Tanden opened his eyes to unnatural brightness and a familiar smell.

He blinked, puzzled, and rubbed his eyes as if that would clear the bright light. Then he blinked again and his eyes focused on the woman sitting in the middle of the cave.

"Fuck."

The Wanderlust's figurehead smiled. "Is that any way to greet an old friend?"

Beside him, Jale was curled on her side, fast asleep. Or—

"Are they drugging us?" Tanden asked. "This smell. It's that root. Taos root."

The woman tilted her perfectly sculpted head quizzically. She was dressed differently, Tanden realized. Instead of the breezy blue dress from the beach, she was wrapped in a dark green shawl. It looked like seaweed, maybe, carefully woven together.

"I don't know anything that you don't know."

"Because you aren't real." Tanden sighed and rubbed a hand over his face again. "Fuck."

"I don't know that we quite settled that debate, Captain Tanden."

"I don't know that we can settle it." Tanden touched Jale's shoulder and gave her a gentle shake, to no avail. She didn't look quite right, anyway, so she probably wasn't real. Too bright, too clean. Tanden looked at the woman again. "I didn't handle this drug particularly well last time."

"You seem to be handling it fine."

Tanden gestured at the lit walls of the cave. There was no light source. "Really?"

She smiled. "Point taken." Her gaze dropped as she slipped one arm out from under the shawl and began to trace wavy lines into the dusty floor. Her skin was charred and flaking.

Even though she wasn't real, Tanden's stomach twisted at the realization that she wasn't drawing in the dust. She was drawing with her finger, as if it was a stick of charcoal. Leaving behind black, wavy lines. The ocean.

He swallowed. "I would have gone down with you."

"Noble, but there's no need for that," she said softly.

"Is—" He wasn't sure why he was asking, but he felt compelled to do so. "Is Soren with you?"

"Soren?" She looked up. "He deserves better."

Tanden nodded. "I know. I would... I won't mind dying here."

"Captain Tanden, the first man to visit twelve countries."

"It's a good legacy."

"Not even Jale can claim that many."

He looked down at Jale. "She's probably the first woman to visit ten, though."

"It would be a shame to not show her Valdon and Faldon."

"It is."

"You still could."

Tanden raised his head. "What?"

"Faldon is North of here," she said, her voice just as soft as before. "There might be ways, through the mountains."

She wasn't drawing waves; she was drawing mountains. It wasn't an ocean; it was a map.

Tanden pushed himself to his feet and joined her in the middle of the cave. It was a map, but it wasn't a clear one. He couldn't tell if this was a deity giving him information, or his own mind speculating. Either way...

He traced one of the mountain ridges with one finger. "Through the mountains."

The woman touched his wrist. Her fingers felt dry and warm. "Jale can navigate mountains."

"This all..." he faltered. "This idea is useless unless we can escape. But I can't speak to these people."

Her fingers slid down his hand and she took it, interlocking their fingers. Her hand was so dry it felt like it might crumble. "You always want to talk."

"I'm better at talking than I am at fighting."

"When Toliver hurt Soren you didn't want to talk."

Tanden clenched his hand without thinking. Her finely carved palm caved in. With a yelp, he let go. "I'm sor—"

"Shh." She held up her ruined hand and touched his cheek. "Fight. Go to the mountains."

"North. Just... into the wilderness." Tanden lay his hand over hers, holding it in place against his skin. If she was real, there would be a charcoal handprint left on his cheek.

The woman smiled. "See the world. Get revenge."

He knew—he was fairly sure, at least—that she was just his own thoughts. Still, the straightforward way she said it was so convincing. Tanden pulled her hand away from his cheek and held it in his palm. Her charred skin flaked off in his hand. "I can fight."

"You're very good at it," she said. "You're very good at most things."

"Strange time to appeal to my pride. I suppose—"

There was noise behind him, and Tanden spun around. The door was opening. Four men stormed in, colourful cloths wrapped over their mouths and noses. Everything seemed suddenly blurry. Tanden was aware of the drug again. As he was pulled to his feet, he looked back at the Wanderlust's figurehead.

Her smile was beautiful and sad, all at once. "I'll follow you. Just try to focus."

