Saiyun rubbed his watery eyes as the dust swirled through the air. Yazwa's manic laughter told him she was alright, so he turned his attention to finding Aven and Ji. He didn't have to look far. They were only a few paces away down the hallway. "Is she awake?" he asked, crawling over.
"Yes, but I think she's been poisoned," said Aven, quickly slicing the straps that held Ji in place.
"No," Saiyun said, taking a breath and looking down at her. Her eyes were half-lidded and unfocused, but he could tell she was breathing by the gentle rise and fall of her chest. When he relaxed, he felt a familiar stirring in his mind. The connection with Jado was unbroken. Somehow, the summon had survived the trip down into the bowels of the ship. With a thought he willed Jado to return to him before turning his attention to Aven again. "Ca Diro did something--took blood out of her. If we give her a minute to rest, she may improve."
Aven sliced through the last strap, and Ji gently slid out of the chair onto the floor. "We have to go now. Bill and the crew should already be unlashing a longboat by now."
"What?!" barked Yazwa, snapped out of her laughing fit.
"Now!" snapped Aven, sprinting down the hallway with Ji dangling off his back.
A new surge of energy filled Saiyun, and he leapt to his feet, chasing after Aven with Yazwa beside him. "Let me send Jado ahead!" he called as the summon joined them.
Aven either didn't hear him or didn't care, but Saiyun hardly needed his permission, sending the summon surging up the staircase and willing it to stand guard at the top until they reached it.
They emerged into absolute pandemonium. All but one of the masts were down or in flames, and burning canvas covered the deck in noxious smoke. Confusion reigned as shrouded figures staggered through the smoke, shouting desperately.
Through the chaos a pair of gunshots rang out from port.
"This way!" shouted Aven, running towards the gunshots, jumping over the fallen splinter of a mast.
Saiyun and Yazwa followed, any lingering fires snuffing out as they wove through the debris.
"Aven!" Saiyun cried as he disappeared into the smoke. "Wait for us!"
"Hurry!" boomed Bill's familiar voice. His bulk emerged through the haze as he waved them over. Cai stood beside him, a pistol in each hand. "You still have that seal?"
The longboat was already well down the side of the ship, almost touching the water. He could see the crew below, carefully lowering each of the boats evenly. They shouted up angrily at Aven as he slid down the ropes, Ji still slung over his shoulder. "I have two!" Saiyun replied, pulling one of the dolls out.
"Good man," Bill said, ducking as a shot whipped through the air. Cai tried to return fire, but both his guns failed. "Get it in the water and have it drag us to that boat. Tsen is going to cover our escape."
Saiyun followed his gesture, spotting the relatively small ship bobbing in the waves. "Where is he?" Saiyun asked as he tossed the doll overboard into the sea.
"You'll see him," Bill said, patting Saiyun on the shoulder. "Just get us to the boat!"
Even in the chaos, it was easy to form Tanlin the moment it hit the water. The crew was quick and threw a hasty noose around the summon’s neck to lash it to the ship. "It's ready!"
"Then let's go!" Bill said, throwing himself over the side without another word.
Cai cussed and stashed his pistols. "Your curse is a real pain in the ass sometimes!" he snapped at Yazwa before grabbing one of the ropes and sliding down towards the longboat.
A scattered volley of shots split through the air. Through the smoke Saiyun could see more figures gathering and could hear someone shouting orders. "Go! I'll have Jado cover us!" he said, sending the summon charging into the mist with a screech. The figures screamed and scattered as Jado leapt among them, beak snapping and tail hitting everything it could reach.
"I'll see you down there!" Yazwa said, leaning over the railing and grabbing a rope for herself.
Saiyun looked back towards the deck, squinting to see through the smoke. No one seemed close anymore, so he called Jado back. Once Yazwa and Cai were safely down, he'd ride his summon down the side to the boat. They were going to get away.
But what was the point?
The thought gnawed at Saiyun and he tried to push it out of his head, but it wouldn't leave. The whole reason he was on this wretched voyage was to do something that would earn him a pardon for the false charges against his name. Smashing Azun's fleet wasn't possible anymore. It was over. He would be an exile for the rest of his life.
No
"Go without me!" Saiyun called to Yazwa. He leapt on Jado's back and willed it forward through the smoke and towards the towering sterncastle.
“What?! No!” she cried.
“I’ll catch up!” he yelled back, though already he wasn’t sure she’d have been able to hear him.
There would never be another chance like this. If he ran for it now, his life was over. He would forever be a hated exile because of the false charges brought against him. His family would never know the truth, never know he was innocent and he would never see them again. There was no other choice.
He clung to Jado's back with every bit of strength he had as the summon charged through the ravaged deck. It dodged and darted around broken masts and terrified soldiers, not even slowing down when it hit the stairs and shot up them. Saiyun braced himself and willed Jado to smash into the door at the top as hard as it could. The impact rattled his teeth, but they sailed into the office amid a cloud of wooden splinters.
