Getting the attention of the Vathlanri was easier this time. Luckily, some of the twin-hulled ships were pulled up to a dock and the women crewing them seemed to know who they were. After a rushed conversation in their native tongue that Saiyun couldn't follow, he and Yazwa were ushered aboard one of the smaller ships that set off the second they got on. Saiyun grumbled as some seawater splashed up and soaked his robe. It was hardly more than two canoes linked together with wooden struts and a net strung between them. The six Vathlanri dug their oars into the water, chanting as they got into a rhythm and zipped across the choppy waves.

"This is a good sign, right?" Yazwa asked, crouching low and clinging to the net as the boat pushed through a swell. "They wouldn't be bringing us in if Aven and Ji weren't waiting for us."

Saiyun looked ahead, squinting through the mist. Hundreds of ships were gathered along the beach, and the whole shore was alive with activity. Some were the size of their boat, and others were larger than Bill's sunken ship, but all were laid out with twin hulls and triangular sails. The small boats rowed back and forth, some carrying barrels and crates, others with cannon and shot lashed tightly to the deck. The larger ships had cranes that lifted heavy loads up onto their decks, while the smaller ones relied on sheer muscle power to transfer their cargo. A chorus of shouts and hammering enveloped them as they pulled closer.

By skill, planning, or luck, they didn't hit any of the smaller ships as they pushed on towards a narrow empty spot on the shore and beached with a gentle jolt. The moment they did, a trio of top-knotted women stormed towards them, double-barreled shotguns cradled in their arms.

"They don't look happy to see us," Yazwa whispered to Saiyun as the captain of their ship shouted back at the guards.

Saiyun strained his ears, but the din surrounding him kept him from hearing anything they were saying. "We're the ones who told them about Azun's shipyard. They have every reason to trust us," he said, willing himself to believe it.

He was relieved when one of the guards stepped forward and pointed at him and Yazwa, beckoning them to follow.

Yazwa scrambled forward, splashing through the surf. "Are you bringing us to Aven?"

"Come," the woman said brusquely, turning her back and striding inland.

The other two guards waited for Saiyun to catch up before falling into step behind them. "Is he hurt? Is Ji– Is a tailed woman, with him?" he asked breathlessly.

The woman didn't even turn around as she led them into the woods. Behind the trees, it was every bit as busy as the shoreline. Sailcloth tents were hung everywhere, surrounding smoky fires. Racks of gutted fish hung low over the coals, curing over the slow heat. Vathlanri clustered around them, chattering as they sewed clothes, inspected guns, and did a hundred other things. It was clear to see they were getting ready for war.

Saiyun couldn't help but notice the looks he got as they wove through the camp. When they passed, the work would stop for half a heartbeat as everyone gathered around the fire stopped to stare. "It must be unusual for non-Vathlanri to come here," he whispered to Yazwa.

"Yeah," Yazwa agreed. "But that must be good, right? They wouldn't bring us here if it wasn't important."

A sharp smell distracted him before he could answer. Ahead of them, the sailcloth tents were laid out in two long rows, each one big enough for one or two people to lie down in. Vathlanri flitted back and forth in the gap between the rows, most wearing their hair tied in two long tails. When the guard shouted something, Saiyun's heart soared, certain he'd heard Aven's name.

It wasn't long before a head poked out of a nearby tent. Her hair was leaf green and hung with shells and wooden beads. An ugly look set on her face and she stormed towards them, shouting in Vathlanri before she switched to Gray. "How could you? How could you just leave him like that?!" she shouted, so close to Saiyun he could feel her breath.

"We haven't-" Saiyun stuttered, stepping back only for her to follow him.

"You dumped him bleeding on the dockside!" she bellowed. "If it were any other Ata, they would have left him to rot!"

Yazwa stepped forward, hands raised. "That wasn't us. We haven't seen him in days."

It did little to calm her, she only got louder and switched back to ranting in Vathlanri. She only stopped when another woman stepped out of the tent and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Utosa, they can't understand a thing you're saying."

