as he stepped forward.

    "Of course," the man sighed. He spared one last look at Carina, then left, guards in tow.

    Elodie decided then was the time to act. She pushed open the secret door, and Carina flew to her feet.

    "What are you doing here?" She demanded. "I told you to run¡ª"

    "We did, but we''re here to rescue you." Elodie held out a hand. "Come on, we don''t have much time."

    Carina eyed her suspiciously for a long moment.

    Elodie''s heart thumped in her chest with every passing second.

    Then Carina nodded, and accepted Elodie''s hand. "Let''s leave this place, before Alcor returns."

    <hr>

    They met with Jade and Kas outside the gate, having managed to leave undetected.

    Or at least, that was what they thought until they heard shouts again, and the soldiers rolled out into the streets.

    "I''d say now''s the time to make our exit." Kas slipped his arm into Carina''s. "I think they know you''re gone."

    <hr>

    They sprinted down the docks, aware that the crowd of party-goers would not hold the Manoan soldiers back for long. Captain Jennings was waiting for them on the other end of the gangplank, expression stern and her arms crossed over her shoulder.

    "You''re late." She clicked her tongue with disapproval. "I cannot believe¡ª"

    "Hold the lecture, Mother, we''ve got to go now," Jade huffed.

    "You don''t get to show up and make demands¡ª"

    "A group of Manoans tried to capture Carina, we rescued her, but now they''re after us," Elodie interrupted. "And they''re coming."

    She looked over her shoulder and pointed at the turquoise and golden uniforms emerging from the crowd, entering the marina. Captain Jennings had only spared them a passing glance, for then Kas let out a shout.

    "Captain, you''re going to want to take a look at this!"

    Elodie turned her head with Captain Jennings and the rest in time to see a shadow creeping behind the willow trees in the peninsula to the right of the marina. The prow crept into view, revealing the painted name on the side that made Elodie''s stomach sink.

    The Foxtrot.

 Revenge of the Foxtrot

    "Shit," Captain Jennings hissed as she saw not only the Manoans running up the docks of the marina, but also the Foxtrot creeping out from behind the peninsula, where the willowy trees draped in their mosses had obscured its shape.

    She then turned to the anchormen. "Raise the anchor, now!"

    She then looked to Elodie. "Let the helmsman know that we''ve got company, and to make it quick!"

    "Aye-aye, ma''am." Elodie saluted her, and then ran faster than she ever had before to the bridge.

    <hr>

    The bridge was the highest deck of the Albatross, with all the sails to the front, and of course the steering wheel. There was a section of railing and a spyglass mounted to a section of it near the helmsman, to better identify what was ahead or what was in the stars.

    Eric, the helmsman, was a younger man, not quite so young as Elodie and her friends, but young enough to still have trouble growing a beard. He was a bit more of your typical naval cadet than the rough-hewn sailor, and spoke like an educated man. Elodie supposed him the charming sort, the kind of man that once he returned from his tour that she might look to for marriage¡ªif he was a bit old. But a bit old was so much better than very old.

    He smiled when she approached. "Ah, Elodie, do you have a message?"

    She grabbed the railing as she careened to a stop. "We''ve got pursuers, both land and sea!"

    He looked first to the marina¡ªwhere the Manoan guards were almost to their dock. Then he looked in the direction of the peninsula, the Foxtrot clear as day now.

    The smile fell away from his face.

    "Aye-aye, hang on."

    He spun the wheel, and the ship turned out of the port. Then he sharply twisted it up, the crystal lanterns all around the Albatross glowing as he did so.

    It was happening, Elodie realized as she clung onto the railing and pulled herself off of the steps. The Albatross was flying.

    Not just skimming the sea-foam, to make an easier trip.

    No, they were leaving the ocean and the land behind, taking up towards endless sky.

    Elodie couldn''t help but let out a delighted laugh as the wind whipped at her clothes and hair, as she felt a shifting in her stomach she''d never felt before. There was nothing so wondrous, so exhilarating as truly flying!

    The Foxtrot took to the skies as well, albeit not as quickly or as high as the Albatross had, the Albatross still going higher.

    Captain Jennings, Kas, Jade, Carina, and Ventus all ran up the stairs as the Albatross reached its peak.

    "Good work, Mr. Malory," Captain Jennings declared as she clapped Eric''s shoulder. "I have Mr. Heyin managing the cannons below. Hopefully we can win a commission today."

    Eric nodded, and swiveled the ship''s direction, turning back toward the Foxtrot.

    The skies were ablaze and the floorboards rumbled beneath her feet, and it was all Elodie could do to hold on.

    So many cannonballs flew from the decks below toward the Foxtrot, leaving behind trails in the form of plumes of smoke, staining the twilight sky. There was something so awful, yet so glorious about it.

    Perhaps all violence was like this, Elodie supposed. Like how her swordplay reminded her of a waltz¡ªperhaps it was all so entwined, the brutish and ugly with the exquisite.

    The thought didn''t remain for long, for the volley did not reach its target.

    Rather, the Foxtrot danced just out of reach¡ªand headed back toward them, delivering their own volley.

    Elodie had to duck, as a cannonball came soaring over the deck¡ªtoo close for her liking, she decided.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    Captain Jennings frowned. "Mr. Malory, try to get us up higher so the cannons can deliver the shot from above."

    "Aye-aye!"

    With that, they jettisoned up again, and a thrill of dread ran through Elodie''s blood. When she''d read the schematics and read the accounts of sailors, she remembered a grave warning in all of them. The levitation crystals developed by the Manoans were not infinite in their power. They could not go faster or higher forever.

    There was a limit and a price to pay for such power.

    But Captain Jennings seemed to care not, as the dance repeated, where the Albatross would fire everything on the Foxtrot, the Foxtrot would then avoid it, fire back, and the Albatross would continue higher and faster.

    Elodie wasn''t sure how many cycles of this had passed by the time that a pistol shot came from on the deck, its fiery light painting the sails blood red.

    "Blast," Captain Jennings hissed as she saw the gunshot. "Mr. Heyin''s signaling that we''re out of gunpowder. I knew we should have restocked!"

    That was when it happened. Elodie could feel that sinking in her core, and as she looked around, she realized it wasn''t just her imagination.

    The Albatross was starting to descend.

    The Foxtrot swerved around them, sending over another volley that blew through two of the smaller sails, before sinking into the ocean below. It then swerved again around behind them¡ªand it sped up.

    To his credit, Eric didn''t act phased by this. He continued to wrestle with the steering wheel, turning the Albatross this way and that¡ªbut it was no use. That was the problem with the bigger military ships like the Albatross. The smaller, more ragged caravels like the Foxtrot could outmaneuver them so easily, dance circles all around them while lighting them entirely on fire. And they could dart between their own volleys of canonfire.

    Elodie hated to admit it, but she supposed that Captain Reynard had more strategist to him than she might''ve believed.

    Eric pulled them into another turn, a long arc¡ªbut he did not continue to swerve. Elodie could hear the raucous shouts from aboard the other pirate ship¡ªand it was getting closer.

    "They''re gaining on us!" Elodie looked over her shoulder, the bile rising in her stomach. "I don''t know if we''re going to make it!"

    "Don''t talk like that, it''s not over yet!" Captain Jennings grabbed onto one of the dangling ropes. Still, her grim expression revealed the truth, the worry that belied her shout.

    "But Captain, we''re losing altitude!" Eric pointed out what was obvious. "We can''t keep going like this!"

    "We''ll just have to for a little longer, keep her steady." Captain Jennings looked to Eric.

    But they were continuing to lose the power of levitation, the stamina of it was running out. The crystals had dimmed considerably¡ªand if they weren''t careful, they would be snuffed out completely, like a firefly stamped on by a careless, ruthless child.

    "Hang on!" Carina''s shout carried over the winds and tide. She thrust her hands out in front of her, and her eyes and that crystal around her neck began to shine like the moon. Hermetic sigils danced from her fingertips as she twisted her hands, creating spirals like the arcane one carved into her crystal in the air.

    Then it was like a blue sun had overtaken the bridge of the Albatross. Elodie couldn''t see anything but that blue light, even when she shut her eyes. She tried to turn away from it, and felt a pair of bangle-clad arms wrap around her, turning them both away from the omnipresent, ever-shining light. It was a futile gesture¡ªbut one that she appreciated all the same.

    Then it was all over in an instant.

    There was darkness, and then Elodie could see again¡ªjust in time to see as the Foxtrot exploded in what looked like blue canon-fire. The screams were unearthly, as the smoking heap of the Foxtrot plummeted to the sea.

    That was when Elodie realized that they wouldn''t be far behind.

    "HIT THE DECK!" Captain Jennings roared.

    Kas pulled Elodie to the ground with him, just as it seemed the deck rose up to meet her. She slammed into the floorboards, but Kas held tight to her as water swelled all around the Albatross and splashed onto the decks.

    Then all was still.

    "You alright, darling?" Kas murmured into her ear as she propped herself up on her hands and knees.

    "I''m fine," she huffed, and she turned her head to look at him beside her. "You?"

    "I''ve had worse, I suppose." He looked up, and visibly blanched. "Not much worse, though."

    He rose to his feet, and offered a hand to Elodie, which she accepted.

    That''s when she saw it, too.

    There would be no survivors aboard the Foxtrot. Most of the ship had already sunk into the ocean, the unearthly flames extinguished by the ocean water. Only smithereens remained, and she couldn''t see any of the men or sailors, no one struggling to tread water or to cling to what remained of the pirate ship that had stolen her away from Port Augustine.

    "I think I''m going to be sick," she murmured.

    "Please try not to get it on my deck, if you can." Captain Jennings rose from the floor and straightened her coat. She strode over to Carina and pulled her up off the deck. "You alright, lass?"

    Carina nodded, eyes wide and wild¡ªwhich Elodie felt indicated otherwise, but she supposed Carina was the best judge of that matter. Her white dress had gotten completely soaked in the water.

    Ventus approached her and offered her his jacket, placing it over her shoulders as he had to Elodie, not too long ago.

    Captain Jennings peered over the side, at what remained of the Foxtrot, or truly, the lackthereof. "Pity. I''d hoped at least the flag remained so we might have more proof to add to our commissions. But my word and honor shall have to be enough."

    She then turned back to Carina. "I believe I''d like to have a word in my quarters with you."

    She then looked up and down the bridge, locking eyes each with the five of them. "All of you."

 Legends of Limuria

    Elodie had only been to the Captain''s quarters every-so-often, and not for long. Only to deliver the most important missives¡ªand so she would often do so through the wooden door or at the doorway. She''d never truly been inside, and gotten a chance to look about like this.

    As was befitting of a captain in the Albionese navy, the quarters were rather lush, with a large bed, and bookshelves filled with well-cared for tomes that could easily be new, if Elodie weren''t certain that Captain Jennings had not been buying books recently.

    The desk, however, that was the centerpiece of the room. A mammoth of red-oak from Oyeshima, it was covered in maps and letters. Captain Jennings sat at her large armchair, her elbows on the table and fingers steepled as she looked up at the five young privateers.

    She let out a large sigh. "Do any of you care to start talking about what exactly just happened back there? Or do I need to start asking questions?"

    "That won''t be necessary, ma''am." Kas removed his hat and stepped forward. "While we were out in New Aubrais, a group of Manoans came up to us and started harassing Carina."

    "I told them to run." Carina toyed with her pendant with shaking hands, her eyes askance. "I tried to run too¡ªbut they caught up with me faster than I expected."

    "So of course, we had to rescue her," Kas continued, glancing in Elodie''s direction. "We were able to track down the clues and we ended up at the mansion where the Manoans were gathering with their so-called king."

    Carina glared at him. "For all intents and purposes, he is a king. Dismissing him will be yours and the Empire of Albion''s undoing."

    She looked away, and her long fingers brushed past the painted silk hair-pin pulling back her hair. It was reminiscent of the flowers that grew on the Windward Island.

    "Then again, my brother will be the entire Sea of Gales'' undoing if he isn''t stopped."

    "So you rescued Carina, that explains the Manoans charging at us I suppose." Captain Jennings nodded, steering the conversation back on track. "And Molly did warn us that the Foxtrot had been spotted around New Aubrais¡ªI just hadn''t expected them to stay so long in-wait for us."

    She paused, contemplating the five of them. "So that takes me to my final question for now¡ªCarina, what was it that you did, that managed to completely blow a ship to smithereens like that?"

    Carina shifted and fidgeted, visibly uncomfortable. She clasped her crystal again, covering it with her hand. But between her fingers, the sea-like light shined through.

    "I suppose that''s part of a greater story, Captain Jennings." She inhaled sharply. Then she squared her shoulders back and lifted her chin. "And my purpose for running away from home."

    "I see." Captain Jennings laid her steepled fingers on their sides, and glanced down at her desk. "And now is the time to tell it."

    "Yes, ma''am." Carina nodded. "I want to tell it now to you¡ªall of you," she added hastily as she looked at Elodie and the rest. "I wasn''t truly sure if I could trust you before now. But you came back for me, when you could have easily left me in my brother''s hands."

    "I couldn''t leave you there," Elodie found herself saying. "I know what it''s like, to be scared, to be taken away¡ªand I couldn''t leave you like that."

    Carina smiled faintly¡ªa ghost of a thing that disappeared as soon as she looked back to face Captain Jennings. "Right then. . . I should start at the beginning¡ª"The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    "A very good place to start, I''ve been told." Captain Jennings examined her fingernails.

    "Right." Carina nodded and closed her eyes. "I wasn''t raised a princess, you know. I suppose I am one, if my brother is the king now, and our shared father was before him. But I didn''t really know either of them, growing up."

    She opened her eyes, and looked down to one of the maps left on the desk. Her fingers immediately found the Windward Islands. "My mother was one of the chiefs'' daughters, those who form the Federation of the Voyagers. Your people might call her a princess, but that isn''t our way, to pass responsibility in the blood."

    She looked back up to Captain Jennings. "My mother wasn''t the main wife of the last man who called himself King of Manoa."

    Distaste, a bitterness, entered her voice. "She was a concubine, a lesser wife to a ''proper'' woman who was Manoan nobility, the mother of my older brother and my father''s heir."

    Her free hand curled into a fist. "My father quickly forgot about her the way he did the others who were like her, not Manoan, not special. Like they were some plaything, some vessel for his legacy, never mind that they were their own legacies."

    There was a fire in her eyes now. "My mother was a talented sailor, a navigator and a warrior who taught me the ways of a spear, how to craft an oar, how to live off the oceans and islands that are our birthright. And beyond the requisite gold that the man who called himself my father sent to our tribe every month for my upbringing, we didn''t care about him and I didn''t want to know about him."

    She then sighed, closing her eyes again and letting her fist unfurl. "We had enough to deal with, with the Empire of Albion taking our homeland. But it was exactly two weeks ago, the night before you found me, that my brother arrived with a gift and a proposition."

    Her fingers trailed along the map, finding a space of open ocean before she nodded and tapped it. "He told me how the elders or something like that, his advisors had been part of some plan since Manoa fell, to one day reclaim their empire. And they decided that now, with my brother as their newly-crowned king, my father not even dead for a month, that they would bring it all back, starting with our capitol, Limuria."

    "That''s not possible, it sank into the sea centuries ago." Captain Jennings'' voice was kindly, but firm.

    Carina shook her head. "I might have thought that, too, but you don''t understand the power our people developed."

    She lifted up the crystal. "This is just one of the keys to our lost city, and to the weapon that my father''s dynasty used to subjugate the Sea of Gales. And you saw just a small fraction of what it''s capable of."

    "The blue cannon-fire," Elodie murmured, recalling the unearthly and horrid sight.

    Carina looked to her and nodded. "You understand."

    She then turned back to Captain Jennings, her expression more fierce. "My brother gave me this key, hoping I would rule by his side, his last remaining family¡ªI guess none of the other concubines ever produced a child."

    Her eyes flashed, her lips quirking up in triumph. "I would not let another empire rise to subjugate my mother''s people. To conquer the islands of this Sea. So I left, I ran away¡ªright into your ship and crew."

    Captain Jennings frowned and folded her arms over her chest as she leaned back. "Let me get this right, then. You are Manoan royalty, a princess in possession of an important artifact that will unlock a city of lost treasure and unforetold power thought to be left to only the men who tell tales. Your brother is the King of the Manoan people, leading them to look for the remaining keys, and he''s hunting you because you have the key."

    "Yes, ma''am." Carina clasped her hands behind her back.

    "Well, isn''t that quite the conundrum?" Captain Jennings looked to Elodie. "But I suspect you may have been quite fortunate, to end up on our ship in particular."

    She then quirked her eyebrow¡ªan unspoken question to Elodie alone.

    That was when the realization of it all hit her.

    "The treasure my father found¡ªyou think it has to do with Limuria?"

    "The very same, I''d hazard a guess." Captain Jennings nodded.

    "Because of the curse my father suspected was on it, or something that couldn''t be seen." It was all coming into place. Elodie turned to Carina. "Then you and I¡ªwe''re after the same thing."

    Carina''s expression was stoic¡ªmostly. She could not guard her eyes, turned vulnerable and pleading. "Are we?"

    "We are." Elodie strode over to her and clasped her hands into hers. "We''re both looking for that treasure, but not for the treasure itself¡ªmy mother went to look for it to keep it out of the hands of the Pirate King of the Black-Sail Fleet, and you want to keep it out of your brother''s hands."

    It visibly dawned in Carina''s eyes, and a smile crept up her face. "You''re right, then. I suppose we are the same."

    Elodie looked to Captain Jennings. "I suppose this doesn''t really change anything, does it?"

    Captain Jennings squinted, her expression otherwise unchanging. "I suppose not."

    She looked away then, out the window at the twilight. "And yet, it seems everything had changed."

 The Invitation

    It had really only been about three weeks since the last time Elodie had seen Libertalia. But it looked so different now that they had returned, four days after they''d fled New Aubrais. When she and Ventus had swam to the makeshift shores, she''d thought it a frightening monolith, expanding out into the ocean where it did not belong, a den of thieves and ne''er-do-wells who sought her harm.

    That wasn''t exactly incorrect, she decided as she looked out over the railing. It was a den of pirates¡ªsome of them with the Black-Sail Fleet and seeking her capture, and others not so much.

    But it was also her father''s vision, his life''s work, according to Ventus. There had been a time when he and Captain Hawkins of the Black-Sail Fleet and many other pirates like her mother had worked together to make this sandbar into a place that was free of kings and empires. A place where the world had turned completely upside-down.

    As unfathomable and as strange as that sounded to Elodie''s ears, it gave her a fondness for the ragged shoreline, the ramshackle buildings and the labyrinth of docks filled with pirate ships. This was her father''s kingdom once. It might have been hers, had things gone differently. If her father had evaded the pirate-hunters, if the Bonny Calico and the Flying Gang had survived, if her mother hadn''t been trapped in the mansion in Port Augustine.

    Who might she have been then, if she''d grown up here?

    She could not quite imagine that, for how she tried. She somehow couldn''t see anyone living here all the time, although she knew some must, like Bertha of the One-Winged Parrot. There wasn''t exactly the pitter-patter of little pirates running up and down the docks, after all.

    But there might have been, if her father had lived.

    Perhaps she might have grown up to be more like Jade, or even like her mother, the bold and spirited sort of girl who defied marriage and a normal high-society life. The kind of woman everyone admired, the kind that men might even follow.

    Elodie frowned at her own train of thought. She wanted a normal life, a well-off husband, the mansion in Port Augustine, the parties of a socialite.

    Didn''t she?

    She never would have admitted to anyone, but the wind in that moment, that the vision of another her that could have been, the pirate lass born and raised on Libertalia by a pirate king and queen¡ªa part of her wished she might have been that girl.

    It was only for a moment.

    But her heart was traitorous for that moment all the same.

    She was a gentlewoman, or would be. She was just here to save her mother¡ªand now, the entire Sea of Gales, it seemed. But she would return before her birthday party, and she would marry someone like Theodore Edgeworth, and would go back to the safety of everything that came before.

    She had to remember that.

    "I thought I''d find you here."

    Elodie glanced over her shoulder to find Kas approaching. She looked back to Libertalia. "I like the view."

    "As do I." He joined her by the railing. "Will you be disembarking this time?"

    "No." Elodie shook her head. "Given how it ended up the last time I was here, I think it''s best I stay on the ship for the time being."

    "That''s probably for the best," he admitted, tilting his head. "It''s a shame, though. There''s parts of Libertalia that are much more lively. It would be worth shooting any man in the head to take you there."

    "I''d rather no one else has to die for my sake." Elodie''s voice dropped low.

    She knew why Carina had to do what she did¡ªand if it was truly between the Albatross and the Foxtrot, between Elodie''s freedom and Captain Reynard''s victory, then the choice was clear. The feral part of her heart that kicked and clawed like a pirate queen''s daughter should knew that.

    But it kept her up at night, sometimes. They''d died like that, an awful death by fire and water alike, because they''d been looking for her.

    "They died the way they would have wanted to." Kas''s fingers brushed over her shoulder¡ªonly to retreat, as if he thought better of the action. An uncharacteristic bit of hesitation. He then reached for the pocket in his long garnet vest and withdrew a deck of painted cards. "Anyway, if you''re going to stay onboard, you should play a round with Hawkins. I suspect you''re a card shark, so you might give him a run for his doubloons."

    He then winked as he pressed them into her hands.

    Elodie marveled at the cards. "These are beautiful, did you get them while we were in New Aubrais?"The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    "Not this time, but a year or so ago." He shrugged it off. "But you have a good eye, noticing that they''re New Aubraisan specifically."

    "Oh, well, thank you." Elodie felt her cheeks going warm. She looked anywhere but at Kas''s eyes¡ªand so found herself staring at his glove, on his right hand. He always wore the black leather glove with the fingers cut off.

    "You know, I''ve never seen you wear your other glove." She pointed out as casually as one might the weather.

    The trap was set¡ªand Kas took the bait.

    He might have kept the easygoing smile¡ªbut there was something in those hazel eyes that darkened.

    "Perhaps I lost that one, darling." His smile in fact only brightened. "Or perhaps I want to make a fashion statement, like the Aubraisians."

    "Perhaps." She stared straight into his eyes¡ªa silent assertion that she did not believe a single word he said.

    "Or perhaps it''s a story for another time." He tipped his hat and took a few steps back of retreat. "Anyway, I''ll be joining the Captain for the disembarking party. Try to get into some trouble while I''m gone, will you?"

    "We''ll see," was all Elodie said with a coy smile as he ran off.

    <hr>

    She found Ventus and Carina in the netting high-above with the sails, where he had taken her when they''d returned from the Windward Isles.

    "You two aren''t going ashore either?" It surprised her¡ªalmost everyone was taking the time to disembark and enjoy a round in the tavern while Captain Jennings went about her errands.

    "I don''t think it''s a good idea for me to be there either." Ventus looked out to Libertalia, and something sad and uncertain crossed his face. "I''m sure that by now my father knows that I betrayed the Black-Sail Fleet."

    Elodie did not know what to say to that, so she looked to Carina. "What about you? I''m sure there aren''t any Manoans in Libertalia?"

    "Probably not," Carina admitted as she drew her knees to her chest. "Not many Manoans would resort to piracy. But it wouldn''t be unheard of either."

    She then sighed, touching the magical crystal dangling from her neck. "But I think I''ve had enough onshore excursions for a while."

    "That''s fair." Elodie withdrew Kas''s deck of playing cards from her pocket. "Kas lent me his deck. Fancy a round of cards¡ªhe tells me you''re quite good, Ventus?"

    This drew Ventus''s attention back to Elodie and Carina.

    "I''ve just had a lot of practice." He shrugged.

    "What about you, Carina?" Elodie locked eyes with the princess in exile.

    Her blue and green eyes flashed and she smiled, adjusting her seating position. "I''m game."

    <hr>

    Unfortunately, Kas''s prediction as to Elodie being a card shark was far from true. She did know more of the card games played in places like gambling halls and pirate ships, courtesy of Keira Fleetwood''s education. However, Carina was the far better player, and even she only got one over on Ventus once.

    "You''re amazing at this," Elodie declared as she took back the cards to reshuffle for another round. "Kas wasn''t kidding!"

    "Kas is on an entirely different level," Ventus said as he looked away, his cheeks turning red. "I''ve only been able to beat him a handful of times. He knows it too, the cards always go his way, or so he says."

    Elodie frowned and looked down at the Aubrasian deck. "Do you think it has something to do with this deck?"

    "No." Ventus looked back to her. "I''ve tried with multiple, borrowed from other crew mates. He even asked me to¡ªbut the same thing happens. I''ve never seen anything like it."

    "Well, you''re no pushover yourself." Carina grinned¡ªonly for her triumph to give way to curiosity as something caught her attention beyond the world up high in the makeshift hammock of netting. "I think the crew''s returned, and they''ve got something."

    "What?" Elodie turned to see that Carina was right, Captain Jennings and several of the other sailors had returned. And Jade and Kas were trailing behind, carrying an elaborate-looking trunk, like the kind a dressmaker might use.

    "Shall we go down and investigate?" Carina asked, a twinkle in her eye.

    Ventus had already gotten to his feet. "We shall."

    <hr>

    "Ah, good, you''re here." Captain Jennings''s eyes narrowed as they locked onto Elodie as she, Ventus, and Carina approached. "I''ve got a mission for you."

    "What do you mean?" Elodie frowned, looking to the trunk that Kas and Jade had set down. "I thought I wasn''t supposed to be involved in raids."

    "Don''t worry, you''re still not." Captain Jennings reached into the pocket hidden within her jacket and removed an embossed envelope, with careful calligraphy addressing Captain Elizabeth Jennings on the outside. "Bertha had this waiting for me with my mail. Seems that the King has finally gotten suspicious of Hawkins and his voyages, and wants us to investigate."

    Elodie blinked. "They know then, that he''s the Pirate King?"

    Captain Jennings snorted. "I wouldn''t go that far. They''ve only just begun to suspect that all of his gains aren''t just due to his business doing well. They want us to go in also as additional security, since several nobles have been invited to this particular party his wife is throwing."

    She then dropped her voice, so not even the wind could carry its secrets away. "It also might provide a good opportunity to find the map he''s been keeping to the other crystal keys like yours, Carina."

    "Where do I come into this?" Elodie asked.

