Ji stood next to Saiyun, her cover as a servant briefly dropped as she stared at Bill and Azun. It seemed impossible but seeing them eye to eye erased all doubt. They had the same height, the same build, and the same clear blue eyes. Ji swallowed and lowered her head, watching as the two began to speak.

"Not long enough," Bill replied, dropping his hands from behind his head. "I was hoping to get through this without having to lay eyes on your filthy hide."

Azun's guards tensed up as Bill relaxed, but Azun held his ground. "As if you didn't plan this whole thing. Lack of ambition is not one of your many faults. Captain, what are the most recent reports from the fleet?"

"Your Eminence, we have many," the captain said, coming to attention. "Each squadron reports some kind of encounter with pirates, and at present, we have lost seven escort ships. However, each time a treasure ship is sighted, the pirates' break and run. I have confidence the way will be clear by sundown."

"Send word to all ships that prisoners are to be taken unharmed. Don't interrogate them either, " Azun said, not breaking eye contact with Bill. "This is Adaganna's territory after all. I want to turn all pirates over to Adoti as a show of cooperation. Waters safe for one must be safe for all."

The captain bowed low. "At once, your eminence."

"I will be asking for a record once they are done," Azun said, tapping his staff on the deck. "I'd hate to find out you were just another cog in this wheel rather than the planner son."

"Yeah, this was me," Bill said, straightening his jacket. "That was always the difference between us. I’m in charge, and you’re running the Emperor's errands."

Ji flinched as she felt rage roil off Azun, even though he hardly reacted. Why in heaven was Bill antagonizing him?

Azun let go of his pike and one of the soldiers rushed to grab it before it fell. "The difference between us, son, is that I am very careful about the company I keep. Your taste in companions hasn't changed a bit. Captain!"

The Captain rushed to his side and bowed. "What is it, your eminence?"

"Why aren't they with the rest of the crew?" he asked, pointing at Ji, Yazwa, and Saiyun.

"With respect, your Eminence," the captain said, not rising from his bow. "They are not members of the crew. Your son took them hostage in the waters around Adoti in hopes of ransoming them. The woman in the white dress is a metal merchant from Ibscaal, the man is a customs inspector of the Haogon Emperor, and the tailed one is his servant and an Acolyte of En Chitei."

Ji caught a look of suspicion in Azun's eyes before she dropped her gaze to the deck. Servants did not look their betters in the eye. Servants did not speak until spoken to. Servants remained still until needed. She repeated the words in her head over and over as Azun walked over to them.

"You are far from home," Azun said, stopping in front of Yazwa. "Where in Ibscaal do you come from?"

"Gaori City," Yazwa replied quickly. "My family has lived on Kiinso street for generations."

"What brought you all the way out here?" said Azun, sharp edge to his voice. "There's no shortage of mines in Ibscaal, so what are you doing looking for metals in Adoti?"

"Well, uh," Yazwa stammered, shifting foot to foot. "It's not metals, it's just one metal. Tin. All the tin mines in Ibscaal are controlled by the Okhaa family, and they're enemies of Gaori. I was uh...I was sent to see if we could find a supply in Adoti."

Ji figured out what was happening as Azun grilled Yazwa with more and more questions about metals. He was testing their lies to see if they were truly who they said they were. What would he ask her? What did he know about En Chitei? As Ji thought, Azun stepped up to Saiyun and started speaking to him in a language she did not understand. She tried to hold still as she could while Saiyun answered in the same language. She picked up a few familiar names and realized he must have been telling Azun their story in Old Qis.

"You're the last type of person I expected to find here," Azun said to Saiyun in Gray. "I may have a message for you to bring to your Emperor once this voyage is over."

Saiyun clasped his hands together and bowed deeply. "Your Eminence, it would be an honor to repay my most noble rescuer."

Ji's breath caught in her throat as Azun's boots stepped in front of her. She held stock still, staring down until he spoke. What would he ask her? The names and deeds of the elders of her monastery? The location of the ten targets? How the first Esgan got their powers?

Azun's stance shifted and Ji threw herself to the left, barely avoiding a vicious punch to her head. She slipped into a fighting stance and raised her fists as Azun pressed the attack. He was quick for his size, launching a flurry of blows that forced her to dance backward to avoid them. Dipping and dodging she spotted an opening as he launched a straight punch directly at her head. She sidestepped it and slipped into his guard, slamming her elbow into his chest.

Pain radiated up Ji's arm as the blow failed to make Azun flinch. The shock knocked her off her guard, and he seized her arm, using it as leverage to hurl her to the deck. Ji landed hard, but she jumped up again, ready to fight.

