Yazwa looked over the railing as the crew scrambled about the rigging above, making the sails ready for the first time since they stole the ship. Below her, Cai stood in a rowboat, carefully inspecting the hull for damage. Tsen's summon had dragged them through the water at breakneck speed for six days and six nights, all while he flew above them.

The first day had been absolute chaos. Tsen favored a direct route, dragging them straight north through the entire length of Azun's fleet. No matter how many summons and barrages of cannon fire had been thrown at them, the dragon kept them safe. On the next day, a few swimming and flying summons gave chase, but they were either destroyed or outpaced. They continued for four more days until Tsen decided he had fulfilled his end of the bargain.

Looking over her shoulder, Yazwa caught sight of the massive beast, gently bobbing in the waves beside the ship. Everything about the strange old man made sense now. The little dragon in Adoti had hoarded shells; Tsen hoarded knowledge. No human could master both Achali and Summoning, but the limitation apparently did not apply to dragons. The old man Yazwa had come to know had been nothing but an Otzen, created to more easily access books and libraries. It was so perfectly made that Yazwa hadn't noticed a thing off about his aura in all the months they had sailed together. Months that were now coming to an end. Permitting Tsen to read the logbook they had stolen from the Golden Colossus had convinced him to stay around long enough to take a final look at Ji.

Ji stood on the deck, leaning on Aven's shoulder as Tsen peered down at her, massive eyes glowing purple.

Yazwa blinked on her Sight and peered at Ji's aura as she walked over to them. The big holes blown out of it were gone, but it was still dimmer than before, with a few pale spots drifting around. It had slowly improved over the last six days, but Yazwa had no idea if that meant anything good.

"You are healing," the dragon's voice rumbled as his eyes ceased to shine. "This weakness stems from blood loss, not any lasting damage to your aura. You should be fully recovered in a day or so."

"Good," mumbled Ji, shifting her weight to stand on her own. "Thank you."

Yazwa blinked away her Sight as relief washed over her. Ji hadn't spoken since they carried her out of the treasure ship. At first, Yazwa thought she was too weak to talk, but as the days passed she still said nothing even as she got stronger. They had all spent time with her, Aven most of all, but Yazwa and Saiyun had been by her side too. Speaking of Saiyun, he'd probably like to hear the good news.

As if on cue, the door to the tiny captain's cabin burst open, and Bill and Saiyun emerged, each with a log book in hand. "We found it!" Bill shouted, waving his book in the air. "Tsen, don't go, we found it!"

"Found what?" Tsen rumbled, twisting his head to face Bill.

"Wait," said Bill as Cai climbed up over the side of the ship. "Cai, how's the hull look?"

Cai shrugged, dusting off his hands. "Couple dings here and there, but nothing serious."

Bill turned to the other crew members as they climbed down the rigging onto the deck. "What about the sails? Are we ready to get underway?" A chorus of yeses answered him, and a smile grew under his beard. "Are you sure you want to leave Tsen?"

"Completely," Tsen said, flaring his wings and letting water run down them into the sea. "But I imagine you think you can convince me otherwise."

"We know where they were built," Bill said, tapping the cover of the book. "All those ships were laid down in the same shipyard."

"And?" Tsen asked.

Bill rolled his eyes. "Think about it. About how much knowledge about shipbuilding they have there. About how much gold they must have on hand to pay the shipwrights," he said, flashing a grin at the rest of the crew.

Yazwa couldn't help but notice that the crew did not return his smile.

"I refuse," said Tsen. "I learned all I need about the construction of treasure ships from the logbook of the Emerald Arrow. Now that the Empire of Tsilen knows where I am, a multitude of hunters will begin to swarm around. I wish to avoid such a hassle, and so I will go east, beyond their eyes."

"Or you can take care of the problem now," Bill pushed. "We both know that the navy will be sailing east next. Burn the fleet, burn the shipyards, and save yourself a lot of trouble. It will be easy for you."

If Bill was speaking to anyone other than Tsen, Yazwa would have thought it was flattery. But during their escape, Yazwa took a look at Tsen with her Sight. He had worked so much Achali magic on his aura that looking at him was like staring at the sun. Not only had Tsen thought he could take on the entire fleet on his own, he dragged them through the full length of it and had barely broken a sweat. With such frightening power, Yazwa was glad he was so obsessed with his books.

"It would be easy," Tsen agreed. "But I could achieve the same results by simply flying away. If you come across another rare manuscript, I will be happy to barter again."

Yazwa shielded her face from the salt spray as Tsen flapped his enormous wings and rose into the air. "Goodbye!" she called as the ship rocked back and forth from the gusts of wind. He rose lazily into the air, joined by his remaining flying summons as he flew to the east.

