Erin struggled to control her breathing as she looked down at the ship. A thin, transparent barrier separated her from the answers she sought. She walked toward the lake, reaching out her hand. She was so close. A gloved hand reached out and grabbed her wrist, stopping her from stepping onto the barrier.

"Be careful," Jean said, nodding down to the area. "There's an aetheric charge to this barrier. If you touch it, it will throw you very far, I think."

"So, to access this ship, we must journey and turn off the power source." Sayed nodded, crossing his arms.

"That is correct." Firril nodded, tilting her head as she looked back at them.

"I'm alright now," Erin said, and Jean let go of her wrist.

Truly, she wasn't sure, but she wasn't going to kill herself because of a stupid mistake intentionally. It was just that the ship was so close. Everything she wanted to know for the last few months was down there, and it was hard not to give in to that temptation.

"We don't want to lose such a valuable team member." Jean smiled with a soft chuckle.

Erin's ears burned as she walked away from the dried-out lake bed toward Firril. She thought it might be better if she didn't look at the ship. She wasn't sure it would work, but she might as well try. After a few moments of focus, she could just barely ignore that the ship was down there.

"The barrier's all around the ship, right?" Alex asked. "There's no other way to get in?"

"No," Firril said. "The aetherstorm powers it and surrounds the entire ship."

"And all three need to be turned off?"

"Deactivating one or two will weaken the barrier, but it will still be active. Runa designed it to operate during repairs, though those haven't ever been needed."

"How easy is it to deactivate?" Erin asked.

"In each tower is a lever attached to a metal pillar," Firril said. "All you need to do is pull the lever to turn off the power. The real problem is the guardians."

"Guardians?"

"Machines built to defend the towers. Runa designed them to ensure no one could reach through the barrier without being strong enough."

"A grand fight?" Sayed said, a smile cracking across his face and showing his teeth.

"Oh, don't tell him that." Alex sighed. "Now he's never going to stop."

"I'm surprised with how many defenses there are," Jean said. "It seems like Runa built a gauntlet of trials to keep out people long after she was gone."

"She wasn't sure when people would return," Firril said. "She didn't even know if Roald's plan would ever succeed. Runa was always the kind of person who would give her best if a friend asked, though. She built everything to ensure that Roald's plan would work when Mari returned here."

"Unless we lose to the guardians." Alex laughed, shaking his head as he looked down at Mari. "He's got a lot of trust in us."

"He does," Mari whispered.

"So, we need to turn off those beacons if we want our answers," Alex said, cracking his knuckles. "There are three towers, four of us, five if you count Mari."

He paused as he looked over everyone and then sighed.

"We'll split up." A shudder went through his body. "Realistically, Mari will just slow us down, so one of us stays here with her while the other three go and shut down the towers. Then we get back as fast as possible and examine the ship."

"You have a way with words." Erin sighed. "A blunt way."

"It is my specialty." Alex snorted. "Anyone want to volunteer to stay behind?"

"I may be able to find something useful in those books," Erin said, raising a hand. "And like Mari, I would just slow you three down. You're monsters, but I'm only human."

"Hey, don't sell yourself short." Alex smiled. "You're at least half monster."

"You've held your own in many of our battles," Sayed said, rubbing at his beard.

"But I'll also use the time for some research," Erin said. "There were a lot of books back in Runa's room. There might be some answers there I can find before we even get to the ship."

She knelt and waved Mari over, and Mari waddled through the snow in her heavy coats. She held out her hand, and Mari grabbed hold of it. She didn't mind watching Mari. Having Mari around was like having a little sister—a smart sister who could read and help her look through books for useful information.

"That sounds like a plan." Alex nodded. "Now we just need to figure out who goes where."

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"I am in favor of letting the bones decide," Jean said, reaching into his coat and pulling out a purple pouch that everyone knew was filled with bones.

"We could do that," Alex sighed. "But I'd rather know if there's anything special about the guardians first. Are they designed specifically, or all three the same, Firril?"

"The one to the southwest is similar to Gary," Firril said.

Sayed's immediate smile told Erin that was where he would go, regardless of what Jean said the bones told him.

"The one to the north was built similar to the turrets, and the one to the southeast uses a spear."

"These feel almost made to fight us." Jean looked down at his pouch. "Even without the bones, it feels like fate is pulling us forward!"

"Yeah," Alex said, looking off to the north. "Everyone knows where they're going then?"

"Yes," Sayed and Jean said at the same time.

"Then let's get going." Alex nodded as he pulled the hood of his coat over his head and started north.

Erin stood with Firril and Mari as she watched them go. Once the three of them were out of sight on their own paths away from the mountain, she felt Mari squeezing her hand. Looking down at Mari, she noticed cold, clear tears running down her face.

----------------------------------------

Wen watched the docks below as Bibi's ship descended. The entire bounty hunting crew was kitted out in new clothing, heavy grey winter jackets taken from the crew quarters and shared among them. Only Bibi was without any form of protection, his golden armor gleaming even in the clouded-over sky.

Crack-boom!