"There is no doubt you are an Acolyte of En Chitei," Azun said, waving her off. "I hope you managed to take out at least one pirate before your master was taken."

Ji tried to work out a response, but Azun had already broken away to go back to the line of crew. She took her place back beside Saiyun, rubbing her elbow.

Azun sighed and walked up to Bill, shaking his head. "You've gotten greedy, son. All the riches of this fleet before you, and you stopped to abduct a few petty officials. Tons of gold for the taking, and you wasted time for a handful of silver. I'm disappointed."

"Don't be modest. I learned everything I know from you," said Bill, sneering. "Take what you want, no matter how you have to debase yourself. You think the Emperor will personally pat you on the head for this?"

"Where did I go wrong?" said Azun, pulling the ornate pistol out from its holster and pressing it against Bill's heart.

Ji swallowed, clenching her hands into fists. Save for the creak of the deck and waves lapping against the hull, the ship was silent, all eyes on Azun.

"I fed you, educated you, trained you and you're still dumb enough to taunt a man who has you in his power," Azun said as he let the pistol drop to his side. "But you always did have a low cunning about you. You've probably deduced that I intend to bring you back to the Tsilen Empire to put you on trial for your many crimes. You're right, you're more valuable to me in the brig than in the ground. Well anticipated. Doesn't mean I won't punish you."

Ji froze as Azun pointed the pistol at Batro's forehead and pulled the trigger. A spray of red burst out of the back of Batro's head as the pistol kicked back in Azun's grip. Batro slumped to the deck and lay motionless on the ground, a pool of blood growing around his body.

"BA-!"

Saiyun clamped his hand down on Ji's shoulder, digging his fingers into her flesh and cutting off her scream. His eyes were filled with horror mixed with grim determination as he gently shook his head.

They weren't Batro's friends. They hadn't fought side by side together. He had helped kidnap them and keep them imprisoned. If she screamed, it would blow their cover and ruin everything.

Ji wrenched her eyes away from the sight of Batro's corpse and looked back down at the deck boards as Azun began to speak again.

"There's always a price to pay, son. Even if you're not the one paying it. Captain Kauhy!"

"Your Eminence!" the captain replied.

"Bring these pirates to the brig. Make sure the jailor knows the right cells to put them in," Azun said, making his way to the edge of the ship where his summon floated in the water. "Find some decent rooms for our guests. I'm sure they're desperate for some legroom. Once you've cleared the ship, sink it."

"Right away, Your Eminence," the captain said, saluting as Azun took to the sky, flying back towards the ship. "You heard him! Get those long boats ready to take on passengers! Strip anything of value and open the bilges. Right this way you three, we'll have you over at the Golden Colossus before you know it."

"Thank you, sir," Saiyun said, tugging Ji backward. "I did have a question about one or two items..."

Ji stopped listening and kept her gaze locked on the deck, worried that her burning eyes would betray her. She dug her fingers into her palms as she caught sight of Batro's corpse again. He had surrendered, he was on his knees, and still…

Gently, Saiyun started leading her toward the edge of the ship.

"I'll get him for you, Batro," she whispered in her native tongue. “I’ll get him.”

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

-

Aven stared over the side of the Golden Colossus as the rest of the crew was lifted out of the longboats by a wooden crane. The jailer clapped shackles on his wrists and ankles, then moved on to the next man without a word. In the distance, their ship sunk lower and lower into the water, waves already swamping the deck. Everything had been taken by their captors. His knife, his medicine kit, all of Batro's trophies...

A wave of nausea bubbled up, but Aven bit down. Batro wasn't the first person he'd seen die, but he'd never seen anyone executed so casually.

He rattled the chains on his wrists. They were well made, with no weak points in the links or mechanism. Hard to break out of.

"Come on, you!" Captain Kauhy barked, grabbing Aven's shoulder and shoving him forward. "To the brig!"

First in line, Aven followed the jailer down into the bowels of the ship, taking careful note of the path they took. After walking down two flights of stairs and taking three left turns and a right, they reached a room with an iron door. The jailer knocked three times and the door swung open, hardly making a sound.

A man with one pale eye squinted at them in the dim light of the hallway. "These the ones from the ship?"

"They are," the jailer said, shoving Aven forward again. "Orders from His Eminence to put them all in the pit."

Aven frowned, shuffling down a hallway lined with empty cells. He shuffled forward until he reached the end of the hallway. The wooden floor gave away to another set of iron bars. Underneath was a room with a stone floor and wooden walls lined with bars.