"Who is it?" a weak voice drifted out of the tent. "Ji, is it Ji?"

The other woman nudged Utosa out of the way and waved Yazwa and Saiyun into the tent. On a simple wood and canvas cot lay Aven, wearing nothing but bloody bandages wrapped around his torso. He looked up as they rushed in, face pale and voice hushed. "Tell me Ji is with you."

Saiyun knelt next to the cot, shuffling over to give Yazwa some room. "We thought she was with you."

Aven tried to sit up, but Utosa was at his side in a flash, pushing him back down on the cot and whispering fiercely.

"We know what happened at the pier," Saiyun said quickly. "What happened after?"

"If it weren't for the mist, we wouldn't have gotten out," Aven wheezed. "She carried me all the way to the docks and dropped me in front of the first Vath ship she found. I tried...I tried to get her to stay. But she wouldn't."

"Was she hurt too?" Yazwa asked, eyes flicking down as Utosa checked Aven's bandages.

Aven grimaced and shook his head. "Just me. We have to find her. She attacked the city guard. They saw her. They're looking for her. We have to find her first."

"There is no 'we' here," Utosa said coolly, leaning back. "I patched up the wound, but you need time to heal before you can even think about walking."

"We do have good news," Saiyun said, filling him in on their progress with the Ambassador. "If we can make the right connections, we could get her pardoned."

"Not good enough," Aven said, flinching and staring up at the ceiling. "She's not in her right mind. She won't stop. It's not just...not just the guards we have to worry about. Someone else...got to the blood Achali before we did."

Yazwa blinked. "What?" Who?"

"I don't know," said Aven. "But whoever it was...was good. Took a Vao and an Achali...by surprise. They didn't have a chance to fight back. If the guards don't get her, that killer will."

Panic gripped Saiyun's mind. Ji was unstable and alone on the streets of Hilt. She was hunting Blood Achali, the guards were hunting her, and there was some unknown killer in the mix as well. What else could go wrong?

Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to think. Frantic worry would accomplish nothing. "Where were you hiding out? Maybe we can find her before it gets dark and talk her into coming with us."

"We kept moving around," Aven answered. "Hid in a new spot every day. But there are... three places where she might be going."

"Tell us," urged Yazwa.

"First is a sugar mill on Strong Street. Second is a townhouse under construction on Lily Avenue," he said, wheezing as he broke into a coughing fit. When it passed he continued. "The third is a hulk of a ship... in the breaker yards at the west end of the bay. They're all private with a good source of victims... and a way to dispose of them."

Saiyun clenched his hands into fists. "Which one will she go to first?" he asked.

Aven was silent for a moment. "I don't know. I said...I said the pier was the most likely spot. We were going to...decide where to go next...after the pier."

"But which one?" hissed Saiyun as Aven's eyes started to flutter. "Was one more likely than the other? Which one is closer? She must have said something."

A firm hand gripped Saiyun's shoulder. "Time to go. He needs rest," said Utosa.

Saiyun looked back down at Aven as he lost the fight to stay awake. Utosa ushered them out where the other Vathlanri was standing guards. He waited until they were all out of the tent to start asking questions again. "Will he survive?"

Utosa scowled at him. "Yes, likely. The bullet didn't hit any organs or bones and it went straight in and out. But he lost a lot of blood, and that wound will take time to heal properly. He won't be out of that cot for weeks."

"Good," Yazwa said, breathing a sigh of relief and tracing a circle on her forehead. "That's one less thing to worry about."

"We'll take care of him," Utosa said sharply. "We don't abandon our own."

Anger flared and Saiyun fixed his glare on Utosa. "We did not abandon-"

But she had already turned away to crawl back into the tent. "Chata will help you get back to the city," Utosa said as she pulled the tent flat closed.

