Aven slid a dozen silver coins into his waist pouch and tossed the emptied purse he’d lifted off the drunken sea captain. He and everyone else Aven had lifted money off of wouldn't notice they had been robbed until they sobered up, well too late to do anything about it.

The coins rattled softly as he made his way through the streets back to the inn. He caught sight of a few other pickpockets, easily shaking them off in the crowd. The stolen silver would keep them lodged for a few more nights as well as get them some decent food and clothes. Looking shabby was a quick way to get attention, which was the last thing they needed right now.

While Bill was flexing his connection, he and Ji could go on the hunt for the blood mages. There were already a few neighborhoods he suspected they could be hiding out in. With a little sneaking around and eavesdropping, it wouldn't be hard to find some leads. If they could find one, they could find more. If they found enough, it was only a matter of time before they found Ca Diro. But first, he needed to get back into the inn and-

Aven stumbled, missing a step as every muscle in his body tensed up. Something was wrong.

He kept walking, resisting the urge to dart for cover. His instincts were screaming that he was in danger, but there was nothing obvious around him. Careful to keep his composure, he glanced from one side of the road to the other until he saw the threat.

The fire gate was open, but there were twice as many guards as normal manning it. They were relaxed and chatting with three men in civilian clothes hanging around the gate. That wasn't right. Gate guards sent people on their way if they didn't want to be caught slacking, especially this close to a shift change. If they were relaxed enough to be talking on duty, why have more men?

No one challenged him as he passed through. As far as he could tell, no one even gave him a spare glance. Aven picked up his pace, weaving through the darkening streets. Maybe it had nothing to do with them. Those men could have been trainees, learning the job before getting their staves. He dismissed the idea as soon as he thought of it. The men were too old to be trainees. They were there for another reason. Maybe he was just on edge, maybe there was a good reason he hadn't thought of.

The street was full of guards.

Not obviously. Anyone else would just see a bunch of men hanging around an inn. To him, though, it was as plain as day. They didn't have their helmets on, but it was impossible to miss the indents their straps left on their chins and cheeks. They were spread out in discrete groups of three around the street, the alleyways on either side of the inn were blocked. As he passed by it was obvious that they all had clumsily hidden pistols tucked away in waistbands and boots.

Aven kept walking, feeling eyes on him as he made his way inside. He passed the stairs and slipped into the kitchen. Dinner was being prepared for the guests, but it was child's play to sneak through the hustle and bustle to one of the back doors. Crouching low, he gently eased the door open a crack, pressing his ear to the gap and listening. Mumbled conversation confirmed his worst fear, and he counted five voices before he gently closed the door to sneak out of the kitchen and up the stairs to their room.

"Welcome back! How much-" Bill stopped, setting his jaw when he saw the look on Aven's face.

"We're surrounded," Aven said after the door clicked shut. "There are city guards in disguise out front and out back. The ones in the street have pistols, and they probably have them out back too."

Bill cursed, rushing to the window and peering through a crack between the shutters. "I count at least twelve outside."

"Are you hurt?' Ji asked, running over to him.

Yazwa grabbed her staff and pressed herself against the wall next to her door, eyes glowing. Saiyun pulled out a Jado doll and hunkered down next to one of the beds.

"I'm fine," said Aven. "They weren't out there when I left. There are more than twelve, now, three covering each alleyway and at least five out back."

"Were you followed?" Bill asked, stepping away from the window.

Aven shook his head. "No, I made sure of it."

"This doesn't make any sense," Saiyun said. "If they can get more than twenty guards together, why not just arrest us out in the open?"

Bill held his breath, head quickly turning to a wavery bubble of water before snapping back to normal. "I'm very hard to catch. The plan is probably to move in after I'm asleep and cover every angle of escape. Someone smart is in charge of this. They want to catch me quickly and quietly. Probably have a big iron pot ready to shove me into hidden away somewhere."

"So how are we going to get out of here?" Aven asked. "We could try to go out the back. If there are only five guards, we could take them out before they alert the others."