    "Oh, no, it''s not just you¡ªalthough you will be an important part of this," she admitted. "The other officers will be keeping an eye on us, but they aren''t exactly aware of the younger crew. As long as you look and act like the well-to-do socialites and gentry''s children, you should be able to move around with less suspicion."

    "Oh." Elodie nodded. "We''re going to steal the map, then."

    "Yes." Captain Jennings pressed her lips into a thin line, and gestured to Kas. "You two would be the only ones who have had the proper training for such an event. You''ll need to help Jade, Ventus, and Carina."

    "Oh, do I have to wear a dress?" Jade wrinkled her nose. "I wish I were one of the navy cadets like Eric, then I could wear a uniform like you do."

    Captain Jennings''s eyes flashed like lightning in a storm, but her voice remained calm all the same. "You are not, for the time being, and I''d prefer things stayed that way. And you of all people should understand the importance of a spy fitting in."

    "Fine, whatever." Jade rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.

    "In here we''ve gotten some of the right clothes for the night." Kas thumped on the top of the trunk. "Might want to try these on and figure out who''s getting what before the night of."

    "Take the thinly-veiled attempts at flirting below-decks please, where such uncivil behavior belongs," Captain Jennings chided. She then sighed heavily, looking at the letter again. "There''s less and less for actual privateering against Cartagena every day. More often nowadays, I''m a pirate hunter and not a pirate."

    With that, she walked off, but something somber and bitter lingered in her wake.

 Night of Romance

    Elodie could scarcely believe it. She clutched fistfuls of the periwinkle outer-skirt as she ascended the steps in the procession with Captain Jennings and the rest. She glanced around her as Captain Jennings showed her invitation to one of the guards at the door. Never had she ever thought she might be so lucky as to attend one of Mrs. Hawkins''s legendary parties in Yorkhaven.

    Already she could faintly hear the music through the walls of the mansion, the clinking of glasses and the roar of a crowd. Through the wide-open windows, she could see the silk-clad dignified guests, all as beautiful as the clothes and jewels they wore as they stood about the ballroom with glasses of champagne, or were dancing in its center, in movement like clockwork. Every step perfectly in sync, neatly in place. Beautiful, in its own right.

    Nothing like the raucous hedonism of Libertalia.

    For how Elodie''s palms sweat through the lace gloves Captain Jennings had acquired, the excitement did not carry so much dread or fear. Rather, it was a pure thrill, just as much as standing aboard the deck of the Albatross for the first time and seeing the open ocean. For how long had she heard of Mrs. Hawkins in Yorkhaven and her parties?

    As she glanced around, she noticed a missing figure, distinct in the lack of her voluminous garnet gown. She looked to Kas, who stood with her, Carina, and Ventus, and lowered her voice so that Captain Jennings wouldn''t hear.

    "Where''s Jade?"

    "Look ahead, a little to the left," he whispered.

    Among the other sailors and soldiers, there was a shorter figure in a deep green riding habit jacket, the type a lady might wear, with long, draping trousers in the style of some of the southern islands under the control of Oyeshima that looked almost like a skirt when she kept her legs close together. Her dark hair was still tamed in one of the dark curled styles, but she stood much more confidently.

    Elodie had not seen such a style, even if she admitted that it quite suited Jade.

    "She''s not really the kind of girl who wants to wear dresses, and she''d much rather be mistaken for a man, so it only made sense." He shrugged.

    Elodie frowned, remembering the fight that had occurred onboard only a few hours earlier. "But I thought Captain Jennings wanted¡ª"

    "What she doesn''t notice won''t hurt her, and what Jade''s wearing is the least of her worries tonight." Kas''s voice took on a fiercer edge. "I think that sometimes the captain gets so caught up in preventing Jade from making her mistakes, she forgets that some of them aren''t mistakes¡ªat least, not for Jade."

    He then offered up his arm. "May I?"

    She smiled in spite of herself, accepting it. The way their arms slid into place connected perfectly. "You may."

    <hr>

    Mrs. Hawkins''s house truly was a sight to behold. Never had Elodie seen so many candles, or bands of musicians, or even so many finely-dressed individuals. This was a beautiful places filled with beautiful people and beautiful things. And it was so large, too, with people going in every which way or so it seemed.

    The company quickly separated upon their entry, leaving the younger group to their mission.

    "I''ll go find the gambling table, see what they might have to say about this place." Kas looked to Elodie. "Would you like to accompany me?"

    "No thank you." Elodie disentangled herself from him. "I think I''ll walk about this place, see what I can."

    Disappointment flickered in his eyes, but he smiled all the same. "Take care then, darling."

    With that, he disappeared into the crowd, and Elodie was left on her own.

    She kept close to the walls, wandering through the rooms as she observed all of the sights, so many entertainments that she did not recognize. She now understood why so many thought these parties to be such a wonder.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    She slipped into the ballroom, and found a place on the sidelines where Ventus was watching, shifting uncomfortably in his jacket. He nodded as an acknowledgement of her presence.

    They watched as the party-goers danced a complex series of steps, one of the new dances created in the heart of Albion, Elodie supposed. Still, she ached to join them, as she would do in her debut if all went well in two months.

    The song came to an end, and everyone applauded as they were supposed to¡ªexcept for Ventus, who tugged at his cravat as if it were choking him. Some dancers left the ballroom floor¡ªbut others remained and still others joined in.

    The musicians played the opening notes of the next song, an open invitation for all who knew the dance to join the floor, and Elodie''s heart skipped a beat.

    "Oh, they''re about to play one of my favorite songs!" Elodie turned to Ventus excitedly. "Dance with me, will you?"

    Ventus''s face turned pink and he quickly looked away. "I don''t think that''s a good idea. I''m not a good dancer."

    "I can teach you, it isn''t so hard really." Elodie reached for his arm to reassure him.

    But he pulled away, his voice dropping to a whisper. "We should remain focused, dancing''s a distraction from our mission."

    "Oh." Elodie felt her stomach sink, and her own face felt flushed. She looked down to her shoes, wishing she could be anywhere else, even the brig of the Foxtrot. "I suppose you''re right."

    "I''m sorry, for what it''s worth." Ventus coughed awkwardly and looked throughout the crowd. "I think I see Jade over there¡ªI''ll talk to her and see what she knows."

    "Alright, then." Elodie bit her lip. "Good luck."

    "Thanks." His lips twitched into a small smile, before he hurried off.

    Elodie looked back at the gathering dancers. It was about to start¡ªbut she couldn''t just dive in with no partner, it wasn''t that sort of dance. She remembered when they had first practiced the dance for the Pine Waltz, how she and the other girls had fought over who had to do the lead and who would do the follow for each practice. She''d been excited to do any part, as she''d loved the sound of the violins, the way their solo seemed to soar.

    "I hate to see a lady such as yourself standing on the sidelines all by your lonesome." Elodie turned her head to see that Kas had somehow appeared beside her, an open hand outstretched to her. "May I have the honor of dancing with you?"

    She faltered. She supposed that Ventus did have a point, that this interfered with their mission to search the party for Marius Hawkins''s map.

    But she had also heard about Mrs. Hawkins''s parties her entire life. They were the height of society, to attend one even once was something to talk about forever at all tea parties and other functions. She might as well enjoy it to the fullest.

    And she''d also always dreamed of dancing with a handsome young man, one who thought her pretty.

    She supposed Kas did fit that description.

    Seeing him like this, under the candlelight of Mrs. Hawkins''s elaborate chandelier, in a garnet-colored formal jacket, he looked every bit a storybook prince, and only a little bit of a pirate in his gold-rimmed hazel eyes and the smirk playing about his mouth.

    She accepted his hand, her eyebrows set together in determination. "Yes, my lord."

    He looked for a moment as if he were swallowing back a laugh. "Then lead the way."

    He let her tug him along into the ballroom, among the outer ring of the dancers.

    "Have you done this dance before?" Elodie asked as she turned back to face him.

    She then dipped into the customary curtsy to start, as he bowed.

    Then he took her hand, lifting them clasped together into the air, and drew her closer with another hand around her waist, exactly where it should be. "I have."

    It was then that the music picked up, and she went whirling into the ballroom floor, in a world of music and light.

    It was unlike the practice dances she''d had at Miss Griffin''s classes. Everything was so much faster, and there were so many more people¡ªand she could feel the eyes of others in the crowd on her. There was also the closeness of Kas''s body to hers, that stirred an excitement within her that she did not entirely understand. Perhaps it was the mere proximity to the line between proper and improper that had awakened such a feeling.

    Still, it was exhilarating.

    Kas remained perfectly a gentleman, dancing with a well-practiced grace, firmly and gently guiding her across the floor. Something about seeing him like this, it made her realize all the more how beautiful he truly was.

    Too soon, the dance ended, and they were to part, curtsy and bow, and then either take to the sidelines or continue.

    Elodie had not expected to be so out of breath after one dance.

    "We should go get drinks." Kas offered his arm to her again. "I believe they''ve made a punch with fruit from one of the islands further south. Dragonfruit, I think they call it. Will you join me, milady?"

    "I would be happy to, my lord." Elodie could not stop herself from giggling.

    It was the sheer euphoria of everything she had ever dreamed of coming true for just one night. For just one night, she wasn''t a girl with no home, the daughter of pirates, the bastard daughter of a bastard daughter. She was a beautiful young lady in a society dance, who could dance with a gentleman in a beautiful dress, surrounded by beautiful things.

    For what it was worth, Kas seemed delighted by her response.

    "After that, I believe Mrs. Hawkins has hired a fortune-teller, perhaps¡ª"

    "Kaspar, is that you?"

 The Hawkins Fortune

    Kas froze.

    Elodie turned around to see a woman in a blue dress, with shining golden curls and sharp aristocratic features hurry over toward them. She turned Kas by his shoulders, and his eyes turned stormy.

    The woman paid no mind to this, and grabbed Kas''s hands. "Kaspar¡ªoh, thank the gods, I didn''t think you were still alive!"

    "No thanks to that ransom left unpaid." Kas did not attempt to pull free, but he did glare at her. "Isn''t that right, Mother?"

    "Your mother?" Elodie looked from Kas to the woman, then back again.

    It was in this moment, when the lady looked to Elodie, that Kas took the opportunity to break free, and slipped his arm back into Elodie''s.

    "Elodie, this is my mother, the Duchess Adela Beaumont of Silvershire." He continued coldly. "I wouldn''t have expected you to be here, in the colonies of all places."

    "Well, circumstances were rather special in that regard, your brother came here to look at some of the eligible young ladies here in Yorkhaven, Mrs. Hawkins wrote recommendations of their character." The Duchess of Silvershire turned to Elodie. "I believe I did not catch your name?"

    "Elodie Fleetwood, my lady." She curtsied as best as she could with Kas keeping a tight linkage between their arms.

    "Fleetwood¡ªI believe I''ve heard that name before. . ." The Duchess of Silvershire''s eyes flicked up to the ceiling in consideration for a moment. "But never mind that¡ªKaspar, I''m so relieved to see you. I really did think you were dead, that the pirates had killed you when you weren''t returned with other boys at your school."

    "Which is why you made such a concerted effort to find me," he deadpanned.

    The Duchess of Silvershire''s features shifted in visible discomfort, and she tugged at her pale blue taffeta overskirt. "It''s not that simple, Kaspar. I wanted the ransom to paid, for an effort to be sent out for you, trust me, it''s just that¡ª"

    "What, it wasn''t the oldest son and I was just the spare?" Kas''s eyes narrowed. "No need to care about what happens to that one, yes?"

    "Kaspar, this isn''t the right place to talk about such things." The Duchess of Silvershire''s voice dropped to a whisper. She glanced around furtatively¡ªnot that anyone was paying them any mind. How could they, in all the delightful chaos of the party?

    "Forgive me, Mother, but if not now, then when?" Kas''s voice cracked in anger. "After three more years of committing unspeakable, heinous acts just to get away from the madman who took me from my bed? After three more years of having to get by on wit and luck and nothing else? You couldn''t even imagine it, could you?"

    The Duchess of Silvershire''s features shifted to a mix of devastation and rage.

    "You know nothing of what I have suffered these past three years!" She hissed. She then glanced around her, her voice dropping so quiet that even Elodie strained to hear her. "Listen¡ªit would be best if you stayed wherever you are now. You would not be welcome back at the estate."

    "You don''t say."

    The Duchess of Silvershire glared at him. "Listen! The Duke could not justify the price of a ransom for any further efforts to find you because he knows."

    "Knows what?" Kas tilted his head, his features unsure.

    Elodie''s stomach lurched.

    The Duchess of Silvershire screwed her eyes closed in obvious agony. "He knows that you aren''t his, Kaspar! Is that what you wanted to know?"

    He faltered, and Elodie wondered if he might have stumbled, had she not held onto him. "I suspected¡ªbut I thought¡ªwell, then who is my father?"

    "One of the magi." The Duchess of Silvershire bit her lip, and glanced over her shoulder. "His name was Galen Mirandola. He''d be better to look for. Don''t waste your time coming back to Silvershire. Do you understand?"

    "I do." Kas let go of Elodie, and stepped toward the Duchess of Silvershire. "I suppose this is goodbye, then. Forever."

    "It is. I''m sorry, they''re coming." The Duchess of Silvershire smiled sadly. "I''m glad to have seen you, though, Kaspar. I''m glad that you''re alive. And I love you. I''m sorry it wasn''t enough."

    With that, she embraced her son for a few, brief seconds, and then hurried off into the crowd.

    Elodie and Kas stood in silence for a few seconds. Elodie wasn''t sure what to say, her mind was whirling like the dancers were with all of this new information.

    Kas was like her, like Ventus, like Carina.

    A bastard.

    And he had not ended up a pirate willingly.

    Like her, he''d been stolen into it.

    "Kas¡ª" She reached a hand to his shoulder and he turned suddenly, flinching at her touch.

    Only to smile, a clearly forced thing. "Sorry, was lost in my thoughts, my lady."

    He offered her his arm again. "Perhaps we should find those drinks¡ª"Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    Before they could start in that direction, however, they were interrupted by Carina.

    "You have to come quickly," she whispered. "Jade and Ventus found something."

    <hr>

    Carina led them through the winding hallways of Mrs. Hawkins''s mansion. There were fewer and fewer of the party-goers as they continued on, until finally they ended up in a completely empty corridor.

    Well, empty except for Jade and Ventus, waiting for them.

    "Carina said you''ve found something," Elodie said as a way of greeting.

    "Yes, this one found Captain Hawkins''s office." Jade elbowed Ventus lightly. "But that''s where Kas comes in¡ªyou know how to pick locks better than I do, mate."

    "Of course he can," Carina muttered as she rolled her eyes.

    "Aye." Kas slipped his arm free of Elodie''s and removed a silver pin from his jacket with a flourish. "Let''s see if we can get this open."

    He approached the door, and within a few moments, there was a click. Kas lightly kicked the door open, and gestured widely. "After you, ladies."

    "Why, thank you Kas." Jade tipped a non-existent hat sarcastically, and then pulled Ventus along with her. Carina was quick to follow, leaving Elodie as the last one in.

    Captain Hawkins''s office was a large room with built-in bookshelves to the left and the right. One was filled with pristine-looking tomes and some weathered texts alike. On the other were what looked to be various records and notebooks. Elodie figured this was probably from the shipping business.

    After all, everyone knew how the Hawkins family was filled with wealthy merchants. It was said that Captain Hawkins himself got his start on either his uncle or his cousin''s ships until he''d gotten enough sea-knowledge and know-how to have his own. From there, he''d allegedly done enough of the work to grow the family business so far beyond what his predecessors had built. Enough so to afford the mansion in Yorkhaven and Mrs. Hawkins''s wild parties.

    Of course, Elodie knew that he was also the fearsome Pirate King. And that when he had been building his business and his reputation, he''d sometimes sailed along her father. She looked to Ventus, who knelt behind the mammoth of an oak desk that dominated the center of the room.

    "There''s usually a trick drawer, and you can find it¡ª-" Ventus cut off as he hit whatever the hidden switch was, and a secret drawer dropped out in front of him.

    "Ever been in here before?" Elodie asked.

    "Oh, no, I''ve never even been to this house." Ventus blinked up at her. "I''m sure Mrs. Hawkins would rather not see her husband''s bastard every day."

    "I guess not." Elodie glanced at Kas.

    Either he was oblivious to the conversation or pretending to do so, as he looked through the documents on the desk. He then plucked up a piece of parchment. "Ah-ha!"

    "What is it?" Elodie joined his side.

    "My luck hasn''t worn off yet," he declared, turning the paper in his hands as he examined it. "Apparently one of the keys wasn''t accounted for¡ªbut one of his spies discovered that the unaccounted for key is with the magi."

    He gave Elodie a significant look. "A man named Mirandola."

    "Why''s that important?" Carina crossed her arms over her chest.

    "Because I''ve been told just tonight, in fact, that a magi by the name of Mirandola was my father." Kas grinned. "Oh, how I do love being Lady Fortune''s favorite!"

    "It really shouldn''t surprise me after all this time." Jade sighed. "That is unreasonably lucky."

    "And incredibly humble, too," Elodie muttered.

    "How kind of you to recognize that, darling." He bowed.

    "I really don''t know how you find hats big enough to fit your ego," Elodie mused.

    "And yet I suffer such a challenge with good humor and wit." He winked.

    "If you two are done, I''ve got what we came for." Ventus arose, looking irritated. He closed the desk drawer and buttoned his jacket. "We should get going before anyone realizes that we''re here."

    Alas, for all that Kas was fortunate, it seemed that their party at large was not. Just as they turned the corner of the corridor, however, they were not alone.

    Half-cloaked in shadow, standing taller than any man Elodie had ever seen, with blue-gray eyes like a storm brewing on the horizon was none other than the master of the house.

    "Father." Ventus narrowed his eyes.

    "So the rumors were true then, you did leave the Foxtrot with the girl." Captain Hawkins had a softer voice than Elodie would have expected, a more cultured accent akin to Kas''s, the practiced polished sounds. "I suppose I am glad that you''ve managed to survive and keep your head on a navy ship."

    Ventus looked taken aback by the sentiment. "Father, I¡ª"

    "Give me the map, Ventus." Captain Hawkins''s low baritone took on a threatening, grumbling edge like the beginning of a thunder''s rumble. "I won''t ask again."

    Ventus blinked. Then he silently withdrew the rolled map from his jacket and handed it to his father.

    "That''s a good boy." Captain Hawkins''s stormy blue-gray eyes swept over the five of them. "Now, normally I''d ask for intruders to be taken away, and I would make sure that Keira Fleetwood''s daughter did not escape my presence."

    He then twisted one of the many rings on his fingers, an unconscious habit.

    "But the Missus wouldn''t be happy to have one of her functions interrupted." He smiled wryly. "I''d rather not see her unhappy. So do me a favor, and get out of my sight before I change my mind."

    "Yes, sir." Ventus looked to his friends. "Come on, let''s go."

    Carina opened her mouth to protest, and Ventus gave her a piercing look. She reluctantly closed it, and followed the party.

    When they got outside to the cobblestones, Elodie could not help but smile at the memory of dancing in the ballroom. Some of the music filtered out on the street, and she did a few little steps into the time.

    "At least the party was fun," she offered.

    Carina glared at her. "It was all for nothing."

    "It wasn''t all for nothing." Ventus looked up, and pulled out a rolled map.

    Elodie blinked. "Is that¡ª"

    Carina snatched it out of his hands and unrolled it. She turned it over and over, narrowing her eyes in careful observation. She then looked at Ventus with an amazement and euphoria that left her completely unguarded and open.

    "I could kiss you right now." She laughed, and looked back to the map. She nodded in satisfaction. "You made a decoy!"

    "Oh, he still has the original copy, since that had the Manoan seal on it." Ventus bit his lip and looked to his boots. "But I''ve copied maps before, so I was able to get the most important parts down."

    Carina rolled the map back up and handed it to Ventus. "You should keep it until we get back onboard."

    Ventus accepted it, placing it back within his jacket. "I will."

    "Someone should tell the Captain what went down," Elodie realized. "That we succeeded¡ªbut Hawkins also found us."

    "I''ll let her know." Kas raised a gloved hand. "For once, I''m the least flashy one here tonight."

    With that, he slipped out of the hedges, leaving four of the younger crew.

    "Let''s head back to the ship, then." Jade gestured for them all to follow her.

    Elodie was happy to let her lead. She''d be happy to see the Albatross again.

    Still, she couldn''t help but look back at the glimmering mansion one last time.

 Fractured Constellations

    As much as Elodie had enjoyed wearing her gown, she was more than happy to put it in her armoire and return to the plainer cotton dresses with the external corset that she could do up herself with no help.

    The cold night air was welcome after the heat of the city, of the party and all that went in it. Elodie did not bother with a jacket when she went above-decks.

    Already, the Albatross had left Yorkhaven and the island of Genista behind. Given what had happened with Captain Hawkins and Kas''s intel about the location of the key with the magi, they needed to make quick time to make it to Los Dorados.

    The southern archipelago of islands, which included Elodie''s hope of Leonida, had been originally claimed by the Cartagenans, and it was only after they''d mined and stripped all the gold from the land that gave it its name that the Empire of Albion claimed them.

    She would be so close to home. She considered even asking Captain Jennings if they could stop in Port Augustine, if just so she could see if the house on Brighton Row still stood. But she came to her own conclusion just as quickly that it wasn''t worth it. Likely Hawkins had sent out a ship under the Black-Sail Fleet that would be finding the magi while they stayed in Los Dorados. After all, they never lingered long.

    And there were likely other ships in the fleet that were around Port Augustine, watching and waiting for her to return.

    After a month at sea, Elodie found herself missing her home. It was funny, how she had dreamed of seeing places, but considered them too far away, too outside the life her grandfather had constructed for her, to ever think it viable to visit. But now she was roaming the entire world, which was so much bigger than she''d ever dared to dream.

    And even still a part of her heart yearned for home amidst all the wild wonders of the world.

    As she stood there on the deck, watching the sails billow out and the ropes blow and the stars pass overhead, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned in time to see Ventus emerge from below-decks, also changed out of all fancy clothes.

    "I delivered the map to Captain Jennings, so she, Carina, and Mr. Heyin are planning out their routes to go for the keys," Ventus explained. "Captain Hawkins has a good number of the keys already, so that will be something we''ll have to look for eventually. But we can at least keep the remaining ones out of his hands."

    "That''s good." Elodie watched him carefully. She supposed he did resemble his father, as Captain Jennings had declared upon their first meeting. There was the blue-gray eyes, the height, and the dark hair. But Ventus had gentler, more delicate features. She wondered if those were courtesy of his mother, the siren Corisande. "How are you doing?"

    "I''m fine." He sighed, looking out over the edge of the boat. "I don''t have much of a connection to my old man. I''ve met him less times than I could count on my hand."

    Still, something looked off-kilter, off-balance in his eyes. But instead of saying it, he drifted into a silence.

    She supposed that Mrs. Hawkins''s party had brought on a lot of revelations to them all. Her mind''s eye drifted to the golden-haired gaudy boy who was conspicuously missing.

    "Where''s Kas, by the way?"

    Ventus stiffened, something bitter crossed over his face, his teal-gray eyes clouded. "He''s usually up by the prow this time of night, if he''s still up."

    He looked up to the sky, the bitterness fading away. "I''m going to go keep watch. You know where to find me if you need me."

    "Alright, stay safe up there¡ª"

    But before Elodie could finish her well-wishes, he''d scampered up the ropes and left her behind.

    So she decided to make her way to the prow, as Ventus had told her. And indeed, Kas was sitting in the little elevated sliver of deck behind crates and barrels right before the long wooden prow, staring out at the sea.

    "Hey." Elodie''s voice was soft, but it carried on the wind.

    Kas looked up and managed a smile. "I thought you might come to see me."

    "Really?" She placed a hand on her hip.

    "Hoped, more like." He moved over, giving her more room in that sliver right before the prow.

    She obliged and dropped to sit next to him. She drew her knees up to her chest and rested her head on top of them.

    "I like to sit here, see all the stars." Kas toyed with his spyglass before placing it back in his belt. "It''s a big world, you know."

    "I do."

    He sighed heavily and looked away. "You probably want to talk about my mother, don''t you?"The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    "Not so much your mother as. . ." Elodie contemplated her next words carefully. "Well, you told on my first day that it wasn''t a big secret, what had happened to you."

    He looked back to her, studying her in silence for a long time. "I suppose I did."

    He looked away again, this time out to the endless seas in front of them. "I didn''t mean to keep it a secret, darling. It''s just¡ªI liked you not knowing. Not pitying me."

    "Why do you not want me to pity you?" Elodie lifted her head. "If I feel sorry for you, it doesn''t make you any less. Not to me. It means I have a compassion for you, Kas."

    He pressed his lips together into a thin line, all merriment gone from his features. He then looked down to his hand, the one covered by the glove with the fingers cut off. "I know that. But I''m not someone you should feel sorry for. I''m not like you¡ªI wasn''t a victim."

    "What do you mean?"

    "I''ve done things, Elodie."

    Hearing him say her name should not have sent a jolt of lightning through her blood, a shiver down her spine, a thrill she wanted to feel again and again. But it did.

    "Horrible, bloody things." He flexed his fingers, as if he were seeing them move for the first time. "Most of it, I''m not proud of. Nearly all of it, I''d rather forget. Not that it matters now. I''m good at those things now, so I might as well keep doing them."

    He smiled mirthlessly at her. "Besides, now I know for sure I can''t go home. I couldn''t anyway with¡ªwell. . . "

    He trailed off, and both his and Elodie''s eyes found his hand.

    "Tell me your story," she said, looking to his face again. "Please."

    He paused, hesitation shadowing his features. Then he let out a shuddering breath. "Alright."

    He looked up to the sky, his lips moving wordlessly. Then he nodded, as if to himself, and began.

    "I grew up in Silvershire, on one of the bigger estates in the heart of the Empire of Albion." The corners of his mouth turned upwards in the ghost of a smile. "I was the second son, so no one paid me much attention. And all my life, there were whispers. . . well, you know what about."

    She did. She knew them well¡ªfor she also had been whispered about, as a known bastard daughter of a bastard daughter.

    "But I lived a normal, idyllic childhood, I suppose." He tilted his head. "It was until I was sent off to boarding school. Likely because of the whole bastard thing, but I didn''t know that. All my life, my tutors thought I was too clever for my own good, so nearly everyone thought it was a good idea. I might have enjoyed it there, but I wasn''t exactly there long."

    Elodie nodded.

