It took two days of more or less patient waiting until the distinctive wing-like sails of Captain Shian Fu's ship, the Blue Crane, appeared at the horizon. The lookout shouted the news down to Lucky, who was on watch. "And there's another ship right behind her! It's... it's the Sea Horse!"

Nicolas came to join him; he had just shown the new cabin boy, the elder's thirteen-year-old grandson Dao, how to properly knot a tie. The boy was speaking Albian as well as his grandmother and was eager to learn anything ship-related. With his lanky build and bright, curious eyes, he reminded Nicolas of himself at that age. Taking care of the cadets had always been one of his favorite duties back in the navy, and since neither Lucky nor John had been eager to teach the kid, Nicolas had volunteered.

"The Sea Horse?" Nicolas asked.

"It's Captain Jaka's ship," Dao answered proudly before Lucky could say anything. "I know all the ships and their captains who have come here to trade. Captain Jaka is a Qiristani. Grandmother was worried at first because the Qiristani are slave traders, but Captain Jaka is a member of the Atoll Council, and of course the pirate code forbids slavery."

"Thank you, Dao. I guess I can rely on you for all the good pirate stories," Nicolas laughed and patted Dao on the shoulder. "Now go and find the captain and Mistress Evangielle and tell them about the ships. They are probably in the war room."

Dao nodded and dashed off.

Lucky sighed. "You're really patient with him. But I guess we could have done worse. At least he's not afraid of hard work." He took a spyglass and looked at the horizon where the two ships were slowly growing bigger as they came closer. "I'm not sure if the captain will like the news about the Sea Horse. He and Captain Jaka aren't the best of friends although we don't have any open conflict with him. Captain Shian Fu and her crew are one of our closest friends, but him..."

Nicolas sensed an opening here. "Do you know why they don't like each other?"

"Well, Captain Jaka does have a rather inglorious past. I didn't want to correct Dao, but before Jaka became a pirate and a council member, he was indeed a slave trader. And our captain and the mistress hate slave traders more than anything, except the Albians. I couldn't count the slave ships we captured and sank after freeing the slaves. The captain only sinks slave ships and Albian war ships."

This was indeed interesting news. Nicolas himself didn't have much to do with the Qiristani in his time in the Navy, but considering the pirates treasuring personal freedom above everything else, it made sense they didn't much care for a society with such extreme hierarchies. Maybe he could find out more about it later.

It didn't take long for Dao to come back, Alastair and Mistress Evangielle in tow. Alastair took the spyglass from Lucky and confirmed for himself the identity of the second ship.

"Lavertine didn't say anything about taking Jaka into confidence as well," he said. "Shian Fu must have decided for herself that we can trust him. I don't know if it's such a good idea. He voted to keep peace in the council."

Mistress Evangielle took the spyglass from him and searched the horizon as well. "But we need someone to go to Qiristan, remember? This might be just the solution. Think about it!"

Nicolas had no idea what they were talking about, but he was sure he would soon learn more when the ships had arrived. Lucky and John had told him time and time again that the captain and the mistress never kept any secrets about their future plans. As soon as strategy had been built, the crew would be thoroughly informed.

Alastiar didn't reply to his sister's words. He suddenly looked at Nicolas as if he had only now realized he had been standing there. "The Blue Crane and the Sea Horse will be here in a few hours. We'll have a meeting in the village this evening. It's common for every captain to bring two officers. You're coming with me and Evangielle, Nico. You don't say anything, mind you. I want you to listen and tell me later what you think."

"Aye, Sir," Nicolas replied, barely able to hide his surprise. He had just gotten used to the thought of being a common sailor and not a cabin boy anymore, but being promoted to officer - whatever that meant on a pirate ship - was something he hadn't expected. "Thank you for your trust."

Lucky grinned and slapped him on the back. "We didn't have any second officer since our current captain took over from Admiral Heron. Congratulations!"

Alastair's visible eye narrowed. "You're on trial, remember."

Nicolas felt a cold shudder run down his back at this choice of words. "Yes, Sir."

+++

It was long dark before the ships had arrived at the hidden bay and their crew disembarked. Nicolas was already at shore with Alastair and Mistress Evangielle. Both had donned their finest attire so far, making Nicolas stare at them more than once. Alastair was in his full "ghost captain" outfit that almost glowed in the reddish light of the torches the villagers had ignited to light the way from the beach to the village. Evangielle was wearing a long red dress, but kept her weapons at her belt like always. The little pearls the village children had woven into her hair were sparking in the firelight like little stars. Nicolas himself had been allowed to take a nice dark blue coat with some embroideries from one of the loots chests, back from the Cygnia. He had almost smiled at the irony.

