"I can't do it," Elise cried as she began to slow down. Her tiny lungs felt like two pulsating grapes in her chest. She had to keep running, but she didn't know if she had it in her.

"Speckles…" Tito said as he jogged as hard as he could.

"Mm?" Elise said back, feeling lightheaded. "Tito…"

"I don't know if this helps," the young lad said, "But when I want to give up, I simply think of my mom and my tribe. I know that's corny, but they've been a bedrock for me! You can do that too!"

Elise stared wide-eyed at her handsome hero. She knew exactly who to run for.

Her legs picked up again. Elise imagined Tito with his dark, tanned and handsome demeanor. Her legs moved faster. She then imagined her father, finally standing tall and free from the ghost blight. He grinned a manly bearded grin at her.

Her drive increased further. And lastly, she imagined herself, free of this stupid wheel and prison, sailing the Four Great Oceans once again.

There was a soft ding, and when Elise looked up, the needle on the gauge was in the green. She slumped to her knees and sighed.

Soon, her allies followed in setting off the gauge and the wheels opened, freeing them from their prison.

Z mercifully let the Lyre's crew go free for the night but everyone was so tired they immediately retired to bed.

All through the night, Elise was tormented by dreams of hamster wheels and squat gremlin cyclopses playing heavy metal riffs on guitars. But as bad as her dreams were, they didn't last too long because a trumpet sounded at the crack of dawn.

Elise groaned from her grey, ratty cot. She opened her eyes to see Florian Cornbury tooting loudly on his brass trumpet, not even attempting to hit the right notes. As everyone shot him hostile glares from behind the bars, he smirked and lisped happily, "Whath the thory, morning glory?"

Florian put his trumpet behind his back and grinned innocently. "I take it you didn't enjoy our late night cardio program?"

Sincirce was the first to talk, her voice high and irrate. "Thanks to that little old program, I've got calluses on my calluses!"

"And I…" Tony sobbed, "Am missing part o' ma tail fin!"

"Why?" Elise asked in tears. "Why must you do this to us!"

Florian raised an eyebrow and tilted his head. "Ah I'm sorry. This program was installed by our latest director."

"Tell me his name," Sincirce said with veins in her eyes. "I'd like to turn this director into a gerbil and see how he likes it!"

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Florian strolled over to Sincirce and leaned in close to her. He made sure not to get too close to her magical cell, however. "Ah yes, the director's name is Woodenya!"

"Woodenya?" Sincirce said, pursing her lips in confusion. "Is that Fishysauzish?"

"Nope," Florian chortled. "Woodenya like to know!"

Immediately, Florian burst into a round of foppish laughter causing Sincirce to turn redder than a baked apple.

Captain Archibell eyed the Warden like a hawk. "Top tier pun," he remarked. "But puns are meant to bring joy, not spite."

The foppish warden stopped chortling to glare at the Lyre's crew. "I have no need explaining myself to the lowest of the low. You lot ain't worthy of licking the scum off my boots!"

"Why you lout," Tony shouted, "I oughta clean your clock, ya fop!""

"Careful now, fishy-wishy!" Florian teased. "Wouldn't want to cause a hate crime. Or more like a hater crime since you're all haters of my posh tushy!"

"Err….um," Tony smiled nervously. "Would you rather I polish your clock?"

"Much better," Florian said, "The one on my mantle piece is getting rather dusty! Now then."

Florian blew an obnoxious fanfare on his trumpet and marched off. "Breakfast time? Who's ready for my homemade Cornbury bread. Made with real cornberries!"

Elise turned bright green. "I really hope cornberries are real fruit!"

"They are…" Tito chuckled.

The mess hall was fortunately sanctioned by Queen Annabell so the floors were slick and polished and the food was not too bad either. The Cornbury bread tasted sweet and a bit fruity and the water washed it down nicely. Elise begrudgingly ate it at the table, knowing that Cornbury and his bread sat on a throne of lies.

"What are we gonna do?" Sincirce moaned. "I'm missing my Diamond of Life and I'm doing an extremely torturous work out routine, I'll be ancient by tomorrow!"

"Don't worry, Sincirce," Tony said as he flipped on the table. "You're already old news to me and it ain't tomorrow!"

Sincirce reached her fingers out to summon a spell, but her magic fizzed out from the cuffs. "Curse these cuffs," she wailed. "I can't even make this idiot's mouth disappear."

Elise and Tito ignored their bantering and instead, they asked Captain Archibell what they were going to do.

"How are we gonna find out what this corny fool is up to?" Tito asked. "He obviously isn't gonna tell us."

"I don't wanna run again," Elise sobbed, and it made Archibell frown with sympathy.

"We gotta escape somehow!" Archibell said, "That's all there is to it...But how?"

A large man at the table cleared his throat loudly. "Do you really want to know a way out? There's one guy who got really close to it."

"Who?" Elise asked.

The man pointed over to a lanky, birdlike man with a scar over his eye and a buzz cut. The birdlike man slid over to a table with Cornbury bread and swiftly swiped a piece of bread with a magician-like speed. "They call him, the Moonshadow. The stealthiest pirate in the Four Great Oceans."

"Hold on a sec," Archibell said, "That name sounds familiar. Wasn't he renowned for his Mainland heists? I think he even stole some stuff from me that lubber."

"Considering a kid like me stole stuff from you," Tito remarked. "That's not saying much!"

"Ouch," Archibell said, "I resent that, kid! I wonder what landed him in prison."

"I dunno!" The big man said, "Why don't you ask the Moonshadow yerselves."

"Sounds like a plan!" Archibell said, "I think I will."

The big man laughed. "I'd watch out though! It's pretty difficult to have an audience with him."

"Oh yeah?" Archibell said, "Just watch us! Come on who's with me, guys"

"Not like we got much of a choice…" Tony answered.

The Lyre's crew exchanged exasperated expressions before they stood up and headed over to the Moonshadow who was gazing at the shiny wall. "Err...exsqueeze me, mate," Archibell said, tapping him on the shoulder. "I'd like to talk with y…"

Without any warning, the Moonshadow vanished from sight.