“Here they come!” shouted Bill, his hand shielding his eyes from the sun. A dark spot in the bright blue sky was slowly growing larger as it descended towards them. “That turtle ready?”
Saiyun sat on the deck, the muscles in his leg still burning as he examined his summoning doll. The little silk turtle had been sewed up precisely, and he could feel the hum of power within. “All ready!” he called, pulling himself to his feet with a groan.
“Get it in the water then! I want to be moving when they land!” Bill shouted, waving his hands.
Saiyun limped over to the side of the boat and tossed the doll overboard. When it hit the water, he took a deep breath and willed the turtle into existence. Spray crashed up onto the deck as the summon churned the water, drawing it in to form its body. When the sea calmed, a giant, hard-shell turtle floated idly beside the ship, its flippers waving to keep itself steady.
The front of the boat had a web of ropes tied to it, all ending in a single loop floating in the water for the turtle to grab. All it took was a mental image to send the command. A gentle lurch rumbled through the ship as the turtle pulled it out to sea against the tide.
"We're moving!" Saiyun called out.
As he did, a great white bird landed on the sterncastle so gently that the ship hardly rocked. "We have returned," Tsen called, hopping off the bird's back and landing with a thud. "I am glad to see we are underway."
“Yazwa!” Saiyun called, rushing up the stairs. “Are you hurt?”
“No,” Yazwa gasped, holding the bird's feathers in a death grip. "I'm fine. Help me off this thing."
Saiyun reached up and grabbed her hands, helping her slide off the summon. “Are you sure? You do not look well.”
“The rescue was a challenge,” Tsen said. “She was being held hostage by the Bazad. I had to clear them off of the temple before we could escape. Did everyone else return alive?”
“Yeah, did everybody make it?” Yazwa asked.
Aven came storming up the stairs, followed closely by Ji. “You made it back!” Aven said.
“I am glad to see you again,” said Ji.
Cai came up behind them, brushing the bird's tail away from the steering wheel. "Can you move this sack of feathers? I need to be able to steer us to the fisherman's heading."
“This is a very efficient answer to my question,” Tsen said, looking around at their faces and waving his hand at the bird. It flapped its wings, buffeting them with blasts of air as it flew up into the sky.
“Good to see you too,” Aven grumbled as Tsen walked down the staircase. “Yazwa, what happened? Where’s your staff?”
“Broke it getting away,” she said, looking down at the floor. “What about all of you? Any trouble?”
Saiyun grimaced, looking down at his torn robe and bruised leg. “Lots of it. But we made it through.”
“Even made a new friend,” Aven laughed.
“A new friend?” asked Yazwa.
“You can fill them in,” Saiyun said, looking over his shoulder at Tsen, who was standing motionless on the deck. “I want to talk to Tsen before he locks himself away again.” He broke away as Aven began his story, descending the stairs as fast as his aching legs would allow.
“What is it?” Tsen asked, looking straight ahead.
Saiyun followed his line of sight but saw nothing but empty river ahead of them. "I need to talk to you."
“Make it quick. Once I recover my summoning doll, I must take stock of what I have seen before the memory fades,” Tsen said.
Saiyun looked up and saw the bird summon flap its wings one last time before it vanished with a sharp pop. Nothing remained as the doll plummeted down from far, far above. “That was…an air medium summon?”
“I do hope that is not what you wanted to talk about,” Tsen sighed, holding out his hand.
“No, it’s not,” Saiyun said, shaking his head. "I have chosen the summon I want to learn from you."
“Excellent,” said Tsen as the doll fell into his outstretched hand. It landed precisely in his palm despite the incredible height of the fall. “All it took was a near-death experience. Which one will you exchange for the Ijose Turtle?”
“Jado the Tree-runner,” Saiyun said, already able to picture the beaked, six-legged creature in his head.
Tsen fixed Saiyun with an intense stare as he stuffed the bird doll back into his bag. “Curious. I was expecting something more offensive. Most Vao pick something that can hit hard for their first. Why Jado?”