***

He did try, but even the cool evening air outside couldn't completely clear the fuzziness from his mind. As he and Jale were led through narrow, winding streets, Tanden had moments of odd clarity where he felt almost as if he were watching himself walk. He saw how placidly he was following the man holding his bound wrists. He saw Jale following, looked just as dazed as he felt. A few times, he saw the figurehead, in her dark green shawl, watching him walk past.

It was evening, he recognized that much from the darkening sky. But the same day they had arrived, or a different day? He wasn't sure how long they had been trapped in the cave, or how long they had slept with the drug filling their air.

Then he found himself standing in front of the glorious pyramid once again. Tanden noticed a rowdy crowd, but hardly cared, because the pyramid was beautiful. If only he could talk to these people, and learn about it. Maybe there were more of them. Surely there were more of them, hidden in the jungle, tucked away in the mountains.

The old woman was standing higher on the staircase, flanked by her large guards. She was speaking, her arms raised to the sky. Her words flowed with the rhythm of a prayer. Tanden felt a hand press behind his shoulder blades and he obediently dropped to his knees.

"Tanden!"

He heard Jale shriek. He blinked, puzzled, but when he tried to turn to look for her a hand grabbed his hair and forced him to face forward.

"Captain Tanden." She was there, the figurehead, standing in front of him. Her dry, cool hand cupped his chin. Wisps of smoke drifted from her shoulders. "It's time to focus."

Above him on the staircase, the woman's speech came to an abrupt end. From the corner of his eye, Tanden noticed someone step up beside him. He realized suddenly that he was leaning over a stone basin. It was intricately carved, every line leading to a hole in the centre. Almost like drainage. Almost like the basin in Balagaya, where he had—

Tanden threw himself to the side and was on his feet before the weapon that had been aimed at his neck slammed into the stone basin. There were two men within reach. One who had been lightly holding him in place, one who had tried to behead him.

The first man was brandishing an odd weapon. It looked a bit like a flattened wooden club, with shards of black stone imbedded in it's edge. It was a smaller version of the thing that had nearly cut off Tanden's head. The man, wielding it like a sword, stepped forward to swing at Tanden.

Tanden dodged the attack, while reaching for the handle of the weapon. He grabbed it and sharply elbowed the man in the chest at the same time, catching him by surprise and succeeding in taking the weapon. Tanden was almost surprised to suddenly find himself armed. His thoughts still felt blurry, but his body knew what to do.

When the unarmed man tried to grab him again, he probably thought Tanden's trick had been a fluke. Tanden instantly proved him wrong, slashing the odd sword. The shards of black stone sliced through the man's arm so smoothly they felt like finely worked metal. The man drew back for a moment, shocked, but tried again.

Tanden's second slash caught the man across the chest. As he started to stumble, Tanden kicked him, sending him crashing into the second man with the larger, ceremonial weapon. Both men tumbled down the stairs, right past where Jale was being held with a knife at her neck.

He realized then that other armed men were climbing the stairs, but he had a moment of respite. Tanden lay the odd sword on the basin that had nearly collected his head, and dragged his bound wrists against the chipped stones. The rope cut away easily, and he picked up the sword again much more confidently.

He could fight with two-handed swords, of course, but he was better with single-handed swords. Short swords. Cutlasses.

Whatever he was holding wasn't balanced like a cutlass, but it was close enough. He faced the men climbing towards him and spoke in Alvarian, hoping at least some words would be similar.

"I'm very good at this."

They didn't stop climbing, but the figurehead was sitting on the basin, one leg elegantly crossed over the other, and she tisked.

"You can't talk your way out of this one."

"Worth a try," he replied in Teltish, because that was the language she used. He liked seeing her there, even if he knew that seeing her meant that the drugged smoke was still affecting him.

Then another voice yelled in Teltish. "Tanden! Behind—"

He spun just in time to avoid being hit by one of the older woman's guards. Tanden sliced his weapon across the man's shins, where it cleanly cut through layers of cloth to the skin beneath. The man fell forward, and Tanden neatly sidestepped to avoid being crushed. The second guard was already approaching, rage darkening his face.

When the second guard swung, Tanden raised his weapon to meet it. They clashed in the air, but the guard's higher ground and superior strength smashed right through Tanden's defence. Tanden felt the blow through his entire arm and he fell onto the steps right in front of the guard.