Azun's office was empty, just as Saiyun hoped. Letting go of Jado, he leaped to his feet and raced to the desk across the plush carpet. He quickly found the desk and tried to pull it open, only to find it locked. Cursing, he willed Jado to tear the desk apart with his beak. It was somewhere on this desk, he knew it.
After a few chunks were ripped off he spotted the ship's log in its box and he yanked it out. Triumph welled up in his chest as he yanked a tapestry off the wall. The box likely wasn't waterproof, so anything he could wrap it in would help protect it from the sea.
The other door to Azun's office burst open, and an officer raced through, sword in hand. In an instant, Jado was upon him, sharp beak clamping down on the blade. Saiyun hardly noticed as he hurriedly wrapped the tapestry around the box. If he twisted it up, he could make a rope he could tie to his back while he swam to the ship.
He was almost finished when a flash of movement caught his eye. Another officer burst through the broken door, a pistol in each hand. Saiyun tried to dodge, but he was hemmed in between the wall and the desk. He locked eyes with the officer as he raised one of the pistols and pointed it right at Saiyun's face. It was over.
The officer pulled the trigger.
The pistol misfired.
Yazwa charged in, eyes glowing as she swung her staff down and neatly cut off the officer's hand. He tried to raise his other weapon, but Yazwa followed up her cut by slamming her shoulder into his chest and sending him flying into the wall. The officer slumped to the ground, blood gushing out of his wrist. On the other side of the room, Jado's beak had made a bloody mess of the other officer.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
"I am not losing anyone else!" Yazwa roared, grabbing Saiyun by the collar and dragging him towards the shattered door.
"Wait!" Saiyun gasped, frantically twisting the ends of the tapestry together. "We can ride Jado down!"
Jado leaped away from the officer and took up position by the broken door, back low to accept his riders.
Yazwa climbed on, and Saiyun joined her after he slung the log over his back and tied the ends of the tapestry together over his chest. Two riders slowed the summon down, but the momentum of sprinting down the stairs more than made up for it. Soldiers on the deck fired wildly as they descended, but their shots tore harmlessly into the sterncastle. Saiyun willed Jado to run as fast as he could for the edge of the deck, and when he reached it, the summon leaped through the air in a long arc.
The impact forced Saiyun deep underwater, but he struggled to the surface, the box still tied to his back. Yazwa and Jado surfaced next to him and the three of them started swimming toward the ship. Up ahead, Saiyun could see the others at the other boat, scrambling up the sides as quickly as they could. Tiny splashes erupted in the water around him as soldiers shot at them. When the last of the crew was out of the boat, Saiyun willed Tanlin to come back for them. The summon sped towards them, but the shots were grouping closer and closer around him and Yazwa with each stroke.
A shadow passed over them, followed by a flash of red and intense heat. Tsen's breath flashed through the water behind them, tearing through a pair of summons coming after them and sending up a great cloud of steam. He flew on, pursued by dozens of winged shapes.
Saiyun threw the ship's log into the boat first when Tanlin reached them and with Yazwa's help he pulled himself into the boat. Soaking wet and exhausted, he flopped down on his back.
Yazwa joined him as stray unaimed shots still whistled through the air around them.
"How could you be so stupid?" she hissed as she wrung the water out of her dress. "Going off alone like that!"
"I had to get it," Saiyun said, clutching the box close to his chest as Tanlin dragged them through the water toward the other ship. "It was the only way."
"Only way to get yourself killed," she huffed, looking back up at the sky.
By the time they reached the ship Saiyun had caught his breath and was able to climb aboard on his own. The crew raced around, struggling to adjust the sails of an unfamiliar vessel.
"Get to work!" Bill bellowed from the ship's wheel, turning it hard. "We've got to get some distance before they figure out what's going on!"
"What do you-AH!" Saiyun shouted as the ship lurched upwards. Giant ropy arms rose up from the water in front of the ship and wrapped around the sides of the hull, gripping it tight. From the angle of the deck, Saiyun could tell the front of the ship was resting on top of something. He ran to the side of the deck and looked over, but all he could tell was the tentacles were connected to some dark shape under the water.
Without warning, the water on either side of the ship turned to froth instantly. They sped forward so quickly that Saiyun and everyone else was thrown off their feet. Whatever was pulling them spun the ship around and sped northwest, faster than any ship had any right to go. Tsen overflew them once more, his breath tearing into the water ahead of them, destroying summons that lurked under the surface. The swarm of flying summons gave chase, but they could not match their speed. As the ships faded into the distance, Saiyun leaned against the mast and let himself relax.
They escaped.
He had the log from Azun's flagship.
There was hope.
-
Letao sat atop the sterncastle of the Golden Colossus, taking in the devastation. Her ship had only managed to rejoin the fleet in the morning, well after...whatever had happened. Carpenters and sailors swarmed over the decks, cutting down the burnt masts and preparing to raise new ones in their place. A massive hole in the deck buzzed with activity as makeshift winches hauled cannons out of the depths of the ship. Nearby, two other treasure ships, also covered in scorch marks, were undergoing the same repairs.