The long-boat from the Blue Crane arrived a first. Nicolas watched the Shawan sailors pulling the long-boat ashore - rather small, slim men and women with long black braids down their backs, all wearing wide trousers and blouses made from brightly colored and embroidered silks. They carried a small woman to the beach so she wouldn't get her satin slippers wet. As soon as she was set down, Mistress Evangielle had run up to her and embraced her with a girlish giggle, crinkling the fine silken robe. When Evangielle finally let go of her, Captain Shian Fu came to greet Alastair with a formal bow, which he returned. The grace and gravity of her demeanor, despite her tiny frame, reminded Nicolas somehow of Empress Valory. He quickly showed that thought away.

"Thank you for coming. Captain Lavertine and his informant are already at the village. But we didn't know you would bring Captain Jaka." Alastair wasn't wasting time on formalities.
"It was a fateful coincidence," Captain Shian Fu replied. Her Albian was heavily accented, but impeccable in her choice of words. "Lavertine, that sly fox, got his cryptic message to me just when I talked to Jaka about the Council meeting. We were both curious and got the second message together. Jaka admitted that he didn't want to openly defy Heron, because he thinks that unity is crucial for us, but he doesn't what to pass on a real chance to get some advantage over Albia. If there are four of us, Heron can't just ignore our plan."

"We'll see," Alastair replied.

Captain Shian Fu nodded. She beckoned two of her crewmates, both women, to follow her and made her way up to the village.

The other long-boat followed quickly. The Qiristani, Nicolas noted, had kept their tradition of wearing turbans and half moon-shaped sabers even at sea. Their garments were similarly cut to those of the Shawans, but in much more hued tones and made from cotton and linen. The tall, bearded, goodlooking man disembarking first seemed to be Captain Jaka. Nicolas noted Alastair's posture going even more rigid as he took a step forward. "Good evening, Captain."

Captain Jaka bowed, but in a completely different way than Shian Fu before. Alastair didn't mirror it, like he had done before. "Captain Shian Fu has probably told you already why I'm here. I'm very curious about Captain Lavertine's plan." His Albian was as perfect as Shian Fu's, with only a hint of an accent. Nicolas had never given it much thought, but although the pirates hated the Empire so much, Albian was their common language.

"Then please, after you." Alastair gestured toward the way to the village. When Captain Jaka and two of his men had vanished into the darkness, Alastair beckoned for Nicolas to follow him.

"Well, Truthhunter, what do you think?" Alastair's tone held no mocking, and Nicolas realized how important the name and the blessing given by the Elder really had been. As cool and calculating as he seemed, Alastair was obviously very superstitious in that certain area.

"That Captain Jaka is very good at hiding emotions," Nicolas replied and swallowed the "just like you" that had been on the tip of his tongue. "Captain Shian Fu is a very trusted friend, I gather? Your sister seems to adore her."

"At the very beginning of our career, Evangielle and I had been forced by Admiral Heron to serve on different ships," Alastair told him while they were following the lighted path through the jungle. "While I could stay with Admiral Heron's crew, Evangielle had been ordered to join that of Captain Shian Fu. Her crew mostly consists of women. We didn't seen each other for almost a year."

"That must have been hard." It was so rare that Alastair willingly shared any private information that Nicolas didn't want to destroy the moment with any prying.

"I almost didn't recognize my little sister. She had turned from a frightened, sixteen-year-old girl into the strong woman she is now, with unmatched navigational skills and some deadly tricks in Shawan unarmed combat." There was a hint of a smile in Alastair's heavily painted face.

Sixteen? Nicolas knew by now that Alastair and his sister were only a year apart and by all means as close as twins. They surely had joined the pirates at a very early age. Would Nicolas ever learn the whole story?

"Keep your eyes open. And I want you to watch Dan Harrison. Did you see him when you eavesdropped on us? You said you didn't know his name. Maybe he's using a false one."

"No, Sir, I didn't see him. But I'll alert." The moment was gone.

Alastair nodded grimly.After a few more steps, they had reached the village.

+++

The guests' meeting hut was far too small for a big gathering like this, so everyone said down in a circle on comfortable cushions around a fire. The villagers brought some fruit and water and then retreated; even the Elder was nowhere in sight. This was a meeting only for the rogue Atoll Council members.

Captain Lavertine as the initiator greeted and thanked everyone for coming. Then, he gestured toward the man sitting next to him to continue. Nicolas eyed him closely. No, he hadn't seen this Dan Harrison before, but nevertheless, there was something familiar about him. Maybe he had met a relative? Nicolas couldn't say. He listened closely as Harrison recounted the already familiar tale about the information on the secret navigational chart and the necessity of a tideheart. no one reacted to this - it was obvious that the captains knew there was a tideheart aboard the Siren's Call.

"Captain Blake said that he already has the first part of this chart," Harrison finished. "If you would please continue and enlighten us?" The dark eyes glinted in some secret mockery. Nicolas decided he didn't trust this fellow one bit.

