Chapter XLVI: Running Blind

“Ye got a problem with me ship?” Arvin asked, and by his tone he was quite serious about the question.

Jinxie struggled to keep her tongue still. Yes, she did have a very distinct issue with the bucket of warped boards and rotting lumber bobbing up and down on the waves of the Gugru Blue, looking like it would fall apart at the seams at any moment. The Proteus appeared to be held together with little more than rusty nails and wishful thinking, and on top of that it was completely filthy. Muck and bilge stuck to every corner, slime caking the deck and hull, with everything from rotten seaweed to rat carcasses draped over the sides. Even the sails, which she imagined had been white at some point, were so stained and dirty that they looked more like a patchwork mess of grays and browns. She could not imagine what had happened to actually leave the sails in such a state.

Arvin peered at her intently, and she saw beyond him to Akisu, his youthful face grinning reverently at the floating death trap in front of them. The scrawny boy was loaded down with Arvin’s luggage, carrying the Dread Corsair’s personal items in a number of cases that obviously weighted him down. Still, he was beaming like it was his birthday and he’d gotten a brand new chocobo as a gift. His attitude was at once worrisome and mystifying to Jinxie, but no matter what menial, back-breaking chore Arvin sent him on, Akisu seemed thrilled for the opportunity to serve the Captain. Now he stared at the Proteus like the decaying vessel was some holy thing risen up out of the waves. Actually, Jinxie thought, she wouldn’t have been surprised if Arvin had hauled it up from the bottom of the Gugru Blue.

“It’s . . . it certainly suits you,” Jinxie said honestly. The pirate gave a crooked grin, staring with bared teeth at his wretched vessel.

“She’s pulled me outta more scrapes then a pretty head like yours can imagine,” he boasted. “Proteus here is the fastest ship on the water. Ye got any chance at all a’ slippin’ outta here, it’s with me.”

Jinxie bit back her words before they could form. Her stomach was flip-flopping at the mere thought of stepping foot on the floating shipwreck in front of her.

“Whoa,” came a voice from behind them, and she turned to find Speed staring open-mouthed at the Proteus. “This place looks just like my house.”

“Aye, lad,” Arvin agreed, clapping the warrior on his bare back so hard that the lanky mercenary swung his arms wildly, then fell forward to the ground as the pirate chuckled, “it do be like home indeed.”

“It looks magnificent, Captain,” Xaerus remarked as she stared at the ship, walking past the scene with a single bag of belongings in tow. “It will do quite nicely.”

Akisu smiled as Xaerus walked by, the oversized grin looking almost comical on his youthful face. “That lady sure knows a good ship when she sees one,” he agreed, taking a step forward, struggling to keep his balance as he juggled the weight of Arvin’s belongings.

Jinxie looked around desperately for a sane voice to be heard, but as Isset walked by with Shoki, she offered only a shrug. Beneath her, Speed began snoring, and the Red Mage let her shoulders droop helplessly as she let out a sigh.

The day passed in Nashmau, giving way to a muggy evening on the wharf, not at all improved by the stink of sweat and brine thick in the air. The crew of the Proteus had been gathered together, nearly two dozen burly, thick-necked men sporting various degrees of facial hair and body odor. Some few of them had skin as dark as the night, others had only the color the sun had baked into them. By and large they were dressed in a manner befitting the crew of a ship like the Proteus; breeches spotted and torn, some seeming to have more patches than they had of the original fabric. They wore vests or shirts that reeked of liquor and cigars, and to a man the ones which were not shaved bald had hair which looked like it had never felt any water besides the ocean spray. Of all the men aboard, Akisu was the only one not laden with tattoos.

A bearded Galka whose face was dotted by a dozen different piercings served as the ship’s cook, and no sooner had he deposited Arvin’s luggage in the Captain’s quarters than Akisu was darting back and forth hauling sack after sack of carrots and potatoes from the dock to the galley. No one offered to help, though several of the sailors were already lounging about indolently, barely even taking notice of the scrawny boy doing the work of three men. Jinxie’s attitude towards the youth was quickly changing from astonishment to outrage at seeing how he was taken advantage of. Quietly, she reminded herself of the urgency of her mission, and bottled the swell of power she felt rising within her. She had no time to right every wrong she came across.

