Chương 29: 28 Balanced Account

I gripped the helm wheel, easing it to port three degrees. After a few moments, the bow very slowly nosed left. To my side, Naomi raised a spyglass.

"Good, La Cuenta Rota dead ahead." Without an optic, I could pick out Snapfist's ship, slowly bobbing with the tilt of the waves. A Sirocco-class brig bobbed next to it. Black plating jutted from the hull, and scorched cannons stuck out from the deck on ratchet swivels. If I wasn't mistaken, that heavily armored Scorched Rock ship carried our prize. An ocean breeze hit me in the face, and I inhaled the cool air.

With the breeze on my skin, memory took me back to the black tower—tearing through the sky, maneuvering the carpet, taking the terrifying freedom of gravity. Almost finding my wings. I'd wasted an entire level on feats to avoid impacting the ground like a meteor. At least, that's what it was supposed to feel like. Somehow, it didn't. My terminal winked on.

<<Lesser Aerial Combatant: Born for the skies, you excel in the air, receiving the following bonuses to airborne movement and combat: Boost to Grace for all aerial acrobatic maneuvers Proficiency in free-fall movement Reduce fall damage Attacks made without a foot on the ground get a bonus to Grace and Might>> I hadn't had time to consider the implications or details of the feat; looking at it now, my mind raced. This changed things—more than a little.

Now I was considering altering the entire course of my planned build. I'd spent more than a bit of time browsing the feat catalogs, thinking what would optimize with this. I tabbed to my other ability. <<Minor Trajectory Read: Motion is a language you understand. Gain the following abilities: Anything moving or poised for immediate motion casts a cone projection of diminishing accuracy The trajectory read cone shows the current path of motion up to four seconds Note: This is not a precognition.

You are not seeing into the future. As movement shifts, the cone will also adapt to show the new trajectory>> That little trick had saved me a full dozen times on the tower, but I hadn't expected all the other applications. I turned it on, just temporarily. A cone washed ahead of the Zephyr, showing our path. If I understood correctly, it wouldn't warn me if we were about to strike a reef, but in the distance, La Cuenta Rota and the Sirocco cast projections of their own.

As their helmsmen made adjustments, I watched the cone curve before the ship angled to follow. In a sea battle, that was huge. Beyond that, there were other warnings. Cones fanned out from either side of Captain Snapfist's ship, fields of fire intersecting. My hands tightened as I spotted a third cone split from the water, projecting motion with no ship to cast it.

"Be advised," I said.

"Their cannons are loaded. They're ready for a broadside." Naomi glanced at me.

"You can tell?" My chin tilted down.

"New feat. Also, there's a third ship. I think it's invisible. I think they're trying to surround us."

"An invisible ship?" she echoed, jaw working.

"Someone with an arcane deck. Hopefully, they spend all of their mana before any fighting starts." She nodded, her eyes flickering across a terminal only she could see. An updraft hit me again, and I closed my eyes, inhaling. I knew the helmsman should probably keep his eyes open, but I was conversing with the wind. Not with words, but with spirit.

"Tony," Naomi said softly. My eyes opened.

"She responded." I glanced her way, thinking about my message to Lance, saved in drafts. After explaining what I knew to Naomi, she saved me from a possible scandal by reaching out to her mother instead. Naomi's lips pinched together.

"She knew." She bit her lip and folded her arms.

"She knew Granduncle was dying." Breath hissed out between my teeth.

"Who else?"

"The Inner Circle. All the Aunts and Uncles," Naomi said.

"It seems—" She bit her lip, hesitating before continuing.

"It seems Granduncle is looking for a successor."

"What?" I said, gripping the wheel hard.

"Why? We can save Granduncle. We need him. Once we get Prisoner's Retaliation, we'll shut off the timer. Put things right."

"They're trying," Naomi said.

"But it sounds like he's making a contingency plan." Her eyes danced as she reviewed her invisible message.

"Mom's going to make a ploy for his position." Her eyes twitched, and her skin went pale.

"She's already ruling one island. She'll want to add Paradise to her domain."

"Yeah?" I asked, reading the discomfort on her face.

"Looks like Uncle Titangavel's contesting for it as well. If he takes Granduncle's seat, the war with the Bloodwake is guaranteed."

"That might be exactly what we need at this point," I said, recalling the court gossip we'd overheard.