No one had told her what happened, and the rumor mill was working overtime to churn out theories. A massive pirate fleet had attacked. A coalition of Atemzlite city-states sent a fleet of Achali. The Western Hangzai Empire launched a sneak attack. A dragon had flown out the sky and tried to steal their treasure for its hoard.
Each was more unlikely than the last.
Whatever had happened, Letao was sad she’d missed it. Limping across the waves with the jury rigged repairs on her ship had been dead boring. Sailing into whatever force had attacked the fleet would have been a nice change of pace. But they had been two days too late. Now, she was stuck waiting outside Azun's cabin while he read her report.
She yawned and stretched, gently feeling the summon dolls in her pocket. If whatever did this came back for more, she'd be ready.
The door swung open and a burly man in an officer's uniform popped his head out of the door. "His Eminence will see you now."
Letao stood up and brushed her pants off before she went in. The usually immaculate room was in disarray. Blood stained the carpets and splattered the walls. The desk was mangled, like someone had taken an ax to it. "Ooooh," she said as she stood before the two men seated at the desk. Azun was in his chair, cold eyes locked on her as she stood at ease. Ca Diro sat on his left, arms bandaged and eyes filled with smoldering fury. "Someone took a stab at you. If you can't beat the army, kill the general."
Azun said nothing. He opened up one of the unmangled drawers and tossed a book onto the desk. It was water-stained with a red leather cover.
It looked familiar. Letao picked it up and she realized it was one of her personal summoning manuals.A chill ran down her spine when she remembered it had been stolen from her ship at Spring Island. If it was here..
"Headless Bill did this," Letao said, placing the red journal back down.
The only response she got from Azun was the barest of nods.
The implication hung heavy in the air. If she had managed to capture Bill at the Emerald Arrow, then the attack could have been averted. Her failure had endangered Azun's precious fleet.
Letao was suddenly very aware of the officer standing at attention behind her. He wore no pistol or sword, so it was unlikely he was here to kill her. A chuckle at her own paranoia escaped her lips and she rubbed her eyes. Azun did love his tests, and begging for mercy was never the right answer.
"So what next?" she asked, taking a seat on the mangled desk.
"Do you stand by what you say about the blood soldiers?" Azun asked, tapping the stack of papers in front of him.
"I wouldn't have written it down if I didn't." Letao shrugged. "There were a couple injuries early on, but once they got used to it, they were fine. No side effects. They could leap high walls, carry heavy packs, and outrun horses. A regiment of them would knock over any fortress that tried to stand in their way. They're perfect."
Ca Diro huffed, scratching at the bandages on his arms. "Everything I told you they would do. Do we have an agreement?"
"We do," Azun said, without breaking eye contact with Letao. "Pack what you need. Letao will bring you to Hilt at first light. You'll have your pay in bullion once the first five hundred vials are delivered."
"You'd already have them if you had taken me at my word," Ca Diro grumbled as he stood and took leave of the cabin.
Letao couldn't help but notice the officer shift uncomfortably at the disrespect. A man with Azun's reputation might be expected to rage at such a slight, but she knew he would gladly suffer fools if they did what he wanted. "Truth be told, I was hoping for something with a little more excitement. Sure there isn't anyone else that can haul him back to Hilt?"
"The less people know about me consorting with a blood magic user the better," said Azun, leaning forward. "There's a reason why I'm trusting you with this. You've sailed under my banner for twelve years and in all that time you've never failed the same mission twice."
A wide smile crossed Letao's face, her worries laid to rest, leaving only anticipation. "There's something else in Hilt you're after."
"Many somethings," Azun said, poking her report again. "On Spring Island you encountered my son along with a Vao, an Achali and an acolyte of En Chitei. Those same people helped him escape here. They made off with one of our scout ships and stole my logbook."
So that explained why the desk was all mangled. "What would they want with your logbook?"
"It's the only one that tracks our full voyage. From start to finish," Azun said, eyebrows furrowing. "Bring Ca Diro to Hilt, and while he and the others are busy, find my logbook and bring my son back dead or alive."
Letao cocked her head to one side. "What makes you think he's going for Hilt? If he's gone then he could be anywhere. There's plenty of ports between here and there."
"I know because my son is a pirate," Azun seethed, eyes flashing. "When pirates fail this badly, they start over. Hilt is the only place on the Raoin Sea where anyone will buy a ship for hard coin. It's a place to start over and begin again. You have to track him down before he disappears. I assume you still have the Korav?"
"I do," Letao said brightly. "I bet it feels more pent up than I am."
"Good," Azun said, pulling out an official-looking piece of paper. "I'm transferring you over to the Sea Dart, it's one of our fastest ships. Transfer over anything and anyone you need. I want you out of sight over the horizon before noon tomorrow.”
“Yes, your Eminence,” Letao said, her smile threatening to split her face. She had a fast ship, a demon under her command and orders to hunt down a legendary pirate. It didn't get any better than this.