Mr. Félix was already prepared to leave his home. Much of his belongings and provisions were either in the bag or the chest, and all he had to do was close both and carry them out of the house.

As we left, Azurea asked, "How long were you planning to leave?"

"You misunderstand," said Mr. Félix. "As someone who was always on the move, I learned it is better to have little on you since you never knew when you would be uprooted."

"Did you learn this from being a pirate?" I asked with some disdain when saying the word pirate.

"No. Before that, I was a naval pilot for the French."

"The French? They only recently got their act together with their navy 15 years ago, but Clovis died a year before that. Did you join Clovis because you were unsatisfied with how your country ran the navy?"

"That's… scarily close," Mr. Félix said, dumbfounded.

We walked the rest of the way to the boat in silence, which was soon replaced by the faint creak of wood from the dock as it was buffered by the salt water. Eventually, Mr. Félix stopped at the vessel that had an aura of dignity despite its size.

Its hull was polished smooth from regular care, the wood gleaming faintly under the dim lantern light of the dock. Every rope was coiled with precision, the deck scrubbed clean, and even the patched sail furled neatly against the mast, all speaking to Mr. Félix's pride as a navy man. Though it lacked the imposing presence of larger ships, the boat's orderliness gave it a sense of quiet dignity, as if its reliability mattered more than appearance.

On the stern of the ship was the name La Discrète.

"It almost looks new," Azurea marveled.

"Thank you," Mr. Félix said bashfully. "Although it's great for island hopping, even she can only handle so much if not properly cared for."

"Another habit from the military?"

"That one came from my pirate days. Now hurry up and get on."

Between Mr. Félix and me, we helped Azurea onto La Discrète along with the rest of the cargo and unroped the ship from the dock. Mr. Félix then took two oars and rowed us away from Linburg's coast faster than I was ready for. Once we were far enough from land, I opened up the sail to catch the salty wind, and it was then that I knew there was no going back.

There was something weightless about purposely leaving everything I knew until it was hidden by the horizon. I wanted to put a word to what I was feeling, but nothing resonated. Freeing? Honestly, there was no better word to describe it, but freedom always depicted something good and sought after.

I was free but also exposed to the countless dangers of Mother Nature and human machinations.

After we were unable to see the coast of Linburg, Mr. Félix suggested that Azurea and I try to get some sleep.

"How am I supposed to sleep on a boat so small?" asked Azurea.

"Use your bag as a pillow," said Mr. Félix matter of factly.

Azurea stared skeptically at him, but when he didn't say anything further, she begrudgingly took her bag and did her best to get comfortable. The old sailor did his best to stifle his laughter as he watched Azurea toss all over the deck. Eventually, she managed to settle down, slowly taking in steady breaths.

Mr. Félix turned to me and said, "You should do the same."

"Earlier at your house," I said, ignoring his request, "it sounded like you called the pearl necklace a 'phantom relic.' What is that?"

I couldn't sleep. While many fears occupied my mind, the potential of the harpy attacking us was at the forefront of them all. Although it came at me with a barbaric ferocity, I knew it was capable of expert stealth just as easily. Beyond my fears, there were remaining questions I wanted to ask Mr. Félix for answers to, all while the pearls weighed heavily in my pocket.

Sighing, Mr. Félix responded. "A phantom relic is an item that houses the manifested spirit of a human's determination to obtain their strongest desires. Since I've never seen it happen, I don't know what criteria must be met for a human to manifest one of these spirits. Nonetheless, once someone manages to do so, they can put the spirit into a small item so the power can persist in the world even after the original human's death."

"Why would Clovis want his power to remain in the world after he dies?"

"Firstly, the blue pearls were created by Clovis' captain and Clovis inherited them. As for why anyone would do such a thing…" Mr. Félix stopped so suddenly that I was afraid I'd gone deaf. "Have you ever been afraid to die?"

The question was even more shocking than the silence.

"Why is that relevant?" I asked defensively.

"It's a hard question, and that's my point. Some humans gain powers to save themselves from death. It's like God's way of keeping us out of death's clutches for a while longer. And then there are those who manifest even greater power through pure determination. Imagine you become one of the one percent of people who gain the ability to obtain anything you want just for it to fizzle out when you die. Think of everything you could accomplish. The legacy you could build. All of it would fall apart without the foundation of such power."

Mr. Félix took a deep breath. The more he talked about the concept, which was both terrifying and intriguing, the more starry-eyed he became. When he spoke again, his voice was somber.

"People are generally afraid to die," he said. "To be forgotten."

"Sounds like a spirit that refuses to rest. I read a book that talked about someone called the Abyssal Warden, and it described him as a Sailing Spirit. Do you know if he had a phantom relic?"

"Based on what I've heard, yes. Anyone with a phantom relic can be classified as a Sailing Spirit."

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

"The book made it sound like the Warden and Sailing Spirits, to a degree, all had the power to control the seas. Why would so many people want the pearls if other options exist? "

"Because of all the relics in the world, only the blue pearls and the Warden's relic could literally control the seas. They were both the crown jewels of the Mediterranean, but the Warden's relic was lost to the sea years ago."

"So whoever gets the pearls can control the Mediterranean. It's because of them Clovis was so successful."

"And why I want to teach you how to use them. With the pearls and the spirit inside them, you can elevate your family business to heights that even combining your family with the Switzers couldn't reach."

"My marriage isn't about greater success, but for protection. If it weren't for the uprising of piracy, merging families wouldn't be necessary and the pearls would only put my family in more danger."

Mr. Félix laughed in response, and the boat rocked with the waves. "That's some strong determination, but is it well-tested?"

"Do you think I will change my mind?"

"I think this journey will make you reconsider what you think you know. You've lived guarded from most of the wide world and thrown yourself in the thick of it."