The Proteus was flanked by a score of other vessels all anchored at the same port, held in Nashmau by order of the Imperial Navy. Amongst the rows of ships all trapped in place until the ban on sea travel was lifted, activity was constantly going back and forth as traders of varying degrees of legitimacy scurried the wares off of their ships and then brought things on in anticipation of being able to set sail again soon. Some of the docks were empty, a sign that either it had been an Imperial vessel moored there, or the owner had come across a significant enough bribe to get his ship on the water again. Arvin scoffed at the idea of paying his way out, insisting that the Proteus was more than a match for anything the Imperial Navy could come up with. To cover the boarding preparations, he’d had his crew stagger their arrivals, even ordering a few to leave and them come back later, so no one watching the ship would see more than the usual couple sailors not wanting to pay for an inn and choosing to bunk in the cabins of their ship. By the time the sun had become a sliver of red and gold quickly fading along the horizon, Arvin’s ugly craft was fully manned and prepared.

The Captain himself came up on deck from his cabin when the first sign of stars began showing in the evening sky. Jinxie and Isset were both standing on deck in disguise, a pair of drab and heavily hooded robes concealing their faces and figures. The Dread Corsair brushed by them as if they weren’t even there, leaning against the port side railing and looking down into the sea churning against the stone and granite dock below.

“When th’ moon’s high in th’ the sky, we’ll be takin’ off,” he said, not looking at either woman. They neither acknowledged he had spoke nor looked at each other. “Th’ ship’ll stay dark ‘til we get t’ open water. We’re flyin’ black sails tonight. If’n th’ clouds stay ‘n our favor, we’ll be past th’ Navy a’fore they know it.”

Jinxie let her eyes cast a look upwards. The evening sky was already turning overcast. It looked like luck was with her.

Arvin turned and began walking past them. As he did so, Isset gave an involuntary start, then went stock-still as the Corsair began whistling on his way back to the Captain’s cabin. Isset stared daggers after him, and once he was out of sight put a hand on her bottom sorely.

“He PINCHED me.” She growled indignantly. “Like some serving wench in a port bar.”

“Let it go,” Jinxie said, putting up a single hand to restrain the Puppetmaster as she took a step forward, her fists clenched. “Once we’re back in Nashmau with Kkel Solaar beside us, then he can get what’s coming to him.”

Isset caught herself, regaining her composure and trying to appear normal as she could. Knowing the Empire was watching every ship in Nashmau wasn’t making things easy, but within the hour it would be completely dark, and they’d be able to move freely. Even if that didn’t mean they could give the Dread Corsair what was coming to him quite yet.

Then, as the night grew dark and still, an anchor was slowly raised on a ship without a single light to be seen on it, and the Proteus began drifting out to sea.

Jinxie had chosen to remain above deck, as had Isset. Xaerus and Speed were below as Arvin, his silver eyes adjusted to the dark, manned the steering wheel. Akisu was in the crow’s nest, wearing all black and barely peeking out. They had rigged up a system in which the young boy could pull a string which sounded a faint bell beside where Arvin was steering a number of times indicating whether or not it was clear up ahead. Jinxie got the distinct feeling this was not the first time the crew had fled a port under cover of darkness. She heard two tiny peals, lost almost as soon as they came under the constant crashing of waves against the docks, and Arvin adjusted his steering to guide the ship away. Out in the distance, the Imperial blockade looked like a small town on the water, each ship lit up and active. In comparison, the Proteus seemed almost a ghost ship adrift at sea.

She held her breath as the black sails, crowded on only enough to get the ship moving, caught the night breeze and the Proteus started picking up speed. The crewmen started pulling and adjusting various lines, communicating with each other only with the briefest of glances, working on instinct more than anything. Some few would stop and deliver rudimentary hand signs to others, who would look at the signals and adjust what they were doing accordingly. The muscle-bound sailors were surprisingly silent in their task, working with the kind of stealth only a dishonest life can breed. The Imperial blockade was growing closer, but even as it did Jinxie could make out gaps between where the ships were settled. Arvin was aiming for one of those openings, hoping to drift by unnoticed long enough to get by them completely. The closer they grew, the quieter the ship became, until even the sound of Akisu’s bells had ceased. To all sides of them were Imperial cruisers, watching the oceans. In the pitch-black night, the Proteus was all but invisible to the naked eye.

