A few days later, Relma liked their journey far better.

The seas beneath the vessel provided by Evren were serene and calm. They were reflecting the morning light. Against the reddish backdrop, it was like fire on the horizon. It was distantly burning on the mountain walls. The wind brought with it the scent of salt, and the air was cool beneath it. Relma had never seen the sea before, but Estela claimed it was far different in Escor. The waves crashed violently therey, and the water was cold, butit was wonderful hereul.

"Sea of Horses is so calm," said Relma, breathing in the fresh hair.

"Yes, well, the sea here is surrounded by mountains on every side," said Ajax, "so it's technically inland. Vrengar raised them up long ago to seal things off, though there are a few Sornian ports to the north.

"I have a map here if you want?"

And he drew it out and passed it to Relma. She took it and looked over it. It was a nice map of the nation, though the Sun Soul Empire didn't seem filled in. From the looks of things, there were several large islands off the coast of the Dragon Empire.

It was in a similar position to Estal. You could raid just about anywhere from it.

Judging from the location, the Dragon Empire had a huge advantage over Highwatch. Highwatch itself was in a mountainous peninsula leading into a hilly region. But the Conquista of Anoa could easily sail anywhere on the coast and raid. Or, if they wanted to raid the Sun Soul Empire, they could go downriver and raid along that. The river, Bryag's River, led into the Southmost Mountains and the sea beyond.

Of course, that left the question of where all the undead had come from. It seemed like the sort of thing someone would call upon as an escalation. It was a desperate act to keep a hostile power from taking everything over. Adrianeth had been called upon in Southern Gel Carn in a similar situation.

The Dusk Lands were a living testament to that kind of mass destruction. Relma was determined that wouldn't happen here. Not if she could stop it.

"Why is it called the sea of horses anyway?" asked Relma.

"Apparently," said Ajax. "The horses fled overseas to several islands. And the Gods let in the sea to block the pursuing Harlenorians."

"Where did you get this?" asked Relma.

"I stole it," said Ajax with a shrug.

"Ajax!" said Relma.

"What?" said Ajax. "We're technically at war with these people, and they hunt wolves."

"That doesn't mean we should be stealing from them," said Relma.

"Maybe not," said Ajax, "but it doesn't mean we can't."

"But I-" Relma gave up. They were probably miles and miles away from wherever he got this. She looked over to where Estela and Jomas were standing some ways off. Those two had been getting a lot closer. "Estela, Jomas, how are you doing?"

"I still have some aches from facing those we were grabbed by those undead," said Estela. "It still hurts."

"I'm fine," said Jomas.

Relma moved over to him and wondered if he was putting on a brave face, actually fine or unaware he was not fine. His expression didn't change much, always somber and contemplative. "Jomas, can I ask you something. Why did you flare up against Evren like that? It could have gotten us killed."

"He deserved to hear it," said Jomas.

"Yes, but it could have killed us all and caused our quest to fail," said Relma.

"I'm a knight," said Jomas flatly. "Knights speak the truth."

"Yes, but they could choose not to speak the truth at the worst possible moment," said Relma.

"He deserved to hear it," said Jomas with a shrug.

"And did we deserve to be killed because of your recklessness?" asked Estela flatly. Then she stalked off.

"I would have won," said Jomas.

"He'd have melted you and your armor instantly," said Estela.

"I'd have gotten him with my hammer," said Jomas.

"At the expense of your life," said Relma.

"Me living is a problem," said Jomas with a shrug.

Relma was unsure how to react to that for a moment. She wondered why Jomas would say that but wasn't sure what to say. "What do you mean?"

"Estela doesn't want to marry me," said Jomas. "If I die, she doesn't have to."

"Well, you can't just let yourself get killed because of that!" said Relma.

"I wasn't," said Jomas flatly. "I was going to kill Evren. What he did was wrong."

Why was Jomas so confident about all this? Did he think he could have killed Evren with the one stroke he'd be able to get off? "Look, just try to avoid starting any more fights with huge dragons in the future."