"Worth a shot," Bill sighed as he and the rest of the crew watched Tsen vanish into the wide-open sky. "That means this will be a lot harder."

"What will be a lot harder?" asked Cai.

"Getting to the shipyard," replied Saiyun. "We've checked and double-checked. It's definitely on Aminken Island, north of Tsilen in the Etrin Sea."

"Is that still west of us?" Yazwa asked. "Will we still pass by the Vathlanri?"

"Yes," Aven said, standing next to Ji. "If we want to get to the Etrin Sea, we'll have to go through the Achara Ata territory."

"But they're not friendly waters," Bill said, patting the deck railing. "We have a ship of their make, so it should be easier to sneak in for a look."

"No," said Cai.

Yazwa flinched at his tone. Cai hadn't been his cheerful self lately, but now he sounded downright cold. Glancing to the left and right she saw the rest of the crew sharing the same scowl, all spread across the deck.

"I know, I know," Bill said, waving his hand. "I promised you riches, and it all blew up in our faces. We're not out yet. That shipyard will have a treasury the size of one of those ships back there. They've got to pay all the carpenters and buy all the materials somehow. We have the right kind of ship and all the right flags. We sail in, get a look, and start putting together a new fleet. One hit, and we're rich like I promised."

Cai responded by drawing a pistol from his waistband and cocking it. "No."

All over the ship, the rest of the crew drew pistols and knives. Yazwa swallowed, wishing she hadn't left her staff down below.

"Stay calm," Aven whispered, slowly widening his stance. Ji followed his example, taking a half step away and balling her hands into fists. "No one's started shooting yet."

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Bill stood still, eyeing each man in turn before shifting his gaze back to Cai. "I thought better of you Cai. One thing goes wrong, and you fall to pieces. You're better than this."

"Don't try to sweet-talk me," scoffed Cai. "The whole fleet scattered the second they saw those treasure ships, and that was the smart thing to do. Azun won't pay them much mind, but I know he's going to come looking for his son. You're too dangerous to have around. Get in the boat."

"You just went from stupid to suicidal," Bill snapped, glancing over his shoulder at the little rowboat bobbing beside the ship. "This doesn't end well for you."

"You four, pick a side," Cai said, pointing his pistol at Saiyun, Yazwa, Aven, and Ji. "If you're with Bill you're in the boat."

Yazwa swallowed, trying to find her voice. What could she possibly say?

"Getting rid of me gets you nothing," said Bill, dropping the logbook to the deck.

"Azun is looking for you, not us," Cai said, pointing the pistol at Bill. "I don't intend to be around when he finds you."

Aven leaned over, whispering in Yazwa's ear. "Do you think you can get close enough to the others for your curse to work?"

"No," Yazwa whispered back, heart pounding in her chest. The crew was too widely spread out. She could stop one or two from getting off a shot, but not the rest. Cai must have thought of that. "Cai, please, don't..."

Cai said nothing, staring right into Bill's eyes. "You saw how many there were. We barely made it out with our lives and you want to sail straight to Tsilen? You're the one that's suicidal. Get in the boat."

"Sailing to Hilt is the worst thing you could do right now!" snapped Bill.

The crew shot looks at each other, and Cai furrowed his brow. "We're not..."

Bill threw up his hands. "Of course you are! That's the only place you'll find someone with enough hard coin to risk buying an obviously stolen ship. Azun knows that, which is why the first place he's going to look is Hilt. If we go north to Tsilen, we can buy some time to-"

"Now who's suicidal?" snapped Cai. "It's over. If you want to go north, you're welcome to row there."

"At least keep me onboard," said Bill through gritted teeth. "If he does run us down before we get there, wouldn't you rather have me to use as a bargaining chip? And if they don't feel like bargaining, wouldn't you rather have me fighting on your side?"

Cai slowly lowered his pistol and the rest of the crew followed his example. "I'm in charge. I make the decisions."

"You're in charge," Bill answered, just as slowly. "You make the decisions."

"Anyone have a problem with that?" Cai shouted.

Yazwa shook her head. "No, no, everything is fine."

"I'm at your service," Saiyun replied.

"I'll follow you," said Aven.

Ji said nothing, slipping away from Aven's side towards the doors that led below deck.

"Good," said Cai, slipping his pistol back into his belt. "Set a course west. We're going to Hilt!"

Yazwa watched as the crew stowed their weapons and set to work on the rigging. Bill brushed by her, walking to the front of the ship, his face dark as a thundercloud. She decided to let him be and went over to Saiyun as he picked up Bill's logbook. "I wasn't expecting that," said Yazwa.

"Me either," mumbled Saiyun, glancing at the crew bustling around them. "I can't blame them for not wanting to sail to Tsilen, but I didn't think it was worth a mutiny."

