The three little Vathlanri ships sailed on through the night, and Aven didn't sleep a wink. It wasn't because of the sharp whistles the navigator of the lead ship made whenever she changed course, using the stars to guide them. It wasn't the long, rolling swells the ships had to sail over. It wasn't even the fact that Bill was snoring obnoxiously. With each creak of the timbers and snap of the sail, new memories flooded back to him. A smile forced its way onto his face as the sun lit up the eastern sky and cast light on their destination.

Ahead of them a trio of small, rocky islets rose out of the sea, surrounded by a shallow shoal. Among the islets and the shoal was a fleet of Vathlanri ships, all lashed together to make a single platform. As soon as they were spotted, a shrill whistle rang out and a cheer went up. The rowers sped up, letting out a chant as they zipped towards their destination.

"Bill, Bill wake up," Aven said, poking him in the side. "We're almost there."

After a few not-so-gentle jabs Bill snorted and sat up. "We there?" he asked with a wide yawn.

"Almost," Aven said, pointing forward. The fleet ahead of them grew larger with each oar stroke until they could see the individual ships. Many were as small as the ones they rode, but a few were much larger, although still built around double hulls. Aven could see long, black banners with white dots hanging from several of the masts, fluttering in the gentle breeze. "That's definitely the Tavada's banner!"

Bill yawned and stretched again. "I know. They told us they were Tavada. Heaven above, couldn't you have waited until we actually got there?"

Aven ignored him, standing up and bracing one hand against the mast. A few Vathlanri came out to meet them as they closed in on the anchored fleet, and Aven waved, looking for anyone he recognized. It had been years since he had seen the Tavada. He drummed his fingers on the mast as he wondered if anyone would recognize him.

"Stay here," the burned woman, Uvenli, grumbled in Vathlanri as she hopped off the boat onto the fleet. "I need to tell Sayel about you. Then she'll decide if she wants to hear what you're proposing."

As they waited word spread of their arrival and soon a crowd gathered, whispering among themselves. "Every time I visit an ata, I find I know how a prize animal in a managery feels," Bill laughed. "You'd think they've never seen a drylander before."

"Not this close," Aven said, craning his neck to see over the crowd. "They like to keep their distance."

The size of the crowd ebbed and flowed as people wandered over and wandered away. After what felt like far too long, Uvenli returned, pushing her way through the crowd. "Sayel wants to examine your tin first. Then she'll meet with you."

"Fine by me," Bill said, hefting the chest and handing it over to Uvenli.

As Uvenli took the chest, Aven's heart surged as he spotted a familiar face over her shoulder. "Chata!" he shouted.

A Vathlanri his age shouldered her way to the front. Her bright green hair was tied into a tall topknot that dropped down behind her. Her skin was dark brown, matching the vesa that hung on her shoulders, tied with a chainmail belt. An ax and an oval shield dangled at her waist, and her bright blue eyes shined when she saw Aven. "What are you doing here?" she asked, a wide smile dancing on her face.

"I'm here to trade," he said, calling out to Uvenli before she could disappear with the chest. "Uvenli! Can I come aboard?"

"I'll escort him!" said Chata.

"Fine!" Uvenli grumbled as she lurched away with the chest. "Make sure he keeps away from the children!"

Aven jumped aboard and immediately found himself wrapped in a hug. "I knew it," Chata crowed, patting his head. "I did get taller than you."

"Why did I think you would let go of that?" Aven laughed, pulling back. "You stayed with the Tavada. I thought you wanted to go north?"

Chata nodded and patted her ax. "Still do. Never had a chance to hook up with a northern Ata. They stay in the north and we stay in the south I guess. What about you? Did your mother finally take out Azun?"

Aven's cheer dulled at the reminder. "No uh, no. She died a few months ago. I'm still working on it for her. That's why I'm here."

"Oh. Sorry," Chata said, adjusting her topknot. "That uh...oh! Utosa! She'll want to see you!"