    Kas sighed. "One of the pirates of the Black-Sail Fleet, Captain Caradoc Madigan of the Morgenstern had a scheme. Since our school was in one of the southern colonies, by the sea, he decided there were easy pickings for a ransom. We were all stolen, right out from our beds."

    "You must have been frightened." Elodie shuddered, remembering her own capture at the hands of Captain Reynard.

    "I was." His voice was so quiet, she strained to hear it. "But I had no idea that that wasn''t what should have frightened me. What came next was so much worse."

    Elodie frowned and touched a hand to his shoulder. He jumped, turning his head to look at her.

    For the briefest moment, he smiled before continuing his story.

    "The others were ransomed soon enough. But mine never came in, and Captain Madigan decided he had other plans for me." He lifted the gloved hand. "He fancied to take a noble-born boy with a silver spoon in his mouth and force him to work for him, to grind him into the dust, to do whatever he pleased. He told me he wanted to make me something as ugly as him."

    Elodie did not know what to say to this. So she said nothing.

    "At some point, they''d stolen one of the brands from the inquisitors of Cartagena," Kas continued. "And they thought it would be great fun to brand their new whipping boy with the mark of the enemies of Cartagena."

    With that, he began to remove his glove. Elodie managed to hold in a gasp as she saw it.

    The Jolly Roger, scarred into the back of his hand.

    The very mark that her mother wore on her shoulder.

    How both the empires of Cartagena and Albion warned of a convicted pirate.

    "And with that, he made sure I could never come home again." Kas looked up to her, an obviously forced smile. "And with the things he made me do, the things I had to do to get away, to survive¡ªwell, I suppose I earned the brand, darling."

    Elodie frowned, instead taking his hand gently into hers. "Does it pain you?"

    "Not now." She could feel his eyes on her, watching her closely, studying her reaction. "Hurt like a bitch when it happened, though."

    "I can''t even imagine." She looked up at him, and he frowned.

    "You really shouldn''t pity me."

    "And what if I do?" She tossed her hair over her shoulder and met his gaze. "What then, Kas?"

    He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

    "I truly am sorry for what happened to you." She lightly brushed a thumb over the mark. "It doesn''t make me like you any less, you know."

    "I¡ª" he visibly swallowed. "Thank you."

    She let go of his hand, and he slipped the glove back on.

    "I won''t tell anyone."

    He laughed humorlessly. "They already know."

    Elodie considered him for a moment. "I stand by what I thought, however, when I first learned about all of this."

    "And what''s that?"

    "You''re like me, like it or not." She managed a smirk of her own. "Bastards and pirates and the gentlefolk alike."

    "I only wish I could be like you." Kas looked away again. "You have some place to go after this, a real home. For you, this is a fine adventure¡ªbut it will come to an end, as all things do. It''ll be a story to tell your children, or guests at parties."

    "What if you came with me?" The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

    "I can''t, remember?" He lifted his hand. "People will ask questions."

    "They won''t." She shook her hand and wrapped her hand around his wrist. "After all, Keira Fleetwood was an eccentric mistress of the estate. Of course her successors would be no different."

    He stared at her for a long moment. Then back out to the sea again. "It''s a nice dream, darling. I just wish it could be so."

    He then rose to his feet and extended his hand to Elodie. "You should get back to your cabin. It''s been a late night."

    "I suppose you''re right." Elodie pressed her lips together as she accepted his hand.

    He pulled her up in a simple swoop, one that left her a little breathless.

    Or maybe it was looking into his eyes that stole her breath away.

    "Thank you," she said, as they started walking across the deck, toward the door that would lead to the cabins below.

    "For what?" He looked to her, startled.

    "For a nice night." She thought of the ballroom in Mrs. Hawkins''s mansion again, the swirling silk and the swooning of the orchestra. Then she thought of what had just come to pass, with secrets shared in starlight. "And for trusting me."

    "Oh." He visibly swallowed before regaining his usual cocky composure. "You''re certainly an interesting woman, Elodie Fleetwood."

    She still wasn''t entirely sure what he meant by that, even once she was alone in her cabin again.

 The Wandering Magi

    If Elodie turned around now on the ship''s deck, she could see the silhouette of Leonida in the mists. She was so close to home that she felt the same sort of enchantment as she had under the narwhal song, something like that lure, calling her to rejoin where she belonged and where the world had made sense once.

    The thing was, when she looked back to the island of Clarida, she remembered that nothing would ever make sense again.

    "According to the letter, the band of magi with Mirandola in it should be here." Kas looked through his spyglass at the harbor.

    "I wonder how they found all that out," Elodie mused aloud. "As I recall, the magi are wanderers, with no borders and they keep to themselves."

    "Apparently not enough of them do." Kas frowned and looked to Elodie, turning his spyglass to her.

    She shook her head, and pushed it back to him. "I appreciate it, but not this time."

    She then looked over her shoulder again, toward her home. She hoped the girls in her etiquette class were alright, that the fires had not taken their homes. She hoped that Rosemarine and the servants had found other places of employ, or that Brendan Fleetwood remained oblivious to what had occurred in Port Augustine five weeks prior and they''d kept receiving their doubloon payroll.

    "What are you two up to, you''re always together nowadays!" Jade come up behind them, throwing her arms around each of their necks.

    "Just looking at Clarida, discussing our disembarking mission," Kas responded coolly. He tucked his spyglass back into the pack strapped around his waist.

    Today he''d eschewed his usual teal jacket and hat to keep just the scarlet vest. It was a much more humid heat in Clarida compared to the other Los Dorados and Libertalia, similar to the Windward Islands. The mists that hung heavily in the air certainly weren''t a help in that realm.

    "Ah, yes." Jade looked to Elodie. "You lived nearby¡ªsurely you''ve heard the stories about Clarida?"

    "About the Fountain of Youth?" Elodie laughed. "Of course I have. Everyone knows that isn''t true."

    "One wonders if the magi are here though. . ." Jade trailed off. "I suppose we''ll find out what they do soon enough."

    "I suppose so." Elodie''s eyes lingered on Kas.

    His features revealed nothing. But she saw through them all the same. Turbulent worry, fear, and insecurity of a bastard about to meet the father who had granted him life.

    She couldn''t blame him for not wanting to say as much.

    <hr>

    It was easy to find the magi encampment. They''d only so much as had to ask one of the workers in the harbor at Dulcinea before they were informed with contemptuous tones and distasteful glares that the magi had settled about a week prior just outside of the city limits.

    "Can''t miss it," one sailor had spat. "Don''t know what you''d want with them, the magi. Think they''re better than everyone else, with their fancy words and their clothes and all their secrets."

    His expression had then turned contemplative. " I''d stay away from them if I were you. The way I''ve heard it, stories say that the magi know how to lie without lying, if you know what I mean. Their magic has a way of making your biggest wish into your biggest nightmare. I''d leave well alone, if I were you."

    Not that this had dissuaded them.

    <hr>

    The disembarking party of the Albatross, Elodie included, made their way to the northern route out of Dulcinea, a city fairly identical to Port Augustine if not for the size, as it was not quite so large or elaborate as Port Augustine had become in its three-hundred years as a major trade port. For to the north, not more than fifteen paces up the path, were the magi in what might have once been a field for some sort of farm.

    Of course Elodie had heard stories about the magi. She''d even seen them come through Port Augustine from time to time.

    Like the Manoans, you could find them anywhere, but unlike the Manoans, the magi that one saw were not a diaspora, fragments of an empire that once was that had reluctantly put down roots in cities that were foreign to them by their very nature.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Rather, the magi wandered in clans, for reasons that were known only to them. They stayed for weeks, maybe even months at a time in their major cities. They might hold carnivals or perform magical services for doubloons, but they mostly kept to themselves, staying outside of the cities themselves and the jurisdictions within. Then, through means only known to themselves, they would decide to leave and that was that.

    Elodie had always enjoyed when her mother would give her two silver doubloons to go down to one of the magi-run carnivals whenever they passed through Port Augustine. She''d go just to marvel at the trinkets in the booths, to watch with wonder as some free-roaming performers not in the tents performed little snippets of magic for those who could not afford the proper shows.

    There were stories about the magi, terrible ones that called them liars and worse. But that was not what Elodie had seen when she attended their carnivals.

    Rather, she would remember a young lady, a girl of about fifteen or sixteen in a blue gown like rippling water in a pond, as she knelt down in front of a group of children, Elodie among them. She''d smiled and cast shapes of stardust, of animals from far-off places and creatures of the sea.

    She¡ªlike many of the others at those carnivals¡ªwere more artists than hucksters. People who loved the wonders they could create as much as those who watched them, if not more.

    The settlement of the magi outside of Dulcinea was just as magnificent as those carnivals.

    Brightly-colored tents abounded, with lights strung up between them that glowed without the aid of candles. The people between them cast magic openly, wearing ornate clothes in jewel tones with gilded trims from an older era, all with flowing capes and billowing sleeves. Many of the magi had distinctive ruby-red eyes, disconcerting at a first glance, and all with a golden ring in their depths.

    In retrospect, Elodie wasn''t entirely sure how anyone had missed Kas''s heritage.

    Then again, she''d seen similar rings of yellow in those with gray and hazel eyes. It was enough to muddy the water. But nonetheless, it seemed obvious now as they approached the magi settlement.

    Lively chatters dropped to whispers as those nearby turned their heads to see the party of pirates. Distrust and suspicion colored their scarlet and golden-ringed eyes.

    It haunted Elodie¡ªfor it reminded her of how the Manoans looked at them, and how she realized she had looked at the Manoans.

    It wasn''t right, she realized. We all don''t trust each other, although we live under the same flags.

    Her musings were pushed far from her mind, however, as a lady in black approached. An older gentleman in garnet lingered behind the young lady like a ghost, a wariness guarding his aristocratic expression, all strong features and angles. Angles, that Elodie realized were familiar to her somehow.

    "Ah, we were not expecting guests." The lady smiled apologetically. "I''m afraid we are not taking visitors right now. I hope you''ll forgive this and come back on a different day for our services?"

    "We''re not here for your services." Captain Jennings nodded at Carina.

    She stepped forward, holding out her blue crystal for all to see.

    The lady''s rosy tan complexion blanched, and the gentleman was off-balance for a moment¡ªas if both of them had seen a ghost.

    Elodie felt a tap on her hand, and turned her head to see Kas looking at her meaningfully. His eyes flicked and his fingers moved ever-so-slightly towards the man¡ªand toward a chain dangling from his neck, the end of which was tucked into a vest.

    "My name is Carina Eldora," Carina began, her voice carrying through with all the confidence and authority of an Albionese or Cartagenan queen. Even though Elodie could see the uncertainty in her blue and green eyes, the faintest trembling only to be quelled by her free hand curling into a fist. "My brother seeks the keys to Limuria to revive the Empire of Manoa. And I''ve come to stop him. I must speak to a man named Mirandola at once. Is he among you?"

    "You say you''ve come to stop your brother." The older gentleman stepped forward. "But how do we know your intentions are true?"

    "Because we can vouch for her." Elodie pushed through to the front of the group, to stand by Carina''s side. "We rescued her from her own people, multiple times. They''re after her because they know she means to stop them."

    Carina briefly smiled at Elodie.

    "Forgive me for not trusting the words of Albionese pir¡ªI mean, privateers," he hastily amended with a wry smile. "I do not wish to doubt your intentions. But we have long learned in our dealings with all empires that their agents are often undermined and spell disaster more frequently than not."

    "Then let my word stand." Kas charged to the front, locking eyes with the man.

    The man''s features twisted into irritation. "Now why would I do that?"

    "I know who you are, Galen Mirandola, and I am the son of the Duchess Adela Beaumont of Silvershire." Kas smirked in triumph."And it would seem that I''m your son as well."

    Galen Mirandola blinked, even as Kas held fast in their matching gold-ringed gazes. He recognized the boy. Something bitter passed over his face, a sort of primal sorrow. It was the kind that Elodie recognized in her own mother whenever she spoke of that life she dreamed of, that life of which Keira disapproved.

    "I hope you will forgive me when I say that I hoped this day would never come, Kaspar."

    He then looked to Carina and Venetia. "I see there is much to discuss. Let us retire to my tent."

    His eyes returned to Kas. "We can speak more privately there."

    Kas said nothing.

    Galen sighed, and turned around with a flourish of his cloak. A clear sign to follow him. As the party took the steps to follow them, Elodie reached for Kas''s hand¡ªa silent act of reassurance.

    He glanced to her and smiled, squeezing her hand gently as they followed Galen Mirandola into a deep garnet tent.

 Secrets of the House of Mirandola

    The inside of the tent was far bigger than what Elodie would have assumed from the outside.

    The floors were covered in jewel-toned carpets with the same intricate golden embroidery as the gilded trim on the sleeves and hems of the lady and Galen Mirandola''s clothes. There were bookshelves pressed against the walls, filled with all sorts of weathered-looking tomes, the spines embossed in a script similar to that of the ancient Manoan ruins, but still markedly different.

    Hanging from the ceiling were banners and streamers that matched the carpets, but were more sheer, gossamer that caught the glimmer of the hovering lights all about the place, little floating candles that somehow never bumped into anything or made anything catch on fire. Also hanging from the ceiling were plants, some of the likes of which Elodie had never seen before. She wondered if they hailed from far-off places like Oyeshima and those territories in the southwest that sultans and shahs fought over.

    Galen Mirandola stopped at a desk, far smaller than the one that dominated the office of Captain Marius Hawkins, but distinct in its carved feet like that of a lion, or so Elodie had seen in illustrations. The desk was covered with a scarlet tablecloth, a book left open and a black iron bell right by it. There was also an elaborate tea set made of brightly-colored glasswork.

    He turned his back to the group. "So you have come here because of the Limurian keys, then?"

    "Yes." Carina took the lead. "I have one of them. My brother, Pri¡ªKing Alcor now, I suppose¡ªhe offered it to me as a sign of goodwill. As a promise for us to rule over the revived Manoan Empire."

    Galen turned back around, an uncannily similar wry smile to Kas''s playing about his lips.

    "And yet you''re here?"

    "Yes." Carina took a step forward, her eyes burning with the ferocity of lightning from the heavens. "Because my mother was a Voyager. Because I''ve seen what happens when islands fall under the powers of Empires, and I''ve heard the stories of what their wars bring to the people who were born on those islands, who belong there. I don''t think adding another into the mix will help anyone."

    "So you would turn your back on your own people?"

    "My father''s people." There was reluctance there, evidenced by how she toyed with the string of pearls also around her neck.

    "I see." Galen smiled, as if he knew something that she did not. He looked down at his desk, his fingers tracing along the edge of the parchment of the open book. "You needn''t worry, Miss Eldora. We''ve kept our key safe for a long time, and we will continue to do so long after you."

    He then looked up, and caught Elodie''s eye. "It would be best to continue to keep the keys separated. You should leave Clarida as soon as you can, stay as far away from the other keys if you can, if you know where they are."

    "The Manoans and their king aren''t the only ones looking for Limuria." Captain Jennings folded her arms over her chest. "I''m sure you''ve heard the story of Captain Vance''s treasure?"

    "I have." Galen was wary again. "And I had heard some rumors of a possible connection to one of the keys to Limuria."

    "My mother went looking for it, to relocate it and try to put it where no one else can find them." Elodie spoke up. "We''re trying to find her to make sure that that can happen, and before the Pirate King of the Black-Sail Fleet takes it."

    "I see." Galen frowned. "Then perhaps that does change things."

    "Are you sure about that, sire?" The lady finally spoke, lifting her black petticoat. "You know what is at stake."

    "I do, Venetia." He looked to her meaningfully. "Could you fetch us the tea? The special box, the one for guests?"

    She nodded quickly, shaking her dark twin-tails over her shoulders. "Of course, sir."

    "Come, sit." Galen snapped his fingers, and large plush chairs appeared in front of the desk. And one behind it, of course, which Galen Mirandola took no hesitation to sit into, loungeing about as comfortably as a cat.

    Elodie gingerly sank into one of the chairs. It was as soft as she thought that clouds might be from their look, and not too warm for the climate either. With their deep purples, it was the sort of armchair that might have belonged in a castle.Stolen story; please report.

    "I apologize for not offering my full hospitality earlier." Galen gave a charming smile. "We''ll see if we can resolve this."

    "Okay." Carina looked unsure.

    "I am curious¡ªdo you know the story behind Limuria''s fall and the separation of the keys?" Galen asked.

    "No," Carina admitted, fidgeting with the blue crystal. "My mother told me the story of her people, but she knew nothing of my father''s."

    "That''s alright." Galen chuckled. "Luckily, I do. All of us who were entrusted with the crystal key have had to learn the story. I only hope I can do it justice, as my mother did with me."

    He paused, with the same trepidation that Kas held when telling a tale, the moment in which something spun behind his eyes like the cogs in a clock or the gears to a mill as he wove the pieces into a story.

    "It was said that the Manoans ruled the entire Sea of Gales from their city in the heavens, the floating island of Limuria," Galen began. "This was different from all of the other little floating islands, anchored to the land and the sea because this one could drift freely across the sky."

    He tugged at his sleeves. "It was said that the Manoans got their power from a crystal that was bonded to them. They were the only ones who knew how to create or harvest them, and however they were obtained, to enchant them with the powers of flight and other such magic."

    He looked to Carina. "We are not limited by such stones¡ªbut even a powerful magi is nothing compared to the raw power of your people''s crystals."

    Carina pressed her lips together and clutched her crystal key. Somehow, Elodie suspected that she was thinking of what happened to the Foxtrot. The all-devouring blue-light, the complete destruction of the ship remain burned into Elodie''s mind.

    "It made their ships and island fly, it gave them the ability to destroy all of their enemies, to keep all of their subjects in line," Galen continued. "So they ruled in uncontested decadence over the entire Sea of Gales. In the height of their power, there was an emperor who had a son, a prince, and a daughter, a princess."

    It was at this point that Venetia returned with a silver platter filled with a cups from a teaset made of rainbow-colored glass. "I have the tea you requested, sire."

    "Ah, thank you, Venetia." Galen accepted a cup from her. "Now, where was I?"

    With a wave of her hand, the cups danced off of Venetia''s platter, and into the hands of the visiting party.

    Elodie stared into the depths of the cup, a deep burgundy color similar to the gown she had worn to Mrs. Hawkins''s party. It smelled of cinnamon, and the glass teacup was not in the styles of the southeastern islands, but rather of the people who were native to Los Dorados, who had been displaced by first the Cartagenan and then the Albionese colonies.

    She took a tentative sip, curious about its taste. She''d never been given enough doubloons to try the food and drink at the magi carnivals, just as she''d never had enough pocket money to buy any of the marvelous items sold within.

    The tea was sweet and rich¡ªor at least, she thought so.

    Kas frowned when he swallowed his, making a face as if it were quite bitter, or at least foul-tasting.

    How curious, Elodie thought to herself as she surveyed the rest of the party. No one else had quite so strong of a reaction.

    "Ah, yes, so as I was saying¡ª" Galen cleared his throat. "There was a princess, naturally."

    Elodie supposed that all of these sorts of stories did coincidentally have a princess as a key figure in their events.

    "The princess was not the favored child of the Emperor, for she was not the heir." Galen paused, his eyes sweeping across them all. "It was said that she was frivolous, capricious. It was said that she grew jealous, or one of her favorite lovers did, and so they hatched a plan to destroy the power of the crystal and harness the throne for themselves. This destroyed the city and the empire, plummeting it into the sea with only her brother as the sole survivor. That is the story that everyone else tells."

    Elodie had heard something similar before, although she wasn''t sure where or when. The Manoans and ancient history weren''t exactly the types of stories her mother told.

    "But we the magi know a different story, one that we believe to be the full truth." A smile played about Galen''s lips. It reminded her of how Kas would smile sometimes in the telling of a story, enjoying how he could pull anyone¡ªhow he could pull her¡ªin.

    "The last Princess Ahez of Manoa was said to have all-seeing eyes," Galen continued. "She could see the truth of the world in ways that most men could not, much less those of her dynasty. She looked at her father and saw a greed-ridden coward, saw the empire and saw suffering, and in the crystal at the heart of Limuria, a curse forming."

    He sipped again. "Princess Ahez tried to warn her father and brother of the trouble, of how their bloody deeds done with magic would command a price. But because she was a princess, they told their own story of her being frivolous, jealous, shallow. She tried to stop the corruption, but she could not. She only barely survived the fall of Limuria, unbeknownst to her brother."

    He then looked at Carina. "Ahez knew that her brother would consult the sages of Manoa, would try to bring back and repair Limuria, bring back their empire. She had to let it fall, to free the people within. So she hit the keys, the fail-safes that she''d stolen in preparation for this day. She hid them, for they could not be properly destroyed."

    "That''s not really an ending to the story," Carina pointed out.

    "It isn''t, is it?" Galen narrowed his eyes. "I suppose that will be up to you, won''t it?"

    "Then I know how this story ends." Carina held her head high, eyes blazing. "There doesn''t exist a way to destroy it yet. But I will find a way. I''ll find a way to free the Sea of Gales of all Empires."

    Galen nodded. "I believe you."

    Carina blinked rapidly. "Wait, really?"

    "The truth-telling serum shows the truth to those who know how to see it." Galen raised his teacup in a toast. He set down his teacup and removed the chain from around his neck, the one that Kas had subtly pointed out to Elodie when they arrived at the camp. "I''ll give this to you, if you swear to find a way to destroy it."

    "I will."

 Fortunes Fool

    Without another word, Galen passed the crystal to Carina, who placed it in a pocket in her skirt. She then rose from her chair.

    "Thank you. I won''t forget this."

    "I expect you won''t." Galen rose as well. "You should all get moving. I''m sure if you''re on our trail, one of your rivals for Limuria will find us soon enough. We need to relocate."

    "That would be wise, we discovered you were here and that we needed to look for a Mirandola from one of the correspondences to the Pirate King," Captain Jennings warned.

    Galen nodded. "Noted. Venetia, if you would¡ª"

    "I''ll get right on it, sire." Venetia darted out of the tent.

    "And what about me, then?" Kas lingered as Captain Jennings, Carina, and Ventus started toward the entryway.

    "And what about you?" A familiar note of irritation rose in Galen''s voice.

    "I''m your son." A shadow of insecurity flickered over Kas''s face. "Or was my mother lying about that too?"

    "No, it rings true, I can see it in your eyes." Galen stared at him directly. "You have my eyes. And I can hear it in your voice, you''ve learned our power of words without being taught."

    "Wait, that was a magi thing?" Jade interrupted.

    "Yes." Galen was hesitant, but still he continued to speak. "Many of our children begin to use magic in such small ways at first, before they are properly trained or discovered. They''re more convincing, their words hold so much more power than they should. They find themselves better at games of chance, call it luck without knowing that they are subtly-guiding the die, the arrow, the cards."

    Kas blinked. What Elodie read into his expression was a mixture of things. It wasn''t exactly a surprise. Some part of him might have always known, or at least suspected the truth. But he was taken aback by it still.

    "I''ve always wondered about things like that," Kas mused aloud, raising a finger to his chin. "My tricks, my luck¡ªI''d like to learn how to use more of these skills I was born with. I''m a fast learner, truly¡ªgive me any one of your spellbooks and I will dedicate myself to it. I''ll learn."

    "I cannot give you what you seek, child." Galen sighed. "Magic is not your birthright. You would easily lose yourself to it, if I allowed you to take one of these books out of my collection."

    "Why not?" Elodie could hear the genuine hurt in Kas''s voice. He then changed tactics."If it really is so dangerous, you don''t have to let me take a spellbook and study it on my own. You could teach me yourself, if you wanted."

    Galen set his jaw. "It really isn''t that simple, Kaspar. Magic is dangerous¡ªand far more so in those who have noble blood. Being brought up with such entitlement, such power¡ªit more often than not awakens an insatiable greed when it comes to magic."

    Before Kas could continue to argue, however, gunfire pierced the air, punctuated with screams.

    Elodie, Galen, and the rest of the party darted out of the tent, to be greeted by open violence.

    Tents were burning, gunpowder filled the air. Everyone was running and screaming, a mix of magi and pirates alike at war.

    "You need to go, now, protect the keys!" Galen shouted.

    Elodie looked around her, a silent headcount of everyone who had just come in the tent. One was missing. As she opened her mouth to call for him, she saw Kas scramble out of the tent, tucking something into his long scarlet vest.

    She glanced over to Galen, but he wasn''t paying attention.

    Now wasn''t the time, anyway.

    She grabbed his wrist. "Come on, we have to get back to the ship!"

    Kas had the sense at least not to argue with her.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    <hr>

    The city of Dulcinea was also beset by pirates, in a haunting mirror to the night that Port Augustine had been attacked. Screams and gunfire and the crackling of fire lingered in the air, omnipresent. It was because of this that no one paid them any mind¡ªthey were not of any immediate importance to the pirates because they were not magi and they were not Albionese soldiers in uniform.

    Somehow, through the smoke and the mists and the elaborate dance of battle unfolding around them, Elodie found her steps with her courage. She clung to Kas as tightly as her lungs clung to the air, an anchor as she weaved her way through the death unfolding around her in the streets of Dulcinea.

    She wasn''t entirely sure how, if she thought back on it later. But she and the rest of the onshore party managed to make it back to the marina.

    They weren''t the only ones with that idea¡ªAlbionese merchants and soldiers were fleeing to their warships and caravels. An entire fleet of ships with black flags surrounded the harbor, with their remaining crews firing off cannonballs into the marina and their revolvers into the would-be refugees.

    At the center of them all was a large ship, much like the Albatross itself, clearly a former navy ship, with large white sails except for the signature black at the top with the Jolly Roger¡ªthe de facto symbol of the pirates, and of the Black-Sail Fleet.

    "Oh shit!" Kas pulled them to a stop. "Not him!"

    He pointed to the lettering on the side¡ªthe Morgenstern.

    "We really do have the best luck, don''t we?" Captain Jennings grumbled. "Come on, all of you!"

    With that was the final push, and they sprinted to where the Albatross was docked.

    There, Mr. Heyin was waiting.

    "Get us the blazes out of here!" Captain Jennings ordered as she passed onto the deck. She''d purposefully brought up the rear, so all others were accounted for.

    "Aye-aye, Captain!" Mr. Heyin signaled for two of the sailors to bring up the gangplank and started barking out orders to the front of the ship to withdraw on the anchor.

