The dhow’s sleek hull cut through the waves without any effort. The open main sail flapped with the wind but the ship’s speed wasn’t justified by that alone.

On the starboard side of the stern stood a young woman, face protected from the cold sea wind by a scarf that was wrapped tightly around neck and face, leaving only a small slit for the eyes exposed. These dark brown eyes pierced the water but did not seem to see it. Beneath the scarf, her lips moved. Not from incantation but from song.

Amari Omeyega was captaining that dhow, a vessel designed for a crew of fourteen by herself. And she was singing while doing so.

She knew, that strangers often mistook her singing for strange incantations; a source of magic only the people of her land possessed. They took the singing and were sure, these songs were the reason why that boat went so incredibly fast. The truth was something else.

If just anyone in the Nightlands could do it, Amari would not earn half as much coin as she did — everybody could be so fast. The technique Amari used was nothing everybody could learn, as far as she knew. She had learned it from her mother, who had not made her vow not to tell anyone else, she had simply told her that most people would not be able to do it.

Amari herself had never seen the point of giving away her edge over others. Maybe one day, when she was retired, when she had all the money she needed and wanted to live a good life, maybe then she’d teach someone. But not yet.

Before her eyes, her vision began to blur; tiny specs of light swimming where there should be none. She blinked for the first time in an hour or two, and stepped away from the railing. Time to take a break.

The ship slowed down remarkably, the moment she severed her magic from it; only the wind was still pushing it forward. For now, it was okay. They stayed on course and that was the important part.

When she unfastened the scarf from her face, she braced herself for the sharp touch of cold, salty air. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a gray caftan and paused mid-movement.

Normally, Amari transported wares - fruit and grain and that sort of stuff. It was good coin especially since she could transport things others couldn’t because the fruit would go bad over the couple of days on sea. Sometimes she transported animals, animals were tricky and took her longer. Because you needed to actually watch them, and care for them. With fruit and sacks you only had to check ever so often if something had spilled or got wet. This time, though, she transported something else. Something entirely different, and that something was occupying the tent she had set up on deck temporarily. Right now, however, the person stood on the railing and looked at Amari, waiting for her to take notice.

Amari swallowed. She hadn’t become essentially a crew by herself because she was the most social person in the world. She enjoyed company now and then but on her vessel, she liked to be alone. But between the absurd amount of gold that person had offered and her station, it had been impossible for her to refuse.

“What can I do for you, Sinner?”, she asked. Sinner. The Sinner. When she was a child, she had heard fairytales about this person. Granted, not the very same person but still, here she was. Skin the color of light sand, eyes dark as wood. She looked human enough but her ears betrayed her Islander heritage. A bit of elven and a bit of human blood was a trait most of the older families there shared.

She smiled without showing teeth, and without any warmth in her eyes, when she answered. “I wanted to ask, when we would arrive, Captain Omeyega.”

Amari nodded. She took a moment to trace the sun’s last rays with her eyes. The Dead Mountains were colored red and gold by them, almost beautiful.

“By first light tomorrow, I think”, she said.

The Sinner licked her lips. “Can’t we go any faster?”, she asked.

One hand still in her wet headscarf, Amari blinked. Theoretically, she could go faster but it would harm her and put a strain on the sea she didn’t want to answer for. Did this woman even think about what she was requesting?

“No”, she said after a second.

“Why not?”, she asked.

Amari sniffed. “What do you mean why not?”, she asked.

“I mean, why can’t we go faster, Captain Omeyega?”

Amari shook her head. “It would be a risk, Sinner”, she said. “I could make a reckless mistake over something like that.”

The Sinner crossed her arms. “They say you are fast.”

“I am fast.”

“I need you to be faster.”

Amari sighed. “I won’t.” This was exactly why she usually didn’t take on people. Caddle didn’t argue. Neither did fruit. People argued over every fucking thing. “Sinner, I appreciate that you are in a rush. But you paid me to bring you home. Not to the bottom of the ocean.”