The goosebumps on Yazwa's arm slowly started to fade as her heart slowed. Cai and Bill had always seemed like the best of friends. How could things have gone so wrong so quickly? The sooner she freed herself of the curse and was back home the better. "Is this going to cause problems for you?"

Saiyun ran his hand over his hair. "I don't know. I'll have to talk to Bill when he's in a lighter mood. Where did Aven and Ji go?"

"Below deck," Yazwa said, pointing to the stairs. "Oh, Tsen said Ji's aura was fine before he left. It's the blood loss that's making her weak."

"Well that's good," Saiyun sighed. "I'll check in on her after I've had a chance to think over what just happened."

Yazwa nodded as the sails billowed overhead, catching a strong wind. Even if Cai was in charge now, they were heading west, towards the Achara Ata and the one person who could break her curse. All she had to do was survive.

-

Ji cursed her weakness, stumbling on the steps when the ship lurched. It had been days, DAYS, and she was still lightheaded. If she wasn't so weak, she would be better right now. If she hadn't been so weak-

"Careful," Aven said, grabbing her arm to steady her. "Let's get you to your hammock."

A warm feeling rushed through Ji as she leaned on him, following his lead towards her hammock. "Thank you," she murmured as she gently lowered herself down. Aven had been at her side through the whole ordeal, making it almost bearable. He was the only one who understood her now, the only one who could help her. "We need to start training again."

Aven frowned, grabbing a canteen of water and handing it to her. "Maybe we should wait until you can defeat a flight of stairs, first."

Ji drank the whole thing down, tossing it aside when it was empty. "No, now. I have to be ready when we get to Hilt. That's where Ca Diro will be."

"What?" asked Aven. "How do you know that?"

The memory of being strapped to the chair while Azun and Ca Diro casually discussed their plans made Ji tear up. She bit down on a lump in her throat and forced the feelings away. They were worthless. They were weakness. "I heard Azun and Ca Diro talk about it. There are more like him on Hilt. They want to make more potions like the one he dragged out of me. I need your help."

Even if it was to Aven, she hated to admit she couldn’t do it alone. Back in Channan Harbor, she thought she had learned a hard truth. That she was weak. That she could not force En Chitei to talk. That she was not as strong as she thought she was. Her skin crawled when she thought of herself back then. Foolish, stupid, weak. The Esgan had told her that En Chitei did not speak to the comfortable. Now, she truly knew what she meant.

"To track him down?" Aven asked slowly, kneeling in front of her.

Tears welled up in Ji's eyes again. He understood, of course, he did. Aven had inherited an oath of vengeance from his mother. He knew what it was like to want someone dead from the very bottom of your soul. "He has to pay for what he did! He can't leave Hilt alive!"

Aven blinked and reached up, gently touching her shoulders. "I know."

"Not just him," Ji stammered on. "The rest of the blood magicians too, each and every one! After we've killed them all, we kill Azun! And then the Elders!"

"What?" Aven asked, reaching out to steady her as she leaned to one side. "What Elders?"

Ji's head swam as once-happy memories drifted through her mind. The Temple Elders, telling them stories of their own rite of passage out in the world. Elder Taban lecturing that they would carry the honor of the Monastery on their shoulders on their journey. Endless lessons on their duty to the weak. Eating with her friends, dreaming of their deeds that would be written into song. It was all poisoned now. How could they? HOW COULD THEY?

"Hey," Aven said, gently shaking her. "What elders?"

His face snapped into focus and Ji grimaced, even their first meeting was poisoned now that she knew the truth. She had blindly followed Aven after begging his forgiveness. Stupid stupid stupid. There was no reason to trust him, no good reason to follow him back to his ship. How many others had done the same? How many other acolytes had been led into a trap by their own ignorance? "At my Monastery. It's all their fault, they didn't warn us, they didn't tell us what it was like out here."

"You..." Aven said, waiting for Ji to steady herself. "You want me to help you kill your Elders?"

"They have to pay," Ji snarled, clenching her hands into fists. "They all knew. They'd been out on journeys, they knew what the world was like. Ca Diro led me into his clutches with sweet words. How many others died the same way because the Elders lied to us? They said our strength would protect us, they LIED! They lied and they have to answer for it!"

"I'll help you," Aven said, gently wrapping his hands around her fist. "All the way."

Ji lurched forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and squeezing him tight. "Thank you," she whispered, head swimming again. It was all so clear now, everything was falling into place. Their meeting had not been mere chance. Aven was the one, the only one, who could teach her. The only one who could help her. It was why she was so drawn to him.

First, they would kill Ca Diro and his accomplices for their crimes.

Then they would hunt Azun down and kill him.

Then they would make the Elders pay for their lies.

Then...then En Chitei would finally speak to her.