Jinxie’s stomach was a butterfly nest as they ghosted past two of the Imperial galleons. She saw tree-like masts and realized that the occupants of the ships would notice that the lights from the adjacent craft would be covered up by the Proteus, even if they didn’t see the ship itself at first. If anyone was paying enough attention tonight, they would be spotted for sure. Her power began coming to her by instinct, and she hastily bottled it in fear of some Imperial wizard becoming aware of her. Despite the breeze of the ocean, she was beginning to sweat.

Then, just like that, they were through. The Proteus cut across the gap in an instant, and Jinxie had to struggle from letting an explosive breath of relief escape her lips. The crew, for their part, looked as focused as ever. They weren’t out of the woods yet. There was another ship behind the two they had made their escape through, a patrol vessel slowly skimming across the water. If they went unnoticed for just one more minute, they would be past it, but on their current course they were running perpendicular to each other, putting it practically on top of them. Jinxie found she couldn’t dare even blink as she watched the other ship bear down on them. Just a few more seconds was all they needed.

The clouds overhead continued flowing by, and then, without warning, the moon was plainly visible, casting pale light down upon the reflective ocean. The crew of the Proteus went dead silent, no one even daring to breathe as they were betrayed by the night sky. A moment later, the moon was concealed again, darkness gliding back across the sea. The tension was suffocating. A second passed and no alarm was raised. Jinxie allowed herself to inhale. They had made it.

A shout came from the other ship, and then another. She heard Isset gasp to her side as the Imperial cruiser began changing course suddenly. Jinxie was unable to restrain her gasp when she realized it was speeding up, and trying to pull up alongside them. Threats and warnings were shouted across the intervening distance, and the crew of the Proteus suddenly abandoned stealth, letting loose the sails and shouting orders back and forth at one another. Confusion began to overtake the ship as men darted across the deck, struggling with rigging and sails, not knowing which order to listen to first.

“Walahra,” Arvin cursed, spitting on the deck as he growled, grinding his teeth together. “They’ve spotted us, lads! Get ready f’r rough waters!”

The Proteus banked sharply starboard, and Jinxie heard Arvin curse behind the wheel as the masts creaked from the strain. The Imperial ship behind them compensated to close in, and missed by a space so thin Jinxie doubted she could have dropped a sheet of bast parchment freely between them. The dilapidated ship surged forward on a wave as shouts of activity sped across the wind from the Imperial vessel, shouts to cut off the Proteus and man the cannons. The crew began drawing their swords, preparing for a fight.

There was a jarring boom as the imperial ship launched a barrage of cannon fire towards the Proteus. Shrapnel and splintered wood burst up as lead tore through the ship’s hull, causing the entire vessel to shake. Arvin spun the wheel hard, and in response it began to tip over to one side, the force of impact and weight of the mast making the whole ship begin leaning in the direction of the centrifugal motion. The wind in the sails and sudden stress threatened to tear the ship apart, and it creaked out its distress as the Imperial ship readied another volley.

“Steady th’ blasted ship!” Arvin shouted out over the din. “Trim th’ sail or we’ll break th’ mast in two!”

“Find something to grab on to!” Isset cried, clutching on to the ship’s railing. “We’ll be tossed overboard!”

Jinxie’s feet went out from under her as the ship corrected itself, throwing her forward like a child’s ball. She tumbled head over feet, landing sprawled out on her back and acutely aware that the stars she saw had nothing to do with the sky she was suddenly staring into. The flaxen-haired Red Mage struggled to gather herself and rise, but the motion of the boat was playing havoc with her balance. She heard shouts begin to escalate and was aware that the Imperial ship was now closer than ever. In the moonlight, the featureless forms of Aht Uhrganian sailors preparing to board the Proteus were taking shape.

Clutching at the grim-encrusted deck, she scraped at the deck until she could right herself, trying to decide what to do. With enough wind she could throw the other ship off-course, but as close as they were they would likely collide with the Proteus and send both vessels to the briny deep. If she used lightning or fire, she could potentially kill the Imperial soldiers. She wracked her brain for some solution, trying to imagine how she could possibly stop that ship.

Even as she pulled herself into a sitting position, a dark-cloaked figure drifted by her, unperturbed by the activity around her. Jinxie turned to shout out a warning to Xaerus, but the Mithra stepped directly into the line of sight of the other ship. The sound of guns being readied was audible even over the crashing of the sea and the shouts from both sides. Xaerus lowered her head, her unseeing eyes directed at the floor with her hands clasped in front of her, as if in prayer. Jinxie called out a warning, but Arvin sharply threw the wheel starboard, trying not to present his broad side to the cannons of the Navy. The sudden shift threw Jinxie back again, and she found herself tumbling backwards, rolling to a stop against the mast. Xaerus was still where she stood, and beyond her there was a score of Imperials readying a deadly volley to let loose into her unprotected body. Jinxie tried to cry out a warning again, knowing Xaerus couldn’t see how close the other ship was, but there was too much noise for her to be heard, too much shouting . . .