Saiyun grimaced and reached down to rub his aching leg. "The Great Martial Texts say that mobility is more valuable than strength of arm. An army that is swifter than its foe is one that is victorious. When the raiders breached the marketplace, we were strong, not fast. Jado will fix that.”
“Wise,” Tsen said, giving the barest nod of approval. “Follow me to my quarters. You have much work to do.”
-
The next few days settled into comfortable tedium. With their course north settled and a weak wind behind them, their process was slow, which suited Aven just fine. Batro’s leg was better; he was at the point he could hobble more than a few steps before collapsing. He was still laid up in Bill's cabin, but there was a good chance he'd be fully healed by the time they reached their destination. Bill hadn't even tried to keep the Emerald Arrow a secret and the crew spent every night talking about the treasures that awaited them.
The loss of his cabin hadn’t phased Bill much, he spent more time in there now than before, playing cards with Batro, Cai, and the fisherman. Apparently, their new crewmate was good enough to give Cai a challenge.
Aven grabbed a barrel and pushed it across the deck. He then moved an empty crate alongside. He wouldn’t have minded some help, but the rest of the crew was either on watch or below decks. Tsen and Saiyun had only come above deck to eat, hardly talking to anyone.
Working alone wasn't the worst thing in the world. Yazwa was doing the same, holing up in the canvas tent she set up for her and Ji, occupied with her black stone. Aven shoved another crate into place and took stock of his little obstacle course, wondering how long it would take her to spot the trap. “Ready Ji?”
Ji sat on the rolling deck with her back turned to Aven. “I am ready at your command.”
Aven snorted as he walked around in front of her. “You can just say yes. Same exercise as before.”
Ji rose to her feet and took a wide stance, the tip of her tail twitching in anticipation. “You will rush me. I look behind myself once and then back up through the crates and barrels while watching you. To succeed I must pass through the obstacles before you reach me.”
“Right,” Aven said, picking up the wooden dowel that was standing in for his knife. Without hesitation he lunged at her, his feet pounding on the creaky boards as he closed the distance.
Ji's head twisted backward, taking stock of everything behind her. She locked eyes with Aven and retreated, trying to dart between the narrow gap between two crates. Unfortunately for her, the base of her tail caught on an edge and slowed her down.
Aven tapped her on the stomach with the dowel. “Try again.”
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The training went on and the crew on watch was happy for some entertainment. It took fifteen tries before Ji was able to clear the obstacles without taking a hit. Then Aven moved the crates and barrels around again. The next arrangement took sixteen attempts before she succeeded. Then fifteen again, then eighteen. Aven could see bruises building up on her ankles and tail.
“Should we take a break?” he asked.
“No,” she snapped, jumping back to her feet. “I was doing fine when we started. I can do this.”
They continued as the sun slowly drifted down towards the horizon, with no improvement. Ji darted back, tripping over the corner of a crate and sprawling onto the deck. She hopped up and let out a furious scream, kicking the crate so hard the wood splintered. After taking a few deep breaths she dropped to her knees and pressed her forehead to the deck. "Forgive my temper."
“Don’t do that,” Aven said, waving his hand. It was probably the first time in his life someone apologized for being angry. “It’s getting late. Let’s stop for the night.”
Ji rose from her bow and scowled at the obstacle course. “I don’t understand. I was doing fine, and now I can barely do it at all.”
Aven beckoned her over. “Take a look at it, see if you notice anything.”
She stood behind him, examining the scattered barrels and crates for a long moment. “Most of them are on the left.”
“You always circle that way,” Aven nodded. "Even when the other way is almost clear. The only reason you were succeeding at all was that you fell enough times to learn the way it was set up."
“How could I not see that?” Ji frowned, turning to look at Aven. “How long have you been setting it up like that?”