“She’s still here?" asked Aven.

"Yeah!" Chata said, jumping from one boat to another. "Follow me!”

Aven followed behind her, slowly at first, but soon his old reflexes kicked back in. Jumping from vessel to vessel was easy enough if you could predict how much your landing would jostle each ship. He soon caught up with Chata, bounding across decks and startling other Vathlanri as they started out their day. Soon they were at the center of the fleet and Aven waited as Chata climbed aboard one of the larger ships.

"Utosa!" Chata called out cheerfully as she pulled herself onto the deck. "Look who I found!"

A short, broad-shoulder girl with hair tied in two tails that hung down to her waist turned around. "Aven?" she said, slowly standing up as Aven leapt onto the deck behind Chata.

Aven caught his balance as the ship swayed and bobbed underneath him. "It's me."

Utosa threw her arms around him. "Aven! It's been years, I thought you were never coming back," she said, giving him a tight squeeze.

"Well, it hasn't been easy," Aven said, hugging her back. "You wouldn't believe some of the stuff that's happened to me."

"Did you notice I'm taller than him?" Chata said with a grin, bending down and picking up one of the wooden bowls.

Utosa sighed and rolled her eyes. "She got one last growth spurt and she won't shut up about it."

"I'm not surprised," Aven said as Chata pushed the wooden bowl full of red mash into his hands. "Wait, this is yours."

Chata dropped down next to the remaining bowl and patted the deck for Utosa to join her. "We'll share. Vath wants us to show hospitality to people who sail in out of the blue, right?"

"Almost," Utosa said, kneeling down next to Chata and grabbing a handful of the red mash. "That's almost right. Are you doing that just to annoy me?"

While they bickered, Aven stuck a blob of the mash into his mouth. "Mmmm, I didn't realize how much I missed this," he said, savoring the flavor.

"Nel did a good job today," Utosa said, grabbing a handful for herself. "When did you get here? Is your mother with you?"

"No," Aven said, looking down at the deck. "She's dead. Got sick a couple months ago."

Utosa coughed, pounding her chest to clear the airway. "You've been alone for months?" she wheezed, eyes watering.

"No no," Aven said as Chata rubbed Utosa's back. "I joined up with Headless Bill’s crew after she passed. I've been sailing with them."

"Should I know who that is?" Utosa asked, looking at Chata.

"Yes," Chata said, flicking her forehead. "He's a big name pirate, which you'd know if you bothered to learn anything about drylanders."

"What does a big name pirate even mean?" Utosa huffed.

Chata looked up at the sky and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "How to put in a way you would understand? He's not a big name pirate because he has a lot of ships, but because he's done a lot of stuff. It's his reputation. His is like Tyeltos. Even though you've never met her you've heard of her. Same thing."

"Oh!" Aven said, spraying red mash out of his mouth. "Tyeltos, is she still running the Achara Ata?" In all the excitement, he completely forgot about what Yazwa was looking for.

"Last we heard," said Utosa. "We missed them by a few days last time we docked in Hilt."

Chata nodded along. "She must still be alive. If someone managed to take her down everyone would be talking about it."

"What about Yia?" Aven pressed. "Is she still sailing with the Achara?"

"Why do you care?" asked Utosa.

"We not good enough for you?" Chata grinned.

Aven shook his head. "No, it's not like that. One of the people I'm sailing with is cursed and thinks the Art of Purification might be able to help her. "I tried and I couldn't do anything about it. So did...someone else and he couldn't do anything either." Aven bit his tongue, he had almost forgotten Tsen's presence on the ship was supposed to be a secret.

"Yia is the best," Utosa nodded. "From what I heard, the Achara sail down to Hilt every four months to sell their loot and pick up new recruits before they sail back up to Sacar and Akvis."

"I missed them by a week," moaned Chata. "I was so close to joining up."