"Sorry," said Chata with an awkward smile, holding her gun at her side. "When she gets worked up there's no talking to her. You don't need a ride back to Hilt, right? I heard Sayel was willing to bring you along."

"Are you going now?" Yazwa asked, looking over her shoulder at the hustle and bustle.

"No, we're off schedule," replied Chata. "Another ata sailed in and wanted to join the voyage. Working them in pushed back our sail date by a few days. Once we have everything in order, we'll sail north to link up with the Achara before we go after the shipyard."

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

Saiyun frowned. The delay was annoying but might give them just enough time to track down Ji. "Has there been any word of Hilt's fleet going with you?"

"You're the only drylanders I have heard of that would be coming with us." Chata shrugged. "I doubt they would, Hilts navy doesn't like to sail too far from home."

"I guess the Ambassador hasn't had any luck," sighed Yazwa. "Is there any way we could get dropped off at those breaker yards?"

"Wait, what?" asked Saiyun. "Why would we go there?"

Yazwa stared at him. "To find Ji. Aven said that's one of the places she might go."

"One of," said Saiyun. "We can't just pick one at random. Tonight might be our only chance to find her before someone else does. We have to have eyes on all three."

"We are NOT splitting up," Yazwa insisted. "That's how we got into this mess in the first place."

"Not our eyes," Saiyun said, feeling a pit settle into his stomach. He had an idea. A risky one, maybe even cruel. But they were out of time and out of options. "We have to go talk to the Ambassador again."

-

Yazwa sat on a bench outside the ambassador's office, idly tapping her staff against the tile floor. The office doors were huge and hung with brightly colored cloth banners. On either side was a guard dressed in ceremonial armor holding a musket with a bayonet. Every now and then, the guards would glance at her only to look away when she tried to catch their gaze.

Saiyun sat next to her, rapidly tapping his foot against the ground and looking from the doors to the window outside. "We're losing daylight. We can't wait much longer," he mumbled, looking down at the floor.

"Maybe he's almost done," Yazwa said, to no reply. He hadn't been very talkative since they’d left the Vathlanri's island. Normally, Yazwa didn't mind the quiet, but she could have used a distraction from the storm raging in her mind.

She had to go looking for Ji. No doubt about it. Ji needed help.

But what if they couldn't find her tonight? Or the next night? What then?

Yazwa rested a hand on her belly as the question coiled around her stomach and squeezed. The Vathlanri would be sailing in the next few days, and she would never have a better chance to find Yia. Staying behind wouldn't work. Sure, the Achara was supposed to come back to Hilt every few months, but they were sailing off to battle. What if Yia was killed? Any chance of curing her curse would be gone. She'd be forced to crawl home, every bit as useless as she was before. She had to make it back cured, nothing else mattered.

Except Ji.

As Yazwa wiped her sweaty palms on her dress, a flood of unwanted memories rushed into her mind. Learning how to use hammocks together. Comforting her in the wreck of the Emerald Arrow. Finding her strapped to Ca Diro's table. After all that, how could Yazwa leave her behind?

But she had to go home.

It wasn't safe out here.

Ugly memories surfaced now. The firing squad in Ortan. Batro's lifeless body slumping to the deck. The cold eyes of Bill's crew as they mutinied. She had endured so much horror and danger for one reason and one reason only. To get her old, peaceful life back.

Was that worth Ji's life?

Yazwa was saved from answering that question by the office doors swinging open. The guards snapped a salute as Ambassador Shaoten saw off a richly dressed short man with more rings on his fingers than she could count. For a second, Shaoten's smile faltered, but it was soon back on his face. "Apologies. My meeting ran longer than I intended."

"We must talk right away," Saiyun said, hopping to his feet and rushing over to the door. "I have dire news."

Shaoten stepped aside to let them in, quickly closing the doors behind him. "I regret to inform you that I have not yet heard back from the Senior Batore. My word on this inside is that she has referred the matter to a committee of her fellow Batore."