"Sounds like the Wake's committed to the war. Decisive action could be the right opening."

"Then there's Tansy," Naomi said, frowning at her terminal. Tansy had been Naomi's mentor.

"Both Tansy and my mom have reached out to me, trying to get me on their side. No doubt all three are trying to consolidate favor with the other Aunts and Uncles." Her temples bulged.

"The last thing we need right now is division. Granduncle isn't dead yet, but they'll be polishing his throne and making plans for when he's gone."

"He's not going to die," I said, voice harder than I intended.

"Puppetmaster has Prisoner's Retaliation—we'll get it. We're going to save him. Paradise needs him. Not just his position."

"Yeah," Naomi said, glancing up at the crack that had been slowly spreading across the sky.

"But why?" I shifted toward her, face heating.

"Because he's the most powerful wizard ever to live. Because Krathic-Thar fears him. Because he always knows what to do."

"No," Naomi shook her head.

"This is more than that. It's about Ourabora, about the seal." The seal. I recalled the mosaic in the Sanctum of the Seal's state room—a man grappling with a dragon, ringed by Jorg, the Ouroboros Titan. I looked up at the flickering crack.

"Sounds like the sky breaks as soon as Granduncle dies. Why? What happens to the system when that clock hits zero? What happens to the world? Why is it so important to find a successor if everything ends?" My gaze fixed on the approaching ships, swelling in size as they drew near.

"Why is Puppetmaster attacking the sky at all? I mean—they live in the world too. So what does the Bloodwake gain in destroying it?" Naomi kept her eyes focused on the approaching pirate ships.

"What if whatever mantle Granduncle holds can be transferred? What if when he dies, he can save the sky—and Ourabora?" All questions. No answers.

"We could—ask," I said. As level one Users, we could link directly with Ourabora and speak with her.

"Save it for a sanctum," Naomi said, hand going to the hilt of one of her daggers.

"We're about to have company, and we can't waste the mana." I nodded, scanning the waves. Trailing the invisible ship's projection cone, I glimpsed a hull-shaped indent cutting through the waves. If I didn't know what to look for, I would have missed it.

"Invisible ship's trying to hide behind La Cuenta Rota," I said. Naomi grunted in acknowledgment.

"Positions, everyone!" she called.

"Ready!" Ingred called from behind us.

"All good!" Bianca called from the main deck. Other than the four of us, the decks were empty, the holds too. Four of us doing the work of an entire crew. We had to be careful. The spyglass returned to Naomi's eye.

"They're signaling. We'll go starboard to starboard. The Sirocco's going to couple on our port side." The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

"We'll be wedged in tight," I warned. Naomi plucked a red flag.

"That's the point." She waved it, signaling the incoming ships.

"Luff sails," she ordered. I angled the wheel a hair and held it there. A moment later, the headsail snapped and shuddered as Bianca cast the sheet loose. The Zephyr bled speed, her trajectory cone shortening.

"Easy," I murmured, feeling the pressure drop from the helm. Barked orders from La Cuenta Rota found my ears as her decks buzzed with motion. I picked out Barkley on the Sirocco. The pirate waved with a grin. My jaw tightened. That smile wasn't born of friendliness, but of greed. The first line arched over from Snapfist's ship and smacked the planks. Bianca snatched the cord, muscles swelling as the hulls eased together.

Orcs kicked buffer barrels over the rails of either ship, and Bianca shifted to the port side to help secure the hauler. I lashed the helm in place, cinching the rope tight, before rushing to help secure the other vessels. Hulls groaned and rumbled, several shivering shudders running through the planks, then all three ships settled, pressed tightly together. The ships bobbed and swayed as one. Not my fastest work. It definitely would have gone smoother with an actual crew, but all things considered, not bad.

A gangplank crossed from either side, and Barkley stepped across from the Sirocco, four green brutes trailing him. Snapfist's peg leg thumped dully across his gangplank, Velk trailing behind. Brilla Lillbigun waited on La Cuenta Rota's quarterdeck. I'd bet all the treasure in the Sultan's collection room she was standing on a loaded arsenal, tucked behind the bulwark.

"Naomi!" Snapfist called.

"So good to see ya!" He landed heavily on the planks before waddling toward us. Barkley hesitated, cautiously scanning the empty ship.

"Where's Captain Thalendris?"