Utosa reached over and flicked Chata's ear. "I don't know why you're so desperate to leave. If you need help with the Purification Arts, why don't you ask Nel? She's the one that taught you."

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A warm feeling washed over Aven as he remembered her lessons. Mastering the separation of wood and metal was one of his fondest memories. "No, I doubt she could do it. The person I asked for help was really good. He agreed that Yia was the only one who could hope to pull it off. I've seen him do some wild things too."

"Like what?" asked Chata.

Aven took a moment to carefully word his response. "He went to rescue one of our crew from the middle of a riot on his own. Came back without a scratch."

Chata whistled. "I'm jealous. Maybe I should ask Uvenli if she'll let me sign up with you OW!"

"That's not funny," Utosa huffed, pinching Chata's ear hard. Her expression softened when she turned her attention back to Aven. "Riots and curses? Are you sure you should be with these people? It sounds like they just keep getting into trouble."

"That's nothing. Right now we're trying to track down an Akshi that's spying on us," Aven said.

Utosa gave him a blank stare. "And that is?"

"These ghost mist things," Chata said, rubbing her ear. "They fly up your nose and take over your mind."

Aven sat quietly while Chata tried to convince Utosa she was telling the truth and an idea started to form. If the Purification Arts could drive out a curse, maybe they would work on an Akshi too.

"Does Nel know anything about Akshi?"

"Maybe," answered Utosa. "She knows a lot of different strings.

Chata shook her head. "No, she doesn't."

"How would YOU know?" Utosa glared.

"Because I actually go and watch when Uvenli is holding a council," Chata said, poking Utosa in the side. "She wanted to sail north to Tsilen and do some raiding but Nel talked her out of it. She said Akshi were a risk and she wouldn't be able to purge one if any of us got possessed. That's why we're all still stuck down here."

Aven slumped, grinding his palm into his forehead. "So much for that. If Nel can't, Yia is probably the only one who can too."

"What about the other guy?" Utosa asked, batting Chata's hand away from her side. "The one you said was better than Nel?"

Of course. Tsen. The cranky old man hoarded his knowledge so bitterly he hadn't even thought to ask him. If he could work out a deal with Tsen then that could solve the whole Akshi issue in one fell swoop...if they could find it again. "You're right," Aven said slowly. "I can ask him."

Utosa frowned. "Won’t that just get you into more trouble? Why are you even sailing with them?”

"Don’t worry about it," Aven said, helping himself to more of the mash. "We run into trouble, but the whole crew is tough. We've gotten out of more than a few scrapes."

"Us too," Chata smiled, lifting the hem of her vesa to reveal a burn scar on her upper thigh. "Point blank pistol shot, barely missed me. Just like the one Uvenli has."

Utosa scoffed, elbowing Chata in the side. "Except hers is bigger, on her face and she probably didn't whimper when someone put salve on it."

"I was just surprised because it was so cold," Chata replied. "If you had taken the time to let it warm up, I would have been fine."

Aven chuckled. Same old Utosa and Chata. They had always been at each other's throats. Some things never changed. "If our crews ever meet up I'll have to introduce you to Ji and Batro. They love scars."

"Can't wait," Chata grinned. "I'll have to work on some new ones before then."

Utosa rubbed the bridge of her nose and fished out more of the mash from the bowl. "They don't leave you alone, do they?"

"No. At least, not since we picked up a few new crew members," Aven said with a laugh. "The three of them had never even been to sea before they joined up with us. Someone has to look after them."

"Good," said Utosa with a firm nod. "Better than how your mother treated you."

Aven blinked, tensing up. "What do you mean?"

"You know," Utosa said, rinsing out the bowl. "You always said she would leave you alone for weeks at a time while she snuck around."

"That was important," Aven replied sharply. "I wasn't always good enough to go with her."

"So?" said Utosa, eyebrow raised.

