Aven shivered, clenching his jaw tight to keep his teeth from chattering. The ocean's waters were warm to the touch, but they could still chill you to the bone if you spent too long in them. The mild chop wasn’t helping. Every now and then, a wave would splash the side of the turtle and send a spray into his face. He was soaked and held his hands under his armpits to keep them from going numb. Ahead of him was the Ijose pulling them along. On its shell sat Saiyun, Ru Talas, and Yazwa, at least somewhat protected from the water. Aven straddled a log tied to the shell of the turtle that bobbed and dipped as Ijose swam forward. Batro sat further behind him, and beside them, Ji and Bill rode on their own log. Bill seemed unaffected by the cold, but Aven could see Ji shivering in the light of the half-moon. There were ways she could keep warm, but Bill had ordered absolute silence.

Ahead of them, the ships in the lagoon loomed ever closer, their outlines lit by flickering lanterns. The turtle pushed on, the little splashes made by its flippers sounded deafening in the quiet. The waters of the lagoon were calmer than the open sea, so when the turtle drifted up to the side of the hull, there were no waves to bang it against the boat. All eyes turned to Bill as they came to a stop. He held up his hand and then pointed to Aven, sweeping his arm up to point at the deck.

Aven nodded and slipped off the log into the water, swimming over to the side. He found handholds and climbed up the sides, pausing to let the water drip off him before he peeked over the edge. The dim light of the lanterns illuminated the almost empty deck. Two sailors stood watch on the island side, huddled around a brazier. He watched them until he got a sense for their movements. They looked at each other, at the brazier and over at the camp on the island, lit by a big bonfire. Nowhere else. They had short muskets by their side, but it was too dark to see if they were cocked.

When he was sure no one else would be joining them he climbed back down to the turtle and relayed what he had seen to Bill in crude sign language.

Bill nodded and pointed at himself, then Aven. He made a direct jab with one finger and then a wide circle with his hand. Aven nodded. He was to go up first and circle around to the left, then Bill would go right for them. They climbed up the side of the ship together and Aven was once again surprised at how gracefully and quietly the big man could move. When both of the lookouts looked towards the island, Aven slipped over the side with Bill right behind him. Moving cautiously on the smooth deck, Aven circled around behind the man on the left, long knife drawn. By the time they realized they weren’t alone, it was too late.

Aven wrapped his arm around the man's head and drew the long knife across his neck. He pulled him down to the deck while his hands scrabbled uselessly at his throat. The other lookout leapt to his feet, but Bill grabbed his throat and squeezed, cutting off his shout of surprise. The man reached for his gun, but Bill pulled him away before he could take hold of it.

When both men were still, Bill crept to the side of the ship to usher the others up. Aven pulled the bodies away and tucked them in a shadowy corner before he joined the others.

“So far, so good,” Bill whispered, crouched low. Ji, Yazwa and Batro were also kneeling, leaning in close to hear every word. “Now we get the crew out. Yazwa, eyes?”

Yazwa’s eyes glowed and she gave a quick scan of the ship. “No summons on deck, but I can’t see through walls. There could be some down there.”

“Right,” Bill nodded. “You and Aven scout the hold.”

“What about the lanterns?” Yazwa asked, pointing up. Some of the lanterns hanging on the mast had already gone out when she got too close to them. “If I go, it will be too dark to see down there.”

“I’ve gotten so used to that being helpful, I forgot what a pain it can be,” Bill sighed, returning his focus to Aven. “You still shouldn’t go alone. Take Ji instead. She probably walks the quietest. Find the crew and get them up here.”

Aven nodded, then motioned to Ji, speaking as she moved to follow him. “Do you remember what I told you about moving quietly?”

“Step with the ball of your foot, not the heel,” Ji replied as she crept with him down the stairs. “Short strides and slide your foot across the ground when you can.”

“Good,” Aven said, reaching the bottom of the stairs and peering out. Flickering lanterns lit the gun deck, glistening off the iron barrels of the cannons. There were no walls, only the support beams that held the ship together. The hatches were closed, and the deck was empty. “We’re going to wait here and see if we can hear anyone moving around.”

Ji knelt behind him, closing her eyes and still her breathing. “I can hear them moving around above us, but nothing below.”

“If the gun deck wasn’t empty, we probably would have been noticed,” Aven said, looking up at the ceiling. “We’re going down again, that’s probably where the brig is. That’s probably where the crew quarters are too. If there’s anyone left on this ship, that’s where they’re sleeping.”

“What should we do if we wake them up?” Ji asked.

“Depends on how many there are.” Aven shrugged, walking out on the gun deck and making his way to the stairs that led below. “If we fight down here it’ll muffle the noise and we’ll be at an advantage in such a tight space.”

“Why?”