    Captain Jennings then turned to Carina.

    "Can you make them explode again?" Captain Jennings braced herself against the railing. "That would be really helpful right about now!"

    "I can try!" Still, Carina looked queasy at the thought. She frowned, knitting her eyebrows together as she weaved the hermetic symbols with her long sun-kissed fingers. Then she blinked, a new resolution passing over her face.

    "I have a better idea¡ªI can feel it, the crystals here." She closed her eyes, and rotated the wheel of glowing symbols hovering in the air, right over her hands. "I can get us out of here, before any of them can follow."

    As soon as the anchor was drawn up, Carina let her symbols fly¡ªand with it, the Albatross shot straight up into the air.

    Elodie''s stomach plummeted, like the free-fall that she and Ventus had experienced when escaping the Foxtrot not so long ago. She barely caught herself on the railing, and the Albatross came to a jerky stop in the air.

    Carina opened her eyes, and a smile of triumph grew across her face as she continued to create more of the magic, as her fingers danced skillfully through the air.

    Then the Albatross was moving faster, faster than any ship of this size had any right to.

    Elodie was certain she was going to be sick, and so leaned over the railing. As she did, she saw that they were leaving the island filled with smoke and mist behind.

    They''d abandoned the magi and Clarida to their fate.

    Elodie wasn''t sick in the way she thought, she realized as she pushed herself away from the side and slowly dropped onto the floor. She knew it was for the best, that they left with the crystals. But she thought of the magi, of the ordinary people of Dulcinea.

    Death seemed to follow her wherever she went, for the Black-Sail Fleet was looking for her, for the keys, for her father''s treasure. They would not have even cared for it, without what her father had done.

    A part of her could not help but feel responsible for the destruction unfolding in the fading mists behind them. How many more islands would be torn asunder by the greed of the pirates or the Manoans for the treasure of Limuria?

    All the power in the crystals, and yet they were powerless to do anything other than struggled to play keep-away with them. It hardly seemed fair.

    Captain Jennings straightened the folded collar of her jacket. "I think we should have sufficient distance now, Carina. It would take them more time to recall one of the crews and set off, especially when they don''t know what we have, yet."

    "Alright then." With a snap of her fingers, the symbols of magic disappeared, and the Albatross began a gentle descent, all while continuing forward.

    "We can meet in my cabin to further discuss where we''re going next." Captain Jennings looked back in the direction of Los Dorados, at the islands left behind. With such a sorrowful look, Elodie wondered if she might be thinking of her mother, of Keira Fleetwood. "We''re not far from Cartagena. We should get the key there while we''re still in the area."

    She then shook her head slightly to clear it. "Well then. Mr. Heyin!"

    With that, she was gone.

    Jade offered Elodie a hand up. "All that movement had me a little green at the gills too, and I''m not usually one to get seasick."

    Elodie smiled as she accepted it. Now that the movement was more steady, more within the realm of the usual, she felt much better.

    "You alright, darling?" Kas had finally turned to her, now that the chaos was over.

    Elodie wasn''t sure if she imagined it or not, but something angry sparked in jade''s green eyes as she let go of Elodie''s hand.

    "I''m fine, thank you."

    "I''ll go check in with Eric," Jade declared, and she stormed off.

    "Is she alright?" Elodie tilted her head, confused by the merry girl''s sudden stormy shift.

    Kas bit his lip. "I''ve upset her. I''ll talk to her."

    "I don''t understand."

    "It''s alright, you don''t have to." Kas sighed. "Sometimes it gets messy, out here on the ships."

    With that, he also disappeared, leaving Elodie alone on the deck.

 Cycles of History

    She found Carina exactly where she expected her to be. As the two message-runners, the two girls frequently ran into each other, sometimes even switching over messages to each other. As a result, Elodie knew the princess''s habits.

    Carina preferred to be on one of the higher decks usually, and there was one that she had made into her little reading nook. It was right by one of the lanterns that multipurposed the levitation crystals as a light, in one of the rooms on that level that had unusually large windows that a particularly persistent person might be able to use as a door if she were to open the shutters.

    Carina had stored blankets and books there, and Elodie knew she was there if the wide window was open to let the sea-breeze through.

    The sun was only just starting to set when Elodie found her there, the sun still a ways from kissing the sea, only beginning to streak the sky with gold and a peachy pink.

    "Are you alright?" Elodie asked, as she ducked through said window.

    "Never better." Carina did not look up from her book. But she did move over, to make a little room for Elodie.

    "You found another way, one that doesn''t require. . . " Elodie trailed off as she sat next to the princess.

    Carina looked up, her blue and green eyes flashing. Her expression immediately sobered and she closed her book. She cradled it close to her chest, a lifeline. "Yes. I know it. . . it helped, then. They were bad men."

    She looked Elodie directly in the eye. "But even bad men don''t deserve that."

    "We can agree on that." Elodie smiled sympathetically.

    "I''m glad it pleases you." For as coolly as she said it, Elodie could see it in Carina''s eyes, that she meant it genuinely. "I''m not sure Captain Jennings liked that I refused her command."

    "I really don''t think she minded." Elodie tilted her head as she recalled the moment. "We got away, and that was what mattered."

    "I''m sure she might''ve liked her commissions with the Crown of Albion more." A bitterness flooded her tone. Her cheeks flushed as her eyes darted away, an embarrassed smile curling her full lips. "Don''t misunderstand me, Elodie. She''s been kind to me, and I know that you''re a family friend of hers. I appreciate that kindness."

    Her expression sobered, as she looked away, to the far end of the small room. But Elodie could see that she wasn''t looking there, not really. Someplace far away, beyond the four walls of her makeshift book nook.

    "I cannot forget who I am dealing with," she whispered like the sea-air. "Captain Jennings is still a woman in the Albionese navy, a privateer for the King who stole my people''s islands and who seeks to destroy us day by day."

    "What do you mean, destroy you?" Elodie shifted uncomfortably.

    "The King wants to control our islands, to make us like them," Carina explained. "Albionese society. We never wanted to be a part of Albionese society. We have our own. We were born on these islands, or found them as they were born, learned to work with them. We have our ways, and the King of Albion doesn''t respect that. To take that from us¡ªit takes what makes us us."

    She sighed, turning her head to look out at the window, at the sea and the sky behind Elodie. "And so each day that the flag of the King of Albion flies over our island, we die a little, day by day."

    She then smiled, a more polite thing. "But I don''t expect you to understand. You are an Albionese girl, one who was raised for the higher ranks of society."

    "I guess not." Elodie frowned as she considered what Carina had told her. "Although. . . my grandfather is from the Emerald Isle, you know."

    "The Emerald Isle?" Carina''s eyes flicked up to Elodie''s hair. "I suppose I could see that."

    Elodie laughed. "My mother loved having the Emerald Isle hair and eyes¡ªI think she was a little disappointed I took after my dad in that regard."A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    She didn''t really know what Captain Felix Vance looked like, Elodie realized. The only thing she knew about his appearance was her brown eyes, the inheritance of her father.

    "But I think we were once like the Voyagers, there are still some of the old stories, before the Thulians came, and the Albionese after." She recalled her mother telling her stories of ancient warriors like giants, of the selkies¡ªmixed in with the more grounded modern legend of Keira Fleetwood''s days as a pirate. "They say the Selkies were the ones who left, who would not surrender to Thule."

    Carina said nothing, instead watching Elodie closely.

    "I suppose after a time, most of the men of the Emerald Isle became more like my grandfather." Elodie pressed her lips closely together. "The kind of man who would do anything to be accepted by the Albionese gentry."

    That was why he had worked so hard as a barrister, why he had invested in the merchants rising with him, why he had wanted first his daughter and now Elodie to marry well. Even as bastards, they could still have the use of legitimizing his family, of pushing his name up.

    Elodie looked at her left hand. For so long, she had dreamed of the kind of wedding ring she might receive, perhaps an heirloom from one of the low-ranking gentry she''d aspired to marry into. Surely she could love such a gentleman, and find belonging there. No one would call her the bastard daughter of a bastard daughter, or a hanged-man''s child.

    And yet, after seeing what had happened to Kas¡ªa bastard was still a bastard, gentry or no.

    No one would have ever forgiven the circumstances of her or her mother''s births, even though there was no shame for either of them in what had happened.

    She never would have belonged there fully, she was beginning to realize. Her mother had been more right than Elodie had given her credit for. She had been convinced all this time that such a marriage would buy her propriety and security.

    In the process, she''d forgotten who exactly was pushing such a marriage¡ªand what he had to gain from such a thing.

    She supposed if she heard about Kas''s title¡ªbut somehow avoided the rumor that the Duchess of Silvershire had confirmed¡ªthat her grandfather would approve.

    But such a thought did not fill her with the warmth that she once thought it would. It was a more apathetic observation, similar to noticing the color of the sky or a stray freckle on the back of her pale hand.

    "I hope there aren''t many like my grandfather among your people," Elodie finished.

    "Me too." Carina held her head back, regarding Elodie anew. "I''m afraid that among all men, there''s too much greed, too much ambition to pay any mind to the greater good."

    She tugged at the second crystal now dangling from around her neck, and Elodie suspected that she was thinking of her brother. "It was a woman, a princess who decided that the power of Limuria couldn''t be entrusted into the hands of men. They''ll tell the same story about me, how I was the princess who ruined everything with no idea of what disaster was averted."

    She looked up to Elodie and smiled wryly. "It''s thankless work, being a woman, thinking of the future and more than what we stand to gain."

    Elodie thought of her mother, of Jonathan Beckett, and of Brendan Fleetwood''s ploys. "All while we lose everything."

    Carina reached out to Elodie, taking her hand. "At least your father seemed to understand that Limuria was bad news, even if he had no idea what it truly was."

    She paused. "And Captain Jennings understands as well, what''s truly at stake."

    "And my mother too." Elodie thought of that last note from her mother. "We''ll keep it out of their hands. And someday, someone will tell our story, and know what we did and be grateful for it."

    "I think you are an optimist, my friend." Carina picked her book back up¡ªa tome of fairytales, the stuff that inspired operas and theatre based on the cover. "I only wish I could be."

    Elodie decided then to take her leave. Clearly Carina wanted to be left alone.

    Instead, she sought out Kas.

    <hr>

    She found him where she had just two nights prior, at the front of the ship. He was sitting over his newly-acquired spell-book, frowning and muttering words she did not recognize under the dying sunlight. He kept snapping his fingers, gesturing firmly¡ªbut nothing happened.

    "Oh, hello, darling." He turned his head at her approach and smiled. He closed the book, and like Carina, moved over to make room for her.

    "So that''s a magi spellbook then, is it?" Elodie plopped down next to him.

    "Apparently." A hiss of frustration escaped Kas''s lips. "Not that I can make much of it. It''s written an old script, one like Manoan but not quite. I haven''t yet figured it out. But I will."

    "This is to spite him, isn''t it?"

    "Part of it is." He looked out to the sea. "Part of it is, well, I could have been a magi too, if my mother had thought to send me to the man who was my blood-father. Instead, I grew up in that cold mansion, always striving to be better, to be worthy of my parents'' attentions. And I never knew until now that it wasn''t going to happen, that they left me to die when Madigan came."

    "They stole the childhood you could have had from you." Elodie reached out to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

    He wrapped his hand around hers. "The magi children looked happy there."

    He looked to their entwined hands. "I wonder if I could have been."

    Elodie opened her mouth to argue, but then decided against it. Instead, she laid her head on his shoulder. He stiffened, only to lean into her touch. They turned their gazes skyward.

    "It''s a beautiful night," she offered. It still took her breath away, how bright the stars were on the high seas and low skies.

    "It is," he agreed with a gentle laugh, weaving his fingers into hers.

 The Sky-Touched Temple

    It was two days later that Elodie woke to the brightest sunshine streaming through her windows, the closest thing to the gold in the earth beheld in the sky. And when she went on-deck, she saw the most beautiful, perfect blue waters she''d ever seen.

    "Welcome to Cartagena." Kas swaggered up to Elodie. "Makes you wonder why those bastards ever wanted to leave, doesn''t it?"

    Elodie laughed. "I suppose so."

    "It''s a big country," Kas continued, looking up the skyline. It stretched farther than Elodie had ever seen, seemingly endless as an expanse of land. "Not that it''s ever enough, really. And I suppose I can''t blame them, there."

    He leaned against the railing. He opened his mouth to speak, when a series of loud footsteps interrupted.

    Elodie and Kas both turned their heads to see a group of sailors carrying a wooden chest while others lowered the flag of Albion from the top. They opened the wooden chest to reveal a pirate flag¡ªblack, with a skull and swords, but not specifically the Jolly Roger, the symbol of the Black-Sail Fleet.

    "We''re in Cartagenan waters," Kas explained, lowering his voice. "Having this flag here, it will help our allies find us."

    "Allies?"

    "We''re going to meet one of our main sources of intel, one of the premier Cartagenan pirates." Kas smiled. "Fernando Reyes. You''ll like him. He''s only recently become a captain in his own right, but he''s trained under some of the best, long friends of the Captain."

    "I see." Elodie watched as the sailors unclipped the Albionese flag, only to replace it with the black pirate flag. "I suppose it only makes sense. We were at war with Cartagena for so long."

    "They made their enemies out of nearly everyone." Kas''s tone was even, conversational. "Aubrais, Albion, and even more so out of the islands they conquered. There''s a reason that Albion''s been able to hold onto Los Dorados and New Aubrais longer than Cartagena ever could."

    She turned just in time to see him wink. "You catch more flies with honey, after all."

    "Of course you would think that," Carina huffed as she approached. "Never mind why you would want to catch flied in the first place."

    "Maybe just to prove you could?" Kas offered, tipping his hat in her direction.

    "And then what?" Carina tightened the strap of her belt, layered over her laced-up jacket and her ivory dress underneath. "No one ever thinks of that part, especially men."

    "You seem in a bad mood today."

    "No, I just take things seriously." Carina glared at Kas. "And you never do."

    "You''ve got everyone pissed at you," Elodie muttered.

    Kas blinked. "I didn''t know you could swear!"

    Elodie raised an eyebrow. "You aren''t helping your case."

    "Look, forget it, I''m sorry," he huffed, running a hand through his blonde hair. It was then that Elodie noticed the dark circles under his eyes. "I''ll make it up to you, do you want to see something?"

    "Sure, I''d love to." Elodie placed a hand on his arm encouragingly.

    "As long as it doesn''t destroy anything," Carina quipped.

    The smile and bravado returned. "I figured out a spell last night."

    He snapped his fingers, and a small flicker of fire like a candle emerged from their tips. It hovered over his hand, and he tossed it from palm to palm, made it dance with the weaving, flexing motion. He finished by snapping again, and the flame vanished entirely.

    Elodie clapped.

    "Thank you, thank you." He bowed with a little flourish.

    "It''s a start." Still, Elodie could see the beginnings of respect in Carina''s eyes. "A good parlor trick, that''s for certain."

    "Indeed." Kas straightened his posture and adjusted his jacket. He then narrowed his hazel eyes¡ªsomething had caught his attention.

    Elodie turned to see a Cartagenan caravel adorned with a black flag with a skeleton stabbing a heart with a crown around it. Catalina, read the letters on the side.

    "That would be our contact."

    <hr>

    The Albatross dropped her anchor, and so did the Catalina. Once that business was done, a gangplank was dropped between the two ships, to allow their captains to meet. And so swaggered across the gangplank was none other than the young captain of the Catalina, the one Kas had called Fernando Reyes.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    If Elodie had seen him in the marina at Port Augustine, she would not have thought him a captain.

    With a loose white shirt, an open brown vest, loose brown trousers, and a crimson scarf wrapped loosely around his neck and shoulders, the only indication that this man might have any authority at all was the black captain''s hat atop his head. He had an easygoing smile, and amber eyes like dancing pinpricks of sunlight. His sun-bronzed skin was free of scars, and between that and his dark hair, he might have been the ordinary handsome young sailor many a girl in Port Augustine would swoon over whenever they had a chance to catch sight of the marina.

    "Captain Jennings, I had a feeling we would be seeing each other again soon." He tipped his hat in the Captain''s direction.

    She remained at her stern posture, arms crossed in front of her chest. A smile crossed her face all the same. "Captain Reyes¡ªI appreciate your timeliness."

    "Ah, well, I thought it better we meet out here, rather than risking one of the port cities." He shoved his hands into his pockets. "Even the seedier ones have been cracking down on buccaneering."

    "I see." Captain Jennings nodded. "Keep fighting the good fight, young man."

    "Always." He glanced around, his eyes falling upon Elodie. "I''d heard rumors Keira Fleetwood''s daughter fell in with your lot."

    "It''s better than leaving her a sitting duck at her grandfather''s estate in the Emerald Isle." Captain Jennings shrugged.

    Something resembling pity sparked in Captain Reyes''s eyes. "Still carrying a torch for her, eh?"

    Captain Jennings''s cheeks turned as red as Captain Reyes''s scarf. "With all due respect, Captain Reyes, mind your business."

    "Of course, Elizabeth." Captain Reyes shook his head ever-so-slightly, and his expression shifted from mischief to something more sober. "I heard about your search for Vance''s treasure. I know the island that you mentioned in your missive, the one on Hawkins''s map."

    "That''s good news." Captain Jennings tilted her head. "Have any idea what we might be walking into?"

    "There''s a temple on there, Manoan architecture, covered in vines and the like¡ªthat''s probably your target right there." Captain Reyes glanced over his shoulder. "I''ve used it as a hiding spot every so often, the Manoan temple makes it easy to hide the Catalina from the inquisitors."

    "I see. Ever been inside?"

    "Never." All mirth disappeared from Captain Reyes''s eyes. "There''s something wrong about that place."

    "I suppose that makes sense." Captain Jennings sighed, shifting her position. "The next best thing will be to charge in there, start making discoveries, then. Thank you, Fernando. Your intel has been invaluable, as always."

    Captain Reyes held up a finger. "I''m not done yet, Elizabeth. I''ve seen more of the Black-Sail Fleet in the area, and the Morgenstern was sighted on one of the islands of Catalia."

    "Between Aubrais and Cartagena." Captain Jennings nodded. "That doesn''t surprise me, even if it is disappointing. Hopefully we can get in and out before the Morgenstern arrives."

    "I hope the same, for your sake." Captain Reyes shifted again too, some of the mirth and mischief having returned. "Well, staying still like this for long doesn''t suit either of us, does it?"

    "It doesn''t," Captain Jennings agreed. "Still, I appreciate you making the time for us."

    "Of course, always." Captain Reyes grinned, and his eyes found Elodie again. "When you find your mother, send her Fernando Reyes''s regards."

    "That won''t mean anything to Keira," Captain Jennings warned.

    "But then one of the last remnants of the founders of Libertalia will know my name, and that would be enough." He winked. "I hope to see you in Cartagenan waters, or in Libertalia sometime, Miss Fleetwood."

    With that, he then turned and crossed back over the gangplank. Within minutes, the Catalina withdrew its anchors, and both she and the Albatross were off, sailing in opposite directions.

    <hr>

    It didn''t take them long to come across their true destination. There were several islands off the coast of the main island of Cartagena, but only a few were sky-bound. The Albatross docked in the air by the highest of these¡ªthe one marked on Hawkins''s map. Ventus had remarked in the Captain''s office when he''d seen it that the island wasn''t marked on most maps, for the clouds often obscured it.

    But not today.

    Most of the crew of the Albatross disembarked on the tiny sky-island. Only a handful of the crew, like Eric and Mr. Heyin stayed aboard, to prepare for a speedy escape.

    Then it was time to enter the Manoan temple.

    Of course, Elodie had seen Manoan ruins before, with moss-covered pillars, occasionally repurposed as support structures or garden decorations back in Port Augustine. But that was nothing of course to seeing a complete building, untouched by the people who had come to claim the high seas and low skies since the city of Limuria plunged into the sea.

    The temple towered impossibly high, with runes carved into the flat top held up by the pillars with statues peeking out in-between in the walls, in the circular steps that led to the formidable twin doors.

    Carina frowned as she stood before those formidable doors. Then she lifted the crystals out from where they hid on the chain around her neck that usually dipped beneath the neckline of her dress.

    They shone with her eyes as she conjured the hermetic symbols. As they appeared, the runes and lines carved in the stone began to glow that same crystalline blue.

    With a rumble like thunder, the great doors parted to an entryway with dead fountains carved with fish and sirens in the alabaster, now overgrown with flowers. Beyond the twin fountains all dried up was another door, this one already open to a narrower corridor.

    The crew passed through the corridor to enter a large room with two pillars guarding a door, the pillars embedded with yet more of the aquamarine Manoan crystals. There was another corridor that fed in on the opposite side. Where it led from, Elodie wasn''t sure. A skylight covered in ivy showed the gathering storm clouds outside, the descent of the sun evident from how it no longer lined up with the hole in the roof. The root was otherwise completely empty, hollow stone.

    "Well, well, what have we here?"

    They turned, to see from the opposite corridor emerging a large group of pirates, with one man at the head. He wore a scarlet coat trimmed with gold, a matching hat, and a great many rings. While they had precious stones, they were all cut in a way that looked designed to maximize a blow.

    This man, the pirate captain, he was handsome, but in a cold and cruel way. All angles to his face, a shark-like grin, and blue eyes like ice.

    "Seems this is the lucky crew who cleared the way for us, mates." Raucous laughter echoed off the stone walls of the temple.

    "Oh fuck, it''s you," Kas groaned.

    Elodie looked to him, confused.

    "He''s Captain Madigan."

 Revolutions With No Ends

    "Ah, hello, Kas." Captain Madigan grinned like a shark, showing off far too much of his perfect white teeth. "Miss me? You''ve become quite the pirate, I see."

    Elodie reached for his hand¡ªhe was shaking, so slightly that she could not detect it with her eyes, but she could feel it. Still, he stood strong, resolute, drawing himself to his full height.

    "Fuck off," he snarled.

    Captain Madigan laughed. "Oh, what spunk! I think we could have some fun together again, once all this temple business is completed!"

    Captain Jennings crossed her arms. "If you''re quite done here, I''d prefer you stop threatening my marksman and tell me why exactly we shouldn''t claim your bounty for the Crown of Albion."

    "Ah-ah, Captain Jennings." Captain Madigan wagged a finger. "I think you are underestimating my crew. There are quite a lot of us here¡ªnearly as many as your soldiers on your navy ship. In such tight quarters¡ªsuch bloodshed would be costly."

    Captain Jennings raised an eyebrow, a reluctance passing over her face. "What is it you want, Caradoc?"

    "You''ve already done a great job clearing some of the pesky curses and traps set by those ancient Manoans, truly," Captain Madigan drawled. "To ensure everyone''s survival¡ªto the key''s acquisition, that is¡ªI simply propose that we continue that line of attack."

    "So you want us to do all of your dirty work." Ventus reached for his sword.

    Captain Jennings put out a hand, a silent warning to stop. "I can see the pragmatism of such a proposal. Fine, Caradoc."

    Kas''s eyes widened. "Captain, you cannot be serious¡ª"

    "I don''t say this often, so don''t take it personally, but please shut up Kaspar."

    Kas''s face burned red, and Captain Madigan''s shark-like grin widened.

    Elodie squeezed his hand gently, the only thing she could think to do. Something, anything to show that he wasn''t alone.

    When he looked to her, she could only hope he could see it in her eyes¡ªI''ll protect you, I promise.

    He nodded, something softening in his face, if only for a moment.

    But when his gaze fell across Captain Madigan of the Morgenstern once more, he stiffened, his eyes as cold as the sea at night.

    "Well, then, how are we proceeding?"

    Carina bit her lip, turning to the next set of doors. "There should be some sort of challenge or obstacle in there¡ªand we should then see the next key."

    She glanced at Captain Jennings, uncertainty flickering over her features.

    "Go on, Carina, we don''t have all day." Captain Jennings''s voice had taken on a hard edge. Fear, Elodie realized.

    Carina reluctantly raised her hands¡ªwithin moments, the door was open.

    There was no light, other than scattered dim crystal lanterns that cast pale aquamarine light onto murals on the walls. Long dragons like leviathans, with fin-like wings and a whipping tail soared across clouds and tides alike in the mural, and with each step in that long, dark hallway to the final door, Elodie''s chest tightened.

    She''d been lent a sword of her own, for this raid. She reached for its hilt now, not daring to draw it in such close quarters, with men she could not trust, the worst of pirates. As she had a growing idea of what lay behind that final door. . .

    Carina opened it, and so they entered a far more open room¡ªone with a pitifully small skylight, with the golden rays of sunlight streaming through to illuminate the great pearly white bones that dominated the great chamber.

    Elodie gasped, she could not help herself.

    This had been a leviathan or dragon of some sort, far greater in size than any she''d seen depicted in paintings and by the gazette illustrators. The bones were larger than the ship, cast with a strange glimmer by the crystal lanterns on the wall and the dying golden sun alike. And the bones of the great leviathan that once was curled around a podium, in its center another teal crystalline key.

    Carina walked towards it, the rest of them arrested in a trance of sorts, held by the awe of what once had been trapped there.

    It wasn''t right, Elodie decided. Such a great dragon didn''t deserve to die in such solitude. Why had it even been left here? How had it come to live here, to protect the key?Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    Such thoughts churned her stomach.

    The trance vanished as Carina''s hands closed around the crystal.

    "Give it here, lass." Captain Madigan grinned as he swaggered towards Carina, through the bones of the fallen leviathan. "You won''t like what happens if I¡ª"

    Captain Madigan froze¡ªonly to clutch at his chest, then his throat as an aura of blood-red appeared around him. He staggered forward, sinking to his knees, a gurgling sound emitting from his throat.

    Kas continued toward him, a hand outstretched, the other holding the tome he had stolen from Galen Mirandola. Only to make a throwing gesture, as if he were letting go of something invisible in his grip.

    Captain Madigan slammed into the ground, letting out a horrible cry. He continued to claw the ground toward Carina, only for Kas to stop him, by placing a boot on his back. He then kicked the fallen pirate, rolling him over before planting his boot back on his chest.

    Kas leaned forward.

    "You''re not going to touch her, or anyone ever again." With that, he conjured a dagger into his hand and stabbed Captain Madigan. He withdrew his blade as quickly as he''d wielded it, and looked down on his former captor with that same coldness Elodie recognized from earlier.

    Captain Madigan could only stare up at him with agonized blue eyes before they went dull completely, and his body went limp.

