The next morning, Diana and Jonah found Angelina waiting for them at the breakfast table. Greeting them with a smile, she talked casually about the weather and such as they ate. To Diana, the Pirate seemed a penitent drunk, in speech and the way she cradled her coffee cup or scooped up her bites of salmon. The princess had seen many royals make fools of themselves in the throes of drink. Scraped up from the floor and sobered they either forgot the acts of the previous night or wanted to, talking at length about nothing. If that's what Angelina was planning on doing, then she had weeks of poor behavior to atone for.

From Angelina's strings of bland talk came the true point. “I’m sorry, Diana, I’ve treated you so cruelly,” she said with a deep frown. “Can you forgive me, once again?”

Diana chewed and swallowed the bite of food she was on, wondering if that part was planned, if all of this was acting. “You’ve lied to me, to the public. You’ve raged against me, and you often do everything in your power to belittle me,” she said, the thoughts having hammered out in her head over that last week. On Jonah’s screen she had typed them out, her complaints about the mermaid and her constantly shifting moods.

Angelina nodded. “I have, I have,” she agreed. She squinted off into the morning sun. It was a cool morning, mist rising from the water, long clouds pulled across the sky. “I was never good at controlling myself. At stopping my own wrath. The other Heroes helped me, and they are gone now. Through their own poor choices, and I am glad to have them out for now.” She glanced at Jonah then. “You aren’t the only one to rely on others,” she added.

The Hero shook her head, continuing before Diana could speak. “The war took its toll, and I will admit, we celebrated far more than we should have. It might be our continued celebration that motivated the Ash Makers to free Blodwyn, but it’s far too late to assign blame, all we can do is move on. Swim on, as a shark cannot swim backwards…” She pointed her stiff hand forward from her face, a shark’s fin cutting through water. “I have gotten my full measure of revenge on you, and I’m sorry for all the wrong I’ve done against you. I can’t keep punishing you for what’s not your fault. I’m glad to have what comfort I do.” She scowled, removing her hat and setting it on the table. Undoing the bandana, she folded it up and combed out her blonde curls with her fingers.

Anticipating another interruption and trying to process the rambling, it took Diana a moment to reply. “What exactly do you mean? That you are tired of sparring with me? Are you done with this whole miserable schedule?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.

The Pirate chuckled, shucking off her boots. She set her long bare feet on the deck, the nails glinting in the sunlight, they were made entirely of blue scales. “Lucy has been quietly urging me to be gentler on you. And I have, which I’m sure you’ve noticed,” she said, glancing back at where the quartermaster was checking over the automatons by the helm.

“I’m not going to be able to free her or the others from Fia’s charm, but I had a heated discussion with my old friend last night. She’s still not recovered, but she agreed to not use the charms anymore, and I hope she sticks to that. She’s also removed the Flies from your cabins, so you can speak freely.” The mermaid started to unbutton her vest and then her blouse. “Also, I heard from Kalyah that you live in fear of my apparent ‘Night Crew’...” Her bared chest seemed like a challenge as Diana stared stunned at her sudden statement.

Jonah gagged on a bite of food.

Angelina sighed, shrugging off her top. “So it’s true, you do know, but you don’t need to worry about it. My secret reconnaissance team, that’s all they were, is not on the ship. Go on, Lucy will give you a full tour. You can see the dusty place they used to live. All I had left aboard was a single Hag, but she left last night, never to return. You can check the wards here on the top deck too, they couldn’t get near you or Jonah without being burned by the Paladin’s circles. I dipped deep into the mire, and I made some awful deals, we had to in order to win the war. You’ve inspired me to change my ways, Diana, you should be proud.” She smiled brightly.

Diana blinked hard, rubbing at her eyes. She wasn’t sure if she was awake at this moment in time. The constantly swinging Angelina had swung too far, like a pendulum on a string rising and wrapping up around what held it.

“Good, you should be surprised, I am too in a way. We aren’t going to win this war as enemies with secrets though. There you are, all of mine laid out and my hands are empty, no tricks up my sleeves.” She patted her bare arms, breathing a heavy sigh of relief as she stood up. “I wrote out a speech for you, edit it as you please. So long as the people keep their hope in this war, that’s all that matters. The analysts won’t bother you with any more low priority calls either. In a way I hoped it would endear them to you, and annoy you, I admit that too. Another sin of mine. They do love you, you’ve been so patient with them, Diana, I’m proud of you.” She undid her leather pants. “I’m going for a swim, if you haven't recorded a speech yet, don’t worry. Use the transmitter to contact your mother, I’m sure she’s dying to hear from you. I think we should be airborne in a day or two, but if you still want to make it towards the first allied shore, then I’ll set a course when I get back up.” She pointed to the princess. “Anything more before I get naked and dive in?”