Aven didn’t answer until they were at the bottom of the stairs, peering down a dim, narrow hallway. Aside from the creaking of the ship's beams, everything was silent. “Tight spaces mean they can only come at us one at a time if we’re outnumbered. It also means they can only come from one direction.”

“Yes, I see,” Ji replied. “How long will we wait?”

“I’m satisfied,” Aven said, stepping out into the hallway. It was lined with sturdy doors with wooden handles. None looked like they were a brig, since they had no locks. But when he made it halfway down the hallway, he stopped. A door on his right had a brass doorknob with a keyhole. There was no light coming from the crack under the door and when he pressed his ear against it, he heard no noise.

“Is that the brig?” Ji asked.

Aven shook his head slowly. It didn’t look secure enough to be a brig. Something was off. It was too small and too deep in the ship to be the captain's cabin. There was a lock, but it was a very basic one. What was so important that they’d keep it behind a locked door in the lower decks of the ship? “Hold on,” Aven said, dropping to one knee. He pulled a set of lockpicks out of his pouch and set to work, but the lock proved impossible to break. “Hmmm, let me give something else a try.”

“What?” asked Ji.

Stowing the lockpicks back in his pocket, Aven pulled out a small jar of ash. He carefully used the ash to draw a string of Purification symbols onto his forearm. He tapped his finger to the lock and willed power into it. The lock shimmered and shifted, slowly drifting out of the door to Aven, leaving an empty hold behind.

“Wow,” Ji said.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Aven caught the lock before it could fall to the floor. “It’s a neat trick, but now they’ll definitely know someone was here. Grab a lantern off the hook for me and hold it up,” he said as he gently tapped the door open.

Ji reached up and plucked the lantern off its hook and held it over Aven’s head. It revealed a cramped room with the wall on the left covered in books. The opposite wall held an empty hammock made of soft cloth hung with tassels. On the right was a cluttered desk and a small stool. “This makes me think of Tsen’s room.”

“It does, doesn’t it?” Aven said. “Come in and close the door behind you. Keep holding the lantern up.” Aven went to the bookshelf, scanning the titles quickly. The dim light made it hard to read, but it didn’t take him long to find what he was looking for. He pulled three summoning manuals off the shelf and set them on the floor.

“What are those?” Ji asked.

“Something Saiyun will be very happy to have,” he said, spinning around and examining the desk. The papers on top were in a language he didn’t know, so he went straight into the drawers. Three of them had nothing but writing supplies and clothing, but the fourth held a leather bag with a long strap. Aven unbuttoned it to reveal a thin, metal box, clasped shut. With a little struggle, he popped the lid open. “Move the light closer.”

Ji leaned in with the lantern and its light flickered off dozens of glass vials sealed with black wax. Each one had its own strap holding it to the cushioned interior of the box. The vials were filled with a red liquid that almost shone in the light. “Is that…blood?”

“Could be,” Aven said, snapping the box shit and stuffing it in the bag. “If it's in here with summoning manuals, it has to be valuable.” He stuffed the manuals into the bag as well and left it by the unlocked door. “After we get the crew out, we’re coming back for it.”

“Wait,” Ji said, holding up her hand. “Did you hear that?”

Aven pressed his ear to the door and listened. The rattle of chains and the sound of quiet conversation floated down the narrow hallway. “Yeah. I think we know which direction the brig is in.”

Further down, the hallway opened up into a larger space. A long set of metal bars ran the full length of the hull, interrupted by a single door, also made of metal bars. It was ajar, just barely. Through the bars were more smaller cells and as Aven peered around the corner, he recognized the crew.

There were three other men in the brig. Two were hanging a pair of manacles from the ceiling and the other watched lazily. From his ornate jacket, Aven was sure he was the captain or at least an officer. “Bring him out,” the man in the chair said, pointing at the manacles.

The two sailors opened one of the cell doors and dragged Cai out and over to the manacles. They lifted his wrists into them and snapped them shut before stepping back. “Morning already Captain?” the old man rasped in Gray, standing on his top toes.

“I’ll question you when I want,” the captain replied, taking a long drink of water from a canteen. Even in the dim light, Aven could see the thirst in Cai's eyes. “Who is on the island?”

“Just because it’s dark doesn’t mean I’m going to say anything different,” Cai replied, rattling the chains. “All I know is--oof!” One of the sailors stepped forward and punched Cai in the stomach. He doubled up in pain and groaned, hanging in the manacles.

“Yes, yes. All you know is some wealthy Vao hired your ship to bring him and his bodyguards to this island,” the captain said, drumming his fingers on his leg. “The Vao had found the wreck of the Emerald Arrow and generously let you loot it for the tin that’s filling your hold. Now he’s just lurking about doing research while you wait to bring him home.”

Cai groaned, straightening up again. “If you knew that already, why bother waking me up?”