    Kas stood over him now, shuddering with every breath, as if with each one he took he stole from the now-still corpse of Captain Madigan.

    The crew of the Morgenstern started towards him.

    "Kas!" Elodie cried, as she drew her blade.

    His eyes began to blaze in their golden wheels, actually shining like the sun through the boards of the sun in the ship''s walls. He flipped the pages in his book, and with an outburst that sounded like a mix between a cry of triumph and a snarl of effort, he wrenched his free hand up, surrounded by a sickly-glowing green.

    That same sickly green appeared in an aura like the halo around the moon around all of the crew of the Morgenstern.

    Before they could advance on any of them, the sailors of the Morgenstern were stopped in their tracks. Their eyes began to glow that same green in totality, the whites and all of their eyes gone as they were forced to drop to their knees, to kneel before Kas.

    "Good work, Kas." There was an uncertain note to Captain Jennings''s voice. "We''d better leave, before that wears off."

    She started to move, the other sailors and Carina joining her. But she only had to take three steps before she realized that Kas hadn''t moved.

    "Kas, come on."

    "No." He spoke softly. "I don''t think I will."

    "Kaspar¡ª"

    It broke his concentration enough, that the green disappeared, that the eyes of the pirates returned to normal.

    The first mate in particular looked up at Kas with a burning hatred.

    "Ah-ah." Kas snapped his fingers, and the green glow returned. The first mate was slammed into the ground, into a kow-tow. A smirk unlike any Elodie had seen before spread across Kas''s face.

    No, that wasn''t quite right. Captain Caradoc Madigan had smiled that way.

    "The Morgenstern has a new captain now," Kas announced as he overlooked the pirates. "And you will obey."

    Elodie felt her stomach curdle. It was unnatural. She could see it in these horrible men''s eyes¡ªsomething about what Kas had just done to them scared them. And worse than that, she as a young woman knew better than any man what violent men would do when frightened, when pushed into a corner.

    How Kas didn''t realize this, as a young man who had been frightened and pushed in a corner, to do this, she didn''t know.

    But she couldn''t let him make this mistake. She had to try.

    "Kas, don''t do this." Elodie reached for his sleeve, turned him towards her. But there was something glazed over in his eyes, similar to that sickly green glow that had surrounded the crew of the Morgenstern as they''d all been forced to kneel to the boy they once tormented. "This is such a bad idea¡ª"

    "I have to." His voice took on a desperate fervor. "You don''t understand¡ª it''s not enough¡ª"

    "I don''t blame you, I know how they all hurt you, but this is so much worse than what they did to you." Elodie grabbed his other shoulder too. She could feel him slipping away, but she tried to hold onto him like fistfuls of sand. "You can see that, can''t you?"

    His eyes were cold. "That''s rather the point, yes."

    "You already killed Madigan, he deserved that, no one would fault you that¡ª" The words were spilling out of Elodie''s mouth, faster and faster as she tried to find something, anything, just the right words that would make him stay. "And besides¡ªeven if they do deserve it, what if you can''t keep a hold of the spell? If they didn''t hate you before Kas, they do now. They''ll kill you the second your hold wavers."

    "We''ll get there when we get there." He gently pried her fingers off of his shoulders, and instead held them between his hands. "You could come with me, if you''re so concerned about me. We''d make a good team, you and I. And you would make a lovely pirate empress of the world."

    Elodie shook her head and pulled away. "I can''t do that, Kas. I never wanted the world."

    "I''ll have to change your mind about that, someday." Kas smiled sadly as he stepped back. "I''ll give you a head start."

    "Kid, this really is a bad idea," Captain Jennings cautioned. "I don''t want to have to hunt you down when the Empire of Albion eventually gets word of what you''re doing."

    "It was really only a matter of time with this anyway." He held up his gloved hand. "I might as well have earned it."

    The sad smile disappeared from his face, something ruthless and cold taking its place. "I''m only giving you the chance to escape because of my respect for you and the years that you have helped me, Captain Jennings. I suggest you take it, before you change my mind."

    Captain Jennings frowned sternly, and opened her mouth to speak when Carina grabbed her shoulder.

    "We need to go, while we still have the crystal. While he lets us leave with that."

    "You should listen to her." Kas smirked, folding his arms over his chest. "I always knew you were clever, my lady."

    Elodie wanted to shout, to drag him away, but she knew she couldn''t. For all the storm rising in her chest, something stronger than her had its hold on him now.

    "Come on, Elodie, let''s go." Ventus took her hand, and she let him pull her away, toward the exit, back to the Albatross.

    But she could only look back to Kas, as he turned his back to her, and instead to the accursed crew of the Morgenstern.

 The Call From Undersea

    Never had the nights at sea felt so cold. Still, Elodie lingered above-decks at the prow, where she and Kas had shared the night just one day prior. How quickly the tides had turned and the winds had shifted. To try and sleep tonight¡ªshe was sure that she couldn¡¯t.

    She wasn¡¯t sure exactly how long she had been sitting there when she heard boots drop down beside her, as softly as a cat¡¯s paws.

    ¡°Ventus.¡±

    ¡°I thought I might find you here.¡± He lingered for a moment before he slowly dropped down next to her. ¡°Since this was his favorite place.¡±

    ¡°I just can¡¯t believe he left like that.¡± Elodie frowned. ¡°Just earlier that morning, he was struggling to create a flame.¡±

    ¡°Something¡¯s off about the book that he took.¡± Ventus looked to her, and she could feel his teal-gray eyes studying her carefully. ¡°I¡¯ve heard stories of sailors who dabbled in black magic. The stories went like that¡ªthe evil spells, those are easier to tap in for some reason.¡±

    ¡°I just don¡¯t understand it.¡± Elodie ran a hand through her hair. ¡°He had revenge, he could have just left with us, he¡¯d still have everything that he wanted.¡±

    ¡°Not everything.¡± Ventus shook his head. ¡°But Galen Mirandola, he said that royal kids are like that. They want everything, all the power they can. That¡¯s who they were born to be.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s it.¡± Elodie thought of what Kas had told her up here, not all that long ago. ¡°I think he¡¯s never really had a home, for all the palaces and mansions he might have lived in. And he thinks he never could have one, even though there is one here, even though I¡ª¡°

    She broke off, remembering how not so long ago, she had hoped something more might have developed between Ventus and herself.

    Ventus¡¯s eyes turned pitying. ¡°You love him.¡±

    Her face felt as if it had been set on fire. She turned away, but that couldn¡¯t hide the blush spreading up her cheeks, as red as her hair. ¡°I told him that he could live in the house in Port Augustine, when this was all over.¡±

    He shook his head. ¡°You sure know how to pick them.¡±

    He paused, then tilted his head. ¡°Why him?¡±

    There was a silent, unasked question after that. Why not me?

    ¡°I suppose I always had this idea of a Prince Charming, of being swept off my feet.¡± It was somewhat embarassing to admit. ¡°I never thought it would happen, as I got older. But he was so charming, and the pursuit was fun. And then there was the party at Mrs. Hawkins¡¯s mansion¡ª¡°

    ¡°It¡¯s because he danced with you, isn¡¯t it?¡± Ventus spoke slowly, as if he were trying to understand.

    Elodie looked back to him, as much as it hurt to do so. ¡°It¡¯s not just that, Ventus. He¡ªI¡ª¡°

    She paused and looked forward, off to the sea as she tried to reformulate her thoughts. ¡°He knows my world, Ventus¡ªor at least the one I want to live in. He knows how to play the part of the gentleman, not just the pirate. I can¡¯t stay on the high seas and low skies, when this is all over. I¡ªI¡¯m not my father¡¯s daughter. I am not my mother. I¡¯m not like my grandfather either¡ªbut I¡¯m somewhere in-between. And I would like to have a home, to have parties of my own, to know where I belong in the world.¡±

    ¡°You could belong here.¡± It was a plea, as futile as both of them knew it was. ¡°No one would care that you were a bastard, nearly all of us are. And you could see a world so much bigger than the port city, you could be so much more than some lady in a house. And. . . ¡±

    He trailed off as he met her eyes, again an unspoken question, a plea.

    . . . And you could be with me.

    She opened her mouth to speak, but she struggled to find the words, to say what she wanted to say.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± He turned away, looking to the sea ahead after a long silence. ¡°You¡¯re right, if you wanted to go back to Port Augustine at the end¡ªthen it wouldn¡¯t have worked between us. I¡¯m not meant for that kind of life.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she managed, finally. ¡°I care for you. Truly.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± He looked back at her with a sad smile. ¡°I still care for you, too.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to change anything, you know.¡± She spoke softly. ¡°Or at least, not much.¡±

    He considered this a moment, tilting his head in the quiet. ¡°I suppose not.¡±

    He looked back to her and extended his hand to hers. ¡°I¡¯m still your man, Elodie Fleetwood.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± She grinned, accepting it. ¡°After all, we make a great team.¡±

    ¡°Aye.¡± The smile turned less sad, more genuine. ¡°I suppose we do.¡±

    They then looked over the horizon. Occasionally, Elodie could see the silhouettes of other ships skimming over the waves or floating low in the sky. She wondered if any of them were the Morgenstern.

    She thought a silent prayer to the Lady of Shallow Waters, to the Lady of Desolation, to any of the gods and goddesses of the sea that one of them might protect Kas Beaumont from his own stupidity.

    ¡°Up here, are we?¡±

    Jade plopped down on Elodie¡¯s other side. ¡°I miss him too, you know.¡±

    Elodie and Ventus looked to her.

    She decidedly took this as permission enough to continue him.

    ¡°For a long time¡ªtwo years, nearly¡ªhe was the only kid my age here.¡± Jade looked out the horizon, but not as if she were truly seeing the horizon. ¡°We spent a lot of time together, playing cards and watching the gulls and when we¡¯d go on land or see the girls on the Vanity Fair, he¡ª¡°

    She turned pink and her green eyes darted to Elodie nervously. ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. I don¡¯t even care about the Morgenstern or Madigan. They deserve it¡ªbut I think he¡¯s in more trouble than he realizes.¡±

    ¡°We can agree on that.¡± Elodie spoke softly, reaching out to take her hand as well. The three were linked, in a chain.

    Jade¡¯s blush deepened. ¡°I suppose so.¡±

    The three of them drifted into an awkward sort of silence.

    That was when Elodie heard it.

    Unmistakably, the sound of siren song.

    She turned to Ventus. ¡°We¡¯re not in siren territory, are we?¡±

    ¡°I mean, all of the seas are theirs.¡± He shrugged, then he frowned. ¡°But you¡¯re right¡ªthey aren¡¯t usually this close to Cartagena, with all their ships and cities.¡±

    Jade¡¯s face went white. ¡°I have to¡ªI can¡¯t¡ª¡°

    Elodie grabbed a hold on her arms. ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯ve got you.¡±

    ¡°It might not be trying to lure us, it¡¯s close enough already¡ª¡° Ventus leapt to his feet, scanning around the hull of the Albatross. He then turned to Elodie. ¡°Get Jade below-decks, find Carina, and we¡¯ll then use one of the smaller boats.¡±

    Before he could do that, however, there was a shimmer of light and a swell of song. Elodie tightened her grip on Jade¡ªbut Jade made no move to jump.

    For standing now on the prow was none other than the siren.

    Elodie loosened her grip, but not much.

    She¡¯d heard stories of the sirens who walked the land, the daughters of the tide, they and their children were called. But Elodie had always thought those to just be that¡ªstories. Standing before her was the proof that this wasn¡¯t impossibility.

    The siren was impossibly beautiful, dressed in iridescent silk and dripping with pearls, her dark hair framed by a headdress with apparatus like fins and a tiara. Silver scales on her arms and cheeks betrayed her true form as a siren, with stormy eyes like the seas and a fatally beautiful, coy smile.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been trying to find you for a while, Little Brother.¡± The siren smiled as if this was some kind of joke. ¡°Our mother wanted to thank you for what you did for our sister, Lyra.¡±

    Ventus raised his eyebrows. ¡°You mean the siren we rescued from the Windward Isles?¡±

    ¡°Who else would it be?¡± She laughed like the tinkling of bells. ¡°Mother wishes to see you. She has learned of your mission, and would like to give you aid. Think of it as a gift.¡±

    ¡°Mother?¡± Ventus blinked.

    The siren tilted her head. ¡°Didn¡¯t Lyra tell you? We share the same mother, Ventus. Corisande, yes?¡±

    ¡°She mentioned it, but. . .¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± The siren nodded. ¡°Mother will make all things clear.¡±

    She then withdrew from her pocket a compass made of gold, with pieces of turquoise and white shells embedded into it.

    Ventus stepped forward tentatively to receive it. The siren placed it into his hands. He stared at it a long while before looking back up to her, a silent request.

    ¡°It will direct you to Mother¡¯s palace in the Merrowlands, in our territory.¡± She gave a sharklike grin, showing her teeth¡ªbut it wasn¡¯t so sinister of a smile as Elodie would have expected. ¡°You and your friends will be granted safe passage, as promised.¡±

    She then stepped back, and glanced over at the water. She then looked back to Ventus, her long hair fluttering in the wind.

    ¡°It would be best not to dally, Ventus,¡± she warned. ¡°Mother doesn¡¯t like waiting. And she will not make a second offer of aid.¡±

    With that, the siren then dove overboard, and disappeared before their very eyes.

    Elodie waited a long while still before she finally let go of Jade, who said nothing. Rather, the pirate girl looked rather flushed. She stumbled away, saying something about being unwell. Elodie let her go, and turned to Ventus, who was examining the compass the siren had given him.

    ¡°I suppose I should go tell Captain Jennings, then?¡±

    Ventus looked up, blinking widely, as if he hadn¡¯t realized that Elodie was still there.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± He pocketed the compass, then glanced over at the water again. ¡°I suppose we have a detour before supplies and the next key.¡±

 Merrowlands

    From the world above, the place where the compass led looked like any ordinary stretch of endless open ocean. Nothing in particular marked these waters as being the Merrowlands, the home of the mother of all sirens¡ªor at least, a good deal of them, if Elodie were to guess based on their encounters with them.

    Elodie leaned over the railing¡ªas many of the sailors were, Captain Jennings included. "When will we know if we''re in the right place? Or where to go from here?"

    Ventus shrugged beside her. "The sirens aren''t exactly subtle. I suspect we''ll know soon enough."

    He glanced down at his compass, and then back out at the waves.

    Perhaps right on cue, that was when a pale-haired siren appeared, emerging from the waves.

    With a spray of sea-water like a whale exhaling through its blowhole, the siren leapt out of the sea, and as her sister had done, perched on the railing of the main deck of the Albatross.

    "Brother!" The siren cried in joy. "You came, and quickly too! Mother will like that."

    "It''s good to see you again, Lyra." The edges of Ventus''s mouth quirked up in a smile. "I hope you''ve been staying away from fishing vessels, yes?"

    "Yes." Lyra pouted. "Although they take all the best fish, these days."

    She then looked up at the deck of the Albatross and frowned. "You can''t take all of these people with you, Ventus."

    "What do you mean?" Ventus tilted his head. "I was told that my entire party would have safe passage."

    "I can see our sister left out details." Lyra sighed. "Cadence is so dramatic. But that''s beside the point¡ªMother wouldn''t like so many people to see the secrets of Lady Corisande the Merrowlands. Just knowing this location is bad enough."

    "Then I''ll take a smaller party." Ventus glanced over his shoulder, shooting a significant look at Elodie.

    She nodded¡ªshe understood immediately. "I might not be your man, Ventus. But I can be your gentlewoman."

    Ventus''s lips quirked up in the ghost of a smile once more.

    Then he looked to Carina. "You too. If she''s going to help us, you should be there."

    "Thank you." Carina stepped up with him, and he took both of their hands into his.

    "Besides, there''s no one better I can think of to be by my side." He smiled, then looked to Lyra. "Alright, we''re ready."

    <hr>

    The siren Lyra led them through the waters in a bubble that allowed them to breathe underwater, and to safely descend into the depths. Elodie could only marvel as they descended past schools of brightly-colored fish, to ruined cities that resembled the Manoan ones, now sunk and with the pillars overgrown in barnacles, and filled with the sirens. The sirens dressed in pearls and iridescent silks, their pale hair styled in elaborate structures that would put all of the women at Mrs. Hawkins''s party to shame.

    Truly, Elodie had never seen so many of them in one place. All eyes were on them as they continued through the waters, through more and more of the ruins coalescing into a city¡ªall leading to a palace that looked to be made entirely of pearl.

    Elodie could only take all of it in with wide eyes, trying to commit to memory every detail, so that she might be able to convey it to a painter or illustrator someday.

    Lyra led them through the golden gates outside of the pearl palace, guarded by a fearsome-looking pair of sirens with shining blades of their own.

    The inside of the palace was beautiful in its own right, filled with Cartagenan treasures sunk to the bottom of the sea, arranged into a room of mismatched opulence with many lanterns and chandeliers anchored to the floor rather than dangling from the ceilings.

    Lyra led them into a throne room, painted the same green as copper that was left to rust, and in the center of a coral throne was a lady more beautiful than any Elodie had ever seen.

    "Mother, I have brought to you Ventus, as requested." Lyra bowed her head. "Ventus, our mother¡ªthe Lady Corisande."

    She was clearly a siren, with white hair, pearls, and an iridescent gown. But her gown was so much bigger, with so many frills, and her eyes were a deep, piercing blue, like the fathoms of the ocean. Among the pearls and jewels in her hair was an elaborate diadem, with chains of gold and diamonds dripping across her brow. Her expression carried tranquility and mischief and wrath alike, all in one frightening smirk.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    She carried the air of the divine.

    In fact, the appearance of the siren in front of them, the lady who claimed to be Corisande, Ventus''s mother, reminded Elodie of a stained-glass window she had once seen in one of the sailors'' cathedrals dedicated to the gods and goddesses of the sea.

    "Lady of the Sunlit Shallows!" Carina gasped. "I had no idea¡ª"

    "That I, the mother of all sirens, have called you here today?" There was mischief in the siren''s smile. "Or perhaps that I am the mother of your dear friend¡ªVentus?"

    Carina said nothing, and she looked to barely be breathing. "My people revere you. I had never thought any of us¡ªmuch less myself¡ªwould be so lucky as to meet you."

    Corisande only smirked as her eyes fell across Ventus. "My boy. My treasure. You came."

    With that, she rose from her throne, sending her shimmering gown fanning out like the fins of a jewel-fish. She approached Ventus, as her expression shifted into one so similar to the one Ventus wore, indecipherable and as mysterious as the sea.

    "Oh, how you''ve grown." Corisande reached to caress Ventus''s face. He remained stoic, unflinching¡ªexcept for his eyes. His teal-gray eyes, the very same as his father''s, revealed a fear, a vulnerability at meeting his siren mother. "You were so very small, the last time I saw you."

    She then patted his cheek, and withdrew. "Your sisters and I have been proud to watch you grow up. You resemble your father greatly."

    "So I''ve been told."

    Corisande laughed, a beautiful thing. But like all things to do with sirens and the sea, great beauty belied great danger. And so Elodie began to feel uneasy.

    "A fearsome pirate you will make," she continued. "Perhaps more fearsome still with my help."

    "My sister¡ªthe one you sent to give me the compass¡ªshe said that you know what I''m doing now, that you want to help." Elodie watched as Ventus struggled to put the thoughts to words, to give them shape. "Why? How?"

    Corisande was silent as she regarded him. When she spoke again, it was with great deliberation. "I have great love for those who love the sea and seek to live in harmony with it. I do not share that love for those who wish to subjugate it. Your kings and queens, and the Emperors of Manoa especially."

    Carina flinched at this. "Lady of the Sunlit Shallows, I can only apologize on behalf of my people and my father''s family."

    "Do not apologize, Carina Eldora." Her sterner expression gave way to fondness, with a glimmer of mischief in her deep blue eyes. "You are not your father, or the ones who conquered the seas, who stole my creatures and bound them to the protection of the keys to a kingdom that was better left destroyed."

    "Oh." Carina blinked. "Then. . . you want us to get the keys too because there are other leviathans like at the temple in Cartagena¡ª"

    "Among my other reasons." Corisande examined the back of her pale, pearl-clad hand. "As I have said, the return of the Eldora dynasty would spell disaster for my seas and my children."

    Carina nodded with a wide-eyed reverence.

    "As for how I can help, to answer your question. . ." Corisande turned back to Ventus. "Time is not on our side, is it?"

    "It really isn''t."

    "It never is, no matter how long one might live." Corisande smiled sadly, and reached out for Ventus once more, only to halt halfway through, and have her hand retreat back to her side. She instead reached into the folds of her voluminous iridescent gown.

    From some sort of hidden pocket, she revealed a ring with a black pearl on the top.

    "Take this." She placed it into Ventus''s hands. "I cannot teach you all you might need right now, and indeed, you run a close race. But we contain many of our secrets in devices such as these. I made it for you when you were born, prepared it for the day that you might seek me out."

    This time, she did touch Ventus''s face again. "It contains all of my songs, all of the craft I have learned. Just turn the ring three times and think of your great wish, and it will call to your mind a song that might help."

    Ventus looked down at the ring, and then back up at Corisande. Something cracked, more of that vulnerability pouring through. "Thank you."

    "Of course." Corisande ran a hand through his hair. "I simply wish we had more time. Perhaps when all of the keys are accounted for, we can meet again, and I can show you your true birthright."

    She glanced around the palace. Her eyes caught Elodie''s and she frowned. "You have the mark of greatness upon you, and the favor of the sea. But not a favor that I granted."

    "Perhaps it was because my parents were Felix Vance and Keira Fleetwood?" Elodie offered softly.

    Corisande was not impressed.

    "Perhaps," she said in a tone that indicated that she did not believe her theory. "Still, with that kind of destiny around you¡ªwatch out for my son, Elodie Fleetwood."

    "I will." Elodie looked to Ventus, meeting his eyes. "We watch out for each other."

    They both then looked to Carina.

    "All of us do."

    Corisande nodded, satisfied.

    "You may leave now, and you will have safe passage as promised." Corisande sank into her coral throne. "And know that no matter where you travel among the high seas, you carry my love and protection with you."

    Ventus managed a smile. "I know."

    There were so many sentiments lingering under those two words, not all of which Elodie knew. It was as close to thanks and reciprocation as he could manage.

    Maybe for how the siren smiled like the sunlit shallows, she knew it too.

    And the way that the siren smiled, it reminded Elodie of her own mother, the way she would smile at Elodie.

    Maybe both Corisande and Keira had made difficult choices, with their children who were born between worlds and could be so foreign, so alien to the woman who had created them. And yet, in their own ways, they''d looked out for their children and were trying to help them, save them even.

    And the Duchess of Silvershire, Kas''s mother¡ªhadn''t she done the same, in a way? And Captain Jennings for Jade, and Carina''s mother for her?

    The thought haunted Elodie for as long as the siren''s smile did, as they left the Merrowlands and returned to the world above.

 Where the Leviathans Sing

    The Aurora Isles as they were known now were once a fearsome nation of sea-faring warriors, Thule. Many of her mother''s stories from their homeland of the Emerald Isle spoke of the selkies and the fey warriors attempting to repel Thulian invaders¡ªand stories of resistance under their rule.

    But time had come for Thule as it did for Manoa, and indeed for all empires.

    That part was perhaps a bit hazy in Elodie''s mind. She couldn''t recall if Keira had even told her that part of the story at all. She wouldn''t have, for it had nothing to do with Emerald Isle and the magic that had once lived there in myth and legend. But something had happened, perhaps like the legendary fall of Limuria, and the Thulians retreated to their islands, and as their power withered, the Empire of Albion had brought them under their wing.

    Still, this was the place where the foes of legend had originated.

    The cold was perhaps the most startling part of all of this. All her life, Elodie had known the warmth of the sun and the rain, never the changing seasons of the Emerald Isle or Albion or even as far north as Yorkhaven. When they visited Mrs. Hawkins''s estate, it was not quite cold yet¡ªand certainly could not be so cold as in the Aurora Isles.

    It had already grown dark, with few hours of daylight to light the way, but thankfully the night was bright with the northern lights dancing overhead. In brilliant hues of green, pink, and violet, Elodie found herself staring up at them, trying to comprehend shapes in their patterns.

    Most of the cities and villages of the Aurora Isles that Elodie could see from their place in the port had cottages relatively low to the ground, all lit up with more lanterns than she believed possible to keep lit, with the austere silhouette of the main church looming over it all. There was a reverence to that, she supposed, even if it was different from the red-toned brick and stained glass cathedrals in a hybrid of the Albionese and Cartagenan styles that she recognized.

    Ventus waited beside her, humming so quietly that most would not hear it over the shrieking northern winds.

    He''d been humming more and more since they''d met with the siren Corisande¡ªbut never sang, Elodie noticed.

    Captain Jennings had let a few of the other sailors go out into the main port city of the Aurora Isles to fetch sufficiently warm enough clothes for the weather, and to get a lay of the land. Luckily enough for them, one topic came up constantly¡ªthe ice palace beyond the farthest north of the Aurora Isles.

    "There''s many stories about that palace, but I''d bet that that''s our target," one of the sailors said. "They say they can hear the leviathans sing when the lights in the sky dance. Or something all poetic-like."

    Carina was horrified. "There are leviathans this far north?"

    "I don''t like them much either." Jade offered a smile of sympathetic condolence.

    "No, that''s not it." Carina shook her head. "They generally prefer warmer waters."

    "Remember what my mother told us." Ventus kept his voice low. "She wants us to free the leviathans that were stuck guarding the keys."

    "Right." Still, Carina looked uneasy at this revelation.

    "Well then, we''ll follow the lights and see if we can find this ice palace." Captain Jennings looked to Elodie. "Run that up to Erik, will you?"

    "Aye, Captain." Elodie saluted her before she started jogging up the deck.

    <hr>

    A palace made of ice was not difficult to find. Beyond how the mere silhouette of it stood out, the locals had been correct about it lying within the direct path of the northern lights. That did not make Elodie rest any easier, however.

    After all, if it was so easy for them to find, then the Black-Sail Fleet or Kas or the Manoans couldn''t be too far behind.

    And what if this was one of the ones that someone had managed to plunder between the time of Mrs. Hawkins''s party and their arrival?

    Her unease only grew, for they navigated the white-ice halls simply, for all of them she suspected led to the heart of the castle¡ªa large room with many columns of snow-caked ice, which had before it a deep canal with water, with ice-gates on the side descending into the deep blue depths. On the other side was an inner palace of ice with a drawbridge raised.