Diana’s mouth hung open, her tongue starting to dry out. What could she say? Is this what hundreds of years of experience did? Give one the ability to weasel out of whatever they had done? Did she forgive her? This is what she wanted, right? To move ahead in an honest fashion… Never before was she struck so dumb.

“Oh, don’t worry, I’ll keep up your sparring, or training. I don’t want to keep hurting you,” Angelina added, stepping out of her leather pants. Jonah’s plates clinked around as he averted his gaze. The mermaid wore no underwear and her body had no hair past her eyelashes. With a shrug she removed her wrap and put her hands on her hips.

The Druid was not fazed by nudity in the slightest, especially her own sex’s. Her fellow Hero looked much smaller without her clothes, more real. Without the costume, she was just another mermaid, slender torso, strong legs, a beautiful face more human than her kin’s usual siren complexion. As she had bared her soul, she might as well bare her body.

“Anything else?” Angelina asked.

“I will tour the ship, and check your story,” Diana said, the only thing she could come up with at the moment.

“That’s why I offered it,” the mermaid said, displaying her empty palms. “That's it?”

Diana collected herself, as much as she could with a naked woman watching her. “I will tell you if I have any more concerns,” she said evenly. She was trying to regain some ground in this relationship, some damn equality between them. “While I might forgive, since I need you for my eventual goal…” she began, the words finally arriving. “...I will not forget what has been done.”

The mermaid’s blue eyes and matching freckles sparkled as the sun broke fully from a cloudy haze. While there was a smile on her face, there was an intensity in that shining stare. “I don’t expect you to forget anything, Diana, only know that it will get better and stay that way,” she said plainly. “I’ll be back in a few hours then.”

She raised her hands to the sky, catching as much sun as she could, stepping around, spreading her legs in stretches. After a moment she sprinted and dove off the side of the ship.

Diana sat there staring at her half eaten plate of food for a good while. Aiko set its massive head in her lap and she idly scratched it. The familiar sent her reassurance, but it was too vague of an emotion after such a complex conversation. Jonah put his silverware on his plate, having spent the last few minutes stuffing the remains of his breakfast into his mouth. He flinched when Diana’s gaze bored into him. She wasn’t sure what she was looking for, but she couldn’t speak at the moment, her thoughts spun too fast for her to understand.

Jonah thought she was looking for answers. “I can’t tell when she’s being sincere at all,” he said, slowly turning to her. “You told me about the stuff in Grayhill, all the little lies. I mean, big lies, of course. I’ve reread it a couple times.” He pulled down his sleeve and brought up the note. “She’s always a step ahead, it’s awful to try and deal with.” He frowned when she was still quiet. “I think we should check on Kalyah too, I don’t think she would give up that information so easily.”

Diana stood up, chair skidding away, her staff flying to her hands. “Yes, good, I cannot sit still another moment,” she said, taking Jonah’s hand.

They went to Lucy first, the Druid demanding a tour to the lower decks. She was safe in the notion that Angelina could not let any physical harm come to her. By that same measure, Jonah should have felt secure. He put on a brave face as they descended the back stairs to the cargo hold, but it was clear he was scared. They got to the bottom deck, no portholes, real or enchanted, the hallway ran straight along the middle spine from bow to stern. Being close to the water, there was a constant rushing sound and chill to the stale air. Lucy flipped on the lights of the dusty place, and they flickered on and off with a static hum

“Of course they flicker,” Jonah remarked, grimacing.

Besides the mildew and dust, Aiko could smell the underlying monstrous musks. The tiger’s hackles raised, going from closed door to closed door. It pushed them open with ease, jaw turning the handles with a thud on the brass.

Lucy swallowed, staying by the stairs, she pointed down the hall, which went on to another closed door. “As you can see, no one is here,” she said. The lights flickered again and she yelped as they went off. There was a muffled grumble from Jonah, who tightened his grip on Diana’s hand. The devil woman laughed uneasily as she toggled the switch and the lights returned. A bulb some hundred feet ahead burst and went out for good, leaving a large patch of shadow.

Jonah held up his free hand, a crisp white light coming from the palm. “There, necessity is the father of invention, or something like that,” he said, as the spotlight trembled with his nerves.