This would complicate things.

"In you go," the jailer said, kneeling and unlocking the bars, lifting them like the lid of a chest. "Should be plenty of room."

While he searched for a ladder for handholds, the jailer kicked him in the back, sending him stumbling over the edge. Aven managed to roll as he hit the stone floor, chains clanking against the wall as he tumbled to a stop. The rest of the crew followed his lead, jumping one at a time until the little room started to fill up. Bill was the last one in, making the floor tremble as he landed.

"Don't be getting any ideas," the jailer cackled as he slammed the lid shut on them. "These cells are built to hold an Ezu like you. No flowing out while we aren't looking."

Bill said nothing, staring back up at the jailer, blank-faced. He didn't even respond when the man spat.

"Filth," the jailer muttered. "Best get comfortable, you won't be coming out until the gallows are ready for you. Dinner will be served when I feel like it."

The jailer's footsteps slowly receded away down the hallway. "This better work," Cai muttered, sitting down in a corner.

"Shh," Bill mumbled, looking up at the bars.

Aven followed his gaze. The bars were thick, but the gaps between them were easily narrow enough for him to stretch his arms through. It was out of reach, but that would be easily fixed by standing on someone's shoulders. The trouble would be picking the lock without being noticed. There was no way to see if anyone was watching since they were under the floor.

Aven fingered the waistband of his pants, feeling the spot where his lockpicks had been safely hidden away. They were the only thing he owned in the world now. He glanced over at Bill and gave a brief nod.

"Nothing to do now but wait," Bill said, taking a seat on the cold stone.

Sitting down beside him, a rush of thoughts overwhelmed Aven. How long would they have to wait? Could they find the others in time? Would Ji and Yazwa be able to keep up the ruse? Had Batro's body already sunk? Ji had almost shouted something, would that make Azun suspicious? How could he protect her if he was trapped down here? Aven shook his head and took a deep breath. Bill was right, there was nothing left to do but wait and see. Everything hinged on one question.

What would Tsen do?

The obvious answer was flee. The pirate fleet was scattered, any sane person would see that the situation was hopeless and go on their way. But calling Tsen sane was a stretch, especially when it came to honoring a bargain. Bill was certain Tsen was able to find them and certain he would come back to renegotiate terms. But even sneaking into the brig unnoticed would be beyond the old man's skills. With Ji, Yazwa and Saiyun free above decks he would be able to reach out to them and arrange their escape. But would he? Or would he abandon them? "Is Azun really your father?" Aven blurted, desperate for anything to distract himself.

"I thought the family resemblance would make it obvious," Bill said wryly.

"How?" asked Aven. "I mean, he's a noble, he sits at the right hand of Emperor Litzu. How are you...?"

"Here? Not lapping at the Litzu’s boots like a sniveling dog?” Bill snorted. “I figured you could probably tell we don't get along. I grew up watching that bastard kill, lie and steal for any scrap of prestige he could get his hands on. Like any smart boy who hates his father, I ran away to sea and never looked back."

Cai glowered from the other end of the cell. "How could you keep this a secret? This is the sort of thing you tell your first mate."

"Oh please," huffed Bill. "How many times have you asked a captain who his father is? It probably saved us all. Handing you over to Adoti and keeping me is his way of twisting the knife."

"Like when he shot Batro?" Cai asked.

Darkness settled over Bill's face for a moment, and he patted his scales. "He never could beat me as hard as he wanted with these, so he found other ways to punish me."

Cai went silent, leaning over to whisper to another crewman.

"This is why my mother sent me to you," Aven said, working the lockpicks out of his shirt. "You're probably the only person who hates Azun as much as she does. We have to risk it."

Bill glanced down at the lockpicks and leaned in close. "Unlock the shackles, but make sure they stay closed. If they find out we're loose before the time comes we've blown our chance."

Aven nodded and poked the tiny metal wire into the lock, gently feeling around. Bill's plan left too much to chance for his taste, but what choice did they have?

-

Saiyun gripped the rope as the wooden crane hauled their longboat up the side of the ship. The rest of the crew had been brought up ahead of them, now it was their turn to board the great treasure ship. Their boat swayed back and forth, banging against the red-painted hull. He closed his eyes, only to see Batro's dead body slumped onto the deck.

"Almost there!" Captain Kauhy called from the deck as they were winched up to him.