Purple lightning blasted down from the sky above, catching the side of the mountain with its jagged strike and momentarily sending up a cloud of smoke in the oncoming snow. Wen kept a hand on her gun out of habit more than fear. Her weapons couldn't do anything in the face of that kind of power, but they made her feel safe regardless.

"Closer, closer," Bibi whispered as the ship descended to the docks.

Click. Pssh. Clink. Click.

Kali snapped a photo of Bibi looking out over the island, her eyes still wide as she rolled a wheel in the camera. All of her photos would have to be vetted by Bibi now, but she was already adapting to the new restriction. Wen grimaced as she thought about how precarious her position was. Wen had the option of defense, on some level, even with all the other bounty hunters present. Kali just had her camera.

"We are close enough!" Bibi yelled toward the helm.

"That's a Military Police vessel, isn't it?" Hopkins walked to the edge of the railing next to Wen. "What would they be doing out here?"

He was the only one in the group who had yet to change into heavier clothing. He was still in his long black coat and wide-brimmed black hat. Wen didn't know how he could stand the cold wind that cut through her body every few minutes, even with her heavy clothes.

"No idea," Wen said. "If they are really Military Police, I don't think Bibi will be able to protect himself if he goes through with his plan."

"You trust them more than I do." Hopkins shook his head. "Life doesn't play out like a story."

"How did you even get involved in all of this?"

"He found me and offered too much money to refuse." Hopkins shrugged. "Same as you. Same as everyone else. It doesn't help that he's nobility. You know what they can do."

Wen did know. There were multiple ranks of nobility, but each one had power. They didn't necessarily have curses, but they had real political power. In the Twelve Kingdoms, a noble could declare you dead, and anyone with any sense would kill you. In the Fringes, they were more careful with their pronouncements, but if word ever got back to the Twelve Kingdoms, an entire island could be destroyed for crossing a noble.

"If we moved fast enough, he would be dead," Wen said.

"Your hand would be on the ground before you drew the gun," Hopkins said, his hand on the hilt of his sword. "I understand he's not a good person, but none of the nobility are. We were doomed the second he heard our names."

Wen grimaced. Hopkins was right, of course. Of the four of the bounty hunters, he was the most experienced. However, that didn't mean she liked it. In her life, she had known too many men with power who thought they could get what they wanted. She eyed Kali. What would she be willing to do when push came to shove? She didn't know.

"Well, we all just need to get through this," Wen said.

Whoosh.

A cold wind cracked across the ship and shook it beneath their feet. Wen grabbed hold of the railing and saw Bibi raise one arm toward the ship. When he had shot the captain, he had raised the other arm and shot out a bullet. This time, he raised his left arm.

"This is how we handle trespassers on Diamond Peak!" he yelled as a panel on his armor opened.

Click. Boom. Whoosh. Crack. Boom.

Wen wouldn't describe it as a bullet because that didn't explain what it did to the ship's hull below. A black ball shot out from Bibi's armor with explosive force, sending it down at the ship at high speed. She could only spot it because she was used to looking for small objects. It slammed into the ship's hull, penetrating the metal armor with a crack and erupting with an explosion inside. The ship shuddered under the attack before sagging over to its size. Smoke rose from the hole in its side.

"Now, let us fly to the keep," Bibi said, stepping away from the railing. "There will be no escape for these trespassers. We will find them wherever they hide on this island and teach them what happens when they sully my family's lands."

The ship shuddered as it rose against the winds, its light sails ripping back and forth as crosswinds tore at it. Wen bit her lip as the ship fought its way up the mountain. There was no way it would make it in the storm. Bibi was going to get them killed before they even landed.

"Prince," Mister Foley said, clutching one of the masts tight. "I don't think it is a good idea to sail up in this storm. We might lose the ship."

Bibi turned on him in an instant. He ran across the deck, his armor keeping him balanced as he slammed one fist into the mast. Wood splintered out from the impact, and Mister Foley flinched. Wen saw him clack his fingers together like he would respond with force back, but Mister Foley stopped before he went too far.

"Are you saying we must delay?"

"I'm saying if we want to catch your trespassers, we won't do it dead on the mountain," Mister Foley said. "Isn't there a way up the mountain other than flying?"

"There isn't." Bibi turned to him, going toward the cabin. "Even if it shreds our sails, we will reach the top!"

"What about the mines?" Wen asked, and Bibi rounded on her.

"The mines?"

"We need to be able to leave the island when this is all done," Wen said, shaking her head. "We can't do that with shredded sails. Listen to reason. We cannot fly up that mountain."

Bibi looked ready to explode, but it all stopped once he took a deep breath. He stood there for a few moments, breathing in and out before he seemed to gather himself back together. Wen eyed him until, finally, he seemed ready to speak.

"I understand. Let me go tell the crew."

As he walked away, Wen realized that she needed another plan. Trusting Bibi to his word was impossible. If she wanted to survive, she needed to make some hard choices soon. It wasn't the first time in her life she had to make those kinds of choices, but if she wanted to live, she was about to have a career change.