Aven opened his mouth to reply, but the words died on his lips. He thought of Saiyun gasping and wheezing in Ortan when they were trying to run for their lives. In Channan Harbor, Ji and Yazwa had both hurled themselves into dangerous situations without a second thought. If he hadn't been there, they all could have died. They were helpless alone. "It's different," Aven said slowly. "I knew, she showed me how to take care of myself."

Chata spoke up before Utosa could. "May she rest in peace," she said as she lay her head on Utosa's lap. "Come on, tell us all about this new crew. I'm sure we'll have some stories too."

Something clicked as Aven watched Utosa gently pet Chata's hair. "Are you two...together?" he asked, pointing at each of them.

"Yes?" Utosa said, squinting at Aven.

"But..." said Aven. "You hate each other. You've always hated each other."

"Took us by surprise too," Chata smiled. "Turns out we were just really passionate about each other. Want to hear how this got started?"

The three friends sat together for hours, swapping stories about their lives. Not long after noon, a small ship rowed up to them with Uvenli in it. "Sayel wants you," she said tersely.

"Uh sure," Aven said, getting to his feet. "I'll talk to you later Chata."

"See you," she said, gently petting the sleeping Utosa's hair.

Aven fell into line behind Uvenli, following her path as they hopped from ship to ship. "What does she need me for?" he asked.

Uvenli didn't answer as she led him to one of the larger ships in the fleet that had cabins running the length of it. She pulled aside a curtain and ushered him into the long room. Slats in the ceiling let in light, shining down in bars on the people below. At the far end of the room Sayel sat on a bench, flanked by two other Vathlanri. Uvenli quickly joined them to make four. At the center of the room Bill sat on a bench of his own and he slid over to make room for Aven. As he sat, Aven couldn't help but notice he didn't look happy. "What's wrong?" he whispered.

"Aven," Sayel's high, clear voice rang out in the dim room."I didn't think I'd ever see you again. I'm sorry to hear about your mother."

"Thank you," Aven said, bowing his head. Sayel looked a lot older than when he last saw her. Her hair was tied in the same style top knot, but was completely gray now. There were more lines on her face, but her ice blue eyes were sharp as ever.

Sayel straightened her back and put her hands on her knees. "Now that he's here, tell us about this plan."

Aven did his best to keep his face impassive. Bill was trying to get them to join up with his scheme. But why wait for him to come?

"Sayel," Bill said, rubbing his eyes. "I told you, I want to keep this secret. Between you and me. If I don't want to tell your advisers, why would I blurt it out with him in the room?"

"You've always dealt with me honestly," Sayel said, eyes locked on Bills. "But you have a reputation for treachery. I'm not going to scold you about it, but I'm not so foolish to ignore it. You tell me this scheme will make my Ata rich. You tell me it will hurt Azun. You tell me you have a favor from Tsen. If all these things are true, you should have no problem revealing your plan in front of Aven and the rest of us."

Bill stroked his beard. "In this case, the need for secrecy..."

Sayel jabbed her finger at Uvenli. "She earned her scars and tattoos boarding one of Azun's warships. I was a child when he unleashed a barrage of cannonfire on the Tavada under a flag of truce. Aven is Anela's son. If you think anyone in this room is likely to reveal your scheme to Azun you've lost your mind."

Bill took a deep breath and turned to look at Aven. "Not a word of this to anyone. Not Cai, not Batro or Ji or Saiyun or anyone, got it?"

Aven's throat felt dry as he managed a nod. This was it. He was finally going to find out what scheme Bill and his mother had cooked up.

"They're having some problems up in Tsilen. See, their Emperor wants to push east into Western Hangzai and take everything they've got for themselves. Maybe even the Floating Palace. It's a good time to go for it too, since the Mushen Dynasty are in the middle of a succession crisis. The problem is, the Emperor Litzu has enough men for an army, but not enough guns to arm them or food to feed them. But Azun has a way to solve ALL his Emperor's problems."