Not shouting, she realized. Screaming.

The Imperial soldiers on the other ship were all screaming, their voices loud and fevered with terror. Xaerus, she realized, was obscured by an inky black cloud forming all around her, spreading out to blanket the ship in an obliviating embrace. She heard splashes as some fell into the icy waters of the Gugru Blue, and saw flashes of light as shots were fired into the air. It took a wild turn, tearing a section of railing off of the Proteus as the two vessels nearly collided, and then began to rotate in entirely the opposite direction. The screams rose, high-pitched with fear, and in the next instant, Arvin broke free of the deadly stalemate. The Proteus surged ahead of the Imperial ship, shooting forward like a rock from a sling.

“Now!” Arvin demanded. “Pile on that sail, ye worthless dogs! Catch th’ wind while we can!”

The sailors manning the masts and sails grunted with the strain as dozens of riggings were hastily tied into place, and the black sails of the Proteus unfurled in full force. The Proteus began picking up speed at an alarming rate, but nothing was too fast for Jinxie in that moment. She finally managed to right herself just in time to see the ship they had encountered becoming a rapidly-vanishing blot of light. The screams, however, carried far across open seas.

“What did you do to them?” Isset asked shakily as Xaerus turned, her path suggesting she was returning to the cabins.

The Mithra turned her head in the direction of the Puppetmaster’s voice, stopping in her path to gaze through blindfolded eyes with an expressionless face. The crew was leaning in as well, and even Arvin had stopped momentarily, looking at the tiny woman in their midst.

“I struck them blind,” she replied simply.

The crewmen gaped at the Red Mage as she strode wordlessly back down towards the cabin. Several of them exchanged glances, and audibly gulped.

Jinxie tossed her heavy cloak aside, her traditional red-and-black raiment clinging to her with perspiration. She grabbed on to a splintered rail and lurched halfway over the side, feeling as if the might retch. Nothing came up, and after a long period spent staring into the waters, letting her stomach stop heaving, she turned and collapsed to a sitting position on the deck.

To her side, she saw Isset and Shoki, similarly positioned. The silent puppet was furiously fanning its owner, and the dark-haired woman turned a sympathetic and long-suffering gaze on Jinxie.

“Is he worth it, Isset?” Jinxie asked, finally connecting with her breath.

“Who?”

“Kkel Solaar,” she answered, dabbing her nervous sweat off of her forehead.

Isset turned away, looking out across the deck as men scrambled like mad to correct the ship and assess the damage. Arvin was wrestling with the wheel, but grinning fiercely. Jinxie had to admit that the boorish Elvaan was right. The Proteus was indeed the fastest ship in the Empire, or at least faster than anything the Imperial Navy could offer.

“He’s the kind of man you have to see to believe, Jinxie,” the Puppetmaster finally told her. “With all the wars and attacks and the constant besieged state of the Empire, there are still people who think that the most serious blow we were ever dealt was the day the Sunserpent disappeared.”

Jinxie tilted her head back and closed her eyes, still breathing hard. Drake would be fine with Abquhbah and Naja, she told herself. She could find this Kkel Solaar and return him, and be done with Razfahd and his scheming once and for all. She longed to hold her baby, and, in a realization that made her lip tremble, to be held by Hubby. She bit back her pain, and started to rise.

The moon was once again visible overhead, but the Proteus was already too far away to be followed. They followed the stars west, heading ever closer back to where for Jinxie, it all began, and where she would bring an end to it as well.

Chapter XLV: In Search of the Dread Corsair

If there were a seedier dive in Aht Urhgan than the Drowned Rat, Jinxie could not envision it. As soon as she entered the door, a pair of shuttered barely clinging to their hinges, the raucous noise from within died down momentarily as a dozen pairs of leering eyes turned to appraise her. The interior was dank and stank of alcohol and sweat, with only a single crystal-powered light over the bar itself providing any light, and that flickered in and out interminably. The floorboards were warped and damp with mold and mildew, puddles of cheap beer splashed about as if it had just rained inside the shoddy building. Mingled with the salty air blowing in off of the Silver Seas and the rank odor carried by the patrons, it was a place which truly offended all five of Jinxie’s senses.

