Before Fia could question Tacuma's offer, the human girl stuck her palm against the dragonette's snout. "Shh," Tacuma hushed as she pressed a finger against her own lips.

"Come on, Tacuma," Captain Ulatu beckoned to his daughter. The captain extended his arm so that Tacuma could run up and grab his hand.

I guess it's a secret, just between us dragonets and kids, Fia assumed. She had almost blurted aloud how Tacuma intended to get them on the ship.

We shouldn't trust her, Viliant said at once. Even if he figured the human child meant well, her age belied her incompetence.

It's either Tacuma or Captain Mawsig, Fia reminded him. A shudder ran up her spine when she recalled the feeling of a muzzle around her snout. After everything that the two dragonets had managed together, Fia had full confidence in another child's ability to help them out.

Once the dragonets returned to their original ship, Captain Ulatu left them with his daughter. "Stay out of trouble, you hear?"

"Yes, Papa!" Tacuma said. Her grin widened when she turned to Fia and Viliant on the deck. "You see how all these crates are going over to Captain Mawsig's ship right now?" Tacuma pointed her finger at the crew in the midst of work, lugging a crate down the gangway. "So, what you've gotta do is sneak inside one of them! Once you're on the water, then they're stuck with you. That's how I got Papa to take me on his work trips the first time."

Fia nodded along, appreciating Tacuma's story from first-hand experience. Her plan made perfect sense, except Fia doubted that Captain Mawsig would not show as much understanding to the dragonets as Captain Ulatu did to his own daughter. He'll probably want to muzzle me again, Fia lamented, dreading if they should get caught. But he can't do that if he never knows I'm there! Her eyes watched the men carry the crate down the boardwalk, headed in their general direction. How do we get inside without them noticing us? she wondered.

"Easy." Viliant positioned himself against a rail. He flattened his black scales against the grainy wood to look like a shadow. When the sailors passed, his legs flexed to leap through the sides of the crate in his shadow form.

"Wait!" Fia's cry interrupted Viliant's focus.

The crew paid the dragonets no mind and kept hurrying with the crate to the next ship.

"What?" Viliant snapped at Fia, annoyed. You just lost us a perfectly good opportunity.

That won't work for me, Fia whined. Her claws pawed at the pier. She only wished that she could phase through solid material with her magic. Unless can you cast that spell on me too?

Viliant closed his eyes and concentrated for a few moments. No. I don't think I can. Maybe at night….

Before he could finish that thought, Fia filled his mind with a better idea. Let's hide together in our box of rations! We need to get it on Captain Mawsig's ship anyway.

You're right. Viliant was harrowed that he had nearly forgotten about their food. After a perpetual feast on the pirarucu's filets, the necessity of their rations at sea had slipped his mind.

Let's go. Fia bounded up the plank of the riverboat. At the center of the ship deck, she approached Captain Ulatu who delivered orders to any of his idle crew. "Captain Ulatu," Fia whined at his feet, "I've changed my mind. I need to get on that ship tomorrow, even if I have to wear a muzzle."

The captain turned to regard Fia with his eyes glazed over. Though Captain Ulatu did not particularly enjoy childish antics from anyone aside from his own daughter, he nodded his bushy beard to Fia. "I'll tell Captain Mawsig that you've changed your mind." His gaze lifted to include Viliant. "Are you going with her?"

"Yes, sir."

Captain Ulatu grunted his understanding. "I'll have your rations moved with the rest of the cargo. There's no backing out after that," Captain Ulatu warned, "or else you'll lose your meat."

"We understand," Fia said. Her chin nodded twice in grave agreement. They could not mess up their one shot to stowaway on Captain Mawsig's ship. At the same time, Fia resisted her tail's urge to twist in a waggish smile. "I'm gonna go check on it!" Before any of the humans could say otherwise, Fia darted between some of the sailors' legs. She dove down the hatch to the cargo hold first.

Close behind her, Viliant slid down the poles of the ladder. His claws etched some new scratches along the sides.

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Hurry! Fia said, racing him to the plentiful box of meat that they had purchased in preparation for the long journey. We have to cram ourselves inside before the men notice. With a flap of her wings, Fia tapped her eager claws on the sealed lid of their crate.

Viliant reared onto his hind legs and wedged his talons underneath the wood. He pried the top open swiftly, causing Fia to slide off the other side.

"Eep!" she yelped at first. Fia collapsed into a pile of mischievous giggles on the ground.