Diana, who had been focusing on the empty rooms that Aiko was investigating, didn’t care about the darkness. She was more focused on trying to figure out which room housed which abomination. Undead were not her specialty, but Hags and Werewolves were both a matter for Druids. Hags caused certain types of Blights and lived off the twisted forest around them, eating people that wandered in, typically children. The women themselves were corrupt Witches, the only truly awful ones as a rule, despite Diana’s prejudices. Fia was evil, there was no getting around that, and Diana agreed with the Paladins, by rights she should be tried for her crimes. It was strange to think how low Angelina and Fia had both sunk. Normal Witches and Druids would attempt to kill Hags on sight, and Fia the Moon Blessed should have been above their company. Increased longevity was one of the few reasons to become a Hag. Someone who had been given hundreds of years extra to her lifespan should detest them.

Jonah’s spotlight caught Aiko’s eyes as it turned to the last room. All of them were empty and dusty, no sign of when they might have been used last. The creatures were not known for their cleanliness, instead preferring a comfortable grime.

The Druid and familiar now had the unique scents of several monsters, one Werewolf and a few Hags. The others were new to them both. There was no sign of any of the creature’s diets, no blood, no bones, or anything. Diana wondered how exactly Angelina had sent them away, especially in the middle of the night like she said. A recently departed Hag could have vanished any number of ways from the ship. The rest were simple minions, they would need some kind of item or portal. That would be classified as a quiet trick of the trade. How many methods had been lost to history because of a selfish soul? How many sins did Angelina keep to herself still?

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“Hey, so what’s going on?” Jonah wondered.

Diana blinked, realizing how long she had gone without speaking. She summarized her thoughts, explaining what a Hag was to him. “Sorry, I should have said something earlier,” she added as Aiko returned to her, brushing up against her leg.

“No, it’s okay,” he said, the spotlight fading away from his hand. On his arm was the screen, words filling out across it. “I gotta write this stuff down. I don’t have your memory.”

“It’s one of my strengths,” she said with a brief smile.

“So no telling if they’re gone for good?” he wondered.

“Not to my knowledge, but I’m not about to make it easy,” she said, walking into the first room. He followed her, the spotlight coming back to survey the lightless place. She had him shine it on the back of the door. Touching her staff to the wood the surface started to burn, she drew a circle, then an unbroken series of ridges around it, finally another single line swirled to the very center. “If you wish to take notes, this is a mark of the Sun, a Druidic rune. As part of the common arcana, all learned magic share ways of instilling or enchanting through markings.” She laid her hand on the Sun and it lit up with a vibrant orange light that filled the room with its glow.

“Druidic runes are rather simple, but sturdy,” she went on, turning away as the Sun grew brighter. Jonah was shielding his eyes, screen open on his other arm. “Anytime there is something in this room, the rune will glow. Given that there was an undead in this room, it will at least be uncomfortable for them. The Vampire will auto ignite, but the Ghouls will be burned before they can attempt to scratch it out.” She opened the door, guiding him through it as he squinted. In the hallway, he rubbed his eyes. “It’s not good to stare at the sun…” She chuckled softly.

“I’ll know next time,” he said.

She smiled, watching the light die out in the unoccupied room. “Wizardry and Witches run off of runes and sigils, but Druids are the first to use magic, so they have the most basic of all types,” she went on. “Something for the others to build off of.”

“Okay, got it,” Jonah said, the words moving around in bullet points on his screen.

“Your magic seems to be imagination and will, you’re closer to a Sorcerer than myself,” she explained. “The specific supply is different, they need only raw matter. It is strange to have blessed magic in our world though.”

“Passing out the first time I used it didn’t feel like a blessing,” he said, Aiko keeping close to him as he looked about the blank room.

“You are a blessing to me,” she added, focusing on the rune as he flushed.

Not finished, she followed Jonah’s moving light for a moment. The room might as well be cages for animals. No beds, only frames, and tiny as well. There had to be a lot more space for the size of the ship. So many places to hide things on a ship this size. She wondered how many people would believe the Pirate held such places on her patented ship.

A nervous laugh from Jonah told her she had gone silent again.

“You’re coming along with your magic,” Diana said, starting the final line of her rune.

“I wish I could do all the crazy stuff you can,” he said. “I can’t imagine being able to control the elements like you do.”

“If only my magic was strong enough to shine a light on the Heroes' offenses, then we wouldn’t be in this mess,” she remarked. They left the room this time before the Sun could blind them.