"Was this also why you were willing to come with us to Egypt, to see if I would reconsider?"

"I like to think my motives are as deep as the water around us. Rest assured, I ultimately want to keep you safe wherever you decide to go."

I believed him—at least, I believed that I was safe so long as I was with him. However, this man had his own agenda, which was difficult to escape.

I looked out to the sea, watching the waves rock the ship. The gentle swaying of the boat sometimes makes people sick. Even the biggest galleon can topple into the depths with one strong wave, and there is little anyone can do but pray. Although I have found comfort in the rhythmic sounds of water crashing on the wood of a ship, when I was uneasy I wanted nothing more than for the waters to be still.

And then they were.

The water immediately around us was as still as a paved road, only being disturbed by La Discrète. The salt air started to move faster around me and ruffled my blond hair, indicating an increased speed of the boat. Mr. Félix blinked in surprise and looked around the boat in disbelief.

I was just as shocked as he was. I had experienced something similar on the Cicala, but no one noticed it. Then again, most people were asleep when I noticed it.

"I thought you've never used the pearls power before," said Mr. Félix.

I frantically pulled the pearls from my pocket. They looked as they always had: gold chains faded where my skin touched them the most, and pearls still a majestic color. Nothing looked out of the ordinary, yet I could feel my energy slowly fade.

"Am I truly doing this?" I asked.

Mr. Félix put a hand to his chin. "I think the Gia Whale is responding to your distress. The spirit in the pearls." He said the last part in response to seeing my confused look.

"How do I make it stop?"

Mr. Félix smiled. "Depends. Are you willing to train for its power?"

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

The Switzer estate was in a panicked uproar. Every staff and guard was ordered to search tirelessly for the missing children of the Switzer and Vispond families, but none could find a clue as to where they went.

The Switzers were furious. Sully Switzer yelled at the guard leader, asking how the men could not see two young adults sneak past them while Carry Switzer micromanaged everyone's search efforts. The Switzers had always been in control of things since their business was passed on to them. Of course, they had to deal with unforeseen events, but they never imagined that their daughter's disappearance was something that they had to plan for.

Clemit Vispond, on the other hand, was calm.

"How can you just stand there, Clemit?" asked Sully. "Your son is gone and the marriage is postponed. Everything we've planned for is going up in smoke, yet you look like this is a minor inconvenience."

"Of course, this is an inconvenience, but while you were running around like a Spaniard during Sanfermine, I considered our next best move."

"And it didn't behoove you to tell me of such thoughts?"

"I didn't want to overstep my boundaries again. This is your house and I wanted to follow your procedures."

Sully composed himself, realizing his friend was right. The situation was still dire, but there were better things they could do other than panicking.

"Well, my friend, you have the floor," Sully said. "You better have a good reason for being so calm."

"I do. I trained my son to be resourceful in all situations. If kidnapped, I'm sure he would have done everything he could to leave a sign suggesting such. He left of his own free will and made it so we could not follow him."

"But why take my precious Azurea?" Sully asked with his voice cracking under a sudden flow of sadness.

"I can't say for certain, but I'm sure both Syan and Azurea understand that with both out of the picture, the marriage would be postponed until they return. Whatever they are planning, they set things up to give them the most time to accomplish their goals."

Sully fiddled with his mustache while nodding his head in agreement. "As it stands, we have little to work with in terms of figuring out where they went. If we want to get them back promptly, I suggest we hire an expert tracker post haste."

"My thoughts exactly. Did you have anyone in mind?"

"I do, but his services will be expensive. However, this is my daughter, and we are discussing our future together. For those things, I will spare no expense."

The two men took a cart and went to a coast-side fort. The fort was old, made up of salted gray stone bricks with faded red paint on the roofs. It was on top of a cliff with a decently sized port hiding in its shadow. The wooden platform was raised high enough to accommodate the rising tides and crashing waves while also being far enough from the jagged rocks, covered mainly by the planks of drenched wood.

Every able body moved in time to the beat of an invisible conductor. Those on watch stood like trees and were as focused as a shark. Discipline wasn't enough to describe the men of the fort.

Once the cart stopped, Clemit and Sully were escorted to the fort's front gate. The wooden sign spelled out the name Torre dei Fulmini.

"I knew we were going to see the best in the business," said Clemit as he and Sully walked into the fort with their guards, "but this wasn't what I imagined when you said we were hiring a bounty hunter."

"I did say it would be expensive, and there is no one rated higher than Captain Gideon Voss."

Clemit almost tripped after hearing the name of the legendary marine captain. "Gideon Voss? Surely not the same Gideon Voss, Hero of the Broken Cove Siege."

"The very same, although nowadays he goes by a code name in local merchant circles: Davy Jones. Couldn't tell you why, but that's less important."

"That might be why I haven't heard of his activities lately, but I have never heard of Davy Jones either."

"Ever had to hire a bounty hunter, Clemit?" When Clemit shook his head, Sully continued. "I have, but this is my first time employing Captain Voss."

"If what I know of him is still true, then I can see why he would only accept the top price. How much do you think this will cost?"

"Actually, on the way here, I came up with an idea that could reduce the immediate impact on our funds while securing the potential military we wanted."

Clemit's eyes squinted at his friend, not certain if he should criticize Sully's ambitious plan. Seeing the concern in Clemit's eyes, Sully continued with his explanation.

"Although Captain Voss might be drowning in the benefits of his reputation, the one thing he doesn't have is prestige and a legacy that outlives him. Beyond that, the misplacement of our children has and will set back weeks of planning. I'm taking a page from your book and staying ahead of this setback."

A small smile inched onto Clemit's face, seeing his friend and soon-to-be brother-in-law looking past the recent unfortunate events. As long as they continue to do that, everything will be back in order sooner rather than later.