It was a confused mix of emotions as she stepped inside, doing her best to not seem like a single blond woman in a bar full of drunken sailors. She had left her tabard at the inn, choosing instead to don an inconspicuous cloak and shirt, the hood pulled up high enough to enshroud most of her features. Her slim legs and decidedly feminine boots were still visible as she walked in, earning her a variety of catcalls. To her relief, however, many of the enormous men seemed more intent on playing cards or dice, or simply drinking whatever was put in front of them than ogling a half-concealed woman. The women these men were used to usually flaunted what they had – to fetch a better price.

So while she had her trepidations about entering the Drowned Rat, she found it mingled with a sense of gratefulness that she had even made it to Nashmau. The journey had not been easy.

It had only taken a week for Xaerus to ascertain the one thing known about the man called Kkel Solaar. He had left Urghuum for Mindartia, supposedly heading for the Kolshushu region. It had been difficult to come by even that vague direction, Xaerus had said, as details of his departure were hidden away in utmost secrecy. All that was known to them was the fact that Kkel had been assigned some confidential mission seven years earlier, and had simply never returned to his post. There was no explanation, no official statement, and, as far as they could tell, no attempt before now to find him. They chased after a ghost, yet even that was evidently too much to go on for Razfahd’s liking.

Not the day after Xaerus had ferreted out her discovery of Kkel’s last known destination, the entire Imperial Navy had been mobilized. An immense operation cracking down on the Corsairs operating in the Silver Seas and surrounding bodies of water was announced by the Grand Vizier, and every ship not designated an official Imperial vessel was to immediately present itself for temporary indefinite service in maintaining supply lines to the brave men and women defending the Empire at sea. There was not a ship to be found in the entire port of Whitegate not conscripted into service, and therefore unable to bring Jinxie back across the Gugru Blue. The entirety of sea craft in the Empire was dedicated now to the rooting out and destruction of the Corsairs.

That left them with the obvious solution. Find a Corsair.

“I know where we can find one,” Isset told them, the woman and her amazing marionette, Shoki, standing in the doorway to Jinxie’s room. The faceless puppet still somehow managed to look as mysteriously smug as its master.

“You want us to cross into Nashmau,” Xaerus said, the blindfolded woman staring sightlessly out the window of their room, drawn by the warmth of the sunlight streaming through. Isset drew her face into a pout when the Mithra spoiled what had clearly been something she had been hoping to reveal herself. Xaerus turned towards the door where she stood, flicking a curious eyebrow. “And how do you propose we cross the sea any easier than the ocean?”

The smile came back to Isset’s face, as if she’d been queued into her next line. Her profession as a Puppetmaster had clearly brought with it some degree of showmanship. “Come with me back to Naja’s and you’ll see.”

Naja Salaheem, the Mercenary General and owner of Salaheem’s Sentinels, had been surprisingly enthusiastic about the idea of finding Kkel Solaar, though perhaps because Jinxie had deliberately withheld much of the information surrounding the task. To the best of Naja’s knowledge, they were performing a task for Nashmeira herself with glorious reward promised should they recover the lost hero of the Empire. The red-coated Mithra eyed them appraisingly as they entered, tapping the handle of her trademark spiked mace against her shoulder.

“Yer a walkin’ miracle woman, aren’tcha, Jinxie?” Naja said, sounding insincere. She tapped her mace against her shoulder, peering sideways at the trio as they entered. “First you take out the Hydra, now ye’re off t’ find Kkel Solaar himself. And all in th’ name of Salaheem’s Sentinels. Of course, I can’t get fully behind you since you haven’t signed th’ official contract yet . . .” her eyes took on a meaningful glint, her hands already sliding a set of forms across her desk.

“Sign me up for this one again,” Isset said, cutting her off, “and I’ll have to borrow Speed, too.”

Naja squinted at the Puppetmaster, giving her a snarl as she retracted her contract offer. “So you need t’ break through t’ Nashmau, Isset here tells me,” the Mercenary continued smoothly, “but can’t on account a’ th’ whole Imperial navy bein’ up in arms. Well, as it turns out, with so many crews t’ man, there’s been a large call for mercenaries t’ sign up an’ fill the empty slots . . . “

Thus Jinxie, Xaerus, Isset, and Speed, the dull-eyed Private his usual self again as he unsteadily walked across the deck of the Imperial merchant vessel, drafted into service, that they had found passage on, made it through to Nashmau. Such was the demand for crew hands to fill the sudden deluge of ships on the water that their forged papers and false names were never questioned, and within a few days they had found themselves in port at Nashmau, where they hastily shed their new identities. That was where they had run into their second complication.

