“Fenghuang” set sail a few days after the trade with the nereids had been completed. The pirates stocked up on supplies while the ship’s doctor tended to the wounded. The man who was shot by a shrimp did not survive, nor did the one injured by nymph magic. Other lives were not in danger, but they needed rest. The ship had lost a few crew members, and Ashwin had been given more responsibilities. It would have bothered him less if his hands had been free. However, the captain still refused him this grace.

Ashwin tried to avoid the man with the scar as much as he could. The captain wasn’t a cheerful person in the first place, and the slip-up deal made his mood even worse. The second pirate died when the ship had already left the island. Seeing the dead body being tossed into the sea, Ashwin felt the captain’s gaze on him. It certainly wasn’t friendly. Before the person in charge of the entire ship could let his emotions get the better of him, the teen stepped back, partly hiding behind Ziana’s back.

If someone told him he would rely on a girl for defense, he would have laughed it off a few weeks ago. But she was clearly the only one among the crew who could speak her mind and argue with the captain. Be that the reason of her being a sword dancer, or maybe her ties that he wasn’t aware, right now his life depended on Ziana. 'I have to find my father. I need to survive and return to Vardana,' thought Ashwin, keeping an eye on the girl while he worked. 'Although this stings my pride a bit, it’s nothing new.'

"Hey, put your back into it, monkey boy!" The girl’s ringing voice nipped in the bud of all his determination. It was almost mystical how quickly she figured out the one thing he hated most and used it against him. He pulled on the rope with one strong push, lifting the sails.

"Easy, don’t rip it," grumbled Jin beside him.

"At least he isn’t seasick. I thought he would be throwing up over the side all the time," continued Ziana.

'Hold it, hold it...' repeated Ashwin to himself once again. 'Don’t mind what that foolish dacoit says.'

When he released his grip, the teen rubbed his palms. The calluses he gained during his time in the apes’ troop had grown tougher. He had tried so hard to hide his hands, which were unbecoming of a nobleman, during the meeting with Adwita. Now it would be even harder to get rid of them and restore his skin to its former ideal appearance.

Concentrating on work and trying hard to keep his temper, Ashwin waited for the day when the ship would finally reach the harbor. Whether it was a week or two, the supplies wouldn’t last forever. The pearls the nymphs gave them will also need to be sold. And when they finally dock, he will have a chance to escape.

His expectations came true only partly. “Fenghuang” arrived at the harbor, but to Ashwin’s disappointment, it was the same outsider’s outpost where he met Ziana for the first time. Trying to run away here wouldn’t do him any good. And, as if the pirates knew this, he was assigned to carry supplies.

Ashwin followed the girl, recognizing the stores and merchants. Even the small bistro where he had dinner was the same. Yet, this time, nothing could bring the teenager happiness and excitement he felt during his first visit. 'It’s nothing more than a criminal den, not a proper settlement,' thought Ashwin as he listened to Ziana bargaining with a merchant. The girl had a sharp tongue and a talent for lowering prices. It was her third successful deal of the day. Ashwin, however, remembered being told by his parents and teachers that such actions were only acceptable for the lower classes. A nobleman would never allow his dignity to fall by fighting over a paltry sum.

"Here, this is a reward for good work."

His brooding thoughts were interrupted when Ziana handed him a candy. A grimace crossed Ashwin’s face as he eyed the round lump of melted sugar.

"I’m not a child," he grumbled as he shoved the candy into his mouth.

"Yeah, right." The girl grinned and ruffled his black wavy hair, to the teen’s displeasure.

Nothing, not even the slightest opportunity to escape, appeared during the brief stay at the outsider’s outpost. Ashwin carefully looked around the pier, hoping to spot Varman’s captain. It might be a wild guess, but he was sure that the man who had helped him once would bail him out again. However, this possibility remained just a dream, as the Varman captain and his vessel were not present at the harbor. Ashwin returned to his routine work, counting days and waiting for the next stop.

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But the life had another plan.

Early morning, twelve days after “Fenghuang” left the outsider’s outpost, Ashwin woke up to the sounds of stomping. Someone was running around on the upper deck. He waited for the noise to die down, but it didn’t. The teen got out of his hammock and climbed up the ladder. Whatever the pirates were doing, it wasn’t good news. There were two possibilities: they could either be preparing to attack or defend themselves.

