The next morning, Sahshir found he had overslept in his cabin. He dressed in a hurry, washing his face and shaving. Finding arrangements for apartments in the palace had been trouble enough. The palace was filled with Octavus' entourage, bustling and speaking in corners. All while turning up their noses at the servants. There was an elaborate gambit pileup going on between officials. It had to do with access to the Queen Mother, and he heard the name Lilas brought it up several times.

Apparently, the merchant had invested heavily in prostitution and become very rich by Zigilus' fall. That had gotten him the ear of quite a few people. There had also been mentioned something about Dakan, who was dead.

Sahshir did not care about this at all. If there was a problem with these silken-clad fops, he was sure violence could sort it out. Granted, they could be a threat. But they sneered at and dismissed Nagos' officials and servants. Which made them idiots.

While Sahshir was no political expert, Nagos' people knew the ground. And since the current gambit pileup was taking place on his ground, it were relevant. The dismissive attitude toward Nagos and his people was potentially suicidal.

They were alive because Nagos was much smarter than they were. And they weren't worth killing.

Whatever plan they had, it would probably fall through during the war. The world was not a gameboard, and anyone who thought so was an idiot. The fact that they thought they could control the outcome meant they didn't stand a chance.

And then there were some rumors about the Queen being angry her brother could not come with them. Or something along those lines, Sahshir didn't really care. Although he was an excellent swordsman, he may be missed.

Not all of them were polite, of course. Some, primarily the lower ranked, we reasonably courteous. Mostly the sort like Marius, though Narcissa still hated him for Zigilus.

In the end, he'd slept on the ship rather than stay there. So he was when he got down onto the pier, he saw Nagos speaking with his officers.

The boy ran to meet him. "Sahshir, there you are. We're just about ready to go."

Narcissa was sitting at the pier, high heels hanging down and axe propped over her legs. Her blue eyes were gazing out to sea, and her hair was down, blowing in a sea breeze.

"I don't like this, Sahshir," said Narcissa. "We ought to wait for Raj to come and help us."

"Raj could be away for longer than we can wait," said Sahshir. "In any case, I doubt I'd be any help with him, but on Macshore, I may be of some service."

"Whatever you say," said Narcissa, standing.

"Right, let's get to it," said Nagos.

"Nagos?" blurted Narcissa.

"Yes?" asked Nagos in turn.

"What was on those letters you wrote for Serna to take?" asked Narcissa.

"It was me making suggestions," said Nagos. "Though I hope they won't realize they were suggestions."

"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Narcissa.

"Well, I sort of wrote in such a way that showed my concern," said Nagos. "And also hinted at the best way to go about things without actually saying it outright."

"Why not just say it immediately," said Sahshir.

"Because then they wouldn't do it out of principle," said Nagos.

The final preparations were made, and the ships moved out of the harbor briskly. Nagos' vessels were altogether different from what Sahshir was used to. For one thing, they were works of art. They were painstakingly carved with designs of gold dragons and serpents. For another, they had more expansive decks. No doubt to accommodate the devices that Nagos called Steam Cannons. They'd also been set up below deck so that each side of the vessel had eight.

"Nagos," said Sahshir, "how do you intend to close with the enemy vessels like this?"

"I'm not," said Nagos. "It's sort of a strategy." And then he explained how it worked.

Sahshir had his doubts on the subject as they headed along for the next few days. The weather was good, but the wind started to die down gradually. Eventually, the crew had oar work to go on. Sahshir was able to restore the natural order with the blade, though it took a great deal of work.

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Even so, their progress was slowed, and it took four days, instead of three, to come within sight of Macshore. It was a flat-looking island, with a vast forest at the center. Looking through a telescope, Sahshir could see that the land dipped further inland. Trees were dispersed throughout the island at set intervals. Between them were farms. Huge numbers of farms were worked by slaves who had chains around their limbs. Some of them were Kalthakian.

They had been sold like cattle, taken in raids or captured in battle. Sahshir felt disgusted at the idea but kept it to himself. Now was not the time.

At that moment, Admiral Yin appeared, wearing a blue mask over his armor. All the high-ranking officers in Nagos' fleet wore masks, except Nagos, who wore no armor. "King Nagos, I've just received word from the merfolk. A Sornian Fleet has been spotted heading for it from the opposite side, toward the main port. Unfortunately, at our current pace, we won't be able to intercept it. "The wind itself seems to have conspired to ensure their victory."

"We can't let them land on MacShore," said Sahshir.

"Actually," said Nagos, "this could work perfectly if I know the Sornians. We'll wait here out of sight until they land." He motioned to one of the smaller ones. "We'll wait until they begin their invasion. Knowing them, they'll want to loot the place."

"Shouldn't we seek to prevent that?" asked Sahshir.

"Nah, if we face them directly, they'll probably either veer off or go after us smart," said Nagos. "Using the Crescent Moon formation requires the enemy to charge in without thinking. And I know how to get them to do that."

"Won't they kill the people in the city?" asked Narcissa.

"Eh, they'll want to use them to make their presence legitimate," said Nagos. "And sacking the place completely would wreck the economics. Besides, they're slaveowners."

"Why should that make a difference?" asked Sahshir.

Nagos sighed. "We have a religious bias against slavery in Chaminus. Anyone who keeps slaves must give them up after getting there or be put to death. Anyway, Yin, get us into position.

"Send out a ship and try to lure them to us, then get us into position. Have them signal us with fireworks once they get the enemy to pursue. Try to draw off as many as you can from the island."

Yin nodded and went off, giving commands and sending signals. One of the faster vessels went off while Yin gradually arranged the ships. They formed into the shape of a crescent moon, with their guns facing inward. Soon reports came in of the Sornian Fleet. Nagos paced back and forth, but he seemed more impatient than nervous. Narcissa had a strange look on her face.