While it had been a good idea at the start to find a Corsair, the time it had taken them to find passage across the Silver Seas and make it to Nashmau allowed Razfahd’s order to take effect. The action against illegal ships had been swift and terrible, with wreckage burning from the Talacca Cove to the Ilrusi Atoll. Every pirate stronghold and hideout was under constant watch, and the once-dreaded Corsairs now laid as low as they could to avoid even a hint of suspicion. Every inquiry she’d made for the past week had brought her nothing but dead ends. No one was even willing to own up to having a ship, let alone wanting to sail one.

All crossing the Silver Seas had gotten them was time away from Drake, whom Jinxie desperately missed. She hoped he was safe with Abquhbuh, whom had once again graciously volunteered his services in watching after the infant. Thoughts of her son kept pushing her forward, determined to find something that would help her do what she needed to do. No matter how difficult Razfahd made the already impossible quest he had laid before her, she would find a way to do it, and she’d laugh in his face when Kkel Solaar marched back into the Imperial Palace with her at his side.

She took a steadying breath, memories of the last few days being set aside, and sat down at the bar. Somewhere in the Drowned Rat, if the information they had finally bribed out of a Qiqirn could be believed, was the one man deadly enough, or perhaps crazy enough, to set sail under the blockade. Jinxie would not leave until she found him. This was their last, desperate lead. She wouldn’t let it fall through.

Unfortunately, she had not even a description to go on, only a name. Any of the hulking Galka, jeering Humes, imperious-looking Elvaan, or maybe even the awkward Qiqirns all inhabiting the tavern could be the man she was looking for. Placing a coin on the counter for a drink, she stopped the hand of the bartender when he came to take it, placing a glass of watered-down beer in front of her. The barkeep, bald, covered in tattoos and with a patch over one eye, stared grimly down at Jinxie as she took her hand away slowly, looking up at the man with a steady gaze.

“I’m looking for someone,” she told him, “someone who will set sail.” She kept her voice low, trying not to draw the attention of the other patrons.

“Yer outta luck, sweetie,” the bartender said, his voice a rasping growl. Without turning his head, he spit out the side of his lips, the saliva and tobacco within it colliding with a brass spittoon nearby him. “Ain’t no man here stupid enough to unfurl in these waters.”

The day outside was sunny and warm, and the winds slight and pleasing. The sea was calm and beautiful for miles. It was clear what he actually meant.

A silver imperial coin rolled down the sleeve of Jinxie’s robe and found its place where the bronze one she had laid down earlier had been. Jinxie let the one-eyed man see it, then placed a finger over it, letting her gaze meet his. The bartender’s eyes glanced down, and though his hand twitched, he didn’t make a move to take it.

“I had heard there was a man here that made a living braving storms like these,” Jinxie said, casting a look about. None of the score or so men inhabiting the wharf dive looked that indistinguishable from one another, and for a moment she worried that she might be wrong. Then she saw the bartender’s eyes flicker, just briefly away from both her and the coin, and she pressed on. Another coin, this one minted of solid mythril, clinked against the silver one, joining it at being pressed under Jinxie’s forefinger. “I need to speak with that man.”

The bartender looked at the coins in front of him. A silver and a mythril coin were easily twenty times more valuable than anything he saw day to day.

“These be rough waters, darlin’,” he said, leaning forward and squinting at Jinxie with a dark and narrow eye, “I’ll not be sendin’ any a’ my patrons t’ th’ briny deep.”

A second mythril coin joined the first, and a second silver as well. The bartender stared at them openly, pressed in a stack beneath Jinxie’s finger.

“If anything happens, this should cover their loss as a customer, wouldn’t you say?”

The bartender snatched the coins away from Jinxie, who moved her finger away, allowing him to have his bribe. At any point she could have unleashed her power on the bar and its patrons and simply stormed through everyone until she got the answers she needed, but the need to keep a low profile was a must. There was no telling what would happen if Razfahd discovered they had made it out of Al Zahbi. To the best of his knowledge, they were all staying in the quarters provided by Salaheem’s Sentinels, both she and Xaerus sick with some disease contracted from the Hydra. The rumor of an illness was enough to keep visitors and spies at bay.