And then Wrynncurth landed behind them, looking very pleased with himself. He stretched out his neck, and the sound of cracking could be heard as he stretched his jaw. "Ah, yes, I'm finally back to flying! My thanks to you, Captain."

"You've recovered at last?" asked Relma, walking over to them. He'd been a bit weak for a while, even having a sick spell. He'd put a lot of himself into their escape.

"More or less," said Wrynncurth. "I had to make a snack of a few undead, but once I'd devoured them, I had my power restored. Being in combat helped get the blood running again. Still, might want

At that moment, the Captain of the ship came forward. The crew had been sure not to speak with them save when necessary. Only occasionally did they communicate, and it was only for important information.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"Lord Wrynncurth, we've spotted ships from the Conquista of Anoa ahead," said one. "They are flying the colors of piracy."

Relma did look there and saw the vessels heading toward them. They were like the Harlenorian ships Relma had seen pictures of. Yet there was more rope and vast numbers of men ready for war. And they had a great black flag above them, a symbol of piracy she had read of: the sickle and skull.

"Colors of piracy, old chap?" asked Wrynncurth, sounding cheerfully bemused.

"Yes, it means they intend to seize our ship by force," said the Captain. "If we allow them on, they'll take only part of the cargo. If we resist, they'll kill us all.

"We'll have to slow down."

"Are you not at peace with them?" asked Estela.

"Not with these; they're from the islands of Asacar," said the Captain. "They've never accepted the truce. They're to the north and often raid shipping."

"And you mean to let them land?" asked Estela. "Are you not going to fight?"

"Of course not, I don't intend to fight with these if I can avoid it," said Estela.

"Coward," scoffed Estela. "Well, I intend to resist, and if you don't fight with me, you'll be killed like sheep."

"What?" said the Captain. "But you can't do that! Look at them! They are armed to the teeth, with armor and bows!"

"Then we'll die gloriously," said Estela, drawing her sword.

"Estela, these are potential allies," said Relma. "What if killing them causes problems later?"

"What, so we are to lie down and let them rob us?" asked Estela. "I think not; House Vortegex does not cower!"

"They've raised the red flag now!" said a man in panic. "Now they'll kill us all no matter what we do! Why did Evren withdraw our escort!"

Probably because of Jomas, actually.

The ships were closing fast now as men scurried this way and that. They were arming themselves or checking rigging.

"Then I suggest you help us kill them first," said Estela, before going down. Coming back, she strung her bow and drew it back. As she did, an arrow lodged itself in the deck.

Estela scowled, then pulled back an arrow and launched it. The arrow shot over the waves and caught a man in the eye. Then she drew back another one and shot another.

The pirates responded, but virtually all of their arrows went wide. It was difficult to fire over this range, though not for Estela. One after another, the men fell to arrows, and not one missed.

"We have no choice now," said Wrynncurth. "Well done, old girl."

"Captain, tell your men to arm themselves and prepare to do battle!" snapped Esela, firing another shot. It caught a man through the throat. By now, the crew onboard the ship were in a panic. "Are you men or mice? Stand firm and do battle with them!"

Now, the ships were closing toward them rapidly. One of them got ahead, and ropes were thrown over. Relma went to get Lightning Trail. Even as she did, the enemy leaped over. Jomas smote one with his hammer in midair. Two arrows lodged in his shield as Estela shot two dead with her bow. More men were coming over the deck, and one of the crew was disarmed and stabbed.

As he fell, screaming, Relma leaped to his side and lay hands on him. His wounds healed and she gave him back his sword. The sound of screaming and fighting was all around her, and she saw bodies falling onto the deck. Estela was now wielding her sword and cutting a man's throat. Relma saw another man fall back, stabbed in the shoulder.

As he slid to the ground screaming, Relma rushed toward him. A smiling pirate swung a sword, but she rolled under it and got to the man. Laying on their hands, she healed him before catching a glint from her right eye. Ducking, she felt something pass over where her neck had been. Rolling to one side, she drew Lightning Trail and parried two blows.