"All the exits are covered," Bill said, stroking his beard. "And there are probably guards watching those guards too. There's no easy way out. The only thing we can do is wait for the right moment."

-

As Yazwa lay on the floor in near complete darkness, she found herself reflecting on her Uncle again. He had a thousand war stories to tell but always said that the waiting was the worst part. The fighting, the marching, and the food were all terrible, but there was nothing worse than being formed up and staring at ten thousand men who wanted to kill you across an open field. It was a relief when the bullets started flying.

When she got home, the first thing she was going to do was tell him he was right.

The others were all around her, laying flat and trying to keep their breathing as silent as possible. She was closest to the window, a crack in the shutters letting in the moonlight and the light from lanterns of drunks and revelers making their way home. The street was growing quieter and quieter with each passing minute, and she had to strain her ears to hear any sign of the oncoming attack.

A rustle from outside drifted in through the window, and Yazwa's heart sped up, beating so loud she was sure the people below could hear it. From the whispers and scraping outside, she guessed the guards were climbing up onto the porch outside the window. Through the floor, she heard a multitude of footsteps below, and soon the stairs were creaking as a dozen men tried to climb quietly. Each time the loose floorboard on the top step creaked, Yazwa twitched, gripping her staff tightly. She could hear her friends’ breathing speeding up in the quiet night air. It was almost time.

The guards slowly made their way down the hallway, silent save for the squeak of the floorboards and the rustle of their coats. Yazwa held her breath as they reached their door...and passed. Outside, the light flickered as the guards crept past the window, keeping pace with the men on the inside.

A smile flashed across Yazwa's face as she slowly, gently rose to her knees. So far, Bill's plan was working like a charm. Aven had easily picked the lock on an empty room two doors down from them, and they had carefully switched rooms when no one was looking. Whoever was working the desk had dutifully told the guards which room they were supposed to be in.

A sharp whistle from outside ripped through the quiet night air. Yazwa leaped to her feet as the guards bellowed and smashed in the door of their old room. She leaped out the window through the shutter, splintering it to pieces as she emerged into the humid night air. The five guards at the window froze in shock and Yazwa took full advantage, closing the distance and lashing out with her staff. Her first blow caught one on the top of his shoulder and he collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain. The others raised their pistols to fire, but her curse snuffed out the powder. Some fell back, others tried to crawl into the window just as their comrades were trying to look out to see what was happening.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Bill take a running jump off the roof and sail to the ground, landing in a splash before reforming and taking off down the street. Saiyun was close behind him, sliding over the edge and carefully dropping down before he chased after Bill. A pistol shoved its way through the window and failed to fire at point blank, Yazwa stepped back and launched a sharp jab through the window, answered with a grunt of pain. One of the guards on the roof pulled a dagger, but Yazwa brought her staff down on his wrist hard, sending the blade flying through the air. Aven and Ji burst out on the roof, ready to help if she needed it, but Yazwa sent whoever was left running for the edge of the roof with a hard charge toward them. Aven leaped first with Ji soon after.

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Yazwa grinned as the guards stumbled off the roof in panic, but more whistles were being blown and more orders were being shouted. The shock was wearing off. It was time to go.

She slid off the roof like Saiyun, not trusting herself to make the graceful, rolling landing Aven and Ji had pulled off. The second her feet touched the ground, she was off and running, racing to catch up with the others. Up ahead was the fire gate, already closed by the guards. No matter how sturdy the wooden door was, it would disappear into Jado. Bill and Jado would hold the line as they caught up and then they would all disappear into the revelry of the plaza.

The first sign something was wrong was Bill screaming in fury.

The second was a bright flash just in front of the gate.

When the light faded, a massive creature stood in a crater of empty earth. It looked like a featherless bird with a long tail and a snake's head. The summon was so tall it could see into second-story windows with ease.

Bill killed his momentum, scrabbling on the stone road to change direction and dart into an alley. Two more flashes lit up the night, and two more of the snake-headed summons barrelled out of the alley. Uniformed guards followed, staves held at the ready. All swarmed Bill, the first summon stepping over Saiyun to reach the fabled pirate.