“E’s ‘n ‘th back,” the bartender said, snatching a glance to each side to make sure he wasn’t overheard. “But ye might find ye’d rather take yer chances with th’ krakens.”

The Red Mage stood, her heart beginning to race. The one-eyed bartender looked around one more time, making sure everyone was too caught up in being drunk and raucous before thumbing a meaty hand to one side, putting it back down again before anyone could see. Jinxie made no gesture of understanding, simply sat and took a sip of the ale in front of her. The taste was awful, but she choked it down, waiting several minutes as business resumed.

When she judged enough time had passed, she stood up, setting another bronze coin down on the counter, and made her way in the direction the bartender had indicated. Behind a drunken Tarutaru, snoring against the bar, and several sharp-eyed Galka playing cards against one another, there was a door to a back room. Smoke drifted out from underneath it, and a burly Hume guarded the way, as tattooed and formidable as the bartender had been. Jinxie straightened her back and crossed over to where he stood.

“I’m here to see the captain,” she said in a low voice, letting her hood cover her eyes.

“E’s busy,” the man drawled, the salt of the sea in his voice. “C’m back later.”

“It’s very important that I see him now,” she pressed.

The Hume drew his lip up into a sneer, unfolding his arms as he balled his hands into fists. “Can’t you ‘ear, wench?” he growled at her, “I said th’ captain ain’t – “

Jinxie didn’t give him the chance to finish his sentence. He staggered once, eyelids drooping as his mouth fell agape, and then toppled over to the side, snoring audibly. Her sleep spell had gone undetected, and the few that even witnessed the event just saw another drunk collapse, paying it no heed. Steadily, Jinxie placed her hand on the doorknob. She waited for only a moment, then opened it just a crack and stepped inside.

The back room was a fair deal nicer than the rest of the bar. The floors were in a much better state of repair, and a series of lamps strung across the walls provided the only decent lighting Jinxie had seen. Barrels of ale and foodstuffs lined the walls, and the smell of fish and brine mingled with the smoke in the air. The source of the cloud was at the very center, a soft burning glow.

There was only one man inside, his feet propped up on a barrel of grog. The entire room was filled with the bitter smoke of a thick cigar he had clapped between his yellowing teeth, which he withdrew to blow another thick ring into the air. His eyes flitted towards Jinxie as she entered, but he made no move from the expansive chair in which he sat. He was thick and broad-shouldered, wearing a massive brown coat laced with white, his hair concealed under a heavy trireme hat. A number of earrings dangled from his pointed ears, and his fingers were surmounted with a variety of jeweled rings, all set on golden bands. The Elvaan tapped ash from the end of his cigar, his silver eyes not moving even when Jinxie slid her hood back, revealing her features to the pirate.

“Ye look a fair shade more expensive than anythin’ I normally settle fer,” he drawled, twirling the cigar around in his fingers. “I thought I made it clear I was on a budget.”

Jinxie repressed her outrage at his implication. “I’m here on business, captain.”

He let out a hoarse laugh, clapping the cigar between his teeth again as he rubbed at the three-day scruff on his cheeks. “A ‘carse ye are, darlin,” he laughed, “that’s why I sent fer ye in th’ first place.”

The Red Mage clenched her teeth together. This wasn’t going to get her anywhere. As the Corsair laughed, she drew up one gloved hand, and, focusing her energy, unleashed it directly at him.

He let out an oath as a crack of lightning surged forward, turning his cigar into cinders in his grasp. His heavy black boots clomped on the ground as he rose in a flash, a curved sword rising in his grasp as he stood. Jinxie stood her ground, not moving when the captain drew a gun from his coat, leveling it at her steadily.

“Ye won’t take me!” he declared, his face livid, “ye might’ve gotten th’ others, but ye won’t capture – “

“Captain!” she called out, “calm down, I’m not here with the Empire.”

He looked at her untrustingly. “I don’t believe ye,” he said plainly, “these ain’t times where I c’n take any strange woman at her word.”

Jinxie held up her hands, letting him watch her carefully. Slowly, she opened up the folds of her cloak and withdrew a small burlap sack. Untying the string holding it shut, she tossed it down on the ground. The Elvaan did not move his gun from Jinxie’s head, but his eyes fell on the bag nonetheless.