Yazwa took a seat in one of the small chairs in front of the Ambassadors' desk as he sat down on his own. "Batore… Those are the people that run Hilt, right?"

"Correct," Shaoten nodded sagely. "A matter such as this could heavily affect Hilts's future. I feel as if they will spend considerable time pondering. There is only so much my letters can do."

Saiyun paced back and forth in front of the desk, rubbing his hands together. "I think these are delay tactics. She has no intention of joining the fight."

"Why doesn't she just say so?" asked Yazwa, following his progress.

"So she doesn't have to make the choice. It's the safest option. She can come out on top no matter what happens," Saiyun said. "Think about it. If the Vathlanri succeed, she can say they left before she had a chance to make a call and offer them help. If they fail, she can tell Azun she had no idea what was happening and make a deal."

Shaoten leaned back in his chair. "Devious," he sighed. "But that's the way these Anku think. It's out of our hands now."

"No," Saiyun said, stopping and standing tall. "We have to force her to take part."

A silence fell over the office as Yazwa tried to understand what Saiyun was getting at. "How are we supposed to do that? If it takes this long for her to respond to a letter then how long do you think it will take for us to talk to her in person?"

"She as a point," Shaoten said. "If you think I can compel Wabaro to do anything you are grossly overestimating the power of my office. I am merely a representative of a country that is very far away."

"Ambassador, there is a secret we have kept from you," Saiyun said, glancing sideways at Yazwa. "Our two companions are not simply staying at another inn. They are hunting Blood Achali in Hilt in the service of Azun."

A chill ran up Yazwa's spine and she leaped to her feet. "Saiyun," she hissed, far too late.

"I fail to see the importance of this secret," said Shaoten.

Saiyun clapped his hand on Yazwa's shoulder. "You'd know better than anyone. How would the other Atemzlites of Hilt react if they found out there was a cult of Blood Achali at work on their streets? What if it were to come out that they were protected by the Senior Batore herself?"

The answer came to Yazwa immediately. Fury. Fear. Condemnation. It would be a disaster. She turned to the Ambassador, trying to find the right words. Shaoten probably knew nothing about the Blood Taboo, but she had seen other evil on her journeys. "They would react as your people would if they found out she was in league with Akshi or a Korav."

"So, badly," Shaoten said slowly, face impassive. "I fail to see-"

Saiyun cut him off, leaning forward over the desk. "Our companions told us about three locations Blood Achali could be hiding and doing their dirty work. If you send guards to each of them, we'd have a chance of finding solid evidence of what they're doing. Then we threaten to tell the Atezmlites if she doesn't offer aid in attacking Azun."

Another silence descended over the office. "You want," Shaoten said, speaking slowly, "to blackmail the Senior Batore of Hilt?"

"Desperate times," said Saiyun.

Shaoten smiled and shrugged. "Why not? I'll gather my most loyal and trusted men. Now, where am I sending them?"

Yazwa stared slack-jawed, then grabbed Saiyun before he could say anything. She dragged him to the other side of the office and whispered fiercely into his ear. "Are you out of your mind? If it doesn't work we're all going to get chucked in prison! What if there's nothing there? What if his guards hurt Ji?"

"We'll just tell the guards who she is and give them a message from us to relay," Saiyun whispered back. "You heard what Aven said about her. She's not thinking clearly and we are out of time and out of options. Tonight might be the last chance we have to save her from herself."

As hard as she tried, Yazwa couldn't disagree. As Saiyun said, they were out of time and out of options. She turned away from Saiyun to face Shaoten. "Two of them are close by. We want to go with your guards so we can meet up with our friends."

"That sounds wise," Shaoten said, pulling out a sheet of paper and a pencil. "It will take time to find the right men for the job. I'll need those who can be trusted to keep their mouths shut. Give me the locations, and I'll send for you once I have them assembled."

Yazwa felt dread coil around her stomach again as Saiyun wrote out what Aven had told them. She closed her eyes and traced a circle on her forehead with one shaking hand. "Let her listen to us," she mumbled to herself. "Let us all be together again."