"We had some complications," I said, watching the Orcs on my ship as they fanned out. I became suddenly aware of my naval saber's weight, hanging from my belt. A gift from Elara, until I could find a proper replacement.

"But 'ya got the prize, yes?" Snapfist asked through his tusks. Naomi brought out a lamp, chain-fed back through the wick hole. Snapfist grinned, tapping his steel fingers against the palm of his prosthetic hand.

"Tony, my boy, and Bianca. I knew you could do it!" The clawed hand extended, bladed digits unfurling on squeaky joints.

"Now. The prize."

"Let's get the payment loaded first," I suggested.

"You've got the steel."

"Aye, we got her," Snapfist affirmed.

"At a heavy cost, too."

"You got a Sirocco as well," Naomi nodded at the armored brig.

"Good find."

"I have a question," I cut in, feigning pleasantries that were practically driving me to madness. If we were going to stab each other in the back, there was no need to do it with a smile.

"Why couldn't we offload the cargo at Los Colmillos?" I asked.

"We would have a proper dock to work with, and hoists."

"You really want to offload contraband at an official Scorched Rock port?" Barkley asked, glancing past me toward the arcane deck.

"Pirate port," I corrected.

"We've established it would have been safe. Loading out here will take at least a day, and patrols could pass this far out." Barkley's hand casually dropped to the wedge on his belt. A broad-bladed straight sword with the back edge tapering to a wedge point, like a razor blade.

"It wouldn't have anything to do with their rules, would it?" I asked, giving the half-Orc a dirty eye as he tried to steal around to my back. He hesitated.

"Out here, you could murder us without witnesses?" Barkley's smile melted.

"You did overhear us." I nodded.

"Aye."

"So why are you here? Without backup?" Naomi shifted toward Snapfist.

"I suppose I was hoping to appeal to the Captain's code. Surely he wouldn't want to write his name in my book of debts." Captain Snapfist sighed.

"You've already made it into me debt book. I lost a lot of good Orcs on that dock. I require additional payment."

"The Zephyr and the orange steel?" I guessed. He tugged his tricorn down.

"Aye, that would suffice. I'd consider the book balanced. I'll even give ye a ride to Los Colmillos, free of charge."

"How generous," I said dryly.

"That only be if ya give me the lamp without further issue." His claw extended.

"If ya make me take it, ya walk the plank here. I am a fair man after all."

"A man's word is binding," I said, voice quivering. I knew—the whole time. So how did their treachery fill every inch of my body with heat?

"Our deal was the steel for a lamp; that's what we delivered. You're going back on your word." My face reddened.

"Your book of debts is worthless. You have no honor, no integrity!" Snapfist's lip twitched, and he glanced at Barkley.

"Don't listen to him," the half-Hobgoblin growled.

"So you slighted him first? This is the World Archipelago; those books will balance in time."

"Aye," Snapfist agreed.

"But I don't like being the first one to go into debt. I like me books balanced."

"Snapfist," Barkley growled.

"Two ships, the orange steel, and the lamp. Don't let your code blind you to this wealth. We can throw them to the depths; there'd be no reprisal."

"No," Snapfist said.

"I won't kill a man who's got me in his book of debts. That's how specters come to be." He shifted to Naomi.

"I'm sorry, me lady. But Barkley's right. The prize is too great. Put me name in yer ledger. One day, perhaps I can repay it. But for now. The lamp."

"Shame," Naomi said, placing the lamp in the claw.

"I was hoping we'd be able to work together in the future."

"Let's get her turned around, boys!" Barkley called, and a cheer roared out from the Orcs on either deck.

"Get them to the brig."

"Wait," Naomi said, holding up a hand.

"Let's balance the books now." The lamp's shell disintegrated, dust falling away from the illusion to reveal a belaying pin.

"Captain," Naomi said.

"Next time you betray Cousins of Paradise, I want you to remember this moment." Snapfist's brow climbed.

"Cousin?" The real lamp blinked into existence in Naomi's hand, and Barkley flinched.

"No!" She removed the lid. Red smoke spewed, and suddenly the decks of all three ships were full. Elara and her marines, as well as Captain Thalendris and his sailors, winked into existence from their concealment within the lamp, pistols drawn and cocked. Grixx flashed into existence on the La Cuenta Rota's bulwark, comically large pistol leveled at Brilla Lillbigun. I snapped my sword out, spinning on Barkley with a low guard.