Golden coins spilled out of it as it hit the ground. The entire reward Jinxie had received for defeating the Hydra lay before him, and he visibly wet his lips as he looked down at it.

“What d’ ye want with me?” he asked, his tone still wary.

“I need to cross the Gugru Blue,” she said, “and no Imperial ship will take me. No Corsair who still has a ship is brave enough to attempt escaping Imperial waters. They’ve all turned me down, until I heard about you. The most daring, they say, pirate ever to sail the Silver Seas. They say the Empire cringes at the very sound of your name. If anyone is willing to take on the task of slipping by the Imperial Navy, I know it’s you. All you have to do is sail me across the ocean, then sail me back, and all that is yours.”

He eyed it greedily. A fast ship could cross the distance between the western part of the Empire and Mindartia in a few days, a week at the most, and he was reputed to own the fastest ship ever to set sail. A few days work would earn him a fortune.

A smile crossed his lips, and slowly he set down his gun. “Ye’ve got a flattering tongue on ye, lass,” he told her. “Ye speak the truth though; there’s not a man what’s ever sailed in open water that don’t fear the name of the Dread Corsair Arvin.”

Jinxie knew she had her fish hooked; she just had to reel him in. “It’s just I and three others,” she told him. “We expect nothing save safe transport. Perform that for us and you’ll be rewarded past this advance you see now.”

Arvin’s eyes lit up in the flickering lamplight. He looked back and forth from the gold on the floor to Jinxie, his thoughts plain on his face. The lure of such wealth and the chance to expand his own infamy was quickly superseding his fear of Imperial ships. He smacked his lips again, sheathing the sword he had drawn, and glanced about the room.

“Akisu!” he bellowed. “Where are you?!”

To Jinxie’s surprise, the lid flew off one of the barrels in the corner, and a sandy-haired youth, fourteen at the most, popped his head out from inside. “Yes, sir, Cap’n Arvin, sir!” he shouted, arm flying up in a salute.

“Boy, what in Leviathan’s scales are ye doin? Get outta there!”

Akisu scrambled out of the barrel, his lanky limbs fumbling over each other as he pulled himself free. “Sorry, sir!” he explained, “the cigar smoke was bothering me, sir, and that barrel was full of these delicious pickles, and – “

“Shove it, lad!” Arvin barked, and Akisu snapped to attention. The boy was dressed in a stout pair of breeches and thick boots, but wore only a vest over a bare chest. He looked half Arvin’s size as the Corsair bore down on him. “Go gather up th’ crew, we got ourselves a job.”

“Right away, sir!” Akisu exclaimed happily, and then skidded on his heels when he saw Jinxie. “Oh! Are you here for – “

“Lad!” Arvin overpowered his sentence with his voice, casting a disarming grin at Jinxie, who only raised her eyebrow. “Go get th’ men, we need t’ make plans about how we’re gonna be sailin’ outta here under th’ Imperial’s noses right away. Get to it!”

“Yes, sir!” the youth obeyed, running out the door on his skinny legs.

Arvin snatched the gold off of the floor as Akisu disappeared into the tavern full of rowdy sailors twice his size. “Our cabin boy be a might overly loyal,” he explained, “but ye can’t buy enthusiasm like that.”

“I don’t need your enthusiasm,” she replied bluntly, “just your skill.”

Arvin smiled. “My dear, ye’ll find th’ rumors t’ be drastically understated. Their ain’t a better captain on the high seas than I, and their ain’t a better ship t’ be found than the Proteus.”

She nodded in response. “Then I will meet you back here tomorrow,” she informed him, “and we’ll set sail”

“In a hurry, are ye?” he said, scratching his chin. Then he shrugged, raising the folds of his massive coat. “Fer more a where this came from,” he bounced the sack of gold in his grasp, “the Dread Corsair Arvin’ll get ye safe away from th’ Dark Rider himself.”

“Tomorrow then, captain,” Jinxie said, giving a slight perfunctory bow. She turned and left. Arvin’s greed, she knew, would keep him from leaving with her money when there was more still more gold to be had. She didn’t mention, of course, that what she had presented to him was everything she had left.

Hurriedly, she slipped out of the Drowned Rat and made her way back to the inn. There was only a day to prepare, and then they would attempt to break past the first obstacle barring them from reaching the dauntingly elusive figure, the Sunserpent Kkel Solaar.