As it turned out, Cyll remembered how to sail. Thousands of years might have dulled his memories, but the man had Charbrand dancing like a puppet at the tips of his fingers. The small ship skipped across the gentle waves effortlessly.

“I’m sorry you got caught up in our troubles,” Maya said weakly.

It had been two days since the fight. Maya had lapsed into unconsciousness the moment they left Hook bay behind. She’d only woken up a few hours ago, and her body was still recovering from the injuries Axel had inflicted. Her palms were singed black and bruises covered her face and body.

“They’re the ones that brought me in,” Patty said. She looked out at the frothing water surrounding them. “You saved me. And now I can look at the sea.”

“I suppose so. At least we all survived and got a ship,” Maya said.

Cyll looked away from the ship’s wheel and walked down to join the two on the deck. He sat down beside Maya and inspected her injuries.

“They’re painful, but I don’t think anything is too serious,” Cyll said. “You’ll be on your feet again in no time. You’ll also be pleased to know that there was a navigator’s log in storage. If I read everything correctly, we’ll be at Bulsen in less than a few days.”

Maya forced herself to sit up, ignoring the pain that wracked through her with every movement. Patty helped her to her feet and Cyll adjusted the captain’s hat on her head before giving the young woman a firm nod.

“I saw your fight with Axel,” Cyll said abruptly. “You fought well.”

“I lost.”

“He had a hostage and a much more dangerous weapon. Not to mention we escaped. Our goal wasn’t to kill anyone,” Cyll corrected her.

Maya sat down on a barrel and looked up at the clouds. She sighed and shook her head.

“Sure, but I had ten years of constant fighting. Ten years! There shouldn’t have been a contest.”

“Careful now. You had ten years of experience. It’s a lot, but it ain’t the real thing. Our training was meant to give you a start, not replace anything. Experience helps, but it isn’t going to replace power. We – all of us – need to get stronger,” Cyll said.

“All of us?” Maya asked, glancing at Patty.

The puppet smiled and bowed her head slightly to Maya.

“I’d like to join your crew,” Patty said. “You’ve already helped me so much, and I want to repay that.”

Maya recalled Axel’s shocked face as he flew through the air and crashed through a building. She smirked and nodded her assent.

“I think we’d love to have you aboard. But what about finding your master?”

“Maybe we’ll run into him during our travels,” Patty said. She shrugged nonchalantly. A small grin crossed her face. “But I think I’d like to see the world a bit first, Captain.”

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Cyll grinned and ruffled Patty’s hair. The new pirate reached up, her arm extending unnaturally, to do the same to Cyll. She touched him on the head and then slammed him face first into the wooden deck. Cyll popped back up to his feet, laughing at Patty’s stricken expression.

“We’ve discovered that Patty doesn’t know how to control her strength. She’s already broken a few barrels, but nothing important. She’s really quite strong,” Cyll said. “I don’t know how much she can lift, but we haven’t found anything that she can’t lift, if you get my drift.”

“I noticed,” Maya said. She let out a laugh and smiled at Patty. “You’ll forgive me if I don’t shake your hand though.”

“That would probably be for the best,” Patty said with a shy grin.

The three of them slipped into jovial conversation, their troubles left far behind them across the sea. The next few days passed quickly. Luckily, the Charbrand had been packed with provisions by the Ashwind family, so they had all the food and water they needed. Maya’s injuries improved to the point where she could move around without doubling over in pain.

One day, as the sun began its rise above the horizon, a large grey speck appeared on the horizon. Cyll let a whoop, abandoning the wheel to run a victory lap around the boat.

“I knew I could do it! I had to guess a few times, but we made it,” he hollered.

“I’d prefer to think that you knew exactly what you were doing,” Maya said, laughing and ignoring the pain flowing through her. “But I’m glad we made it.”

“What will our goal be in Bulsen?” Patty asked.

Maya and Cyll exchanged a glance. The man rubbed the back of his head and sighed.

“When we first met, Maya sacrificed her Life-spark to save me. We’re looking for a replacement so she can awaken her abilities,” Cyll said.

“And also a doctor,” Maya grimaced. “A doctor would be nice.”

“We’ll get you fixed up,” Cyll agreed. “And, for the second time in a week, I need a new weapon.”

“What happened to your axe?” Maya asked.

“Gave it to Patty. She’s way stronger than I am, so we figured it would be in better hands with her. Besides, I’ve never been a big weapon fan. I prefer a bit more finesse,” Cyll said, casting a despondent glance towards his former axe.

“I have named the axe Pickles,” Patty said, patting the weapon fondly.

Maya’s eyebrow raised and she glanced at Cyll for an explanation.

“On account of her destroying a barrel of pickles the first time she swung it. She’s rather fond of them,” Cyll said.

Maya chuckled. Their conversation trailed off as Bulsen grew on the horizon. The sea city was truly imposing. It had huge stone walls covered with cannons and ballistae to ward off attacks. Patrol ships circled it like hungry sharks, and hundreds of guards manned the walls.

The city itself was massive. It was impossible to tell what was behind the walls, but excitement thrummed through the three pirates. Within a few hours, they’d grown close enough to the city for one of the patrol boats to break off and skip through the waves towards them. A solid blue flag waved at its mast.

Cyll stepped away from the wheel and gestured for Patty to raise the sails. Once she had, he dropped the anchor and Charbrand halted with a slight jerk. The patrol ship closed the distance between them quickly, anchoring just a few feet away from them in a display of nautical talent.

A clean shaven man hopped onto the Charbrand from the patrol boat. He had a crisp grey uniform studded with silver and blue metal buttons. His hair was tucked neatly under a small hat.

“Good day. My name is Officer Riget. What are your reasons for visiting Bulsen?” He asked.

“We’re seeking information and a doctor,” Maya said, showing the man her palms. The officer winced when he saw her hands.

“That looks painful, but if you’ve got the coin, you’ll be in good hands. Bulsen has some very talented healers. As for information,” the officer trailed off with a chuckle. “You won’t have any problems there.”

Riget paused for a moment. Then he reached behind his waistcoat and pulled several white pamphlets out. He gave each crewmember one of them and cleared his throat.

“Those are brief descriptions of what you can find in Bulsen. New program by the city council. I’d give you all the speech about ‘no funny business’ and the like, but we don’t need to waste time on that, do we?”

“I’d like to hear –” Patty started.

“We’re good,” Maya and Cyll quickly said.

The officer smirked and tipped his hat to them.

“Thought so. Don’t break the laws and I’m certain you’ll enjoy yourselves. Welcome to Bulsen.”