Sully and Clemit were led into the office of Captain Gideon Voss. Clemit staggered once he saw the captain standing next to a display case.

The man was six and a half feet tall, with muscles as thick as bricks. His deep-set, piercing gray eyes were narrow as he dusted the trinkets on the display case with a small brush. He picked up one of the trinkets—a compass—which revealed the scars on the back of his left hand. His shoulder-length hair was tied back with a strip of leather. Like burnt coal, the captain's hair and beard were black and gray.

The captain put the compass down, forcing Clemit and Sully to examine the trinkets, which were neatly placed on velvet pads.

The compass was placed in the middle of the three items. It was ornate and had a milky-white stone in the center. To the left of the compass was a conch shell with holes drilled into it, like a recorder. The last one was an hourglass with silver sand.

Captain Voss turned to look at the two merchants, revealing a spyglass hanging from his right side. The spyglass was bronze, weathered, and tarnished, with barnacles growing on it. The lens was dark, as if painted black or dipped in ink. It seemed useless for anyone to have so close to them, yet both merchants held the question in their throats.

The captain walked heavily to his chair and sat down. His stern stare was soul-crushing.

"I don't like surprise visits," Voss said calmly despite clearly being irritated, "but I don't often get two potential clients from different houses coming to my office simultaneously."

"It's an emergency," said Clemit, shakily.

"If that is true, then let's not waste time. I have other things to do."

Pushing past his nerves, Sully smiled with open hands to show his goodwill. "Captain Voss, I've heard you're the finest bounty hunter on these seas—worth every coin and then some. My daughter, Azurea Switzer, and my associate's son, Syan Vispond, have disappeared, and we have no idea where they went. My daughter's safety and future are invaluable to me, as is protecting our trade. I'd like to bring you on but with a twist. I'm not asking for a one-off bounty. I want you to be part of something greater. A force that'll protect my family and interests in the water."

Gideon crosses his arms, unflinching. Despite this, he was shocked by the unusually tantalizing offer. "I must admit, this is a bold offer you are presenting, but I'm afraid you are asking for more than you can handle. What exactly do you think I'd get out of this, beyond a split wage and the 'privilege' of guarding spoiled merchants?"

Sully leaned forward over General Voss' desk, keeping his tone persuasive but measured. "Not just a guard, Captain. You'd have autonomy over the guard and a position of authority few enjoy. I'd call you the Commander of Coastal Defenses—a title, yes, but one with tangible benefits. Additionally, I'd offer you a salary plus a share in any profits made on secure shipments and substantial bonuses when Syan and Azurea are returned."

Gideon raised an eyebrow with a hint of interest. By itself, the offer sounded exceptional, and because of that, Gideon had to be extra careful about how he should move forward. "An ongoing stake in the profits sounds tempting. But with the amount I bring to a job, I could live comfortably off a dozen smaller bounties rather than lock myself down to one family's whims. You'll have to do better than a few shares."

Sully was careful to keep his enthusiasm in check while calculating the offer. He had Gideon on the hook, but Sully couldn't be too haste less he sour the prospect. "What if you weren't merely a guard but a partner? After all, my empire depends on securing trade routes. No one knows the sea's threats better than you. I'm offering a percentage ownership in one of our most profitable trade lines in exchange for your expertise. What you help us build, you'd own a share in. You'd be a partner in more than just a name—a legacy, if you will, beyond that of a bounty hunter."

Gideon paused, weighing the merit of what he just heard. A glint of curiosity and calculation crossed his eyes. "A legacy, you say? Yet, you also get a skilled shadow to bring back two runaways who probably don't want to be found. Does this legacy come with guarantees that I won't be tossed aside once they're back under your roof?"

"You're right to question that. Here's my word—and it will be in writing, of course—that as long as you are part of my guard, you retain that partnership stake. Whether Syan and my daughter return soon or not, I'm looking for stability in this position, and there's no one I trust more with it than you."

Gideon stared Sully down, wondering if the merchant's words would break under the tension. When it didn't, Gideon conceded, raising his hands in defeat. "Fine. I'll take your offer, but I have complete authority in the field. My methods are my own. Rest assured, your children will be returned to you, but after that, I expect the partnership to hold. I won't be your pawn."