“Since I noticed you always circle right,” Aven shrugged. “I wanted you to realize it yourself, but I can only make it so obvious. You’re still falling back on what you’ve learned before. If you don’t learn to take stock of your surroundings, you’re going to die.”
Ji clapped her hands to her side and bowed. “Thank you for this lesson. I will try harder tomorrow.”
“I told you not to do that,” Aven said as the door to the captain's cabin banged open. Ru Talas staggered towards them, letting out a cheer of celebration. Aven wrinkled his nose as his alcohol-saturated breath wafted over them.
“I will own HALF that ship by the time we get there,” he cackled, patting Ji on the shoulder.
“Are you not feeling well?” Ji asked, reaching out to steady him.
Aven knocked Ru Talas' hand off Ji's shoulder and gave him a push towards the sterncastle. "He's just drunk. Food should start being cooked soon."
“Good! All this winning makes me hungry!” he bellowed, stumbling away.
“So great, dinner is going to be miserable tonight,” Aven sighed, grinding his palm into his forehead as Ru Talas made a valiant effort to climb the stairs. A thought ran across his mind and he turned his attention back to Ji. “It’s strange that he trusted you so quickly.”
“Why wouldn’t he?” Ji asked.
Aven walked away and took a seat on one of the crates. “Well, he was running for his life. Someone was out to kill him. He saw you in one fight and threw himself on your mercy.”
Ji sat down next to him, the crate just large enough. “Without you to help I would not have been able to keep him safe. I am still so weak,” she said, looking down at her hands.
“That’s not what I’m saying,” Aven said. “He just trusted you. A complete stranger to protect him.”
“Of course,” Ji nodded. “I proclaimed myself an acolyte of En Chitei. We are bound to protect the weak. All know they can depend on us.”
“Must be nice, being trusted like that” Aven said, drumming his feet against the crate. “How do you become an acolyte? I mean, how did you become one?”
“I was raised in the Lujin Monastery,” Ji said, looking up at the stars as they slowly revealed themselves in the darkening sky. “The monks say my parents left me there when I was very young because they couldn’t afford to feed me. I was raised to be an acolyte, to protect others.”
“Do you ever regret it?” Aven asked, looking into her eyes. “Not getting a choice?”
Ji smiled, meeting his gaze. “Never. I always knew that’s what I wanted to do. I was always one of the best students. When the others in my year were sent out into the world, I was sent to the monastery at Thetri because our elders thought I had the best chance of hearing the voice of En Chitei.”
Aven blinked. “What do you mean sent out into the world?”
"When our training is finished, acolytes are sent out into the world to fight for the weak," Ji said. "The rest of my year was hired by some rich man to protect his farmers from bandits. Sometimes, I wish I could have gone with them."
“Well I’m glad you didn’t,” said Aven. He then became very aware of how close they were sitting and he hopped off the crate. “It’s our night to get the fire set up. Better make sure Yazwa isn’t too close.”
“I think she’s still in her bunk,” Ji said, looking over her shoulder at the door that led below decks.
“How is she?” Aven asked. “I’ve barely seen her since we left the city.”
"I…don't know," Ji frowned, slipping off the crate. "She sleeps, she eats, but she does not speak much. Spends all her time with those stones. Should I speak to her?"
“Give it time,” Aven said, climbing the stairs to the sterncastle. “Whatever happened at the Temple may have rattled her. If she’s still sleeping and eating, it can’t be that bad.”
-
Yazwa knelt on the floor of her bunk, cursing the fading light. She bent over a chip of obsidian, carefully carving a symbol into it with a nail. Dozens of pieces like it surrounded her, remnants of failed attempts. The image of Ca Diro’s hand after he sliced her staff in two was burned into her mind. The symbol tattooed on his palm, two triangles joined at the tips and run through with jagged lines. That had to be the key. She had never seen it before, as the different schools of Achali guarded their secrets jealously, but she was certain the symbol meant sharp.
