Aven stepped into Bill's cabin and quietly shut the door behind him. Lanterns hung from the ceiling, their flickering light playing across three men sitting at a table. Bill was one of them, smoking a cigar and dealing out cards to the other two. "Aven, you're back," he said, taking the cigar out of his mouth and blowing a smoke ring towards the ceiling.

The other two men turned to face him, and Aven recognized one. Zeidu was a tall, lanky man sporting a bushy mustache. His skin was tanned and weather-beaten from a lifetime on the waves and he wore an embroidered overcoat and a red bandanna tied tightly on his head. He was a capable Vao on his own, but counted several others among his crew too. Best he remembered, Zeidu was less a pirate and more a mercenary, hiring out his summons to the highest bidder.

"I remember you," Zeidu said, squinting his dark eyes at Aven. "You're Anela's kid, aren't you?"

"I am," Aven answered.

"Told you I was bringing the best along with me," Bill grinned, tapping the ash from the cigar onto the floor.

"I hope you have some good news for us boy," said the other man.

Aven had never met him, but knew him by reputation. Laojen was a stocky man, with arms and legs almost as thick as Bills. His head was shaved completely bald and one of his eyes was obscured by a black patch. Laojen’s specialty wasn't taking ships, but towns. He had a little fleet of quick, shallow drafted sloops that could sail in close to shore. In the middle of the night, he'd sail in, take everything that wasn't nailed down, and sail out again. If memory served, more states wanted him dead than Bill, which was no easy thing.

"Not the news you want," Aven said. He pulled up a chair at the table and told the whole story, from catching sight of the Akshi in a market square to fleeing the building with as many papers as they could carry.

A groan rippled around the table. "Shit," Bill said, rubbing his eyes. "That's a problem."

"If a Keiso Akshi made you and sends word back to Azun, this whole thing is a wash," said Zeidu.

"Shame. I was looking forward to retiring," Laojen said.

"We might still be able to do it," Aven said quickly, standing up when he heard a knock at the door. He hurried to the door and took the pages from Ji, bringing them back and laying them out. "If these all say what I think they say, then we might still have a chance."

"What DO they say?" Bill asked, picking up a few. The other Captains followed his lead and started leafing through them in the lantern light.

Hope grew in Aven's chest the more they read. The papers weren't messages between kings and spies or secret knowledge stolen from vaults. It was all fairly mundane. Lists of ships in the harbor, where they had sailed from, what cargo they were carrying, and where they were going. There was more too, all gossip about the wealthy of Adoti, where their money came from and what deals they were making. The woman must have worked as a maid or washerwoman to learn all this.

"I think I'm right,” Aven said. “I think this is a sealed knot."

A smile shone through Bill's thick beard. "Well now, that is some good news."

"You gonna tell us what that is or just sit here feeling smart?" asked Zeidu.

Bill leaned forward and snuffed out his cigar in the ashtray. "A sealed knot is a spy ring that uses Akshi. They're almost impossible to break. You make a deal with someone illiterate to let an Akshi inhabit them while they go about their life. It rides along and watches for anything important. Then it writes it down using the host, who can't read anything it's writing. It leaves its notes at a secret location somewhere, and then an agent comes to pick it up. If the host gets found out, he doesn't even know what information he passed on. It's practically foolproof."

"But the Akshi's still alive and knows who you are," said Laojen. "What's stopping it from just telling its handler?"

"It doesn't know who its handler is, all it knows is where to drop the information off and what signals to give that it's safe to pick up," said Bill with a grin.

"Which means we have at least some time before the Akshi would be able to pass on any information," said Aven, rearranging the papers on the table into a pile.

"Even if this doesn't sink us," Laojen said, leaning back in his chair. "This thing won't happen unless Zeidu upholds his end of the bargain."

"I told you the-" Zeidu said, shooting a look at Aven. "Our target is well protected. My crew can't get any of our summons near it. But there are other ways we could find out what we need. Aven, do you think you could break into the fortress at the entrance to the harbor?"