He learned it was the latter right away. The crew gathered on the upper deck. Some were looking at the horizon as if this could make the few black dots disappear. But most were busy arguing. One glance was enough to understand the situation. Three ships were chasing them, with two more on the south side. Unlike a pirate’s vessel, these were strengthened with metal, and not to mention that the ‘artillery’ these bandits were so proud of was nothing more than a rusty and outdated weapon. Fighting the military was not the same as robbing merchant ships.

The men on the upper deck were also fully aware of this. Right now, the ship’s course was towards the north, away from any military pursuit. But Ashwin remembered a common tactic that Batsa had told him about: using small and fast ships to block the way, and then engaging in battle with heavily armored ships. No doubt these lowly bandits knew about this, too. The best decision was to flee, but the wind was favorable for both sides. They were discussing the possibility of breaking through, which would certainly lead to many casualties.

Ashwin glanced towards the east, as it was the only direction that no one considered an escape route because they were already dangerously close to the invisible boundary of the outer ocean.

The outer ocean, whose deep waters for hundreds of years have been the source of horror stories. No ship could reach the area, for it was a realm of colossal creatures that destroyed any vessel that came near…

Ashwin pushed through the crowd, ignoring angry remarks and curses from the pirates. He knew his idea was good, and it wasn’t the time to be shy about voicing his opinion in front of them. So Ashwin interrupted the arguing bunch and said, "Let’s head to the outer ocean. They won’t follow us there."

For a moment, everyone stared at the teen. Then the captain exploded in anger. "Of course they won’t! I wouldn’t either! No one in their right mind..."

"I’ve read that sea creatures spray pillars of water," Ashwin continued, ignoring the man’s nagging. "They..."

"I don’t give a damn what you’ve read. We aren’t going there."

"If the theory is correct," continued Ashwin, regardless of the scarred man’s resistance, "they do not attack but rather expel stale air from their blowhole, like whales."

"What is a whale?" whispered Jin to another bandit.

"Hell if I know."

His speech, which his teacher would surely praise, had little effect on the pirates. The teen talked confidently and, yet, looking at the crew, started to feel as if all his efforts were in vain. The captain had never favored him, and now he looked at him with undisguised hostility.

Ashwin was about to give up when Ziana spoke. "Let’s do this. We can gamble. If we fight now, we’ll lose most of the crew and the ship will be heavily damaged."

"If we gamble on his idea, there will be no crew or ship for sure," the captain tried to talk them out of it, but unlike Ashwin’s, Ziana’s words had more weight with the pirates. They began to consider the proposal, which a minute ago seemed like nonsense to them. The vote ended with acceptance of the teen’s idea. Vexed and grumbling, the captain headed to the wheel.

"Darn brat. Darn sword dancer." He growled, glaring at Ashwin. The teen took a step back, pretending to look at the military ships. This angered the scarred man even more. He barked at his subordinates, "What are you waiting for? Go back to your positions! And row the damn oars, or I’ll throw you all overboard!"

He didn’t have to tell them twice. The pirates dispersed, rushing to their oars and preparing their artillery to fight back in case the need arose. 'I hope this doesn’t blow up,' thought Ashwin, looking at old and countless times-remade weapons. The teen was not sure what he should do, and everyone was too busy to give him orders. He stayed on the upper deck, trying not to be noticed by the captain.

Unlike others, Ziana did not run. Ashwin decided she had no task and paid her no attention. If she were a normal girl, he would have assured her that everything would be alright. But now, he knew that there was no way this rude woman could be afraid of a fight.

The military ships were slowly but surely approaching "Fenghuang". Squinting his brown eyes, Ashwin tried to distinguish them. The flags were still too small to see without binoculars. The rustling noise annoyed the teen. He glanced at Ziana.

"Let’s see," the girl was busy searching inside the bag. One by one, she took out different religious symbols, commenting on some and returning them back. "Aha! Here it is!"

Ashwin looked at the symbol, which he had a hard time recognizing. He gave up pretty soon. "What is it? For what?"

"It helped last time. Maybe it will work again," the girl said, holding the symbol in her hand and pointing it at the enemy ships. The vessel’s speed seemed to increase even more.

"Nope, I guess not this one after all," Ziana said, throwing the symbol back into the bag with no respect.

Ashwin stared at the girl. Such acts of a non-believer made him speechless. He flinched when suddenly, a thundering sound pierced the air. The military fleet started its attack.