"Draw it," I growled, nodding toward the wedge.

"Let's do this." He didn't even look at me; his wide-eyed gaze was locked onto the bronze-skinned woman towering behind me. A cone bathed the deck of the Zephyr, and I whirled, pointing.

"Two hundred meters that way!" I barked.

"Invisible ship! She's bearing her guns!" While the cloaked vessel wasn't moving, the cones from its cannons marked its position. Nahla waved a hand, and a half-dozen tiny, sparking primordials flashed into existence in the air. Two of them plummeted, shrieking as they vaporized on contact with the ocean. The others vanished as they fell into the ship's cloaking magic.

"We have another ship!" Barkley hissed.

"They'll sink you here and now if you don't—" Nahla held up a finger, cutting the pirate off.

"Five, four, three, two." She flicked her wrist as her summons scampered into the invisible ship's powder magazine. A spray of trajectory cones flashed in my vision before the ship winked into existence, then ruptured. Decks buckled upward, hull tearing as the masts folded. The pressure wave ripped through the water before splinters and shrapnel spat free. A secondary detonation flashed through the cracked hull, this one jetting a proper fireball, and sent burning debris raining down.

Naomi whirled on Captain Snapfist, who stared slack-jawed.

"Who was that?" she demanded.

"It—It was Captain Sophi. The Flying Barb."

"Now it's driftwood," I said.

"And that's what's going to happen to you if your men don't disarm and abandon the Sirocco. We're taking your rudder and fouling your rigging." I shifted my gaze to Barkley.

"You can drift until someone, or something, finds you." His yellow-green goblin skin paled. I thought back to the steam column where we'd fished him out of the water.

"What's your call, Captain?" Naomi asked Snapfist. The Orc glared from her to Nahla, calculating, thinking.

"You'll go deep into me book for this." Naomi scoffed, stroking the lamp that trailed the Efreet's chain.

"Your scales are so weighted, they have no meaning."

"We should kill them," Nahla said.

"Take both ships. Or maybe punch a few holes below the waterline. Keep them pumping until someone picks them up." Snapfist's lips drew into a tight line.

"Give me the lamp at least." Naomi laughed, and not in a friendly way.

"I could tow you back to Paradise. Have you all tried and hanged. That's up to you."

"Put yer weapons down!" Snapfist growled. Axes and pistols dropped to the planks; Captain Thalendris' men collected the arms.

"I'll have the wedge, Barkley," I said, voice low.

"Don't draw. Drop the belt." He glared, fury burning, then his face morphed into a grin.

"Knew I liked you, kid." The buckle of his sword belt clicked as he unfastened it. He handed the wedge over.

"We should work together again in the future." I snorted.

"You had your chance."

"Spike the cannons!" Captain Thalendris called.

"Leave them floating." Sailors and marines hurried to execute the maneuver.

"Well, Captain," he said to Naomi, motioning at the Sirocco lashed to our port.

"Are you going to examine your new ship?"

"My ship?" Naomi asked, confused.

"Aye. By Paradise maritime law, she's yours." We turned to the low-sitting brig, black iron armor plating the hull, two inferno bow chasers jutting from the front, and six cannons on either side.

"We have a ship," I gasped.

"You'll need to borrow some sailors till we can get her home," Captain Thalendris said.

"Then you'll need to assemble your own crew." I turned.

"Hey, Bebi. Want a job?"

"Is it sailing?" the Coredwarf called, swaggering over.

"Yup!"

"Nar, thanks, I hate the water."

"Oh, come on," Naomi countered.

"You'll love it." The ash-skinned dwarf glanced at the ship, nodding approvingly.

"Fine."

"Captain Snapfist," Captain Thalendris said, stopping the pirate as he waddled back to his gangplank. The Orc stopped, shifting back.

"Miss Myrkrath just claimed one of your ships. I think you're forgetting something."

"Am I?" Snapfist asked. The half Feykin captain crossed over to Snapfist before tugging the pirate's tricorn from his head. The Orc stiffened, then froze as half a dozen pistols tracked his chest.

"Captain Myrkrath," Thalendris said, crossing over to Naomi.

"By law and capture. Yours." He set the oversized hat on her head. <<Time to Seal Collapse: 04: 02: 00: 21: 12: 55>>