Indifferent to her brief stall, Viliant hauled himself into the crate. His tail floundered inside last like a snake.

Are you going to be okay in there? Fia pranced her anxious feet around the edge of the crate, worried that the space inside could not accommodate one dragonet much less two.

It's cold, dark, and I'm surrounded by food, Viliant observed. A rustle sounded from inside the crate as the dragonet rolled over atop the slabs of meat. I'm going to be just fine, Fia. Don't you worry.

His nonchalant dismissal made her worry even more. Don't eat all of our food! Fia wailed in his mind.

Stop throwing a fuss and get in here, Viliant said. The larger dragonet had already made himself comfortable on the bed of meat. With his horns, he held open the lid a crack to invite Fia inside with him.

Her bottom jaw dropped open from excitement. Though Viliant remained unaware, this felt like a game to her. Fia's mouth even salivated from the aroma of salted meat. She jumped into the box with her wings spread wide. Fia crashed on top of Viliant with the pale underside of her wing smothered against his face.

"Mmph!" Viliant grunted. Get off me, he hissed over telepathy.

Fia thwacked his shoulder, pressing him against the back wall of the crate. No, you've gotta make room for me. Fia whined and grunted as she squirmed into the curve formed by Viliant's neck.

"Ack," he gagged when she struck his throat with an unfortunate kick. Knock it off. There isn't any more room, Viliant tried to explain to her.

For a short while, Fia stilled herself. Can't you use shadow magic to make yourself a teensy bit smaller? Fia swore that Viliant's frame used to be shorter and thinner when they had first met in the same cell together. Since their freedom, their plentiful access to food had put more muscles on his bones and helped make up for his lost years of growth.

I could, Viliant admitted about his magic with some hesitation. However, apprehension filled his mind that constant reliance on his element would cause him to overexert his ley lines again. After the fight with the ghost pirarucu, he needed to rest and save his mana for an inescapable situation. For their present predicament, Viliant offered another solution. We'd be better off if I just ate some more space for us.

"No!" Fia gasped. We need to save our rations for the ocean. Besides, haven't you eaten enough food?

The grumble of Viliant's belly answered for him. I could always eat more. Since we've had nothing but fish the past week, we've saved a bunch of extra meat. One bite wouldn't hurt.

Fia narrowed her eyes at Viliant. When it came to pacing their meals so that their rations would last the full journey, she doubted his judgement. Before she could come up with another idea, the boots of the sailors drew dangerously close. Fia tumbled out of the crate so that the lid could fall shut. Her tail swished against the wooden floor, and she looked up to the men with crystal eyes.

"Hey, Fia," Pako greeted the pink dragonette. "Is this your box of rations?"

"Yep, that's right," Fia touted. Frantically, she communicated with Viliant who remained in the box. Stay down! I'll follow you in a different box.

No, Fia! Viliant would snarl in objection if only he did not want the noise to blow his cover. Their plan would only work if the sailors did not suspect that Fia and Viliant tried to sneak on Captain Mawsig's ship through the cargo. What if you end up going to the wrong ship?

Fia's wings drooped to wrap around her body. She had not considered the possibility that she could end up separated from Viliant, shipped back to Syene as a grievous destination.

"Is everything alright?" Pako questioned after Fia's sudden change in attitude. "Is it all ready to go?"

A gasp caught in Fia's throat. She needed to think fast.

No, Viliant demanded her to respond. Send them away, so we can try again—

"Yes!" Fia blurted out before she could register Viliant's excellent suggestion. I'll glide onto the ship at night, Fia shared her own idea belatedly.

As the men picked up the crate with a grunt, the soft sound of Viliant's groan came from inside the box. Fia…. This isn't good. We're gonna get separated, then I'll have to jump off the ship at the last minute. We're about to lose our meat—

Stop! This is just fine. Once Viliant resisted his urge to catastrophize in her mind, the more that Fia recognized how their situation was salvageable. When it's dark, you can help me with your shadow magic. No one will even notice me fly onto the ship. She trotted after Pako and the other man who carried the box with confidence.

"I swear this box of meat got even heavier the second time around," Pako remarked.

Viliant swayed atop the slabs of meat as the sailors hefted the crate up the ladder. I sure hope you're right, Viliant said to Fia. Though he dreaded all the ways that their plan might go wrong, this also seemed like their best chance for success at this point.