    "How do we get across?" Captain Jennings pondered aloud. "There should be a trick or something."

    She looked to Carina expectantly. But the princess just shook her head. "I don''t know, I don''t see any place for the keys. . . "

    Before Elodie could contemplate this puzzle, she heard footsteps. From another corridor emerged none other than Kas, followed by the reluctant, angry shuffling of the enchanted members of the Morgenstern.

    "Well, well, well, looks like we have a party." He grinned. "Thought it was getting lonely in here."

    "You," Carina growled.

    "How did you even get here?" Elodie blinked. "We didn''t even see your ship outside!"

    "It was quite simple, really." Kas removed his spell tome from his bag. "Now, perhaps we can come to an arrangement before anyone¡ª"This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    The ripple of water interrupted as the head of a leviathan peeked out of the canal. With white scales like pearls, long iridescent spikes and fins and piercing blue eyes, it was deathly beautiful. It tilted its head, and chirped musically.

    It was answered by a low growl as another leviathan peeked its head out of the water.

    Then another, and another peeked their heads out. Five or more, Elodie wasn''t entirely sure.

    "A whole family," Carina gasped.

    "Well, what are we waiting for?" One of the pirates from the Morgenstern snarled. He started towards one, drawing his sword¡ªonly to be snatched up by the jaws of one of the younger-looking leviathans.

    All chaos broke out. Carina fired off some of her spells at the leviathans, as did Kas, while others attempted to fire their rifles and pistols. The leviathans clicked and screeched and lunged at the picking of pirates. Some drew their swords, while others stood there uselessly, Elodie among them, as she was unsure what she even could do against so many of them.

    That''s when she saw it, one of the pirates sneaking behind Kas with his cutlass drawn.

    "Kas!" Elodie could not help herself. "Behind you!"

    Just as one of the pirates of the Morgenstern was about to strike, Kas raised his hand and a sickly green aura surrounded the man.

    "Looks like we found some bait," Kas declared. He then thrust his hand up high, and the sailor went flying, his cutlass dropping onto the ice in a panic. He then made a movement as if he were tossing the man, and the sailor went flying into the ice-cold canal separating the inner and outer palace.

    Elodie would never forget the horrible screams and yells or the snapping noises of the leviathans as she and the others darted behind the columns to safety. Kas slid next to her as they waited, waited for the awful silence of the end.

    When all had gone suspiciously quiet, Kas peeked around the column and nodded in satisfaction. He then turned to her and smirked. "It looks like we''re going to have to work together, then, if we want to survive and find the key."

    "We might as well," Captain Jennings sighed. "One leviathan, we might''ve had a chance¡ªbut that many, and we''re all in trouble."

    Kas nodded. "So glad you see the sense of it, Captain Jennings."

    She still frowned, pressing her lips thinly together as she looked ahead at the canal.

    "So what''s the plan?" Jade looked to Elodie and Kas.

    Ventus bit his lip. "I might have an idea."

    "The gift from your mother?"

    "Mother?" Kas tilted his head.

    "You missed a few things," Elodie said coolly.

    He opened his mouth to speak, only to close it, as if he thought better of it.

    Ventus slipped the ring off of his finger and turned it over three times. He closed his eyes, cradling the black pearl ring in his palm. When he opened his eyes again, there was an uncanny glow about them.

    He stood, and started between the columns, towards the

    "Are you crazy¡ª" Kas made to grab Ventus, but Carina and Elodie pulled him back. "You''re going to get killed!"

    Ventus slowly turned his head back. "No, I''m not."

    With that, he made his way to the platform. All of the leviathans raised their heads above the water, walking him with a snakelike uneasy grace. Indeed, all eyes, human and not, were upon him.

    Elodie''s heart pounded in her chest, and she decided that silence was the most awful sound of them all.

    Then Ventus began to sing.

    Elodie understood at once why he so rarely did, and never after meeting his siren mother. He had an angelic voice, more beautiful than any man''s she''d ever heard, like a chorus in one. As his voice rose, so did the waters, thrashing around the leviathans.

    That''s when she heard it¡ªin perfect harmony, a percussion of ice cracking.

    The gates! Elodie remembered, Ventus''s plan snapping into place with perfect clarity.

    She watched, frozen to the spot as he continued to sing, afraid that the leviathans would not understand what he was trying to do. But they listened, just as entranced as the rest of them. The waves lapped higher, higher, spraying even the crews hiding behind the columns with the frigid sea water.

    With that last swell of a high note and the waves alike, the ice-gates gave way with a satisfying snap and rumbling like a thunderstorm as the tide swept away the last thing that held the leviathans there.

    They froze, turning their long necks to look at each other with their piercing blue eyes.

    "You''re free," Ventus declared. "Go."

    One of the leviathans tilted its white scaly head. Then it slowly withdrew with the others into the water, and Elodie could hear some clicks and chirps even through the water. Then she watched as the whole family disappeared out the gates, leaving behind the ice palace and all of its misery.

    As the leviathans swam away, the white wall of ice of the inner-castle gave way, providing a bridge to inside.

    Kas looked to Carina. "Ladies first."

    She scowled, and led the way to the inside.

    <hr>

    For what seemed like a small eternity, the crews of the Albatross and the Morgenstern navigated through the labyrinth of corridors within the inner ice-castle. Turning this way and that, all remained relatively silent. No one dared dispute the uneasy truce yet, not when there wasn''t treasure in hand and all safety assured.

    Then the corridors opened up and there it was, in the heart of the ice palace¡ªa Manoan temple, overgrown with moss.

    As in the Cartagenan temple, as soon as Carina lifted one of the crystal keys up to the door, all of the intricate carvings were filled with that crystalline blue light, and the great doors opened for the party.

    Inside of the temple was far warmer than the icy waters and winds outside. Moss grew up around the stones, which were cool but not freezing like they might have been outside. Amber crystal-lamps lit the walls, which Elodie thought was strange, as she''d never seen any like that before. There was a skylight in the temple, the same as on the floating isle off of Cartagena, which let in a draft, or at least it should have, if the warming-magic of the amber crystals had not repelled it.

    In the center of this large, empty room was a treasure chest. Both parties stopped, parting for Carina to step forward. As soon as she lifted her fingers to it, the chest opened for her, revealing another dazzling blue crystal within.

    Carina withdrew from the chest the blue crystal, adding it to the chain around her neck. As soon as she did, all the amber crystals went out, turning completely blue. The air grew colder again.

    "We need to get out of here," Carina declared. She started to back away from the chest.

    "Stop right there, Carina," Kas ordered.

    "Leave her alone." Ventus reached for his sword¡ªbut Kas was quicker.

    "I''m sorry friends, but this stops here." Kas drew his sword. "I''m afraid I''ll be taking that crystal by whatever means I must."

    Ventus paused, lifting his hands, while the others lowered theirs for their weapons. Time seemed to slow down as Elodie surveyed the situation.

    She supposed that they had a chance, if the crews came to blows. They were about equal in size and skill. There was the matter of Kas with his spells, and Ventus and Carina with theirs of their own unique crafts.

    But her heart raced, something ice-cold trickling through her veins.

    She didn''t want for them to fight.

    She didn''t want to hurt Kas, and she didn''t want Kas to hurt her friends.

    She had to do something¡ªanything¡ª

    "Wait!" She cried, launching herself forward, between the two groups. "If we''re going to fight, we should at least settle this like civilized people!"

    Kas tilted his head and sheathed his sword. "What exactly are you proposing, Elodie?"

    The answer came to her like a waking vision, and she held her head high, shoulders back when she spoke. "A duel."

 Bastards Honor

    "A duel?" Kas raised an eyebrow and folded his arms over his chest. "Well, consider me intrigued. What exactly are your terms?"

    It had worked. Elodie huffed a brief sigh of relief, before she returned to the task at hand¡ªnegotiation.

    "Swords only, no pistols, no magic." She paused, considering it all carefully. "We fight to disarmament. I don''t want anyone to get hurt."

    "Do we now?" He tilted his head, regarding her, and something familiar sparked in his hazel eyes. "Very well, I can agree to those constraints. But we should talk collateral¡ªand prizes. I presume your terms are that we leave without the crystal, and let the Albatross fly away unharmed?"

    "Not quite." Elodie looked to the former first mate behind him, eyes burning bright in hatred, his knuckles white as he strained against Kas''s spell¡ªbut couldn''t. "You release the crew of this ship, and come back with us."

    Kas let out a low whistle. "You want an expensive prize, Elodie. It''s going to cost you."

    Elodie narrowed her eyes. "State your terms."

    He stepped towards her, closing the gap between them. "I want the crystal¡ªall of them, not just the one we retrieved just now. I want a safe exit from here, no pursuit, same as you."

    His eyes then flicked over her appraisingly and a cold shiver ran down her spine as she realized what exactly he wanted. "And I take a prisoner. You."

    Captain Jennings placed a hand on Elodie''s shoulder. "You can''t¡ªI forbid it."

    She did not look to the captain, and instead shrugged her shoulder free as she closed the gap between herself and Kas. She didn''t break eye contact as she stuck out her hand.

    "I agree to your terms. Do you agree to mine?"

    His eyes did not stray from hers as he accepted her hand, and shook it¡ªmuch more gently than she might have thought. "Aye. I agree."

    "Elodie!" Captain Jennings''s shout was an agonized chastisement. But even she knew it was too late.

    Still, Elodie turned to face the crew of the Albatross. "Lend me a sword, will you?"

    "No, absolutely not." Captain Jennings shook her head and drew her own sword. "If anyone will be fighting, it will be me. I did not agree to watch over you for your mother, just so you could bargain yourself away."

    "We don''t have a choice," Elodie argued. She then looked to Ventus. "Do you trust me?"

    His teal-gray eyes were stoic, indecipherable. But then something in them glinted, like the sun on the sea in the beginning dark hours of the sunrise. He drew his sword, and placed its hilt in her hands.

    "I do. Always. I''m forever your man, Elodie Fleetwood."

    "Thank you," Elodie breathed, as her hands closed around the hilt. She then looked to Captain Jennings. "Please, just trust me. I wouldn''t agree to this if I didn''t think I could win."

    Captain Jennings still looked unsure, even as she lowered her sword.

    "I am my mother''s daughter, after all."

    It finally and visibly dawned on Captain Jennings, exactly what Elodie meant.

    "I see."

    "You''re not really going to let her do it, Mum, are you?" Jade looked up at her mother, her delicate features betraying her fear. "She can''t!"

    "That''s the thing about Fleetwood women, Jade." Captain Jennings smiled fondly as she sheathed her sword, tears glinting in the corner of her eyes. "You can''t stop them from doing what they want. Even if you don''t agree."

    "Elodie!" Jade rushed at her, and Elodie threw her arms to the sides so that Jade could embrace her without being impaled by Ventus''s loaned sword.

    "I have to do this," Elodie whispered into Jade''s wild black hair. "It''s the only way to get him back."

    Jade stiffened, and the two parted. She swiped at her eyes furiously. "Give him hell, Elodie. And bring him home."

    Elodie nodded. "I will."

    She whirled around raised her blade. "I''m ready. Are you?"

    Kas shrugged and smirked as he drew his cutlass. "I suppose I am."

    The crews of the Morgenstern and the Albatross backed away to give the duelists room, there on the temple floor. Kas and Elodie began to circle each other, an opportunity to size the other one up. Kas was spinning his sword and smirking¡ªhe hadn''t yet realized the true gravity of his opponent.

    Elodie could use that to her advantage.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    Still, she hesitated to make an opening move. A part of her wanted to make her slash, to show what she was truly capable of, everything her mother had taught her, what was perhaps her one true talent.

    But she didn''t want to hurt him either.

    Even with everything he had done, how he''d left her and the rest of the Albatross behind, there were some things she could not forget. That night in Yorkhaven, her first night on the high seas and low skies, the way he made her feel seen in his bold attempts to try and charm her, the secrets they had shared.

    She still wanted to see in his eyes the boy that she recognized, the boy that she loved in spite of all the warning signs.

    But for how he wore his face, as long as he held that accursed tome, his eyes would remain too dark, the golden wheel within their depths too bright.

    This was the way that things had to be.

    "Ey! Are you going to take a swing at me or what, darling?"

    Her traitorous heart soared at being called ''darling'' again. But she could not afford to lose her head. Not here, not now.

    Elodie said nothing and gripped the hilt more tightly. She took her first spin at it, testing the weight, nothing like the flashy turns that Kas was doing. He was trying to show off, to intimidate. But he was also growing impatient, and that was where the weaknesses would come.

    "First one to strike is at disadvantage, in a proper duel." Her mother''s words lingered, along with her signature laugh. "Not so much in a real raid, though."

    But that was the advantage here, this wasn''t a raid, a skirmish for survival like on the high seas. And Elodie had trained for both.

    Kas might have too, once, when starting his education. But he had spent so much time aboard the pirate ships, in such skirmishes, that he might have forgotten.

    Elodie could only hope so.

    Just as she had expected, Kas lunged forward, an easily telegraphed strike. It was all too easy to parry. Her blade met his, and she pushed him back. He tried again, striking low this time¡ªbut the movement of his shoulders and his footing betrayed him once again. Elodie swung low, and sparks flew from where their blades kissed. They strained. Elodie grit her teeth, and then pushed.

    Kas stumbled back this time, shock flashing over his features. He regained his footing, and they began to circle each other again. His eyes narrowed appraisingly¡ªshe''d already put up more of a fight than he''d expected.

    It almost made her laugh¡ªwhat had he expected?

    Then again, it wasn''t like he was himself anymore. Not quite, not since he''d stolen the book. No doubt the power of magic had made him think so much higher of his other abilities.

    He went on the offense again, moving as fast as lightning, with a smaller, more powerful series of strikes. It came as easy to Elodie as the footsteps of a dance as she moved back, parrying and keeping steady footing. It reminded her of when they had danced the minuet together, swirling in step and perfect harmony with one another.

    Then he went for the bigger swing, and it was all she could do to duck beneath the blade. She felt the cool air over her neck, and raised her blade just in time to block the neck strike. She thrust upwards, and Kas went stumbling back yet again.

    She rose to her full height¡ªjust in time to see he had pulled the tome from his jacket.

    "I thought we had a deal, Kas!" Elodie snarled.

    Already, his fingertips glowed a sickly green with the arcane power.

    "Sorry, darling, but you should know that a pirate''s honor is more of a guideline." Then he released the spell with a snap of his fingers.

    Elodie darted out of the way, and her vision turned red as blood, red as her hair as she regarded Kas again.

    Of course he had to cheat. Once his stupid luck wasn''t enough to beat her, once she wasn''t the easy fight he''d wrongly sized her up to be, he had to go and cheat because he had to win.

    Because that was who he was, book or no.

    Someone who''d had to survive terrible, terrible things at any cost.

    Someone who was utterly alone in the world.

    That rejection from his blood-father¡ªthat had been what had caused him to take the book. None of them had understood then what he''d truly meant when he''d told them that Kas couldn''t, shouldn''t learn magic.

    That was when something sparked in Elodie''s head.

    She started towards him and slashed, with powerful strikes that he struggled to parry, quicker than he expected, as sparks began to fly once more. It broke his concentration¡ªenough for her to make her ploy.

    She sent his blade spinning out of his hands, and pointed her blade at his throat.

    "It''s over, Kas. Duel''s won."

    "It''s not over until I say it is." Still, his smirk faltered.

    He then made a grab for his blade¡ªbut Elodie didn''t stop him from that. Rather, she lunged for the book with the end of her sword.

    He dropped it right before its end could go through his hand¡ªand he forgot all about his fallen sword.

    "You shouldn''t have done that." He curled his hands into fists. He then lunged, grabbing onto the hilt of her sword.

    They strained against each other, pulling until Eodie jerked it. The book went flying, as Elodie turned the blade over her shoulder and slammed the end of the hilt into Kas''s chest.

    He wheezed as he fell back onto the stone floor. His hand started to reach lower, toward the pistol holster on his side.

    "No!" Elodie cried, and she dove on top of him, the sword tossed carelessly aside. Her fingers found the pistol just as his did.

    Her strength prevailed, and she pulled the gun from him, and clicked the barrel into place, put the barrel to his head.

    That was when they both froze.

    His eyes were wide in terror, face flushed as she looked down at him, the cold metal in her hands thrumming with her own heartbeat back at her.

    "What are we doing?" She whispered, in horror at her own brutality, at how quickly they had descended to madness. "Kas¡ªKas, this has gone too far. Please, don''t make me do this."

    His throat bobbed as he swallowed thickly.

    Then he nodded, a shallow thing. "Aye. I surrender."

    It wasn''t a triumphant thing, as he closed his eyes, as Elodie rose to her feet.

    The first mate of the Morgenstern glared at her when she stood. "You''re taking him, then?"

    "Yes, you''re free now¡ªright?" She glanced at the spellbook, and was tempted to fire the loaded gun into it a few times, just to be assured of its destruction.

    "Aye." The first mate glared down at Kas. "I don''t feel his control, anymore."

    He looked back to Elodie. "If we see him again, it''s on-sight. Do we understand each other?"

    "We do." Her voice shook, in spite of itself.

    He nodded, and she thought she saw a look of respect. He then turned to the rest of the crew of the Morgenstern. "Let''s pack it up, crew!"

    And with that, they shuffled to the Morgenstern, no longer Kas''s ship, nor that of Captain Madigan. It was now just a ship like any other.

    Elodie looked back to Kas, and bent down to offer him her hand.

    He took it, avoiding her eyes as he did so. She silently pressed the handle of his pistol in his hand, which he placed into its holster.

    Captain Jennings approached, Jade close behind. "Kaspar."

    He looked up at her and blanched. "Captain Jennings?"

    Captain Jennings clapped a hand over his shoulder gave a small smile. "It''s good to have you back, kid."

    She then turned away, just as Jade embraced him.

    Elodie couldn''t help but smile, in spite of everything. And he couldn''t either, as he hugged Jade back.

 Winner Takes All

    When they all boarded the Albatross, Elodie saw Kas slink silently away back to his room, holding what remained of the spellbook. She''d hoped to speak to him¡ªbut he had already disappeared.

    She''d give him his space, she decided. Besides, she''d see him again at the dining hall, now that they were aboard the same ship again. Then they would be able to talk about everything.

    But then he wasn''t in the dining hall. And he wasn''t on-watch, Captain Jennings had confirmed as much for her.

    Then the next morning came, and there was still no sight or sound of Kas. It was like he was still gone, still lost in the dark magic of the tome.

    "Why are you so concerned with him?" Carina looked up from her book, eyebrows arched in irritation.

    Whether the irritation was at being interrupted when she was clearly on a break or who Elodie was asking about, she wasn''t entirely sure.

    "I don''t understand why Captain Jennings is inviting him back and acting like nothing ever happened. He killed a man, enslaved an entire ship with sorcery, and then tried to steal the power of Limuria so he could crown himself a god-emperor of the world."

    "He''s been with her and Jade for a long time." Ventus dropped in from the ropes on-high, landing gracefully on the floorboards. "I don''t like what he''s done either. But I also can''t say I might not have done the same, if I was in his position."

    He looked out to sea, and Elodie realized he must have been thinking about Corisande.

    Carina tilted her head at Elodie, and hesitated before she continued. "Listen, I don''t understand why you seem to care about him so much. It''s not like he cared all that much for you, given. . . well, everything."

    She then sighed and closed her book. She rose to her feet, now taller than Elodie.

    "I suppose it''s none of my business." Carina bit her lip. "But I would consider carefully. Perhaps some of it was the magic, I''ve heard stories of how addictive the arcane powers can be."

    Her fingers brushed against the crystal dangling from her neck.

    "But he succumbed quickly to them because of something he truly is," she cautioned. "He''s arrogant, easily drunk on revenge, and I no longer understand any of the charms I might have seen in him."

    Ah, so that was what this was.

    "I can handle myself," Elodie assured him. "I won, didn''t I?"

    "I guess so."

    "I think he''s still in his cabin," Ventus cut in. He then frowned. "Someone should probably make sure he''s still alive in there."

    Carina turned to Elodie and placed a hand on her hip. "I suppose you''re volunteering for the job."

    "Of course." Elodie paused. "And thank you, Ventus."

    He pressed his lips together in a thin line and nodded. "Of course."

    <hr>

    Her heart beat faster as she approached his door. She''d missed him so much, she was realizing with each step closer. His absence had felt like a part of her was missing.

    But with it was a fear. Had he been avoiding her on purpose? Did he hate her for taking away the spellbook and his revenge? She wasn''t so sure as she raised her knuckles to the door.

    It was so strangely quiet behind that door.

    What if he wasn''t in there? Or what if he was, but he''d hurt himself or worse¡ª

    She swallowed and forced herself to strike the door, three times. "Kas? Are you in there?"

    There was a long, terrible silence.

    Then a weak voice: "You can come in."

    Elodie twisted the handle¡ªit hadn''t been locked after all.

    She didn''t see him at first when she stepped in. The room was strangely still, the souvenirs of the travels of the past year and a half left in their dusty places. Then she saw him, by the foot of the bed, slumped against it on the ground. His hat and jacket were tossed aside carelessly. His hair fell into his eyes, which were downcast at the tatters of the tome in his hands. He was so still, for a moment Elodie feared the worst.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    She crouched in front of him, and reached a hand to his shoulder. She''d barely hovered over him and he flinched, as if she''d struck him.

    "Oh, Kas." Her voice cracked. She brushed a strand of blond hair out of his face.

    He winced, but did not shy away from her touch.

    "Are you hurt?" He still avoided her eyes. "We were worried about you¡ªI''m worried about you."

    "You shouldn''t be." His voice was hoarse and low. He looked away from her direction, to the opposite wall. "Not¡ªnot after everything. I''d bet you all hate me."

    "Jade doesn''t." She tilted her head, trying to get him to look at her, just once. "Captain Jennings doesn''t, Ventus¡ª"

    "Carina does," he interrupted. "I saw it in her eyes."

    "I don''t." Elodie''s voice cracked, turning to pleading as her hand drifted to his shoulder.

    "But I do¡ª" Still, it did the trick. He looked to her, catching her eyes. And he didn''t look away. Not this time. She could see so many things in those beautiful hazel eyes, rimmed with gold. Regret, fear, sorrow, and still the burning embers of revenge that had yet to die. And guilt. "I wouldn''t have blamed you if you came here to punish me. Hurt me, however you wanted. I''d''ve let you, you know."

    A breath caught in Elodie''s throat. She wasn''t getting through to him.

    An idea sparked in her head.

    "Anything I wanted?" She echoed his words as gently as she could, hating the implication as she reached for his cheek, as if that could stop him from turning away.

    Then again, maybe it did.

    "Yes," he said breathlessly. "I wouldn''t put up a fight. I''d deserve it."

    "I see¡ªdo we have a deal then, Kaspar Beaumont?" Elodie''s heart pounded in her chest.

    "Of course, I promise¡ªon whatever you''d believe." He glanced away and chuckled humorlessly. "My word doesn''t mean much now, or my honor¡ªdoes it?"

    "I believe you." She decided to avoid his question. "Starting now then, you''ll let me do as I please?"

    "Yes."

    She nodded and stood up. "Well, then. First thing''s getting you out of those clothes, they''ll need to go to the wash."

    He frowned. "I don''t understand."

    "Where are your nightshirts?" She turned to the clothing press built into the wall.

    "My nightshirts?" He frowned. "I don''t understand¡ª"

    "You said ''anything I wanted.''"

    "Right." The hesitation still lingered over his face. "First shelf at the top."

    She nodded, and pulled one of the loose off-white linen garments from the set, neatly pressed and folded in all the rows. She tossed it to Kas and turned her back.

    "Change into that, will you?"

    There was a long pause. "Alright, then."

    Elodie stood facing the armoire for a few moments as she heard the rustling of fabric and the gentle thumps of items being discarded to the side or on the bunk.

    "Alright, I''m decent."

    Elodie bit her lip and whirled back around to face him. He looked so vulnerable, standing there in an oversized nightshirt, hair still a mess. Without another thought, she approached him, and pushed more of his hair out of his face.

    "I should get something from the dining hall." She spoke softly, as her eyes met his. "You haven''t had anything since you came onboard, have you?"

    "No, but¡ª" His face turned pink and he averted his gaze as she drew her hand down to his cheek. His hand wrapped around hers, and he gently pulled her away. "Elodie¡ªstop, I can''t¡ª I can''t bear it¡ª"

    "I don''t understand, what''s wrong?" Elodie was breathless.

    "I don''t deserve this, I don''t¡ª" he stopped, breaking off into a sob. "You really should hate me."

    "But I don''t, you''re not listening!" She placed her hand back on his cheek and gently turned him back to her. "A part of me died every day that you were gone, I would want to see something with you, or I''d think of something to say to you and you weren''t there and I''d wish desperately that you were! It was like a piece of me was missing, a piece of me that went with you!"

    He did not let go of her hand¡ªbut he did not pull her away again. "And I hurt you. Not just in that way, in our fight I would have done anything to win, Elodie, I didn''t care about anything as long as I had power, as I had revenge¡ªthat''s who I really am."

    He took a deep, shuddering breath. "You have no idea, the things I had to do to survive, to escape Madigan. And in the process, he did exactly what he promised¡ªhe made me into someone just like him. Worse, even."

    "Kas, you did what you had to." Elodie frowned and tilted her head. "And I understand why you did everything. What I hated the most about it, though, was how you were hurting yourself in your revenge. I don''t care what you''ve done¡ªnot as long as you''re by my side now."

    He looked at her directly in the eye, even though he looked pained to do so. "You don''t know what you''re saying. I''m not a Prince Charming, Elodie."

    "And you''re not listening to what I''m saying," she pushed back. "I love you, Kas. I hate to see you suffer like this. Let me help you. Let me in. Let me love you."

    He went quiet.

    "Do you love me?" The world held still for a moment, as Elodie held her breath. She didn''t want to believe that she was wrong, that she''d read everything all wrong.

    "I do." His voice dropped to a whisper. "Even in the height of everything¡ªI still loved you. Or at least, I wanted you to myself, like a treasure."

    "Oh, Kas." She wrapped an arm around him.

    "I don''t deserve any of this, though," he continued. "You shouldn''t forgive me for anything, you shouldn''t love me."

    "But I do." She said it as casually as she could manage.