“Because you’re lying,” the Captain snapped, jumping to his feet and getting in Cai’s face. “You say it’s a powerful Vao, but we only encountered one summon. If they’re so desperate to protect the wreck, why let you loot it? If this Vao is only here out of academic curiosity, why did he never bother to approach us on the beach and explain what’s going on?”

“Look,” Cai gasped, trying to catch his breath. “I’ve seen it before. When people get money, they lose any kind of sense. Who knows why wealthy idiots do anything?”

“That’s a new one,” the Captain said sharply. “His gold must have driven him crazy. Get the pliers. We’re not leaving this room until I get the truth.”

Aven cursed, peering around the corner as one of the sailors rustled in a drawer and pulled out a pair of pliers. Three on two was bad odds and they’d have to funnel in through the door. No way to sneak up or hit them one at a time. He pulled back around the corner as the Captain held the pliers up to one of Cai’s fingernails. They’d have to wait until the captain was done and ambush him and his men on the way out. “Ji…” he tried to warn.

Cai screamed, and Ji leapt to her feet. Before Aven could stop her, she was around the corner and at the brig door. The sailors cried out as she threw it open with a clang and rushed in.

“Damnit!” Aven shouted, following her. By the time he reached the door, one of the sailors was already on the ground. The other grabbed hold of her arm and slammed her into the door of one of the cells. Aven came up behind him and pulled him backwards, tripping him and sending him sprawling to the floor.

The Captain lunged for the door, but Ji recovered and rushed him, fists flying. Pinned against the bars he held up his arms to block her blows and throw a few of his own. Some got through, but Ji pounded his face, body and neck until he slumped to the ground with a gurgle.

“I always knew I liked you,” Cai wheezed and the crew began to cheer.

“Shh!” Aven said, kicking the head of the sailor he had thrown to the ground. He went and limp and Aven fished around in his pockets for the keys. “We don’t know how many people are still aboard. When I get you out, go up to the main deck and meet with Bill. Quietly.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Cai said. When Aven undid the manacles Cai clenched his bleeding finger and hurried out the door.

Aven undid each of the cells and sent the crew on their way. “If we get out of here, I’m teaching you how to slip out of pins.”

“I will be glad to learn,” Ji said, stepping over the sailors on her way out of the brig.

Aven went after her, picking up the pace when no cry of alarm was raised. Either the crew was completely drunk in their quarters, or they had taken out everyone left aboard. On the way up he snagged the bag out of the locked room and slung it over his shoulder. When he reached above decks, the whole crew was there, whispering congratulations to each other and crowding around Bill.

“Good job you two,” Bill nodded to Aven and Ji as they joined the others. “No sign of alarm from our ship or the camp. We’re almost in the clear. From what we’ve been able to see from over here, they only have two people on watch on our ship too. Aven and I will swim over there and deal with them.”

“Why don’t we just steal this one?” Batro asked, looking up at the towering masts. “It’s bigger and faster than ours, seems a shame to wreck it.”

Bill shook his head. “We don’t have the crew to man this ship. Too many masts. While Aven and I are clearing out our ship, I want you all to find the anchor hoist and the rudder chain and disable them. Quietly. With both those broken, they’ll be stuck here for days before they can fix it. When you get the signal from us, ride over on Ijose, and we’ll sail out of here.”

“I knew you’d be back,” Cai grinned, holding a handkerchief to his bleeding finger. “Took a little longer than I thought.”

“I’m getting old, I’m not…as…” Bill trailed off, staring at the sky behind Aven.

Aven spun around and followed his gaze. In the dim light of the moon he saw a massive, winged summon flying towards them. His hand went to the hilt of his knife. They must have triggered some kind of trap in the locked room or the brig. Maybe there was a hidden summon that had spotted them somewhere. As the summon glided closer, Aven realized he had seen it somewhere before. “Oh shit.”

Tsen jumped off his summon when it flew over Bill’s ship and landed with a thump. “Who are you?” his sharp voice rang out through the night, carrying clearly across the water.

“Oh Tsen, no no no,” Bill groaned, burying his head in his hands.

“Halt!” replied a trembling voice. “This ship has been captured by the Tsilen Navy! Put down your…weapons and surrender!”

“I don’t have time for this,” came Tsen’s curt reply.

“I said halt!” shouted the voice, followed by a crack of gunfire. The report echoed over the water, answered by shrill whistles from the camp on shore. “I said…wait! He’s ignoring me!”

“Ring the bell!” answered another voice. “Letao can deal with it!”

Bill took a deep breath as the ringing of their ship's bell joined the sudden cacophony of the night. “Change in plans. Aven, Ji, Batro. Find the powder magazine and blow this ship up. The rest of us are going to take our ship back!” he said as he leapt overboard and landed with a splash.