"The Dazgi Fortress?" Aven asked. They had passed the fort on the way in. It had low, thick walls that ran right up to the waters edge that bristled with rows of cannon. The island held a harbor within its walls that sheltered a squadron of warships. "Why do you need me to break in there?"

"Does it matter?" Zeidu asked. "Sometimes I swear your mother could walk through walls. No fortress or palace could keep her out. Are you as good?"

Aven bristled. "Of course I'm good. But I can't tell you if I can do something if you don't tell me what it is. Do you need me to blow the powder magazine? Set fire to the ships in the harbor? Kill someone? I need to know."

After spending a few silent moments twirling his mustache Zeidu spoke up. "That fortress is Adaganna’s biggest base to the east. The commandant will likely have orders from home that will tell us everything we need to know. Can you break into his office and get them?"

Not for the first time, Aven wondered what Bill was up to as all three men stared at him, waiting for an answer. If the fortress commander was the only person with the information he needed, the orders must have come from the very top. Laojen's role made him think their target was on land and if Abatel was taking part, the outcome wouldn't piss off the Anku on Hilt at all. The only thing he still knew for sure was that it had something to do with Azun.

"I could," Aven said slowly. "But not quickly. I'd need to scout out the fortress, learn the guards' patterns, find the Commandant's office and where he hides his orders. That will take weeks at the quickest."

"We don't have weeks. The..." Laojen grumbled, clearing his throat. "There's only so long we can wait. This isn't something we can just make up as we go."

"No, it's not," said Bill, leaning back in his chair. "You said you had another idea?"

"It's a long shot, but we've all taken those before," Zeidu said, looking at Bill. "On my way here, I met with a big Vathlanri Ata sailing on the same course. It was the Tavada."

Aven sat bolt upright in the air. "Really?" he asked, leaning towards Zeidu. He hadn't seen them since he was seven years old when his mother decided he was old enough to learn her secrets. "You're certain?"

"They're the only other Ata that sails this far east," Zeidu said. "We did a bit of trading, but they wouldn't tell me anything that would help. I know you've had dealings with them in the past, Bill. You know their leaders."

"True," Bill said, stroking his head. "Are they coming to Adoti?"

Zeidu grinned. "They are. We only beat them here because one ship always sails faster than a fleet."

"Is Sayel still in charge?" Bill asked, taking a swig of rum.

"She is. A little long in the tooth, but she's still giving orders," replied Zeidu. "She wouldn't talk to me, but I bet she would with an old friend."

"Someone want to tell me how this solves our problem?" Laojen said, pounding his hand on the table. "Adding more ships doesn't help if we don't...if we don't know what we need to know."

Aven barely noticed Laojen's near slip-up. The Tavada were so close. He fought to keep old, happy memories from bubbling to the surface of his mind. There were more important things.

"No one knows the sea better than the Vathlanri," Zeidu said with a wave of his hand. "The Tavada have been sailing up and down the coast of Adaganna for years. They probably know everything we need to know. There's no love lost between the Vathlanri and Tsilen either. They'll be happy to help."

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"They wouldn't say no to a few crates of tin, either," Bill said, a smile showing through his beard. "As far as I remember, they'll moor most of their ships at an offshore island and send a few ahead to scout out the harbor and make their trades in advance. I'll pounce on them then."

"I'm coming with you," Aven said quickly.

Bill raised an eyebrow. "Why's that?"

"Because I speak Vathlanri better than you," replied Aven. "And I know them, I practically grew up in that Ata. They'll trust me a lot quicker than you. If we can get them to bring us back to the rest of the ships we could save a lot of time."

"Which we really need to," Laojen added.

"Fine by me," Bill said, smirking and raising the bottle. "Here's to old friends."

-

Saiyun grunted, arms burning as the handle of the bucket dug into his palms. He had not considered that the closest patch of soil would be well away from the dockside. He had also not considered just how heavy a bucket full of dirt would be. Putting one foot in front of the other, he slowly made his way up the gangplank onto the deck of the ship where he happily dropped it. Shaking out his palms and rubbing his shoulders, he took a look around. Most everyone was still milling around, Batro and Cai were still playing cards with the men from the other ships. Which meant Aven had yet to come out of Bill's cabin. Troubling.