Taking a deep breath, Saiyun forced a smile onto his face. He was joyous at being rescued and thrilled to see such a mighty ship. Yazwa and Ji sat across from him, and he gently jostled their legs, smiling wider. Ji glanced at him, only to return her gaze to the ground with a scowl. Yazwa held her staff across her lap. They had managed to convince the captain that it was a family heirloom. It was an excellent lie, but afterward, she had shut down, completely silent for the whole trip over to the ship. Not good.

The longboat was hauled up above the deck, and a beaming Captain Kauhy greeted them. "Welcome aboard," he said, waving his hands at the broad deck.

"Wow," Saiyun marveled, looking up as he stepped off the longboat. Now that he was aboard, the similarities to the Emerald Arrow were uncanny. The same number of masts, the same towering sterncastle, even the same colors. All it was missing was a crack in the middle and decades of mold growth. It had to be an exact copy. "I can't believe I'm standing on the deck of an actual treasure ship. I've only ever read about them."

"Hard to believe, I know. Let me help you aboard," Kauhy said, reaching out to take Yazwa's hand and frowning when he saw the faraway look in her eye.

"And me," Saiyun said, reaching out to help Ji onboard. "How many of these do you have? There can't be more than a handful."

Kauhy turned his attention back to Saiyun, beaming. "You'd think that, but there are forty completed treasure ships in our fleet. Plenty of smaller ships too. Would you like a tour?"

Saiyun almost agreed, but then he caught sight of the look on Yazwa's face. "Nothing would make me happier..." he said, stepping away from the others and beckoning Kauhy over and whispering. "I think the pirates' execution has upset the ladies. They've been through a lot, and I think they'd benefit from rest in comfortable surroundings."

"I see, I see." Kauhy nodded sagely. "I'll have you shown to your rooms. Would you prefer your servant to stay with you, or with Yazwa?"

"We've been through so much together," Saiyun replied. "I'd prefer we share a room."

Kauhy frowned. "This may be a navy ship, but we still do things properly around here. Having a servant stay with you is one thing, but Yazwa is a young lady from a noble house. We have a stateroom on the deck below yours that she'll be quite comfortable in, I promise you."

Saiyun cringed, unable to come up with a good answer. He had a point. "I would prefer my servant to stay with me then. I've gotten used to having her around."

"Of course," Kauhy said, waving his hands at another crewman until they hurried over. "Show this lady to her stateroom on deck five. I will escort these two to their rooms on deck four."

A pit of dread formed in Saiyun's stomach as he watched Yazwa follow the crewman away. With all the time she spent sparring with Batro, his death must be hitting her hard.

"I trust I will be able to visit her," said Saiyun as he followed Kauhy towards a doorway that led into the ship. "We've been through quite a lot together."

The ornate door was opened from the inside and Kauhy led them in. "Certainly. They were fortunate to have a calming presence in their hour of need."

Saiyun looked around, taking note as they passed by blue-painted doors. "I did my best. Once we've had a rest, I hope we can have that tour."

Knowing the layout of the ship would be crucial if they were going to get off. He had hoped that their ship would be winched up first and he could watch where the rest of the crew was brought below deck. He doubted the brig would be on the tour. As he politely nodded to Kauhy's prattle he reached up to feel the two Jado summon dolls hidden away in his robe in pieces, along with one Tanlin he managed to salvage in time. When the moment came, who knew what would happen?

"Here's your room," the Captain said, stopping at one of the blue doors. "I can have some food sent along if you want."

"Perhaps later." Saiyun smiled. Right now he needed time alone with Ji and Yazwa so they could figure out what their next move would be. "I think rest would be the best thing for us."

Kauhy tried to reply, but he was interrupted by the next door down the hall opening. "Yes, but I hope you'll allow me to introduce you to your neighbor."

The pit in Saiyun's stomach grew deeper as he examined the man. He was tall and solidly built, wearing a bright blue robe with delicate embroidery at the hems. A burn scar covered his right cheek and jawline, accompanied by a jagged scar running from his hairline down to the corner of his right eye. His smile was friendly, but there was nothing behind his eyes.

"Saiyun Li Enaoshi, this is Ca Diro, an advisor to his Eminence. Ca Diro, this is Saiyun Li Enaoshi, a pirate hostage that we just rescued," Kauhy said, gesturing to each of them in turn.

"You’ve come from even farther away than me," Ca Diro chuckled, bowing slightly.

"Yes," Saiyun said, bowing as well and barely managing to keep the panic off his face. He knew who Yazwa was. He knew she wasn't in Adoti looking for metals. He knew what the symbol on her staff was. If he made contact with her before it was time, the whole plan would be ruined. "I am...a long way from home."

Shit.