Then, the man she'd healed stabbed her attacker and went into the fray. Looking around, Relma saw others to heal and went to them. As she did, she saw they were winning. The enemy crew was dying faster, not expecting such resistance. And those that fell on their side did not rise again. Relma, one healer, was making a huge difference in things. Jomas was healing them now and then as well. Two-thirds of the enemy crew were now dead and many wounded, while Relma's side was intact.

A proper healer made a real difference in battle.

But the other two enemy ships were nearing as a shadow passed over them all. The men halted their fighting and looked up, faces pale.

And then Bryag dropped out of the skies. Descending, he breathed downward a wave of flame toward the ships. It caught the leading ship head-on, and it burst into flame. The ocean water boiled beneath the onslaught. Waves crashed against their ship, throwing the deck this way and that. As Bryag turned in midair, his claws cut through the ocean. The impact sent a vast wave toward them.

Men leaped to the deck, clinging to whatever they could as the wave hit them head-on. Relma was clinging to the mast for a moment, and then it was over. Looking up, she saw a great, steaming inferno where a ship once had been. Briefly, Relma saw the silhouette of the vessel. Then the flames cleared, and there was nothing left.

Nothing but smoke and steam, rising up to obscure everything in sight.

It was like hell itself had opened a portal in the center. And beyond it, she could hear the other ships' screams of alarm and horror. People were screaming Bryag's name in horror.

"Um, that was..." said Relma.

"Explosive," said Wrynncurth. "Well done, Bryag, old chap!"

"Hail, Bryag!" said a man.

"Hail Bryag!" said the rest and the cry went up with cheers.

"Enough," said the Captain, who had his head together. "If our enemies are alive, they've surely lost heart, and we're obscured from view. Turn to starboard; we'll get some distance while we can."

Wrynncurth, however, looked somewhat put out. "He saw me twice now but didn't even swoop down to say hello."

"I'm sure Bryag didn't recognize you," said Relma quickly. "I mean, it has been two hundred years. Maybe he thinks you've grown to a huge size or something."

"A nice enough thought," said Wrynncurth. "But I'm going to go see what happened to the other two ships." And he soared into the air again.

Relma looked to where Estela was looking at her quiver. Estela's expression was both annoyed and disappointed. She seemed to be counting her arrows with one finger. "...Are you alright, Estela?"

"Yes, fine," said Estela, sighing.

"You really wanted to fight the pirates, didn't you?" asked Relma.

"Shut up," said Estela. "I lost five arrows. And if I'd waited five minutes, Bryag would have fried them. And no one is ever going to remember my archery.

"I mean, did you see that? I caught him in the eye on my first shot! Garrick would never be able to do that, I'll."

"We can set up an archery contest after we finish stopping a full-scale war," said Relma.

"Don't patronize me, Relma," said Estela. "You are my squire."

"I was being serious," said Relma. "What's wrong with an archery contest."

They saw no more of the pirates. Wrynncurth came back later and reported that the other two vessels had survived. However, they had apparently decided not to fight Bryag and turned to run away, which was probably the only intelligent move, given the circumstances.

Even so, Wrynncurth was out of sorts for days and days after it happened. Relma often caught him pacing restlessly or scouring the skies. Sometimes he'd disappear for an entire day and fly inward, only to come back.

Relma wondered if he was looking for Bryag. Privately, she began to doubt that Bryag had not seen him. After all, he'd seen them twice and seemed to have taken a personal step.

"Wrynncurth, is everything alright?" Relma finally asked. Why hadn't he helped? Did he consider himself neutral in all this?

"Bryag and I always used to be close," said Wrynncurth. Closer than Vanessa and me, even. He used to idolize me when he was a hatchling.

"I hope he doesn't resent me for what happened. I really will have to do something about this whole thing later. Still, for now-"

"Land ahoy! The island of Anoa's Command lies before us!" cried a man.

"At last," said Estela. "We can get this over with."

Well, it had been an eventful voyage. But overall, it was very nice.

Relma decided she liked sea travel.

So she set to work healing the injured and saved many lives.

Unfortunately, the Captain ordered all the prisoners executed so they would not seek revenge.