It didn't take long for Yazwa to notice him and come over. "What are you doing?" she asked, looking down at his bucketful of dirt.

"It's for a summon," Saiyun said. "Have you heard anything else from the cabin?"

Yazwa shook her head. "Not since Aven asked for the papers we stole. It's been quiet. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

"Around here, quiet tends to be a good thing," Saiyun said, gritting his teeth and grabbing the handle with both hands.

"Let me help," Yazwa said, taking hold and lifting it with one hand. "Where are you even putting this?"

Saiyun paused, processing the blow to his ego. Truth be told he had put on some muscle since Aven started to teach him how to swim, but the occasional reminder of how outclassed he was still went down like sour milk. "In that crate," he said, pointing at a wooden box next to the stairs that led down into the hold.

Yazwa crossed the deck and quickly dumped the dirt in. "How many of those do you need?" she asked, holding the empty bucket out to him.

"Three more," sighed Saiyun, reaching out.

Yazwa pulled the bucket away. "If you do this three more times, I think your arms will fall off. Do you want some help?"

Saiyun did not want help. But he did need it. "I suppose I do," he sighed. "Let me find another one."

"Better yet, find two more," Yazwa said, putting her hand to her mouth. "Hey Ji! Come here, we need some help."

Ji looked up from where she was kneeling by the door of Bill's cabin. She climbed to her feet and made her way over to them, looking over her shoulder the whole way. "What do you need?" she said, shifting her weight from foot to foot.

"What's the matter?" Saiyun asked. Ji usually held herself more carefully, but now nervous energy flowed out of her.

"Aven's been in there for a while," she said with a darting glance over her shoulder. "We failed to kill the Akshi. They're probably very upset with him."

Yazwa reached out to put her hands on Ji's shoulders. "Ji, he's fine. They just have a lot to talk about. Remember how furious Bill was when we brought Saiyun back to the ship with us? If he can let that go, he can let this go. Now help me find two more buckets, Saiyun needs us to help haul some dirt for him."

Ji chewed her lip, looking over her shoulder again. "I should stay here. In case something happens."

"To be fair," Saiyun said, trying to pull Ji's attention back to him. "If something was going to happen, it would have happened already. They've been in there for a while."

Yazwa cut off whatever protest Ji had. "No buts. You need to stretch your legs and clear your head. You're coming with us," Yazwa said, squeezing Ji's shoulders and releasing them.

Ji only nodded and soon enough they found two more buckets to use.

"Thank you both," Saiyun said as they walked down the gangplank onto the dock. "I might be able to finish the doll before it gets dark."

"Which one did you pick anyway?" Yazwa asked, following his lead with a silent Ji taking up the rear.

"Its name is Crawling Kotack, from the Red Manual," Saiyun said, holding his arm out straight. "Not anything spectacular, it looks like a centipede a little longer than my arms."

"Well...that," Yazwa said, stumbling over her words. "I don't even know what to say to that. Why did you pick that one?"

"There were several factors. Most importantly our current situation with the Akshi," Saiyun said, taking a right after they left the dock. "Our inability to gather relevant information was what led to our failure. Having a summon that can scout ahead of us will be a great boon, especially once I familiarize myself with Ears Eyes Nose."

"Say that again?" Yazwa replied, stepping up to walk beside him.

"Ears Eyes Nose," Saiyun repeated, leading them down a street lined with warehouses. "It's one of the Great Martial Texts. Jeweled Fist had some relevant teachings on gathering information, but in a limited way. Mostly focusing on how to discern how dangerous a room or any given space is before you enter it. Useful, but limited. Even though Ears Eyes Nose is intended for a General leading an army, I'm sure it will have relevant theories I can apply to Crawling Kotack. Here's the dirt."

"Are you sure you want to pick that one?" Yazwa asked, dropping to her knees and digging her hands into the loose earth. "I feel like a centipede the size of my arms would be easy to spot."