The woman’s mouth was tight now. She looked very dissatisfied but frankly, that wasn’t Amari’s problem.

“If you’d excuse me now”, Amari said. “I need to rest a bit.”

She walked away from the woman without giving her the chance to answer. This was her ship. She was one of the youngest captain’s in all Itheku and contrary to popular belief this was not only because her mother had been one of the most successful navy captains for a long time. It was because Amari was good. And she wouldn’t back down on her principles for someone who thought themselves important. She had taken that woman on for the gold, nothing more.

She sat down, back against the mast, and closed her eyes for a few seconds. Her dhow was like a crib to her, she felt safe her. The water cradled the ship lovingly, even now, when she wasn’t taking care. The presence of that woman, right now, felt threatening. But not threatening enough. She would still be able to rest just fine, here. Her head sank against the mast and her thoughts wandered to all the things she could do with that money. All the things she would do with that money. Her mother needed a new cane. Her lips twitched at the thought, a silent smile creped on her lips. She would pick it, this time. Hard, good wood, oiled with someone that smelled of summer and sea, of the sun and the waves and the gulls. She would order someone to engrave on that cane how much her mother meant to her, how much she was loved by her family. All the respect Amari and her siblings had for her.

She would bring new fabric for her older brother to work with, to turn it into beautiful dresses and caftans, and whatever he could think of. Fabric that matched the artist he was.

Her father would want to accompany her to the market, like he always did. And they would talk about kitchenware, and materials to fix up house and garden. He wouldn’t ask but Amari knew the sparkle in his eyes when he fell in love with a breed of flowers, or held a piece of wood that made him dream of a new room he could add. As always, it was hardest to imagine what her little brother might get. Perhaps some trinket would scream his name, or her father would subtly suggest something. And they would go home, and everybody would smile and father would cook fish and rice, enough to feed the whole neighborhood.

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She could almost taste the happiness on her tongue; it tasted like freshly cooked fish and spiced rice, it smelled like seawater and fire.

After a while, she got up. Her legs felt a bit stiff and her eyes were heavier. Resting for a few minutes could never substitute a good night of sleep. She would get that once she was in Mangalin, however. And she couldn’t wait for it.

The Sinner had retreaded into the tent again, where she’d been for the bigger part of their journey. Amari didn’t mind. She was curious as to why the woman had been somewhere else than on the Islands for a while but the Sinner was cold. Not as cold as the sea but cold as ice. She reminded her of metal. The Sinner is a weapon, Amari, her mother had said after she had handed her the gold the Sinner had paid. No matter what you do, keep that in mind.

Her mother was paranoid, of course. But in a way, she was right. That woman was sharp and cold as a blade. And Amari was glad this wasn’t some sort of long standing contract. Just one haul. And she would walk away with it with an absurd sum of money.

Back on the helm, Amari connected her magic with the ship again, and with the water. She felt the sudden rush of energy, and grinned a wild grin. It was of course, hidden by her scarf.

Some few hours later, Amari was singing again. Her voice didn’t fly over the water but was muffled on her face, her warm breath kept her wet skin warm. Her eyes burned and she blinked time and again. She needed to rest.

On the very edge of the horizon, she could see the first of the islands peaking up. Mangalin. But it would still be a few hours until they were there. The moon had just reached its highest point in the sky and she needed a break. Again.

This time, she didn’t step back from the railing. She just cut the connection between the ship and her magic, the last drops of energy escaping her body while doing so.

Her hands were trembling and she shivered. But she didn’t let go. She didn’t let go the railing. She couldn’t say how long she had stood there, hunched over the railing while the world spun and spun around her, but once it stopped, she was cold. Her clothes were wet, and the air wasn’t gentler on the sea at night.

“Captain Omeyega?”