Sully smiled and shook his hand firmly. "Then we have a deal, Captain Voss. I'll ensure you have everything you need, starting immediately."

After a stand-in document detailing the agreement between Sully, Clemit, and Captain Voss was written and signed, Sully and Clemit described their children and the situation and left the fort simultaneously. Sully and Clemit entered the cart and returned to Linburg while Captain Voss reached the fort's highest point.

"I'm impressed," said Clemit, looking at Sully's satisfied grin. "Though, I suspect you had a lot of information about the Captain going into the negotiation?"

"You give me too much praise. Gideon Voss was stern, but he wore his desires on his sleeves. A proud man like that with no family would jump at the chance to build a legacy that will outlive him. That said, I fear I have overplayed my hand. I should have the funds to satisfy him for now, but the long-term agreement only works so long as our children wed."

"Perhaps you did overpromise, but we can't afford to not take risks. At least this way, we have secured the best fighter on this side of the Mediterranean. Besides, with all the pirates out and about, there was no better option we could have committed to."

As the merchant men made their way home, Gideon Voss unclipped and extended the barnacle-crusted spyglass. Looking through it, he methodically scanned the land until his gaze passed the sea's border. Slowly and purposefully, he kept the spyglass steady and his movement unwavering.

The spyglass had a unique trait to which the captain owed his great success. It allowed the user to see as far as the horizon and beyond, meaning that as long as Gideon knew where to look and his mark was in an open area, there was nowhere on earth anyone could hide from the captain.

Eventually, he found who he was looking for: a short, blond-haired young man sailing in a small boat with a girl with long black hair and a middle-aged man. They were sailing southward. Correction, southeastward. Gideon had to get the directions precisely so he could go straight towards the small group.

Once the general direction was burned into his mind, Gideon collapsed the spyglass, made his way to the biggest ship on the dock, and prepared his men to sail without delay. Sully Switzer and Clemit Vispond were fools for giving Gideon such an easy shot at a promotion.

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

I was sitting on the edge of a small island we landed on. We landed late in the morning, and Mr. Félix had spent the last hour staring at two maps. One had multiple marks on it within the sea, while the other was mostly clean of any marks. Azurea was with him, curiously looking at the maps.

I had the pearl necklace suspended between my fingers, mulling over the realization that I had access to their powers, perhaps since the moment I touched them. When I first sat down, I pulled out my journal to write down my thoughts.

First morning of the Mission to rid myself of my prize blue, twin pearl necklace-------------

I have recently learned that my connection with the inanimate object may be far deeper than I initially thought. The revelation has staggered me in my conviction to go to the Library of Alexandria to obtain the knowledge I seek. I would like to believe this is a mere bump in the road, but even after an admittedly uncomfortable sleep, I find myself still feeling a hint of hesitation.

However, in moments of doubt, I must push harder against the desire to quit. I must.

-Syan Vispond

The journal sat next to me, bound by a leather belt. There was so much more I wanted to write down, but I didn't know how to articulate what I was feeling. The pearls had been with me for so long and apparently been nothing but helpful since. Even if I was discarding them for the sake of my family, was it right to pay back their kindness with abandonment?

"Why are you taking so much time mapping out our course?" Asked Azurea, sounding impatient. I kept my gaze on the pearls but struggled to avert my ears from the rest of the conversation.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

While not looking up at her, Mr. Félix said, "Partly because I'm looking for the safest route. I want to avoid as many colonized islands as possible while still remembering that we will have to make ports for supplies and maintenance."

"How many people know about the blue pearls if you have to be this cautious?"

"Not many, but the world is a lot smaller than you might think. I've made the rounds of this sea, and I'm guaranteed to run into someone from my past while on the water."

"You make traveling sound like it gets boring after a while," Azurea sounded disappointed.

"What do you mean?"

"I just think that if I meet the same people regardless of where I go, then I haven't gone far enough."

Mr. Félix continued to look at his maps but said nothing in response. This caused Azurea to lose interest and make her way to me, given that she had nothing else to do.

"I don't think it's healthy to brood like that," she said, concerned.

I put the pearls around my neck out of habit, but by the time I realized what I did, it would have been too much of a hassle to take them off. Rubbing my eyes, I said, "I'm fine."

"I don't believe you."