Jonah stood there in the hallway, staring at his arm. She asked him if something was wrong. He held up his finger to her, a small lens at the tip of it, then brought up his forearm with his screen. On it was a picture of her in a high enough clarity that she grimaced at the reflection. She relaxed all the strain and straightened out her bushy brows.

“How many things did your sheet phone do?” she asked, examining herself further, holding his arm.

“Nothing like you, but it was great at documenting things,” he said with a proud grin. The image on the screen froze and shrank down, she could still see it in the corner.

“Oh gods, it took my picture that fast, let me see it,” she said, tapping wildly at the screen. He brought it larger again and tapped at it. “Make it go away, get rid of it.” The screen faded into his arm and reappeared on his other arm.

“It looks fine, the lighting isn’t great in here, that’s all,” he said, checking over it.

She pursed her lips at him. “Get rid of it,” she said. “Or I won’t let you take any more. I had a boyfriend who insisted on taking my picture in the morning, so I destroyed that camera.”

That jolted him and he showed her the screen again. “There, it’s gone, see?” he said.

“That will be useful,” she said, nodding. “Not that there’s much to see here.” She scanned about the place, seeing Lucy still by the stairs. She beckoned for Jonah’s arm, writing out on a notepad, “I don’t know if they’re still listening. Lucy and the others might as well be Fia’s familiars, their memories forfeit to her.”

“Sorry, I should have kept it quiet, I was glad I could do it at all.”

She shook her head. “It’s useful, like I said. I was caught up in it as well. It’s not as if Angelina has left behind much to photograph anywhere.”

He thought for a moment. “I can try to work out audio recording. In case she says any more incriminating stuff.”

Diana nodded. “On to the next room then?”

“Everything okay? I kinda want to leave,” Lucy called.

“Yes, we’re fine. Just making sure the captain keeps her word,” Diana replied. “What’s behind that door?”

Lucy frowned. “Storage, the engines, storage for all the engine parts that are constantly being replaced. It’s fucking dark and disgusting there too. Stephan and the automatons don’t need much light. I guess I can guide you around there too. I keep the whole middle deck immaculate with everything important. If I go in there, then I’m just gonna try and organize it.”

“Yes, I want to inspect the whole ship,” Diana said. “After we are done here.”

The quartermaster’s frown grew deeper. “Okay…”

It was well past noon by the time they had trapped all the Night Crew rooms and inspected the entire lower decks. The monster's former rooms would be unlivable for anyone, and Diana didn’t care. Being able to use a variety of runes was a joy. Imagining a Werewolf closing a door only to find a Moon rune shining on him, stunning him in place while the Cloud rune sucked out the air, and a Mountain reinforced the door, made her laugh out loud. Jonah seemed more scared of her than the Werewolf at that point.

“Oh, suffocation won’t kill it, and all the combined runes will eventually burn out all of the energy in the area and stop working,” she said dismissively. “Magic isn’t much different than the lightbulbs, it has to draw power from somewhere.”

He nodded, taking further notes.

Writing runes didn’t take much from her, but scouring the decks for more hidden secrets did. Jonah slyly took pictures of the empty cells, as well as anything that looked suspicious in the storage area. There was nothing daming, except maybe how little fresh food the chef actually used. Why he used canned tuna when they were always at sea, made no sense. It was funny though, almost making them forget the monster cells they had left. There was far more light in the middle deck.

The fresh air and high sun was a relief, but the empty center mast table was not. Angelina was nowhere to be seen and Coal told them she was still swimming. Ordering their meal to their room, they rushed off to Kalyah’s room. The concern that she had been charmed had affected both Diana and Jonah. Knocking on her door brought them a tired groan through it, but Diana kept her banging.

The Pixie elf opened the door in a long white shirt with shorts dark underneath.The smell of steeped in sweat flowed from the night black of her room. Barefoot, she was even shorter than usual, slouching as well.

“You told Angelina about the Night Crew?” Jonah asked on his screen.

Kalyah squinted, rubbing at her bloodshot eyes and the bags under them. “Yes, I’m sorry, I should have told you,” she mumbled. “I’ve spent all week trying to save my friends and she’s been pushing, trying to figure out what I know.” She grimaced, eyes watering as she choked up. “I’ve barely slept. I can’t strip the Slave Star, it’s not possible, it’s in their brains. All you can do is have the user not subject their will…” Her whole body shook in sobs.