"You'd think that," Saiyun said, scooping up a handful of dirt. "But Jeweled Fist advises otherwise. Guards are on the lookout for a specific threat, they can't be alert to everything. If something doesn't match with what they're expecting, they're more likely to give it a pass. A guard seeing Crawling Kotack out of the corner of his eye won't know what it is."

"That's still a risk, isn't it?" Yazwa asked, packing the earth down into her bucket. "I've heard there are tiny summons, why not just use one of them?"

"Compromise," Saiyun said, clapping dirt off his hands. "Ji, what's the bigger threat, a bird the size of my fist, or a centipede the length of my arms?”

Ji stared at him, fingers digging at the ground. "The...centipede?"

Saiyun grinned. "Exactly. Not the most dangerous thing in the world, but certainly worth attention. A small summon would be ideal for scouting and spying, but useless for anything else besides maybe carrying messages. The part of the entry I can make out says that Crawling Kotack can climb any vertical surface and move silently too. It also says that it has excellent hearing and vision. These make it a functional scout. The manual also says it has a powerful bite and can restrain people by wrapping its body around them. These make it functional in combat as well. Where I stand now flexibility is more important than specialization. Therefore, Crawling Kotack is the right choice."

"If you say so," Yazwa said, picking up her filled bucket. "You know more about it than I do."

"I will of course warn you," Saiyun said, dropping his last handful of dirt into the bucket. "I wouldn't want to frighten either of you with a giant bug scuttling around on deck."

Yazwa raised an eyebrow and picked up his bucket with her free hand. "I think we can manage, right Ji?"

"I...yes?" Ji answered. "It doesn't sound nearly as bad as other summons we've fought."

"I didn't mean..." Saiyun grunted as he got to his feet. "I did not mean to imply...I was only..."

Yazwa graced him with a forgiving smile. "Don't worry about it. Let's get back to the ship before it gets too dark."

"Of course," Saiyun said, reaching up to realign his bronze hairpiece. Doing his best to put the moment out of his mind he quickly caught up. "Once I master it we could put it to use capturing the Akshi. If we run into another two-host situation, Kotack could bind one while we deal with the other."

"I won't let it slip away from me again," Ji said with a fierce note in her voice.

"No, no we will not," Saiyun said as they rounded the corner onto the dock. Up ahead, he saw four figures walking down the gangplank of their ship. "I think the captains just left."

"Let's go!" Ji said, breaking out into a run, followed closely by Yazwa.

Saiyun tried to catch up with them, but he found himself quickly outpaced. He tried to be proud that he wasn't winded when he reached the ship, but it was small comfort. On deck the crew were clustered around Bill talking with obvious excitement in their voices. He weaved around them to dump out his bucket only to find Ji, Yazwa, and Aven already waiting for them.

"We have a new plan," Aven said with a smile.

Odd. Aven usually wore a grim look or a scowl. The plan must have been very good indeed if it had him smiling. "What is it?" he asked, pouring out his bucket into the filled crate.

"There's a Vathlanri Ata in the area that might have information we need," said Aven.

Yazwa sucked in a breath. "Is it?"

Aven shook his head. "No, it's not the Achara. They're called the Tavada. They're coming here soon. Me and Bill will make contact with them and see if they'll be willing to help."

Saiyun frowned, feeling like he should feel worse about that. The Vathlanri were famous for their cruelty and barbarism, but after everything he'd been through the idea barely made a ripple. "Are you sure that's wise?"

"I grew up with them," Aven nodded. "We can trust them. I'll ask about Yia while I'm there too."

"Thank you," Yazwa said, wringing her hands.

"What about the Akshi?" Ji asked, stepping closer to Aven. "When do we start looking for it again?"

"We're staying on the ship for now," said Aven. "Zeidu has some contacts in Adoti he's going to get a hold of. They might have more luck than we did. Until then, we're not to leave the ship."

"Excellent," Saiyun said, clapping the last of the dirt off his hands.

A part of him felt strange. Not only had he come face to face with an Akshi, now he could expect to see Vathlanri up close. At the back of his mind a small voice was telling him to fret and worry. But the sun was setting and he had to get started on Crawling Kotack before he lost the light. He pushed the voice aside and got down to work.