Elle stepped forward, glancing at the closed door, her heart pounding with unexplainable apprehension. A sharp wind rippled across the harbor, stinging her cheeks and rustling the sails overhead. Down below, the flickering glow of the dock’s torches caught her eye, where one of Kali’s fellow knights waited to escort them back to shore. Yet the moment stretched, and still, she lingered, turning to see Faye and Aer equally torn between obeying Kali’s direct order and following their instincts. Liori stood with her lips pressed together, evidently trying to decide the best action.

“So,” Aer said in a hushed voice, “do we just…go home?”

Faye folded her arms, torn between annoyance and concern. “That can’t be right. Something about that man feels off.”

Liori glanced at Elle, then lowered her voice. “Kali was very clear. This is a Thornbound matter now.”

“But are we truly leaving her behind with that stranger?” Faye pressed, her own eyes flicking to the door. “What if he’s dangerous?”

“We should trust Kali,” Aer whispered, though her tone was uncertain. “We can’t just burst in there.”

A hush fell over them. Beyond the door, shadows flickered in the lamplight, and the low murmur of Kali’s measured tone and the man’s smooth baritone floated just out of earshot. Every second that passed felt longer than the last, tension coiling in the pit of Elle’s stomach. At last, Liori heaved a soft sigh.

“Let’s head down,” the priestess said gently, though doubt still weighed on her. “We’ll be close by if she needs us. We can stay at the docks until she finishes. No sense going all the way home.”

“Yes,” Aer agreed reluctantly. “We can explain to the guard that we’ll wait just onshore.”

Faye fiddled with a loose strand of her dark hair, looking far from convinced, but nodded. “All right…but only for a little while. If she doesn’t return soon, I’m coming right back.”

Elle tore her gaze from the closed door and slowly followed her friends toward the gangplank. Each step echoed on the creaking boards, a hollow sound beneath their feet. She could hardly resist the urge to glance over her shoulder, half-expecting Kali to charge out of the captain’s quarters with her sword drawn and the human in chains.

Before they could step off the deck, a sudden jolt rippled through the ship. Somewhere below, unseen hands had loosened the mooring ropes and raised the anchor without the four women noticing. A great gust of wind swept across the harbor at that exact moment. This was no mere sea breeze but something fierce and unnatural, whipping at the sails and forcing the carrack away from the dock with startling speed.

Faye was caught off-balance by the abrupt movement, tumbling onto her hands and knees. “What—?!” she gasped, eyes wide as she fought to keep steady on the swaying deck.

“Lucius!” came a frantic shout from the direction of the quay. It was Elias, arms flailing as he stared at the rapidly widening gap between the ship and the dock. “Lucius! What about me?”

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A name.

Elle’s ears pricked at the sound, and her heart pounded in a sudden rush of alarm. Looking toward the dock, she realized with growing dread that they were already too far out. Just moments ago, they had been only a few steps from solid land, but now the roiling ocean water yawed between them and Elindoryl’s harbor.

Elle’s pulse hammered in her ears. She blinked rapidly, forcing down the surge of panic rising in her throat. “Ladies,” she said, her voice wobbling ever so slightly, “we may be in trouble.”

As one, the three women around her snapped their heads up. Having stumbled to her feet, Faye stared in mute horror at the rapidly receding dock. Her mouth formed a silent ‘o.’ Aer’s eyes flared with protective urgency, scanning the deck for imminent threats while Liori pressed a trembling hand to her chest, lips parted in shock. A sudden hush fell over them, broken only by the mocking hiss of wind through the rigging. The once-secured lines had been loosened without their notice, and The Silver Horizon was gliding away from Elindoryl’s harbor, gathering speed.

“Kali is still inside,” Liori whispered, turning a stricken gaze on Elle.

A loud thud, something breaking, a crash of wood or furniture splintering in a fierce struggle came from the closed door of the captain’s quarters.

“And it sounds like a fight!” Faye added.

Without a word, Aer sprinted across the tilting deck. Her boots thudded on the wet planks as she lurched toward the cabin door. Another gust rocked the ship, and the timbers groaned under the strain. The sails overhead snapped, catching the feral wind that seemed to come from nowhere as though conjured by unseen hands.

Elle, Faye, and Liori tried to follow Aer, but the entire ship lurched violently. The sea had reared up, batting the carrack forward in a wild surge. Faye gasped, her footing lost as her knees buckled, and she slammed into Liori, bringing the priestess down with her.

“Faye!” Liori exclaimed, a note of panic cutting through her normally calm voice. Arms flailing, they skidded on the slick boards, just managing to avoid crashing into the ship’s low railing.

Elle was steadier on her feet, crouching beside them, heart pounding as fiercely as the waves against the hull.

“Are you all right?” she asked, grabbing the women’s upper arms to help them regain balance.

Faye’s breath rasped, nodding stiffly.

“Fine…just… the deck moved so fast…” She glanced over her shoulder at the roiling water. Swells rose and fell, dragging the ship farther and farther from the harbor lights. Shockingly, no one stood at the helm; as far as the women could see, no one was guiding The Silver Horizon, yet the vessel cut a relentless course into open seas.

A sharp crack of thunder boomed overhead as a storm gathered. Perhaps it was the unnatural manifestation of the same force driving the wind. The rain had not yet begun to fall, but the air thickened with the electric tang of the impending tempest, swirling with the brine of Herawulf’s waters.

From the cabin door, a muffled shout echoed. It was Kali’s voice. Every muscle in Elle’s body tensed. Faye and Liori scrambled upright. The priestess whispered a quick invocation under her breath, words like a plea to Aelindra to steady their course. A faint shimmer of golden light circled her hands for a moment, though it sputtered in the face of the howling wind. Meanwhile, Aer had already slipped into the captain’s quarters. The door banged shut behind her, and the thuds and scraping from within grew louder, more chaotic. Anxiety clawed at Elle’s stomach. Gathering her courage, Elle braced against another surge of the deck’s movement.

Liori swallowed hard. She clutched the small pendant at her collar, drawing strength from the goddess’s symbol. Faye nodded, the usual gleam of mischief in her dark eyes gone. The priestess carefully placed a hand on the cabin door’s latch. It rattled ominously, hammered by something or someone inside.