Moving past Diana, Jonah embraced the small woman, whose head landed below his sternum. He held her tightly to him, looking back at Diana as the door swung open more. The Druid, who was clutching her staff in fury at the Witch, saw what the Priestess had been dealing with over the last week. Books were scattered everywhere, bits of crumpled paper all around them. Plates of half eaten food, needed, but surrendered, as she was unable to stomach what the books told her, the Druid assumed. A life doomed to listen to that wretch of a person.

Jonah was crying in sympathy.

“Does range factor into it?” Diana asked, trying to hold herself together.

Kalyah sniffled, head rising out of the wet spot on Jonah’s shirt. Her face was blushed red, snot dribbling from her nostrils. Without a thought, Jonah offered his shirt to her, he didn't have anything else. The Priestess shook her head, using her own shirt. “Yes, Diana, range affects the brew’s power,” she said. “A few miles away, the user can’t apply it anymore.”

Diana nodded. “Good, please, rest, I will deal with the Witch,” she said firmly.

The Priestess reeled in shock. “How?” she asked.

“Can you convince Angelina to get rid of her?” Jonah asked, guessing at her plan.

“I will certainly try,” Diana stated.

Kalyah sniffled more, wiping at her face. “I don’t think anything can split them apart,” she said. “Not with the others already gone.”

“I’ve accomplished that, I can at least attempt this,” Diana said, hand trembling in its fierce grip. Aiko growled low beside her, sending her waves of determination. This was a wonderful goal, the familiar seemed to say, a good hunt. “Rest Kalyah, you won’t need to cry anymore.”

“Yeah, Diana will get her to listen,” Jonah said, patting Kalyah’s arm. It was clear he was nervous, but he stood up straighter, clearing the water from his eyes.

“She’s the only one able to find Blodwyn,” Kalyah said plainly.

Diana had thought of that many times, but she took a moment to word her solution. “My sister didn’t die to be avenged by monsters,” she said, the statement still hurt to speak. “I hate what changes have come from her loss, I’m not about to use her to justify siding with evil. She…” Her eyes stung and she took a breath to hold back the tears. “She was so bloody pure, it would be a defilement of her to rely on a slave master to seek her killer.”

Jonah grabbed Diana’s staff, and she looked at the machinery for a long while. She bore no ill will towards the necessity of it, but she knew many Druids would. Metal alone was not accepted attire on a Druid. The only bit on her was her sister’s locket, which she wore now, unable to look at the picture, but knowing well what it contained. If she had not found such even tempered friends aboard the ship, if she stayed boiling in that rage of her sister’s death, then she would probably be fine with sinking low. These two reminded her of the optimism, the love of her sibling. There was little to be found in her home. Where one had hardened her heart and the other grieved endlessly. How much longer could she stay aboard? Pruning the Heroes that she had once respected? Was this the last straw? Would she have to leave if this didn’t work?

The mechanical hand was cool over the top of hers. “We can do this,” Jonah said with a nod.

Kalyah went into rest, not so sure, but certainly hopeful. Near the stairs, Diana stopped in her proud walk with Jonah, setting her staff on the floor. She embraced him, feeling the thud of his heart, matching her own. Without a word and a rise up on her toes, she kissed him hard on the mouth.

“Thank you,” she said, looking into the depths of his emerald eyes.

“I’m here for you,” he said simply, grinning. “So is Kalyah.”

“I know, I know, that’s why I’m thanking you,” she said, laying her head into his collarbone. She wanted to stay longer, but knew she had to go. To face the Pirate as princess and a budding Hero herself.

They found the Hero on the top deck, sitting at the table in only her pants and open shirt. The sun caught off her scaled freckles and she looked at them expectantly. The confident stride up to her had not escaped her notice. Diana started on her threat, to tell the world about the Slave Star brew, to leave the ship if the Witch was not kicked off as soon as possible. Angelina seemingly knew every word, not reacting to any of it as she held her knees.

“Fine, when Fia can walk unaided again, she’ll leave,” Angelina said as Diana went quiet.

The Druid glanced about, unsure whether some trick was coming.

“What? You want to catch Blodwyn honestly, we might as well commit to it,” she continued, an edge to her voice. “Unless you want to kick me off my own ship.” She searched the two before her with fast eyes.

“No, I only want to do it right,” Diana said, putting up her chin. She was baffled by the reply, but glad for it. Jonah was unable to suppress his stunned face, clutching her hand strongly.

“Good, then you’ll get your wish, princess,” Angelina said with a smirk.