"Merfolk?" asked Narcissa.

"Oh yeah, see this one time my ship sank, and Serna, and I got taken prisoner by the merfolk as a curiosity," said Nagos. "But I convinced the Fish King that I'd be of more use to them on the surface."

"How did you do that?" asked Sahshir.

"With a winning smile and my charming personality," said Nagos, beaming.

"And?" asked Narcissa.

"And also, I paid them a lot of money," admitted Nagos. "See, at the time, Serna and I were searching for a lot of buried treasure on a unique island using a map we found. So I asked them to release us onto the island, and we'd get them the treasure.

"In exchange, they gave us transport back home."

"So you did all that work for nothing." guessed Narcissa.

"Not quite," said Nagos. "See, I only agreed to give them all the treasure I found. So, when I located the place the map said the treasure was, I dug while blindfolded.

"So, it was Serna who found most of the treasure. The only treasure I found was a chest of silver my shovel struck, and that's what I gave the Fish King."

"How did he take you cheating him?" asked Sahshir.

"You don't really think I'd be stupid enough to cheat a god, do you?" asked Nagos. "No, I said right up front that I only found one chest, and Serna found the rest. Therefore the chest I'd gotten them was all I owed them.

"That way, if the Fish King disagreed, he could just say so.

"He let it pass, and I returned later after becoming King to collect the rest."

"So why are you and the Fish King friends?" asked Narcissa.

"I gave him half of what I collected as a sign of goodwill," said Nagos. "I figured it would do me more good than the money. He was pleased and offered to give me information on ships in the future, and now we get on excellent.

"Ah, here we are.

"Now we wait, I guess."

"Nagos, you are way too enthusiastic about this," said Narcissa. "We're going to war. People are going to get killed."

"Only on the other side, if we play things right," said Nagos.

"Real war isn't like that, Nagos," said Narcissa. "There are deaths on both sides. My city was sacked. And another city is being sacked while we wait here!"

"Serna, I mean, Narcissa, don't worry," said Nagos. "Standard tactics in ship-to-ship combat is to board the enemy vessel and fight. But we're not going to board them.

"My Crescent Moon Formation is not standard tactic.

"As for the city, we can't do anything about it until we deal with the enemy ship, so there's no reason to get worried about it."

And then there was a crack, and a great explosion shot into the sky. Nagos smiled as it rose high. "The ships are returning." He turned to the men, who stood ready. "Alright, men, listen up! Today will be a day of glory! We will destroy the enemy fleet and win eternal victory for Chaminus and Dinis!" Dead silence followed for a moment. Nagos paused and, evidently, decided to change strategies. "Safara willing, by the end of today, we'll all be rich!"

A roar of cheers broke out throughout the entire fleet. Sahshir blinked. "That is not the speech I would have made."

"Eh, gold is a lot more motivating than country," admitted Nagos. "Forward! Start the war drums! Crescent Moon Formation!"

"You realize that only a few of your ships can hear you, don't you?" said Sahshir as the drums began. And the ships remained in the formation. "And they are already forming them."

"Let me enjoy the moment," said Nagos in irritation before walking to the ship's edge. As the cannon crews stood ready, the lure vessel came back. It shot through the water, and a formation of Sornian ships came behind it. As they saw them, they roared a battle cry and charged forward. The cannon crews made their final preparations as Nagos looked through his spyglass.

Lowering it, he smiled triumphantly. "There they are."

Closer and closer came the enemy as Nagos waited. Yin came forward. "All is in place. I pray you were right to leave the Dinis portion of our fleet behind."

"Are they in range?" asked Nagos as their vessels slipped past.

"Yes," said Yin.

Nagos replied by drawing his sword and stepping up onto the bulwark. "All batteries on my mark!" The Sornian fleet was passing into the crossfire. "FIRE!"

It was like all the lightning and thunder in the world had burst force momentarily. It could not have been more explosive if ten dragons had come roaring down from the sky with fire-belching. A sound like an avalanche roared, and Sahshir found his ears ringing. Nagos fell back, and before Sahshir's eyes, he saw the Sornian fleets crumble.

Cannon fire blasted them repeatedly, and each shot shredded part of the ship. Men were ripped to pieces or stabbed with dozens of huge splinters. Masts collapsed, even as Nagos' vessels moved in to envelop them.

Slowly Sahshir's hearing returned, and he watched as an entire fleet was broken. Within moments, several had fallen. Then, even as one barrage of cannons finished, another came in. Sahshir saw Nagos' men alternate their shots. They moved so quickly, as men who have drilled all their lives.

The fleet fled, desperately seeking to turn, but it was too late.

More volleys came in, and these were better aimed. At last, the remnants of the Sornian fleet were reduced to splinters. Not one man had fired an arrow in their own defense. Nor had they been able to turn their fleets around fully to even begin fleeing.

Massacre could not begin to describe it.

The screams of the dying, the sight of drowning men in the water.

It was terrible and awe-inspiring at once. Now Sahshir saw why Chaminus was the home of the heirs of Namina. "Baltoth plan this..."

"Yes!" cheered Nagos, roars of triumph came from the men. "Did you see that! A whole fleet sunk without a casualty!"

"People are drowning," said Narcissa.

"They could have value as hostages," said Yin.

Nagos sobered at once. "Fair enough. Send out some longboats to take prisoners and see if we can save anyone. Once they're below decks, we'll head to McShore and celebrate."

"King Nagos, MacShore is on fire," said Yin.

Nagos frowned. "Oh, right. Once they're below decks, we'll retake MacShore, and then we'll celebrate!"

Sahshir was beginning to see why Serna was afraid of Nagos wrath.