All the years spent blacksmithing meant she knew sharp better than anyone.
The symbols--Avitzl--were not magic like the ones for the Art of Purification. They were more like guides to help focus certain kinds of essence. They made it flow from place to place easier, something that would be of great use to a beginner like her.
Squinting in the dim light, she put the finishing touches on the symbol and tossed the nail aside. She held the chip in her left hand and lifted her right, her palm already marked with the same symbol. She blinked her weary eyes and felt a surge of trepidation. If she did this, she would be a criminal in the eyes of her faith. False Achali were despised throughout Atemzl. Any religious official could order her imprisoned or executed on sight. It would be smarter to stop here and now.
But Yazwa could not. She remembered the screams of the children behind her. How only the fluke of her curse and the arrival of Tsen saved them.
No. She wouldn't be useless, no matter what the cost.
She activated her sight and focused on the cold white light that ran along the edge of the obsidian shard. After a few deep breaths, she pressed her palms together, squeezing the shard tight. Half-remembered lessons and lectures floated through her head about the nature of essence and how to manage it.
Nothing happened.
Biting her lip, she thought back to her days in the forge, about hours spent hammering and grinding until the cold white light of the edge was so bright it was blinding. Her hands twitched and a jolt rushed up her right arm. Her once-dim hand was now glowing white.
Trembling, she swiped her hand to the side into the tough canvas that surrounded her. The blade of her palm cut through it like it was made of air.
She let out a hoarse cheer and the light vanished from her hand. It didn't matter. She'd never be useless again.
-
Bill stood at the front of the ship, his telescope pressed to his eye. In the distance, he could see the island Ru Talas had led them to. Winds made the trees that covered its hills bend and tremble, while white caps smashed on its beaches. From this far out, there hardly seemed to be anything special about it.
“Sure this is the one?” he asked Ru Talas.
“Certain,” the man said. “We took shelter in the lagoon near the sandy beach.”
Bill mumbled something back. He knew about the lagoon and the beach. He'd been here before. It was well outside the normal shipping routes and had a reliable source of freshwater in the hills overlooking the beach. In other words, it was the perfect place for a smuggler or pirate to lay low and resupply, which made him doubt the idea that Emerald Arrow had laid undiscovered for a hundred years.
“Fetch Cai for me,” Bill said, never taking his gaze off the horizon as a gust of wind buffeted the ship.
Ru Talas departed wordlessly, and soon enough, Cai arrived, plucking the telescope out of Bill's hands.
He set it to his own eye, then chuckled. "Well well, if it isn’t Highwater Island.”
“I’ve heard it called Highspring,” Bill said, rubbing his eyes. “And Greenspring and Spicespring too. How many times have you weighed anchor there?”
“More than a dozen at least,” Cai said, handing the telescope back.
“Did you ever notice a giant shipwreck with its holds stuffed with treasure?” asked Bill.
Cai barked out a laugh. “No. But then again, I never went further inland than the spring on the hills. No reason to.”
Bill sighed and stroked his beard. “Me neither. He could be telling the truth. Worth checking out.”
“So what are we going to do about that?” Cai asked, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder.
Bill didn’t need to turn to know he meant the angry black clouds billowing on the horizon, drawing closer with each passing hour.”Nothing to do but make for the harbor,” he said, jamming the telescope closed.
Cai sighed. “We should at least circle the island once to see if there’s anything obviously wrong.”
Bill looked from the island to the storm clouds and back. “No time. If we sail around we’ll be caught out. Sending a longboat around will take even longer. Tsen could scout it out for us if he didn’t have such a massive stick up his ass.”
“Why do you need his help?” Cai asked quietly, glancing over his shoulder to make sure none of the crew were near enough to hear. “There’s plenty of powerful people that work cheaper and don’t make you want to shoot them.”
Bill grinned, patting him on the shoulder. “All in good time my friend.” Right now, all we need to worry about is getting into that lagoon ahead of this storm.”