Alastair took a good look around before he spoke. "Yes, I have the first part, a silver disk. My first officer was able to decipher its markings. There are six other pieces needed, and if no one removed them, they are still in the places the markings say. The respective parts are in Albia, Caera, Jeraine, Shawa, Qiristan and on an Akalu island far south of here. Our suggestion is to split up to get five of the parts and meet on that island because it will be the closest location to the unknown continent. The Sea Goddess might favor us after all because we have people originated from all of those places. You each know your former country the best."

"How detailed is the location?" Captain Shian Fu asked. "And do we know how these parts look like?"

"Yes. Evangielle will give each of you a detailed description based on the markings. Since the parts are precious jewels, each will be found among the treasures of the country's current or former leader. It won't be easy getting them, but I trust you to be creative." Now it was Alastair's turn to mock. "Captain Lavertine, you wrote in your letter that one of the Jerainian dukes might be planning to take over as Grand Duke as soon as he's married to another duke's daughter. The piece you seek is a ruby set in the Grand Duke's hidden crown, and I'm sure it will be on display at the engagement reception. You're surely not afraid to sneak into a festivity like that?"

Nicolas saw Lavertine grin. "Not at all! It will be my pleasure! And if I can make it look like the Albians stole it, it might even fuel the will to unite the duchies even further."

"Captain Shian Fu, the Great Mother of Shawa has a huge black pearl that is displayed on certain festive days," Mistress Evangielle now continued. "I think you can get to it in a month in Hanju."

Shian Fu gasped. "The holy city! I don't believe in all that nonsense about the Great Mother being an immortal and a goddess herself, but her treasures are well guarded and might be cursed."

"Our esteemed Elder will surely give you a charm to prevent that," Evangielle quickly cut in. She seemed to be familiar with Shian Fu's special kind of superstition and came prepared.
Shian Fu just nodded.

"And my piece?" Captain Jaka asked.

"It's a white crystal, somewhere hidden in the ruins of Oira, the former capital of Qiristan", Mistress Evangielle replied. "I know the city was taken by a terrible storm long after the pirate captains hid their treasures, and no one might have been able to bring it to safety."

There was a hint of a smile in Captain Jaka's stern face. "A few years ago, a local sheikh started to excavate the ruins of Oira. I know just the right people to ask. If that crystal has been found there, I can buy it. And if it's already in one of the other sheiks' treasury in Izid, I'll get it as well. But there are five parts save for the one you already have and the one on that island. We only have four ships."

"My crew and I will both do Caera and Albia," Alastair declared. "They are close by, and my ship is by far the fastest. And as I said, everyone will go to their former countries."

Nicolas suddenly realized something. Judging by their appearance, Alastair and Evangielle were Caerans, and Alastair could speak with a Caeran accent, if he wanted, but they both usually used a crisp-upper class Albian speech. Nicolas had suspected that they had come from a noble Caeran family rich enough to grant their children an Albian education. But this didn't fit with the young age they had joined the pirates - two sheltered young nobles from an esteemed house wouldn't have been able to get away so easily. Alastair's words now confirmed that he and his sister had both Caeran and Albian origins. Nicolas' guess now ran toward the very common and very sad constellation of an Albian nobleman and a Caeran housemaid. Growing up in a noble household, but not as nobles himself, they would have picked up a lot of education and etiquette, perhaps along the lord's legitimate children.

It would also explain Alastair's so very personal hatred of the Albian Empire. Nicolas remembered the old saying that a dog with wolf's blood in his veins is the best in hunting wolves.

"But that means," Dan Harrison interjected, "that you, Captain Blake, will have three pieces in the end. I don't know that much about pirates yet, but aren't you for equality and sharing?"

Alastair rose. The lights of the bonfire's flames reflected in his visible eye. "Mr. Harrison, you're welcome to join us and make sure I'll keep my end of the bargain. I'm sure you have stretched Captain Lavertine's generous hospitality far enough."

Harrison stood up as well. His gaze was pure ice as he bowed in a noble fashion. "Thank you for your magnanimous offer. I'll gladly join you and assist you in every way, Captain Blake."

The other captains rose as well. "Then our plan is settled. Our navigators will get together with Mademoiselle Evangielle for all the details. They can also decide on a schedule so we can make sure that every ship and crew can make it on time to that meeting point. Once we find the way to the unknown continent and get whatever power is there, we'll return to cher Admiral Heron and persuade him and the others to join us." Captain Lavertine unsheathed his saber and held it high in the air. "Ladies and gentlemen of fortune, our time has come! To glory, gold and certain death!"

All the others present joined in, raising their weapons. Nicolas heard himself shout the unfamiliar war cry as he held his father's saber up in the night sky. The stars were bright and beautiful, like myriads of diamonds.

And Nicolas asked himself, maybe for the hundredth time, what in the Seas Goddess' name he was doing here.