I shrugged my shoulders. It didn't matter if she believed me or not. How I felt was my burden to bear. Apparently, that was the wrong answer, as Azurea responded with a disappointed tone.

"Syan, we're supposed to be working together."

"That's not why you're here. You won't have to do anything as long as I can keep you out of trouble."

Azurea folded her arms, her gaze sharpening. "Is that really what you think this is? Some protection arrangement you signed up for?"

"I didn't initially want to bring you." The words came out harsher than I intended, but I kept going. "The harpy attack proved to me that I cannot defend anything when we are guarded, let alone on the open sea. Now… you are my responsibility."

Azurea was silent for a moment and didn't move from where she was standing. I thought she was angry with me, but I was surprised to watch her sit beside me and look out at the lapping waters. Gently, she said, "I came because I wanted to. I came because I wanted to be beside you. That was my choice. I hope you can respect that."

"Azurea…" I felt the words slip, catching myself just in time to allow myself to choose my next words carefully. If not for her, I wouldn't have been able to pursue this path. Of course, I trusted her to make her own decisions to keep herself safe. However… "Azurea, you can't fight. You have no powers to speak of, and from what I can tell, you don't have a strong sense of naval travel."

I stopped there as I felt I had proven my point while also avoiding going too far with my words. Perhaps I was too late to prevent that outcome. Azurea's eyes were wide with shock, but she didn't try to fight back. Even though she must have known before I said anything outside of helping postpone the cancellation of the marriage, she had few applicable skills for the journey ahead. I didn't want to shame her for it, but the fact weighed on me as heavily as the pearls on my chest.

Suddenly, Mr. Félix made a triumphant cry that startled both me and Azurea. "I figured out the course," he said as he made his way to the boat with the maps rolled up. "I left room for sudden changes, so pray that doesn't happen."

We all climbed onto La Discrète and were back onto open waters. We had sailed no more than a klick when Mr. Félix asked me a question.

"Hey, Syan. You wouldn't mind calming the waters again, would you?"

"I'm still not sure how I've been doing it," I replied.

"Of course you do. As long as you want to do it, the Gia Whale will obey your wish."

"Why is the spirit called the Gia Whale?" asked Azurea.

"On top of being able to control water, the Gia Whale can also manipulate the element of earth."

"That's incredible."

I sighed. "Pardon if I sound like a brat, but do I have to?"

"Well, I'm not forcing you, but it will help us go faster, which in turn will reduce the time it will take for us to get to Egypt." The old sailor's smile was devious. I knew there was a double motive to his request. By using the pearl's powers, I gained the benefit of reducing the time we were at sea, but in doing so, I would be "training" my abilities just as Mr. Félix wanted.

A new voice entered the conversation, "And you are running low on time, no thanks to me."

In the blink of an eye, Mr. Félix grabbed a harpoon nestled on the side of the La Discrète, ready to throw it like an ancient Olympic Athlete. When the harpoon was thrown, the harpy didn't move, allowing the harpoon to pierce its body. The monster grimaced in pain, only to start cackling in amusement as she removed the hunting tool from its flesh. The clanking metal was haunting in the wind.

"I didn't come here to attack you, little merchant," the harpy mocked. "But I didn't come in peace, either."

"Then why are you here?" I asked, standing between the harpy and Azurea. The harpy smiled, hearing the trembling in my voice.

"You are a lot more resourceful than I initially gave you credit for, and I'm not foolish enough to think that any future encounters with you will be easier. So, I submitted myself to ask for assistance from someone who is just as keen on getting the Gia Whale spirit as me. Of course, I didn't think you would have left your ivory tower and traded it for a dingy."

"How did you find us?" asked Mr. Félix with controlled aggression.

"I'm a fast flier."

"Too fast for your own good," I said. "I'll hazard a guess that your allies are leagues away, meaning you gave up their surprise advantage. Now that we know someone is after us, we can make preparations to--"

The harpy laughs maniacally at my suggestion, causing my words to get caught in my throat.

"You think you can prepare against Kiren McCormick? Even Clovis couldn't outrun that bloodhound in the end, and you're barely willing to use Gia Whale for a cruise."

Mr. Félix's eyes widened at the mention of Kiren McCormick, and for a moment, I was afraid he wasn't breathing. "Kiren? You think Kiren is going to help you and not stab you in the back?"