Yazwa tried to will herself to go faster, watching Bill throw an elbow that shattered a guard's nose. Aven and Ji were ahead of her. If they reached him in time, they could fight off the horde.

A stave slammed down on Bill's head, and he turned to water, flowing between the guard's legs. The nearest summon charged forward, scattering guards as it lunged at Bill, mouth wide open. Its jaw scraped against the ground, scooping up every drop of him. It tilted its head back and swallowed.

"No!" screamed Yazwa, drowned out by the roaring cheer of the guards. The summon’s stomach trembled and quivered, and she thought she could make out the silhouette of fists and feet. Bill was still alive and fighting. Yazwa's hand went to her belt. It would be simple to cut him out.

"Leave him!" Aven screamed, darting aside into an alleyway, well short of the cheering guards and summons. Ji was close behind him.

The barrage of whistles told Yazwa that the guards from the inn were catching up. Even if she could cut Bill out, they wouldn't stand a chance.

With a scream that was half rage, half regret she followed Aven and Ji into the alleyway. "Wait!" she called after them as they darted around a corner. "Where's Saiyun?!"

Her question was answered when she rounded the corner herself and nearly slammed into him. "You got away!" she said, slamming into the firewall to kill her speed.

"It just ignored me!" Saiyun called, pointing at Aven and Ji, still booking it down the street. “Don't lose sight of them!”

Yazwa urged her aching legs to run again as sweat poured down her face. They slowly caught up, all four running until the night was quiet again. They slumped to the ground against an empty shop, gasping for breath. "I think...I think we got away," Yazwa gasped, chest heaving.

"They never chased us," Saiyun wheezed, laying flat on his back. "They only wanted Bill."

"Why?" was the only thing Yazwa could think to ask.

Ji knelt on the ground, slowly bringing her breathing under control. "Because he's the strongest. We're all so weak we could be safely ignored."

"No," Aven said, shaking his head. "Bill’s made a lot of enemies. Both of those ambushes were tailor-made to catch him. Whoever set them up knows what he can do."

"What now?" Yazwa said, struggling to her feet. "He's still alive in there. I saw him moving around. Where's the jail in Hilt? Maybe we can head them off?"

Saiyun gave her an incredulous look as he sat up. "Yazwa...there were more than thirty guards around him and three summons. There's nothing we can do."

"But we can't just leave him behind!" Yazwa said, leaning on her staff.

"He got caught," Ji said coldly. "That's all there is to it."

Yazwa stared at Ji, mouth agape. "After all we've been through together-"

"Right now," Aven cut in, pulling himself up. "We need to find a place to hide. We can't do anything for anyone if a guard patrol tries to arrest us for being out after dark. Follow me."

As the others slipped away, Yazwa took a deep breath and tried to shake some sense into herself. They were right. Rescuing Bill was a ridiculous idea and a dangerous one. He was a pirate and pirates got caught all the time. Going after him was a risk she couldn't afford if she wanted to make it home. Walking away was the right call.

Even if it felt like the wrong one.

-

Bill gasped as he reformed on the cold tile floor, sucking in great lungfuls of air. The belly of the summon was barely big enough to hold him, and the air that it had swallowed with him had quickly become stale.

When the fuzz finally faded from his mind, he grabbed his jacket and loincloth, finding that the summon had vomited them up with him. He put them on, taking a look around.

He was in a rectangular pit, lined with white tile on every surface. The sides were tall, higher than he'd ever have a chance jumping. In one corner, a straw mattress lay on the ground, along with a short table. On top of it was a lit candle in a candle holder, casting flickering light around the pit. On the bed were a blanket and a hardcover book, and the latter he snatched up, squinting to read the title. The Complete Account of Prince Hae-Win in The Court of the Oracle.