    Something shifted in his eyes¡ªsomething like the old Kas, the one she knew before he''d gotten ahold of the book, before it had all gone wrong.

    "You do, darling?"

    "I would have married you if you''d asked."

    He frowned. "And if I asked now?"

    "Yes."

    "We''re a long way off from anyone who could marry us, you know," he pointed out. "And if you wanted it to be proper society marriage¡ª"

    "¡ªI do¡ª"

    "¡ªThen there''s all the fuss and then there''s the matter of your house in Port Augustine¡ª"

    "So there''s a lot to do." Elodie shrugged. "But I want to do them with you. And you told me you love me, so you''re stuck with me for the time being. And you did make a promise, just now."

    "You''re merciless, you know." He grinned as he pulled her tighter to him.

    "I am the daughter of pirates, after all." She smirked and leaned in for a kiss.

 Lady of the Mists

    The warmth was the first thing Elodie was aware of, when the morning light came in. She was eager to turn her back to the sun, if just for a few more moments. There was something about lingering in the warm dark that was so enticing. She rolled over¡ªonly to find herself face-to-face with Kas.

    He was still sleeping, his features open and untroubled by any of what had come before.

    That was good. He needed the rest, after everything he''d been through. The both of them had been through so much in the last few weeks.

    She''d only dared to dream of such a moment as this when she was alone in her cabin or on watch in the netting up-high. Even after everything he had done, she still loved him, craved him, wanted to be by his side.

    A proper gentlewoman would not have stayed by his side like this, all through the night. But perhaps she was done with being a gentlewoman¡ªat least, to some extent. She would not let fears of impropriety get in the way of what¡ªor who¡ªshe truly wanted.

    She wanted to feel his warmth, to touch him.

    But she was content for now to lie beside him. That was more than enough.

    Still, she must have shifted or brushed too close against him in some way, for his eyes opened softly, a gentle smile on his face. Only for it to falter for a moment. He brushed a stray lock of her hair out of her face. His smile brightened, a ray of sun that was brighter than the ones filtering through the window.

    "You''re still here," he murmured. "I thought it might''ve all been a dream."

    "I''m here," she echoed, lifting a hand to his face. He leaned into her touch, perhaps in spite of himself.

    "I still can''t believe it," he admitted. "I really did think you''d hate me, after it all was over."

    "I don''t think I ever could."

    He wrapped a hand around her wrist. "It was colder than I thought, in the Captain''s quarters of the Morgenstern. Not like here."

    He paused, his eyes flicking over to the window. "I suppose we should probably get up before the Captain starts sending out a search, shouldn''t we?"

    "Oh, but we should stay a little longer." Elodie pulled herself closer to him, burrowing into the blankets. She laid her head on his chest. "I could stay here with you all day. It''s quiet here."

    The boat had gone relatively still, and there were none of the usual distant shouts, thuds, and other such sounds of the others at work, or the whispering of the winds.

    "It''s too quiet." Kas frowned, stiffening in her arms. "Something''s wrong."

    <hr>

    Nearly everyone had gotten above-decks before Kas and Elodie had. Whispers filled the air, for the wind was gone and could not carry them away. Elodie pushed through the soldiers and sailors, with Kas trailing behind her as she made her way to one of the sidings. What she saw made her understand what the commotion was about.

    The Albatross had gone quite still, bobbing in incremental forward motion, but it did not hover, nor did it soar across the tide. The golden sunrise was partially obscured by swirling silver mists, covering the skyline, rising from the flattening waves.

    "What''s happened?" Elodie looked to Kas¡ªbut he also looked disturbed.

    "I''ve never seen anything like this."

    "Neither have I." Ventus joined them from behind.

    "It''s pretty, though." Elodie leaned over the railing¡ªjust in time to see a dark figure in the center of the mists. They swirled and unfolded around the figure, and the seas calmed as the dark silhouette of a woman drew closer. In the quiet, the absence of the wind, a high melody carried through it all¡ªnarwhal song.

    "Kas, hold onto her," Ventus warned¡ªbut Kas had already grabbed on to her sleeves, a gentle yet firm hold.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    The song was so beautiful, so familiar¡ªbut Elodie did not feel the compulsion to jump, to join in, to find its source.

    Maybe that was because she was certain that the woman in front of her was its source.

    As the mists unfolded around her, Elodie could make out the woman on the water''s features. Like the mists, her long hair was a pale gray, and followed the sea-like motion of the mist, unfurling to a wind that no one else could feel, or perhaps some other ethereal power. She wore a tattered white gown, and the seas calmed beneath her bare feet.

    She carried with her a large sword, one unlike the cutlasses or rapiers or broadswords that Elodie had trained with. The blade had a most unique shape, making it look more like a piece of art than a weapon. The silver of it shimmered with hints of the northern lights in its depths. The long silver hilt was trimmed with gold, with more intricate metalwork around the hand-guards on both sides of the hilt. A Manoan crystal was embedded in its center, surrounded by the design of wings like that of a pelican.

    As the woman came closer to the Albatross, the whispers drew even more fearful, and the sailors withdrew from that side of the ship, the side that Elodie was standing on.

    A woman with pale gray hair, an unearthly sword, and surrounding by swirling mists¡ªElodie knew who she was. After all, she was born just a week before her festival day.

    Elodie gently pried Kas''s fingers off of her as the woman stepped into the sky, to the railing. She smiled as reassuringly as she could. He didn''t seem entirely reassured, but he let go anyway. Perhaps because that was when the singing had stopped.

    Elodie took a step back, and offered a hand to the woman, who now stood on the railing.

    "Lady of the Mists, Lady of Tidal Desolation, we welcome you."

    She did not seem to hear Elodie at first. She looked around with wide, sea-green eyes¡ªbefore her eyes then fell upon Elodie. She nodded, accepted her hand, and Elodie''s help stepping down onto the deck.

    Kas, Jade, and Ventus all knelt before the Lady of Desolation, and Elodie was about to when the Lady spoke.

    "Elodie Fleetwood." Her voice was low and breathy. "It has been a long time."

    "Have we met before?" Elodie tilted her head.

    "Not truly." The Lady shook her head. "You had yet to be born, but the spark of life had begun on your mother''s last voyage when we met."

    "My mother?" Elodie could not understand. Keira had never mentioned anything so strange as encountering a goddess before she was born.

    "Yes, Keira Fleetwood, wasn''t it?" The Lady smiled, a sad thing. "A fierce countrywoman of mine is to be respected. Perhaps that was why I chose to give her child my gift."

    "Your gift?" Elodie echoed.

    "Selkies such as myself are often born, but they can be made as well." The Lady paused and frowned. "There are many arcane powers in this world, used for evil and dominion. I would rather they never resurface. But it is difficult to be everywhere all at once, yes?"

    "I suppose it would be." Elodie considered this. "But I''m also not a god."

    The Lady laughed, a bittersweet thing. "And neither am I, despite rumors to the contrary."

    She raised her sword, lying the blade flat in one hand, while holding onto the hilt. She looked down at the sword, and then nodded, as if confirming something for herself. She then looked to Elodie.

    "My people, the Order of the Selkies, we use our own otherworldly powers to destroy what threatens to devour all." She raised the sword to Elodie. "You have only begun to reach into the power of the Selkies. This should help you along."

    "I-I''m a Selkie?" Elodie''s hands hovered over the blade as she admired it. "I don''t understand¡ª"

    "It was a gift, child." The Lady smiled. "To join my order, to become a legendary warrior¡ªit is a rare gift. But I saw the potential of that spark of life all those years ago."

    She then pushed the sword into Elodie''s hands.

    "It''s yours now. Use it as you see fit."

    "I couldn''t possibly accept this¡ª" Elodie shook her head.

    She''d heard the stories of the mysterious Selkie warriors, of their legendary swords. Her mother had been the one to tell them, stories that her mother had told her when they had lived on the Emerald Isle. Stories of men and women with seal-skins and silver swords who escaped to the seas in the form of seals. Seals, not the narwhals Elodie now knew them to be from their songs.

    Did her mother know, then? She must have, what Elodie was, what Elodie would become.

    Staring into the depths of the shimmering silver blade, she was beginning to realize so much more about her mother. About why she had insisted on teaching her the art of the sword, why she had seemed so disappointed all her life that Elodie was so set on tradition, on following the life set up before her by her grandfather.

    Because her mother had known the truth, that the Lady of Desolation, Lady of the Mists had chosen her for her order, as one of her champions.

    Elodie had always been meant for so much more than tea parties and high society.

    "It''s yours now," the Lady echoed, with a sad smile. "You''ll know what to do, when the time is right."

    Elodie allowed her fingers to close around the hilt. She lifted it from the palm of her other hand, the blade aloft in the air. Wielding this sword was like wielding an extension of herself, like using her own arms or legs. A perfect weight, it had an equally-perfect balance.

    "Thank you," she said as she caught the Lady''s eyes. "I''ll try to be worthy of this."

    "You already are." The Lady''s smile grew warmer as the mists gathered around her. They enveloped her¡ªand then she was gone.

    The wind picked up, and the tide began to bob more quickly again. The Albatross was moving again, and the mists receded, leaving only the sunrise and tears in Elodie''s eyes.

 Destiny-Bound

    She stood on the main deck, off to the side with her newly-acquired sword held aloft. It caught the moonlight with a perfect silver arc, with the same delicate beauty of the misty morning, of the Lady of Desolation. Every swing felt perfect, with a deceptive grace and lightness. One who was not trained well in the art of the blade might not understand the deathly power that laid within the pale metal because of its beauty and lack of weight.

    But Elodie did.

    For how the sword lacked much real weight, instead being as easy to wield as her own hands or feet, there was a different weight to it. One that came from within her own heart, like an anchor dragging her down.

    "Trying it out, are we?"

    She didn''t have to look to know that it was Kas, coming behind her. But she turned anyway, lowering her sword. He was a sight for her sore eyes, and a smile came to her face.

    "Thought I might as well." She shrugged, and tucked it into her belt, as close to a sheath as she was going to get. The lack of one was another reminder of what came with the selkie''s gift.

    "You don''t seem entirely happy about it." He slipped her hand into his, a silent reassurance.

    "I like the blade, it''s beautiful, one of the best swords I''ve ever had." She looked away, out to the sea. She wondered if there were other selkies out there, watching her. They weren''t flying around them, or else Elodie would have gone below-decks.

    Or at least, she would have before that fateful morning.

    Now she was even more curious about them, and what might have happened had she leapt off the ship at their call. Would she have flown too? Would she someday be able to turn into one of the great flying narwhals in their pod?

    "There''s something else, isn''t there, darling?" Kas prodded gently.

    Elodie bit her lip as she looked back to him. "I''ve never been my mother''s daughter, Kas."

    She thought of the sea-caught pearls around her throat, the blade on her hip, the red hair whirling in the wind around her.

    "I might be able to fight and I might have the desire for the sea like she did, but I''m still nothing like her." There was a time when there might have been triumph in her voice, to speak such a sentiment on the wind. But not anymore. "I don''t enjoy bloodshed or destruction. I love the sea, I love the adventure, but I also love a home to come back to, dancing in a ballroom, and glittering parties. I don''t want to be a harbinger of death and destruction."

    "You''re afraid of the selkie''s prophecy." For once, Kas seemed to be at a loss for words. She could see it, the conflict in those golden-ringed hazel eyes.

    "I am." She swallowed thickly.

    His free hand reached up for her face, his fingertips grazing over her freckled face as he pushed back a tendril of red hair. Such an action was futile in all the wind, but Elodie could appreciate the sentimentality of the gesture all the same.

    "For what it''s worth, I think I have enough of a taste for blood for the both of us." The smile that followed was tinged with the bitterness of regret. "You don''t have to be what your mother wanted. You''re a pirate and a lady, you can be both things. And maybe it''s better that someone like you has that sword."

    He glanced down at it, for a fleeting second before meeting her eyes. "Someone like me, well, I would have caused far too many problems by now with something like that. You''ll be nobler than most, with it."

    Elodie''s breath hitched. "I hope you''re right."

    His hand drifted down to her waist, and he drew her hand with his other toward his own waist, pulling them closer. All his bravado had returned with that gleam in his eye as he grinned. "I''m rarely wrong, darling."The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Elodie rolled her eyes and laughed.

    For a moment, at least, she was just a girl, in love with a gentleman who was just as charming as she''d only dreamed.

    That would be enough.

    "You two are positively disgusting."

    Elodie turned her head to see Jade, standing there with her arms crossed and shaking her own head, tossing her black waves over her shoulders. Her smile faltered for a moment when Elodie met her eyes, although she could not quite understand why.

    "Where are we headed to next?" Kas let go of Elodie''s hand and her waist, a reluctant disentanglement.

    "The next key we''re looking at should be somewhere near the colony of Veracruz." Jade glanced off into the distance. "Given how many are looking for Vance''s treasure now, and how many ships the Black-Sail Fleet and Hawkins have sent on our trail, I wonder if some of the keys might have already been snatched up by them."

    "Or by my brother." Carina appeared beside Jade, as quickly as the breeze came and went. "While Hawkins and his men have been the main skirmishers so far, they are not the only ones looking for Limuria or the powers held within."

    Elodie frowned. "I wonder how we''d even know."

    Jade shrugged. "I guess when we get to the business of all the tomb-raiding and whatnot, it''ll all come clear."

    She then looked back to Elodie, avoiding meeting her eyes entirely. "I suppose then we''ll just have to go after Hawkins and the rest."

    Carina crossed her arms over her chest. "We would if our goal were to revive Limuria. But we want to keep the city and its treasures away from the pirates and my brother alike."

    Jade blinked, turning towards Carina. "You mean that we''re just going to play keep-away for the rest of time with these keys?"

    Uncertainty flickered across Carina''s features. "Well, maybe we could hide them somewhere else, or until this all dies down, or. . . "

    She trailed off, biting her lip. She then shook her head, tossing her white rope-braided curls over her shoulders. "That''s a problem for another day, when all of the keys are accounted for."

    Still, the lingering question in her blue and green eyes revealed that it haunted her.

    "Veracruz," Kas repeated. "At least we''ll be back in warmer waters soon."

    He shuddered. "The cold is so horrid."

    Elodie shot him a sidelong glance. "You complained about the heat of the Windward Isles and you complained about the cold of Thule."

    "And I shall complain about whatever I like, darling."

    "With all your usual theatrics, I suppose," Carina huffed. She looked skyward, probably starting to roll her eyes at Kas when she stopped, squinting at something up above.

    Or more likely, someone.

    "I do believe Ventus is up in the lookouts again." She reached for one of the stray ropes. "I should join him, keep him company."

    With that, as quickly as she had joined the conversation, she had left it, scurrying up the rope with a strength and grace that still astounded Elodie. They watched up after her for a moment, before Jade spoke again.

    "I suppose she is right that we shouldn''t count our ships before they come to harbor."

    "You should write poetry, Jade, you have a way with words," Kas mused idly.

    "You really think so?" Jade tossed her dark hair over her shoulder.

    "Next time we''re at a civilized port, I''ll get you a leather journal and one of the nice fountain pens, the ones the college boys use." Kas''s smile softened. "It''s the least I could do, considering. . . "

    "You came home." Jade smiled, but her eyes flicked towards Elodie, and something sad returned in her green eyes. "Let''s not leave anything to regret again. I think we forget how quickly the tides change."

    "Agreed."

    Elodie looked between the two, unsure of exactly what was occurring here.

    "Well, I do believe I was interrupting something." Jade sighed. "I think I''ll work on my star charts a little while."

    With that, she also left Kas and Elodie alone on the decks once more.

    "Should we go after her?" Elodie might not have understood entirely what had been lying beneath the surface of Kas and Jade''s exchange, but she could see that something had changed, something that left the merry girl who rode the wind and seas sadder.

    More like her mother, come to think of it.

    "No." Kas frowned, also staring off at the direction in which Jade had went. "She believes she''s done us a favor, and she wouldn''t hear of us running after her."

    "If you say so." There was a dread in the pit of her stomach, the underlying feeling that something she had done had hurt Jade somehow. But what was it? And why?

    But she could also see the sense in what Kas was saying. Jade was independent to a fault, like a cat. When she wanted to be alone, she knew how to get that, and was better at evading all of them on the Albatross. A natural symptom of growing up on the high seas and low skies.

    She was drawn out of her spiraling thoughts by Kas''s hand on her cheek, as faint as a kiss.

    "Now, where were we?" He whispered, his eyes narrowing.

    She couldn''t help herself, she smiled as she stood on the tips of her toes to kiss him and guided his other hand to her waist.

    For now, at least, she could be a girl in love, a girl with the promise of a gentleman to marry her. The matter of the selkie blade and a destiny in the eye of the hurricane could wait.

 The Pirate King

    Like Clarida, Veracruz was covered in fog, with mist rising off the ocean and dancing with the sea spray. It was a warm, damp heat, the kind that worked its way beneath Elodie''s corset and shift, leaving her skin hot and clammy.

    Never had Elodie wished for a ladies'' fan, but they had no such thing here. She supposed that even the painted silk however might not have stood up to such oppressive heat.

    How much worse would it be when day came?

    "My hair is frizzing," Kas complained as he removed his hat, revealing that he was indeed correct.

    Elodie reached to run a hand through it, only for Kas to dart away.

    "You add insult to injury, darling!" He held his hat over his heart, putting on a dramatically wounded affect.

    Elodie rolled her eyes. "It''s already ruined, according to you. Might as well touch it, you silly goose."

    "Only because you ask so nicely." He dipped his head down, allowing her to briefly run her fingers through his blonde hair.

    "I am quite satisfied, thank you." Elodie laughed and patted his cheek.

    She then found herself looking off the deck of the ship, as she had so often on this voyage. "Another key, then."

    "We won''t be getting on Veracruz proper, you know." Carina had slipped behind them, Ventus and Jade in her wake. She pointed off into the fog-covered distance. "Around there are other islands, unmarked. That''s where our vault is."

    "And, allegedly, where Felix Vance found and reburied his treasure, somewhere." Ventus folded his arms over his chest.

    "Which means that the gate to Limuria is also somewhere near." Carina frowned, clasping her necklace, which now had four crystals dangling off the cord.

    "The gate?" Elodie tilted her head.

    It was funny, for all they had discussed Limuria and resurrected empires and arcane powers, she''d never thought of how exactly the business of raising a city thought to be lost to the tides might be done. But she now found herself considering that very problem as the Albatross drew away from the shoreline of Veracruz.

    "Yes, the Cloudsgate, if we bring the keys to it, the gate will open and it will allow the city of Limuria to rise once more." Carina closed her eyes. "I can feel the keys, they''re calling¡ª"

    She was broken off by a low-humming note. Not that of a siren, but perhaps a bird¡ªor a human.

    Kas frowned. "Something''s wrong."

    Just as he declared it, the coin had flipped.

    The foggy night was set ablaze by cannon and gunfire flanking the ships.

    Somehow, other pirate ships had gotten around them without their knowing!

    Mr. Heyin and Captain Jennings shouted orders, but Elodie could not hear them over the roar of battle as pirates launched themselves onto the deck of the Albatross, more than she''d ever imagined to be on a ship at once.

    She drew her selkie''s blade and slashed forward at an oncoming attacker¡ªonly to be blocked, and pushed back, into the awaiting arms of another pirate. They struggled for the blade¡ªonly for it to be wrenched painfully out of her hand by a third pirate.

    Elodie cried out as her arms were twisted behind her back. She kicked and struggled¡ªbut no one was coming to help.

    They were all overwhelmed, at least three to one like it had been for her.

    It was over all too quickly, the battle lost. They were subdued, and brought to the center of the deck. From what she could tell, they were waiting for someone.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Before Elodie could contemplate the horrors that might await her, a voice cut through the night.

    "Ah, there you are."

    Some of the pirates parted for none other than their leader¡ªCaptain Hawkins.

    He looked far more formidable than the last time that Elodie had seen him, at Mrs. Hawkins''s party. He wore a dark blue coat with brass buttons and some metallic embroidery around the hems, with several guns and blades strapped to his person. He wore a matching hat with a black-tipped feather in the brim.

    He was every inch the Pirate King, no merchant or gentleman now.

    "How did you find us?" Captain Jennings demanded.

    "It was fairly easy." Captain Hawkins smirked. "The newly-elected Captain Perez of the Morgenstern sent out a missive by way of bird-messenger alerting us to what transpired at Thule and Cartagena."

    Kas blanched at this.

    "A shame we couldn''t have added the Beaumont boy to our ranks." Captain Hawkins sighed as he spared Kas a glance. "I''m not unsympathetic to others of your situation, Mr. Beautmont."

    Kas frowned. "What''s that supposed to mean?"

    Captain Hawkins smiled widely, almost shark-like. "I, too, was a second son of dubious parentage driven to the high seas, Mr. Beaumont."

    He paused, his teal-gray eyes twinkling. "I suppose that Captain Madigan served his purpose, but he was rather. . . overzealous, in his actions. He lacked the proper restraint a pirate should show."

    Kas''s frown deepened in silent disagreement.

    "Not that it matters anyway, for even with how all of that turned out, we won the day overall." Captain Hawkins straightened his posture. "All of my crews have reported back with their keys, and tomorrow we meet with the young man claiming to be King of the Manoans for his final keys. And now perhaps we have the most important keys of all."

    Captain Hawkins turned to Carina and Elodie. "The girls who will lead us to the last of the keys and Limuria. Princess Carina of Manoa, and Elodie Fleetwood."

    "Don''t you dare lay a hand on her!" Elizabeth struggled in the pirates'' grip. A great many tendrils had escaped her coronet of braids, her dark eyes wild.

    "Oh, don''t worry, Elizabeth." There was a gleam in Captain Hawkins''s eyes behind the polite, gentlemanly smile that Elodie did not like. "No one has to come to any harm here. I want the girls alive and cooperating¡ªand then there''s the matter of my own children."

    Elodie blinked as Jade tensed.

    "Children?" Ventus''s voice was low.

    The way Captain Jennings flinched, as if she''d been struck, was enough to confirm the truth that was dawning on them all.

    Jade''s green eyes widened. "You''re my father?"

    "You never told her?" Captain Hawkins looked genuinely taken aback at this.

    "Her father wasn''t important¡ªisn''t." Captain Jennings looked him directly in the eye. "She''s my child and that was all that mattered."

    "Aye, unless your father is the Pirate King." Captain Hawkins looked to Jade, and something in him softened. "I can say that I''m sorry I wasn''t able to look after you the way I was for my boy, Ventus."

    Ventus raised an eyebrow at this.

    "You know that I''ve been looking after you as much as I could." Captain Hawkins turned a stern gaze upon him. "You are your mother''s son, after all. You wouldn''t have done well as a bastard in my wife''s house, wasting away on land. You had a place, were well-fed and taught in your father''s trade. That''s better than many young boys get."

    Ventus said nothing.

    "But to return to your worries, Elizabeth, you and your crew have nothing to fear." He placed a hand over his heart. "It is on my honor as a gentleman and on the fine name of Hawkins that I promise none of you will come to harm¡ªunless my hand is forced, of course."

    "Of course," Elizabeth hissed. Still, she stopped fighting her captors. She stood tall, regaining some of her dignity. "I still think you''re making a big mistake, Marius. Felix never wanted anyone to find that treasure."

    Captain Hawkins shrugged. "Felix isn''t exactly available to consult, anymore. And tides have changed."

    He turned to his first mate. "Mr. Flynn, if you wouldn''t mind escorting the princess and Miss Fleetwood to my office? It''s better that they stay somewhere safe for the time being."

    "Aye, Captain."

    With that, Elodie felt a strong hand on her shoulder, pulling both her and Carina away from Kas and Ventus and Jade and the rest.

    <hr>

    She and Carina were deposited in the office, which Elodie could see by a locked door was connected to the Captain''s cabin. She supposed she was grateful, at least, that she wasn''t in the brig again.

    However, that did not stop her anxiety at what might befall her or Carina as she stared around at that office.

    It was similar to the one of the mansion in Yorkhaven. There were mahogany bookshelves built into the walls of the office were filled with books of all kinds, rich-looking ones, and a map hung on the wall, the expensive and almost decorative kind that only the wealthiest held. There was a rug from Oyeshima covering the floorboards, and a great many soft, comfortable chairs to sit in.

    Elodie supposed there were worse places to sit and await one''s own fate.

    Carina did not see it that way, however. She paced the room like a tiger in a cage, agitated by the mere location. She did not speak a word to Elodie, and Elodie feared that any words from herself might not have the intended effect.

    A tray was left for them with food and a pitcher of water, and the Captain did not come for them the entire night.

    Somehow, Elodie was able to curl up into a chair and fall asleep, among all the uncertainty.

 An Alliance Forged in Blood

    Carina and Elodie were fetched sometime the next morning by Hawkins''s enforcers. They were brought out onto the sand of the beach, where there was another ship and a party disembarking¡ªdressed in the signature turquoise and gold uniforms of the Manoans guard. They were brought along with Captain Hawkins and a chest.

    Elodie wasn''t entirely sure what was going on until the two parties met, midway in the beach and she saw among their numbers a young man she''d only caught a glimpse of in the pink house in New Aubrais.

    Carina gasped as she saw him too.

    Her brother¡ªKing Alcor of the Manoans. He was stoic, regal in his dress and the way he held himself, his voice quiet and silky, yet carrying¡ªjust like a poet''s might. "Captain Hawkins. Have you brought what I asked?"

    The parties stopped, and Captain Hawkins gestured to one of his enforcers to open the chest. The man did as he was told, revealing the crystal keys inside. Not just the ones that Carina and the Albatross had accumulated, so many more than Elodie had known were out there.

    How many keys did a city need?

    "Exactly as promised, I have your sister in good health, the remaining keys, and the Fleetwood girl to lure her mother out." Captain Hawkins gestured first at Carina, then the open chest containing the crystal keys, and then Elodie herself. "I''ve proven my word to be as good as the gold in your city."

    "Indeed, you have." Alcor surveyed the party. "Let us reiterate the terms of our tentative contract."

    "Yes, let''s."

    Alcor nodded, folding his arms behind his back. "You will hand over the keys and my sister, and aid in the retrieval of the kind key from Keira Fleetwood in exchange for gold from Limuria once the city is raised."

    "Aye." Captain Hawkins eyed the youth warily. "My fleet will have first pick of the treasure."

    "Treasure that is not to do with our crystals," Alcor amended.