"He's more a friend to monsters than any human."

"Is that supposed to make him trustworthy?"

"Don't lecture me on who I can trust!" The harpy's wrath matched what I saw back at Linburg. "You were affiliated with that deplorable Clovis, so you have no room to judge." The harpy took a deep breath and turned to me. Any enjoyment she was having with the encounter was lost. "I came to see the fear on your face one last time."

The harpy suddenly flew off without additional fanfare or taunting. We watched as the creature went west, its loud flapping wings growing quieter. In its place, my heart pounded uncontrollably.

"We have to change course to a populated island!" I demanded suddenly as I prepared to change the direction of the sails.

"Hold on there, kid!" Mr. Félix grabbed one of my arms and stopped my efforts. Azurea also tried to do something, but with everyone's sudden movement, La Discrète began to uncomfortably rock. No one moved until everything was as still as a boat could be.

"Let go of me," I said once I was sure we were safe from being capsized.

"At least take a moment to think about what you are doing," Mr. Félix released my hand but remained in between me and the rope that controlled the sail.

"You heard the harpy. Kiren McCormick is after us, and we have no hope in dealing with him with just us. We need help."

"It's like you said, Kiren is potentially days from us. At least that gives us time to think about our situation."

"What's there to think about?!"

"Firstly, who do you think will help us? Unless you have your family's fortune on you, we will have to tell people what they will be signing up for, including who you are and what the pearls are."

"H-he's right, Syan," said Azurea. "We need to be discreet."

"We lost the benefit of discretion when the harpy found us," I argued. I continued to speak to Mr. Félix, "Even if you are right and there won't be anyone to help us, at least allow us to obtain proper weapons." In frustration, I kicked the harpoon that fell from the harpy.

With an offended grimace, Mr. Félix picked up the harpoon and put it in its rightful place. "Having proper weapons would be nice to have…" he paused with a sigh, "but we will need to come up with something more if we want to survive."

We all fell silent, trying to come up with a plan. Too many islands were occupied by national powers or rogue factions. National powers had the means to defend themselves against pirates like Kiren but had many people eager to ask questions about newcomers. Rogue factions had the opposite problem, with the added potential of being aligned with Kiren or wanting to take the pearls for themselves, baring they knew what the pearls were.

Suddenly, Azurea's eyes brightened and she carefully pulled out one of Mr. Félix's maps. Mr. Félix and I looked over her shoulder as she scanned the map until she found what she was looking for.

As she looked, she said, "We need to find a place to catch our breaths without sacrificing our low profile. There aren't a lot of places that fit that description." She then pointed at an island that was close to our current location. "I knew it! Erytha is not too far from here."

I squinted my eyes at the name Erytha. "Weird. I've never heard of Erytha before."

"It's not a place that trades a lot with the mainland, but my family did at least once. It was where my mother got the idea to grow the garden. According to her, there is a massive tree with roots that grow out and around the entrance of the island, and rumors suggest that they have the ability to move. My mother chalked it up to folklore to ward off invaders, but after the harpy attack and learning about Sailing Spirits, I believe it's true."

Mr. Félix scratched his chin and stared blankly at the map. "I've been off the sea for some time, but you would think in my travels I would have run into an island protected by a tree. I would say it has something to do with a Sailing Spirit, but something is off."

"Sailing Spirits prefer to be hidden, right?" I asked.

"No… we will use our powers openly, but few people survive the encounters, leaving no trace of what was done. Sailing Spirits are like nomads, rarely settling in one place, or so I thought."

"Either way," Azurea began, "The fact that neither of you have heard of Erytha should be evidence that it's a safe place for now. We can get supplies and weapons, rest up, and, in the meantime, devise the best plan possible."

I glanced over at Azurea, catching the determination in her eyes. I then turned to Mr. Félix with his arms crossed. He didn't seem convinced by the idea, but he wasn't arguing about it either. We didn't truly know if Erytha would be a safe haven, but I was sure we stood a better chance going there than aimlessly sailing by ourselves.

"I agree with Azurea. Let's head to Erytha and figure things out from there."

Azurea squealed with delight, and Mr. Félix smiled while shrugging his shoulders.

"To Erytha," he said. "Let's get this ship moving before something else decides to come after us."