"Oh shit," Bill groaned, dropping the book and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Did you ever find a copy of your own?" came a woman's voice from above. It belonged to an older woman, her long auburn hair faded and streaked with gray. Golden jewelry in the shape of birds and insects dangled in her hair, catching the candlelight. Her face was wrinkled, with age spots mixed in with freckles, but her green eyes were every bit as bright as the emeralds in her hair. She wore a baggy shirt covered with beautiful beadwork, missing its right arm. A simple black wrap skirt hung from her waist that she carefully adjusted as she sat down on the edge of the pit. "I hung onto a few in case you ever came around again."

"Hello Wabaro," Bill said, craning his neck to look up at her. Wabaro Vatel. Senior Batore Wabaro Vatel, first among equals on the council that ran Hilt. "Last I remember, you commuted my death sentence after Avendi's Third Fleet burned in port."

"I did," Wabaro nodded. "But I kept a few of your other crimes on the books for a rainy day. Technically you're in here for manifest fraud."

Bill stared up at her, trying to work out his next move. It wasn't hard to figure out that whoever set up the ambush knew him well. Disappearing into a drunken crowd was one of his favorite tricks. She'd set her trap exactly where he'd run and called up the perfect summon to capture him. All within less than a day of him setting foot in her city.

It was too perfect, even for her.

"Who sold me out?"

"Who said anyone sold you out?" Wabaro asked.

Even if it had been Cai, word of his arrival wouldn't have filtered up to her for a day or two. Besides, the old salt wasn't that spiteful. No, she had something prepared the second someone caught wind that he was on the island. This had been planned long in advance. "You knew we were going after Azun's fleet, didn't you? I'm betting it was Abatel."

Wabaro smiled. "You'd win that bet. He very politely let me know so I could prepare to receive the vast amount of treasure that would pour into Hilt. Can't dump that much gold into one city without it wreaking havoc on exchange rates. Very kind of him."

Bill flexed his hands. Wabaro knew about the fleet and knew about his plan to hit it. Which meant word had already gotten back to her about what kind of ships Azun had. Not good. "So what's the fine for manifest fraud?" Bill asked. "I don't have much on me, but you know how good I am at finding coin."

The smile faded from her face. "I can't believe you were stupid enough to come back here."

"Not my call," replied Bill. "My old crew mutinied after we ran from the fleet. It was all I could do to keep them from putting me off in a rowboat, but enough about that. Let's help each other. No one is happy about what Azun put to sea. If we work together, we can end the threat."

"You were always a better pirate than a politician. Even you have to know how this changes things," Wabaro said with a sigh. "A week ago, I had the best navy in the Raoin Sea. Now I don't. A week ago, the guns of Yabaram could repel any attack with ease. Now they can't. Tsilen, The Western Hangzai and the Eastern Hangzai used to be evenly matched, and now the balance of power has completely changed, all thanks to Azun. When his fleet comes calling, I need to be in the strongest position I can manage. Keeping you locked up as a bargaining chip will go a long way when that fleet day comes."

"What if I told you I knew something that could help tip the balance of power again?" said Bill, ignoring the pain in his neck from looking up. "Something that would make that fleet less of a problem. Let me out of here, and let's talk."

Wabaro slowly shook her head from side to side and got to her feet. "Unless you're about to tell me a treasure ship's secret weakness is that it will burst into flame when exposed to cinnamon, talk isn't good enough. Tsilen and Azun are the new powers in the Raoin, and I have to do what's best for Hilt. Let me know when you finish that book. I'll send you a new one."

Bill pressed his forehead into the cold tile, fighting the urge to call out to her. It wouldn't do any good anyway. She'd made up her mind and nothing he said would get him out of this pit. The only thing he could do was sit and hope the situation changed. Maybe a storm would sink the treasure fleet, or maybe Azun would choke to death on his dinner, or maybe the three squabbling Emperors would see the error of their ways and work out a deal to end the war.

Or someone would come to rescue him.

He snorted out a laugh and walked away from the wall, settling down on the mattress and picking up the book. Even if they were crazy enough to try, it would never work. If Wabaro wanted him locked up, she would make sure he stayed that way. The only thing to do now was catch up on his reading.