Oh Goddess, no, Amari thought. But she turned around, steadying herself with one hand that didn’t let go of the railing. “What can I do for you, Sinner?”, she asked. Her voice lacked the enthusiasm she had simulated a few hours ago.

The woman’s face was softer than before. And now framed by a hood to no doubt at least keep her face and neck warm a little. “I wanted to apologize”, she said. “I realize I’ve behaved ghastly towards you.”

Amari tried to smile - thankfully the scarf hid her face. “I imagine you are in a rush to be home”, she said.

The Sinner nodded. “I haven’t been on the Islands for five years”, she said.

Amari felt a pang of sympathy. Her freedom had always been offshore in the waves, in the long hours between the passing of different ships. But being away from home for that long sounded horrible. In five years, so much could happen. So much one could miss out on.

“I see”, she managed to say before the silence between the two of them became awkward.

“That’s why I was pushing you so hard, you see? I can’t wait to see the stars the way they are supposed to be.”

That was an odd thing to say. There was no right or wrong to the stars; Amari knew that. But the Sinner was no sailor; maybe she liked her world set in a frame that didn’t move, a sky that was always the same.

The Sinner reached into her satchel and produced a little glass flask with only a bit of liquid left in it. The liquid shimmered golden from within. “Would you like a drop?”, she asked.

Amari could just stare. “You… you want to share that with me?”, she asked.

“Well, yes”, the Sinner said. “It’ll make you feel better.”

Oh it sure would. Amari had seen that kind of potion before; one of the most expansive and rare stamina potions on the continent, made from ingredients few alchemists could handle properly. She had seen it, occasionally, being passed around inside admiral’s tents when they were testing the recruits, or planning a battle. When her mother had come home for good, they had given her one of these flasks as a gift. The potion gave new strength, it could ease cramped muscles. She had been supposed to use it for her legs on bad days. To this day, that flask stood on the uppermost shelf in a corner, probably covered in dust and cobwebs by now. Amari had never tried the stuff herself.

“I can’t accept that”, she said. That woman was a weapon.

“It’s alright, Captain Omeyega”, the Sinner said. “I’m almost home, and you only need a tiny bit.”

“No.” It was tempting. Her head was so heavy. She had almost forgotten about it but now it was back, that heaviness. And all the pain in her sore muscles.

“Why not?”

“Because I can’t trust you!”

The Sinner smiled. Coldly. Not in the insincere way she had smiled before; this smile was cold and honest at the same time. “Well, finally you’re opening up to me”, she said and stepped closer.

Amari stomached her being so close. She could feel the heat radiating from the woman’s skin. She felt like a fire standing that close. Her cold body ached for her touch. She didn’t move.

“Why can’t you trust me, Captain Omeyega? Am I threatening you?”, she asked softly.

“No”, she said. “But you’re a danger.”

“A danger? How so, Captain?”

Amari blinked, she felt her eyes starting to tear. She was so cold. She should just accept the stupid potion. “You are a danger to the Nightlands”, she said. Her voice was quiet and her head spun. Maybe if she answered these questions, she could get that woman to shore without any more useless interaction.

“Because of who I am?”

“Yes.”

“I see”, she said. She stepped closer.

Amari stepped back, against the railing.

“Do you fear war?”

“No.”

“But you don’t like it?”

“Not at all.”

“But you would fight, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes.” Of course she would. And there was no reason to be ashamed of that. Her mother had been a navy captain. She was proud of her heritage.

The Sinner shook her head. “Why?”, she asked.

“Because I believe in the Silent Queen”, Amari answered.

“And if it would be another Silent Monarch? Would you still fight, Captain Omeyega?”

“Yes. I believe in the Regent, and in the monarchy.”

“I see”, the Sinner said. “What a shame.”

She moved fast. Too fast for Amari to comprehend what was happening.

The dark, cold water woke her up from whatever spell that wicked person had put on her.

But only for a little while.

When her head emerged out of the water, the dhow was already moving away from her, and she knew she wouldn’t catch it in time.