    Captain Hawkins nodded. "It sounds suitable enough."

    "Are you mad?" Carina cried out, and Elodie wasn''t exactly sure which of the two men she was addressing. With the wild panic in her blue and green eyes, Elodie suspected that Carina didn''t entirely know, either.

    Still, Captain Hawkins was the one who turned around. "Many have called me a madman, lass, for far less."

    He then looked to Alcor, no, at the gold dripping from his personage. "But perhaps Manoan gold can buy Libertalia something more than a house of cards on the sand, ready to crumble away at any second."

    His eyes flitted to Elodie when he mentioned Libertalia.

    To her eyes. The eyes she''d inherited from her father.

    The man who had once been his closest friend, who he had avenged so thoroughly after his execution by the Albionese crown.

    Was that the real reason he''d been after the treasure all this time? More than greed, it all came down to her father.

    It was the reliving of an old adventure otherwise lost, with those who had once embarked on it dead or retired like Baptiste and so many other members of the Flying Gang, men and sailors whose names Elodie never learned.

    It was a protection for the place that they had founded, an island with no emperors, with no divine right of kings.

    It was grief, not greed, that had driven Captain Hawkins to everything.

    It didn''t change anything that happened.

    It shouldn''t have.

    But Elodie would be lying if she said that it didn''t change her mind, at least a little, about what Captain Hawkins had done in his Black-Sail Fleet''s search for her father''s treasure and the keys to Limuria.

    "Then we are agreed." King Alcor''s voice drew Elodie back to the present, out of her meandering thoughts. "Rigel!"

    "Yes, sire?" One of the older advisors hobbled over.

    "Please ready the documents at once, my fellow monarch, the Pirate King, and I have an agreement."Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    "Are you sure this is a wise course of action, Your Majesty?" Rigel''s pale blue eyes darted nervously to Captain Hawkins before deferring back to his king. "While I am sure this. . . man of great reputation is appreciative of your magnanimous nature in acknowledging his self-proclaimed title, he is still a pirate."

    "Not self-proclaimed." Captain Hawkins examined the rings on his hand nonchalantly, as if they were merely discussing the weather. "Elected, by a council of peers. Not that you''d know anything about that."

    Rigel looked rather uncomfortable by this, but King Alcor merely met his gaze, calmly.

    "You will address our ally as a King in the same right as I." King Alcor glanced at Rigel. "Now, if honesty is your concern, this is why I am asking for your help drawing up the documents."

    He looked back to Captain Hawkins, tilting his head ever-so-slightly, a small sly smile curling up his full lips.

    "After all, I do believe our friend here is a businessman as well as a pirate and a King?"

    Captain Hawkins nodded, but there was something stormy brewing in his eyes, something in the way he stiffened.

    Was it a threat, against his well-to-do family in Yorkhaven?

    For all his flaws, for the times he had strayed, for the call of the sea and glory and gold that he could not resist, he did love Mrs. Hawkins. It was evident in the party itself, when he let Elodie and the rest go despite their obvious clumsy attempt at theft, merely because he did not want to bring his troubles into her world.

    He would not take well to any implicated threats.

    "I look forward to reviewing the details with you, Your Highness." He bowed with a flourish, almost a mockery.

    But King Alcor ignored it. Even though, given his expression, so startlingly like his sister''s, he''d seen it and recognized the game Captain Marius Hawkins was playing.

    <hr>

    Then the hunt for Keira Fleetwood began.

    Through the jungle they tramped, Captain Hawkins himself holding onto the rope that bound Elodie''s wrists. He pulled her along, muttering about this-and-that, following clues that Elodie herself did not know how to recognize.

    She did not know how long they had wandered through it all, racing sometimes and trodding slowly the others, all drowning in the heat of it. Elodie began to wonder how they even knew her mother was there at all, for she seemed as tangible as a ghost. Still, she dared not say a word and Captain Hawkins and his crew continued on.

    They were somewhere on the south part of the small island, where some of the trees gave way to mud-tinged clearing.

    There her mother was, bent over a patch of mud, frowning and muttering something to herself.

    Captain Hawkins pulled Elodie close to him, and drew his cutlass. "Make some noise, Miss Fleetwood. Otherwise, I''m afraid I''ll have to make you scream."

    His cutlass, nicked and scratched with the scars of war, caught a deadly ray of sun, a gleam that reminded Elodie that she was on the wrong end of the blade.

    "Mother!" Elodie cried, hating herself for it.

    "Elodie?" Keira''s head shot up, and she drew her cutlass. She pointed the end at Captain Hawkins, while he raised his to Elodie''s neck.

    It did not cut into her¡ªnot yet anyway. But the cold steel chilled her to her very bone, the razor''s edge a promise of what was to come if Keira Fleetwood did not comply.

    "Let her go, she has nothing to do with all of this." Keira stepped closer. "She knows nothing of the treasure or anything in the ways of piracy."

    At this, Captain Hawkins laughed, a booming sound that came from his chest. "Oh, Keira, it seems even you underestimated your daughter."

    "What are you talking about?" Even now, Elodie could hear a note of hope in Keira''s voice, one that she understood now more than ever. Now that she had met the selkie, the Lady of Desolation.

    "Your daughter managed to escape one of my men''s ships, join aboard Captain Jennings''s ship, and has been an active participant in the hunt for the keys to Limuria, the final of which lies within the treasure Felix forsook." Even so, there was a strange sort of pride in Captain Hawkins''s voice.

    Then again, he too had once been her father''s friend. He knew of her parents'' legacy as pirates of legend.

    Why wouldn''t he be proud to see her father''s ghost, living through her in her exploits?

    "You what¡ª" Keira shook her head. "Still, you fired the first shot. And she''s still a child, nothing like myself or her father. She has no place in this world, Marius."

    "You and I both know better than that." Captain Hawkins''s voice went low. "Not that it matters, Keira. You and I both know that I''m not above harming the innocent if the innocent are standing in my way."

    There was defeat in Keira''s green eyes¡ªbut her expression was still resolute, as she lowered her blade. "Fine, do it then."

    Elodie blinked, eyes wide. She hadn''t expected that she was such a disappointment to her mother, to be so easily sacrificed. Or perhaps her mother''s loyalty to her father was still more powerful than her loyalty to his last living child.

    "And kill the last remnant of Felix Vance on this earth?" Captain Hawkins sneered. "I don''t think so."

    With that, he began to raise his blade to Elodie''s throat. She screwed her eyes shut, dreading and anticipating what would come next¡ª

    "Stop!"

    Her mother''s blade fell to the jungle floor with a clang and her hands were raised in the air.

    "I''ll do what you want." Her tone was low, resigned.

    But her eyes were on Elodie.

    "I knew we wouldn''t have to come to such unpleasantness." Captain Hawkins removed his blade and let Elodie go, stumbling forward into her mother''s arms. "I thank you, Keira, for seeing sense."

    Keira looked up from Elodie. "If you call this sense, then mad-men must be sane."

    "That may be, but no blood was shed today." Captain Hawkins sheathed his blade.

    "There''s still time yet."

    Hawkins''s enforcers loomed closer.

    "Mother, don''t," Elodie hissed. "It''s not worth it."

    Keira frowned, and Elodie could see it in her mother''s eyes, she was sizing up the threat. But she came to the same dire conclusion that Elodie did.

    "Fine," she spat, shooting one last glare at Hawkins. "I''ll come quietly. For now."

    Captain Hawkins laughed again, a sadder sound. "I wouldn''t expect anything different."

    He then turned to one of his enforcers. "Take them back aboard the Golden Drake, make sure they are treated well. Understood?"

    One of the brutes grunted a "yes" and Elodie and Keira were escorted away.

 The Island Lost on the Wind

    While on one hand, Elodie did not like that she now had enough experience to compare brigs, she supposed that this one was far better than the one she''d been kept in on the Foxtrot in the terrible night that had started this whole adventure.

    Perhaps the Pirate King had thought it a kindness to place the women together¡ªElodie, Jade, Captain Jennings, and Keira Fleetwood.

    Carina, of course, had been taken aboard her brother''s ship, the Timaeus. Elodie could only hope she would be alright.

    Once there and the Pirate King gone, Keira turned to Elodie and ran a hand through the red hair that they shared.

    "Oh, stoirin, I''d hoped you wouldn''t get all caught up in this." Keira sighed. "I''m so sorry."

    "Don''t be." Elodie clasped her fingers around her mother''s hand and gently disentangled it from her hair as she met her mother''s emerald gaze with a quiet confidence. "I chose this path. I joined with Captain Jennings after he tried to take me the first time, I chose to stand against him."

    "You should not have had to." Keira bit her lip. "I know how we fought before we left¡ªI might not understand, but I know what you wanted. I wanted you to have it."

    "It''s alright." Elodie''s breath hitched. "Mother, I met her. The Lady of Desolation."

    Keira''s breath hitched. "What?"

    "I know, about the blessing, about her prophecy, I understand it now." Elodie couldn''t help but smile as she thought of Kas, of her time aboard the Albatross. "I think I understand all of it now. Who you are, why you went with my father, why you longed for the sea all that time."

    Keira moved her head back, her gaze appraising. She then nodded in apparent satisfaction. "You''ve changed. Grown up."

    Elodie laughed. "I think I have. I have so much to tell you."

    Keira smiled. "Aye, I''m sure you do."

    She glanced around, and the smile fell away from her face. "I don''t know how we''re going to get out of this one, but I swear to you, I will get you back to Port Augustine in time for your party."

    Elodie shook her head. "That part doesn''t matter. Not anymore."

    "Oh, pish-posh, you still want to marry well, don''t you?"

    "That part isn''t important anymore either." Elodie felt her cheeks heat up. "I fell in love."

    Keira grinned, raising her eyebrows. "Oh, did you now? If you met him aboard a pirate''s ship, I just might like him already."

    "He''s one of my most-trusted marksman." Captain Jennings finally spoke. "I''d trust him with my life."

    Keira froze. She turned away from Elodie, and looked to Captain Jennings with a longing that she shared for the sea, for things that reminded her of Felix Vance. Captain Jennings, Elodie realized, looked at her with that same deep longing.

    It finally clicked into place.

    It didn''t erase the men that they''d loved at the same time, the conflicts they''d come into after they''d been separated by the Crown of Albion.

    But what they had was deeper than friendship, than sisterhood.

    How long had they loved each other so?

    Elodie wasn''t sure.

    Looking at Jade, she could see that her friend had known.

    "Elizabeth, I¡ª" Keira stopped herself, swallowing visibly. "Thank you."

    Captain Jennings said nothing, her eyes wide. She was trembling, Elodie realized.

    "Thank you for watching my daughter, for keeping her safe." Keira drew closer. "After all the horrible things I said, after all I''ve done¡ª"

    "I''d do it again." Captain Jennings took a step forward. "I''d do it all for you."

    Keira took Captain Jennings''s hands into hers. "So many years have passed us by. So many mistakes. I''ve wondered if it was too late for us."

    "Never." Captain Jennings''s eyes were so full, so full of hope, of vulnerability, of standing on the precipice of despair. "Not if you want it. I hoped, against my best judgement¡ªbut I thought with Felix¡ª"

    "He isn''t here anymore," Keira said simply. "It''s just us. Maybe it would be different. . . but we''ll never know, will we?"

    "No." There was a flicker of a smile on Captain Jennings''s face. "I suppose not."

    "This isn''t the place, though, is it?" A smirk crept up Keira''s face.

    Captain Jennings blinked and turned pink, as if she were suddenly aware of Jade and Elodie''s presence in the room again. "I suppose not."

    "I swear, when we get out of here, I will sail with you again." Keira''s eyes lingered on their joined hands.

    Captain Jennings smiled, a girlish and vulnerable thing. "I''d like nothing more."

    <hr>

    The next morning, they were all brought to the deck to watch as the Golden Drake sailed to the Cloudsgate nearby. For what purpose, Elodie wasn''t sure. Was it to gloat or was there something more to it?

    She was unsure, but she had to figure out some way to stop this, to save Carina and the Sea of Gales.

    But how?

    In the water of the clear morning, Elodie could see stone lying just under the crystalline surface in a ring. Even with the ripples of the water, the foam from the hulls of the hovering ships cresting the tide, she could see the carvings of the cloud-like runes in their swirls along the worn but not-forgotten stone.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    The Golden Drake sailed along its edge, following the Timaeus to a little islet, another sandbar really, where a pedestal awaited them. The rest of the Black-Sail Fleet was to wait back at Veracruz for the return of their Pirate King.

    Elodie could only watch as Carina was escorted out of the Timaeus by a small group of Royal Guards and her brother, and as Captain Hawkins joined them with his share of the crystals.

    There were far more of them than Elodie had realized. While they had managed to collect four, including the one Carina had started with, the Manoans had found seven and the Black-Sail Fleet thirteen.

    One-by-one, the young king entered the crystals into the panel, twisted them, cast some sort of spell. Before long, he had the final one left¡ªthe one he allowed Carina to enter, that royal crystal she still wore around her neck.

    She hesitated, and one of the Royal Guards drew a blade to her back.

    Her brother placed out a hand, a caution, a warning.

    Carina then did it.

    She finished the ritual, added the last crystal, cast the final spell.

    What came next was the blinding light, like the explosion of the Foxtrot. The all-devouring power of the sun and the sky, brought to life.

    With that beam of light came the roar of waterfalls as the island of Limuria was raised from the depths, surrounded by a bubble of iridescence like the bubble-blowers Elodie had seen at mundane and magi-run carnivals and fairs alike. With it, the ships were raised too, up up up to the greatest harbor the skies had ever seen.

    <hr>

    In some ways, Elodie supposed she should have expected the appearance of the lost city of Limuria. She had seen Manoan ruins before, the columns built into the foundation of mansions and townhouses, their cobblestones left to fill the gaps in the roads and sidewalks, the steps re-purposed for the ones up the baker''s shop or so.

    This was nothing compared to the splendor of Limuria.

    She could see it all together, the arches, the open sky-lights, the columns, the circular buiildings and pavilions with rings of runes painted into the floors with golden paints, the dangling blue crystal lanterns from around every door way and intricate glass panels in every window. The traces of such architecture and stylings she''d seen in the pink house in New Aubrais had been a mere ghost.

    However, Limuria wasn''t as it was in its prime. While it had been untouched by the ocean, wrapped in spell-craft, the plants were free to proliferate as they pleased. Moss covered the doorsteps, ivy dangled from the archways, vines curled around the columns and entangled with the lanterns, as palm fronds and thickets broke out of those intricate windows.

    Whether there were animals, too, Elodie was not sure. She saw no sight or sound of such things, but where wilderness thrived, often its creatures did too.

    If they were there, they evaded the people.

    Elodie and the rest were taken with the parties of the Timaeus and the Golden Hind, perhaps more to keep an eye on them than anything else. Perhaps Captain Hawkins thought it a mercy, or a means of persuading them to his side. Still, she was helpless, with two of his enforcers flanking her and the other crew members of the Albatross alike to prevent them from conspiracy or all other means of resistance.

    Not that she entirely minded, if at least for the chance to see the city that this whole adventure had revolved around.

    All the marble roads led to the platinum-topped towers of a magnificent palace, which was risen like a temple high above the land by the great stairs of a ziggurat. The palace and its shining spires branched off of the great ziggurat like the branches of an ancient tree.

    It was there that they were all led. But not up the proper stairs, as Elodie expected. Rather, they were led to a set of carvings deep in the base, a hidden doorway that with the activation of King Alcor''s crystal, opened itself to the exploration party.

    The inside was just as magnificent as its outer shell suggested. As they rose through the hidden passageways in the base of the ziggurat, the guards peered through every room of finely-carved furniture and rich tapestries, each step quicker, unsatisfied by what they found within.

    They emerged above, where the corridors opened up to column-lined ones in the sky, providing a splendid view of the city.

    They continued up and towards the center of the palace, to where the hallways closed again. The searching became more frantic, until they came across a room with double-doors. One of the soldiers, the one Elodie recognized from Rainbow Harbor as General Archenar used his own crystal and a spell to break the doors open when they refused to do so for the soldiers.

    She expected the soldiers to peer into the room, then hurry them all along as they had every other room they''d encountered. But not this time.

    They stopped¡ªthis had been the room they were looking for, Elodie realized. The throne room.

    It was large, with a dais and a throne upon it, and a large stained-glass window upon it. However, the stained-glass had been broken through by the encroachment of vines, which spiraled around and developed into thicket, filling most of the empty space.

    King Alcor approached the throne. Made from platinum with a circular halo for the head-rest and painted with golden runes in lines imitating the rays of the sun, it was perhaps simpler than the illustrations of the thrones used by the kings of Albion and Cartagena and far-off Oyeshima. But there was regality to it, regality that even the encroaching wildlife respected. For though the vines had broken through the glass and made thickets in the room, the ancient throne of the House of Eldora was left untouched.

    King Alcor''s long bronze fingers brushed against the arm of the seat. But he did not rush to take it. His lips moved, but what he said, Elodie could not comprehend. With the reverence in his eyes, perhaps it was a prayer or devotion of some sort.

    The throne room wasn''t their final destination, however.

    "We should check the core," Rigel suggested.

    And so they all continued on, through the winding corridors to a central chamber not far from the throne room.

    This central chamber had to be what the entire palace was built around. There were other doors leading into it, with several white marble pillars holding up the roof, and a ring of steps leading down into its center. There a Manoan crystal hovered between the floor and the ceiling, unlike any that Elodie had ever seen.

    For one thing, it was so large, a mammoth of stone that Elodie could not believe had been harvested at some point. Manoan crystals were generally so much smaller than that. It was brighter, too, she decided, but there were shadows of dappled darkness on it, places that were shaped like the arcane runes Elodie saw in the spells that Carina cast, the ancient Manoan magic.

    Beyond that was something else, though. Something that could not be seen or heard, it was not something you could touch.

    But it was something you could feel.

    Oh, how Elodie felt it.

    There was something about it that felt as ancient as powerful as the seas, as divine as the heavens above. It was the thrill and terror of a storm, it was the witness to the beauty and savagery of battle, the glint of a beautiful blade, of the starkness of blood on white gauze.

    It called to something primal, it sang to how she felt standing on the prow of the Albatross, how a sword''s hilt felt in her hand, the exhilaration of wrath when she''d pinned Kas to the temple floor in the temple of the Aurora Isles. She could feel all of that and so much more, if she reached for its power, if she called out to it as it called out to her.

    Elodie recoiled from the thought, and it was then that she understood.

    This was the heart of Limuria. This was what protected it, kept it all alive and preserved for the return of the Eldora Dynasty, for the return of an empire slumbering through time.

    Staring at the heart of Limuria, Elodie ached for her blade that the Lady of Desolation had bequeathed to her. This was the arcane power that was not meant to exist, this was what she was born to destroy.

    But before she could make a plan to even try to get her sword, to try and fulfill her destiny, she was pulled away with the other captives of the Black-Sail fleet. She could only look back in futility and hope and wish with all she had that someday, she could come back to finish the job.

 The Rules of War

    Having examined the crystal and having assured it to be in safe, working order, the guards quickly escorted the elders, royalty, and pirates alike out of the room and shepherded them back to the great throne room of the magnificent palace.

    Elodie wondered for how long that she would be dragged along in all of this. But she supposed in some ways, she didn''t want to know the answer yet. After all, she had likely outlived her usefulness, at least to the Manoans.

    Captain Hawkins, she was learning, was far less straightforward in his villainy than she''d originally thought.

    He lingered against one of the pillars, away from where the elders and King Alcor coalesced.

    King Alcor sat in the same marble throne that his forefathers created, with Carina sitting awkwardly at his feet. Elodie wanted to help her, to break free, to take her away from the place that she''d never wanted to be, that she''d fought so hard to escape.

    How had all roads led here anyway?

    Carina, for her part, kept a stoic face, her head held just as high as her brother''s.

    "We have done it!" King Alcor smiled, looking almost childlike in how he smiled as he took the throne. "We have found our lost city and returned it and its gifts to the world!"

    A mild cheer and round of applause came from the advising elders and the soldiers. The pirates among them remained silent.

    "We should celebrate¡ªtoday should be made a national holiday for all under the Manoan flag, a day of homecoming," King Alcor continued.

    "Hear, hear!"

    "And all here today should be proud for how they have contributed to saving our people, our nation." King Alcor smiled down at all.

    "And now, the real work begins." One of the advisors turned to King Alcor. "It is time we began on our assault on the world. We''ll start with Cartagena, with Aubrais and Oyeshima and Albion."

    "What do you mean?" For the first time, King Alcor looked uncertain, shifting uncomfortably on his throne.

    "We must destroy all competition, sire!"

    It dawned on the young king visibly. "You don''t mean. . ."

    General Archenar stepped forward. "Sire, if I may, Manoa has not been an active power within the Sea of Gales for quite some time. Some blood must be shed, a noble sacrifice to assure that the rest will concede swiftly as we reassert our power over these archipelagos."

    King Alcor leaned forward, resting his pointed chin on his hand. "What would you have destroyed, in the name of this end?"

    General Archenar blinked. "Surely your Majesty understands the best tactics of warfare, yes? The capitols, Your Majesty, the capitol cities of these fools'' empires would be the best place to start. By decimating the very symbols of power within the hearts of the empires, taking with it all their troublesome bureaucracy and pauper-kings, their militaries will be greatly weakened. From there, we can come in and begin making our demands."

    Elodie could not help herself¡ªshe gasped aloud.

    She thought of what Carina had done to the Foxtrot near the beginning of her voyage.

    King Alcor shifted uncomfortably again, and for the first time, Elodie wondered if Carina''s brother knew what he was in for when he accepted the crown. Did he know all that would come with it?

    "I suppose, if you think it best. . ."

    "Surely you are not so much a fool to wish to rule over ashes." Captain Hawkins''s voice cut through as he moved from where he''d been leaning against the pillar.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    "Surely you are not so stupid as to forget your place, pirate," General Archenar snarled as he reached down for his sword. "You are in the presence of a king, soon to be emperor of all the Sea of Gales and what lies beyond. The greatest, the most divine of all kings. Remember yourself."

    There was a flash in Captain Hawkins''s eyes, the instant regret.

    Not for saying what he had, no. Regret for what had started far earlier, Elodie knew.

    "Felix and the Flying Gang and I made a promise long ago¡ªno more empires." He drew his cutlass, quick as a storm, but General Archenar was faster, throwing his own sword as the other soldiers ushered the elders and King Alcor and Carina out of the room.

    The sword landed in Captain Hawkins''s center, pinning him to the white marble and painting it red.

    The pirates who had been holding Elodie''s arms behind her back had let her go, perhaps more in shock than anything as the General approached the fallen Pirate King, whispered something in his ear, and removed the blade.

    The Pirate King let out an agonizing howl as General Archenar surveyed them all from where he stood on the crimson-painted marble floor.

    "This is what should happen, should you decide to betray the Emperor of Manoa, or fail to swear your fealty to him."

    With that, General Archenar disappeared, and it was as if the world came into motion again.

    Everyone rushed to Captain Hawkins, but many stopped right before him, as Jade and Ventus were the first to make it to him.

    "Father," Ventus said, as he lifted his father''s head.

    Jade took his blood-smeared hand, her green eyes wide and wild in a way Elodie had not seen them go before, but she somehow recognized all the same. Her full lips opened, but no sound came out.

    "My children," Captain Hawkins coughed. "My wish¡ªit was for you to lead them¡ªI''m truly sorry there wasn''t more time, more¡ª"

    "Save your breath, Father, we forgive you." Ventus glanced to Jade, who nodded, hurriedly.

    "Lead them, no more empires, make it right¡ª" Captain Hawkins coughed yet again, his voice growing weaker.

    Elodie had dropped by Ventus and Jade''s side, unsure of how to regard the man who had been her enemy.

    To his other side came Keira and Elizabeth.

    "Go to Felix now," Keira said, squatting beside him. "I''m sure he''ll be waiting for you."

    "Guide my children, make sure¡ª"

    "I will," Elizabeth answered. "I always have."

    Captain Hawkins looked to her silently. He managed somehow to nod, and to reach for his hat. His eyes went glassy and his body stilled as he managed to place the hat in Ventus''s hands.

    The Pirate King was dead.

    Elodie was the first to pierce the quiet.

    "Are you alright?" Elodie knew it a stupid question, but she knew no other to ask, in the face of such helplessness, as powerful as the hurricane.

    Ventus did not answer her in word, but he placed his father''s hat above his head and rose. In that moment, Elodie could picture his father as her father had known him, a young member of the Flying Gang, a revolutionary young gentleman ready to take on the skies and seas by storm.

    "You over there, take the body back to the Golden Drake." He pointed at the two pirates who had held Elodie through the taking of Limuria. "His widow will want the body, to perform the proper rites."

    For half a second, Elodie worried that they would do nothing. Or worse, laugh in his face. After all, how could a boy, a bastard son of the man that they loved who they all believed to be a curse on their fleet command them now?

    And yet, without question or complaint, they came forward, doing as they were asked.

    Ventus looked around again, seeming more sure of himself this time. He picked up his father''s cutlass, dropped on the floor carelessly. "I know that you did not choose me, and that my father has no right to ask of you to follow me. But I ask that you do all the same. My father believes¡ªbelieved¡ªin the mission of the Flying Gang. No more empires."

    "No more empires."

    The quiet chant softly echoed around the abandoned throne room.

    Ventus nodded, his voice growing louder. "We know where the crystal is, we know that its destruction will bring the whole thing down."

    His eyes then found Elodie''s. "And we know how to destroy it."

    This was what the Lady of Desolation had blessed her for.

    She nodded.

    Ventus glanced around. "Will one of you return Miss Elodie Fleetwood her blade?"

    One of the pirates removed the selkie blade from his back-sheathe and he handed to Elodie. It felt right, to hold the selkie blade in her hand again, to wield that all-too-familiar power.

    Ventus took her hand, raising both of theirs in the air. "We will bring down this empire, and with it, all others will follow!"

    "No more empires!" Elodie shouted, thrilling in how her voice carried and echoed, in the roar that came afterwards.

    She looked to Ventus and he grinned.

    In another lifetime, they might have been a Pirate King and Queen in that moment.

    But she could see in how he looked to the door through which the soldiers had ushered Alcor and Carina, that they had both gone their own ways.

    But for now, at least, they would be joined in one glorious final battle.

    "But first, let''s rescue Carina one more time," Elodie suggested.