-

Ji perched on the edge of the roof, watching the shadows grow longer as the sun went down. The street below was slowly emptying as people hurried to get inside before it got dark. The homes on this street were grand, with two or three stories and courtyards surrounded by tall walls. The noise of dinner being prepared drifted out through windows glistening with flickering firelight.

Only one house was dark.

It looked much like the others, save for the wooden planks piled around the courtyard and the multitude of tiles missing from the roof. The courtyard was barren, save for a single small boat leaning against the wall. Whatever misfortune had befallen the house, Ji could not say, but from her perch, she could see not every window was dark. Candlelight flickered from a narrow basement window, invisible from the street thanks to the tall wall. It had plenty of space, plenty of privacy, and plenty of ways to dispose of victims. Just like Aven had described.

The thought made Ji shudder so hard that she nearly fell off the roof. As she tried to regain her balance, a flood of thoughts rushed through her mind. Was he alive? Would he heal? Had the Vathlanri taken him? Would he ever forgive her?

Ji bit down on the thoughts and leaned back to sit, feet jammed in the gutter to keep her from sliding forward on the roof tiles. She dug her fingernails into her palms and took long, deep breaths until her mind was quiet again. Those questions were pointless. Aven had gotten sloppy. and that had gotten him hurt. It was better that she was alone. Now she could walk her path with no distractions. There would be no one to hold her back.

In one motion she stood and leaped from the roof, dropping down until she landed on the wall that surrounded the house. She rolled forward, making one forward flip as she landed on the soft dirt. When there was no cry of alarm she ran forward into the wide-open front door. The floorboards barely creaked as she entered, searching for the way downstairs in the dim light. She walked down slowly, step by step as her eyes adjusted to the dark. At the bottom, a thin line of orange light glowed at the other end of the basement. The smell of blood filled her nose as she crept forwards, finding a thick door slightly ajar. Through the crack in the door, she could hear the sounds of pages being flipped. There was no doubt that someone was in there.

Hesitation seized her even as she crouched to push her way through the door. She had no idea what was on the other side. Was it one person? Two? Could a Vao be behind the door, ready to call up a dangerous summon? If it was a Blood Achali, who knew what sort of tricks they could have? Patience seemed wiser. She could wait at this door for someone to speak, or even go back outside and peer in through the basement window. It's what Aven would have done.

And then she was moving, slamming the door open so hard it sounded like a gunshot when it hit the wall. As she set foot in the room her eyes swept it, searching for a threat. A bloodstained table sat at the center of the room with leather straps dangling from each corner. Wooden cabinets lined the walls, and a desk sat off in one corner, covered in lit candles. A jet-black dog crouched near the desk, growling with its teeth bared. Next to the dog was a tall man wearing a long red coat. His skin was green, and his nose was little more than two vertical slits on his face. He held in his hand a sheaf of papers, and a multitude of sheathed blades hung on his clothes.

With no doubt he was a Blood Achali, Ji sprang at him, closing the distance before he could draw any of his weapons. The man darted sideways, backpedaling and holding his arms up to block as Ji rained blows down upon him. Every strike landed, but each time, he twisted his torso to deflect the force of the punch away. Ji tried to drive him into a corner, but he deftly turned to keep himself free. Seeing an opening, Ji shifted her stance and launched a kick at his side under his guard.

As the kick landed, pain erupted in Ji's foot. It felt like kicking a tree. She staggered backward, tensing for his counterattack.

It never came.

The green man stayed where he was, guard up and watching her.

Ji looked over her shoulder. The dog had not moved and was still growling with its hackles raised.

Behind the desk, a body lay in a pool of blood, its head several paces from the neck.

Just like at the pier.

Ji snapped her gaze back to the green man, who still held his position. He slowly lowered his guard, holding his palms open at chest level. "My name is Turantoc," he said, voice deep. "From what Tsen told me, you must be Ji."