Aven sat still as can be, listening in rapt attention. Bill always spat Azun's name, but Aven had no idea why they had such bad blood.

"There's not enough gunpowder or rice in Tsilen, but there's plenty down here in Adaganna. The Emperor's gone hunting for every scrap of gold he can scavenge up. Temples have been stripped, heirlooms are being melted down, corpses are being dug up for their jewelry, nothings being missed," Bill chuckled. "Azun's coming to buy every grain of rice and gunpowder he can lay his hands on. Not to trade, not on credit, he's packing Tsilen's entire treasury on more than two hundred ships and sailing south with it. Right towards us."

There was a murmur from the Vathlanri on the bench. "That would be the largest drylander fleet to put to sea in decades." Sayel said.

"Ever since Baogon's Fleet burned in harbor no ones been able to scratch together a fleet of fighting ships more than fifty strong," Bill said, adjusting the lapels of his coat. “Adaganna probably has the biggest and the best, but they still rely on you to chase down pirates for them. This will tip the balance of power considerably."

The other Vathlanri on the bench looked worried, but Sayel's was impassive. Aven tried to get a read on how she felt about what Bill was saying, but her face was blank.

"This is the first I'm hearing about such a fleet," Sayel said. "If Tsilen is in such a difficult position, how can they put two hundred ships to sea?"

"That's why they're in such a tough spot," Bill chuckled. "Building that fleet emptied the treasury. Azun has to show it was worth the gold."

Uvenli leaned over and whispered something in Sayel's ear. "How do you know all this? No one in Adaganna ever mentioned such a fleet to me."

"Simple. It was built in secret. Azun has a shipyard somewhere on the north coast of Tsilen," he said, resting a hand on Aven's shoulder. "Anela was so good sometimes I thought she could walk through walls. She never managed to find the shipyard, but you can't keep the movement of so many men and so much material secret. Before she passed, she uncovered its general orders. The best I can tell you is that it's at sea somewhere."

So that was it. All the jobs they pulled, breaking into banks and every merchant's house they could find. No wonder she had been so obsessed with documents instead of coin.

"Where do we come in?" Sayel asked, frown appearing on her face for the first time. "You must have come all this way for something."

"We know the fleets set sail, but we don't know where it's going," Bill said, squaring his shoulders. "We know it intends to make calls at Adaganna ports, but nothing else. If we can figure out its first port of call, we can lay an ambush before it offloads any of the gold. Zeidu was supposed to find out which way it was going, but there's a ring of summons around the fleet so tight he can't get close to it. I've been sailing long enough, though, to know the Vathlanri are very good at finding things on the open water. Help us find it. Help us take it, and you can keep whatever you can carry."

The other Vathlanri were silent, all looking to Sayel. "Aven," she said, turning her gaze to him for the first time. "Is Tsen really aboard his ship?"

"He is," Aven replied, clearing his throat. "No one could fake being Tsen."

"Think about it," Bill said, spreading his hands wide. "Think of everything you have to gain. Revenge on Azun is just the start. Once word spreads of this, Vathlanri everywhere will want to sail under your banner and you'll have gold to buy ships and weapons to arm them. You won't have to work for Adaganna anymore, they'll pay you tribute to stay away like the old days. The Tavada could be the most powerful fleet in the entire Raoin Sea."

Aven swallowed. He hadn't imagined it would be anything so big. How could he? It was unreal.

Sayel sat silently, glancing up at the light coming in through the slats in the ceiling before returning her gaze to Bill. "I will not involve the Tavada in this."

"Sayel," Bill began before she cut him off.

"Even if everything you told me is perfectly accurate, it is too much risk," Sayel said, resting her hands on her knees again. "Even with the aid of Tsen, it is too risky. I will not obliterate the Tavada in the hopes of strengthening it. My heart holds no love for Azun, but I must put my Ata first. Speak no more of this and let us part as friends."