The guard's foot drew back to kick him in the head, but Tanden moved first, grabbing the man's other foot and tugging while he was off balance. The guard fell on top of him, and for a moment they scrabbled at each other on the staircase.

Then the man grunted and his movements slowed enough for Tanden to shove him away and scramble to his feet. He grabbed his fallen weapon. His whole arm ached, and while he could fight with his left hand, some sense of strategy urged him to keep that secret.

He turned to face the second guard, only to find Jale standing there, a wild look in her eyes and a bloody knife in her hand. The second guard lay a few steps below them, dead.

"Where did that come from?"

Jale climbed a few more steps to stand beside him. "The other guard fell right in front of me. What's wrong with my head?" She asked, turning to face the crowd at the bottom of the stairs.

"We were drugged."

"Hmm. I didn't know you could fight like that."

"I'm not that good," Tanden replied easily, which both was and wasn't true. Below them, more men had started to climb the stairs. Tanden scanned each one, trying to gauge the likelihood of a happy outcome.

That last blow had made it quickly apparent that the weapons weren't meant to be dueled with. They were more like sharp clubs than swords. It was more like a mace, which Tanden had never been formally taught to use. He cast a quick glance at Jale.

"I didn't know you could fight?" He tried, but failed, to not sound hopeful.

Jale scoffed. "I can hunt. Stabbing one man in the back isn't the same as fighting. But you can handle this, right?"

"Uh..." Not against half a dozen men who actually knew how to use the weapons. Not now that the element of surprise had come and gone. "Maybe."

Jale backstepped, climbing another step. Tanden shifted to stand in front of her.

"You can't fight your way out of this."

She was still there, elegantly sitting on the sacrificial basin. Head tilted like she was looking at something interesting.

Tanden didn't look at her as he replied. "You're full of contradictions."

Jale's voice came from behind him. "Who are you—"

"You're full of contradictions," the figurehead countered. "Isn't that exactly what you're so good at? Being unpredictable?"

He almost snapped at her, but when he turned to look at her she vanished, and another woman caught his eye. The old woman.

The plan came to him in a flash. He bolted up the steps, climbing them two or three at a time. He heard Jale shout at him, her footsteps as she ran after him.

He felt the energy of the crowd change as he neared the old woman. He could hear the men, who had been climbing cautiously, break into runs.

He grabbed the woman with one hand and spun, so that he was facing the crowd below and the woman was in front of him. One arm wrapped around her torso was enough to keep her still, and he held up the weapon with his other hand.

The climbing men froze. Jale froze. The woman spoke, and while Tanden didn't understand a word of it, he recognized the placating tone of voice.

Jale rubbed her free hand over her face. "What now?"

"Now, we get past everyone, get to the water, and take a boat," Tanden said. The look Jale gave him was easy to interpret—she wasn't amused by the cavalier way he had listed their objectives. But Tanden felt good. Maybe it was the smoke making him reckless. Maybe it was simply because he finally felt like he had the upper hand. Maybe it was the dark clouds he could see rolling across the lake, promising rain.

He was actually quite gentle with the older woman as he began to push her down the stairs ahead of him. He held her tightly, both to ensure she wouldn't fall and get hurt, but also to visibly maintain control. Jale followed so closely behind him, it almost felt like she was ready to climb onto his back.

Tanden spoke loudly in Alvarian as they descended, hoping that at least a few words would be similar enough to their language that they would understand him. "All we need is a boat, and then we want to leave. We need to go back to the ocean." He kept repeating himself as they neared the armed men, and as the first few men moved aside to let them pass.

The crowd below was so quiet, which made a new bout of activity hard to ignore. Someone was moving through the crowd, coming closer. Tanden stopped walking and held the woman close, preparing for what was surely a new threat.

It was Kuiavadox.

"What is he doing?" Jale hissed, peeking around Tanden.

He didn't both answering, because they both knew he didn't have an answer. Tanden tense his arm across the woman's chest, holding her still, and tightened his grip on the handle of his weapon.

But Kuiavadox wasn't armed. He climbed up the steps, and people—both bystanders and the men who had been preparing to attack—moved out of the way. Tanden understood the behaviour, because he had spent his whole life being treated the same way. Kuiavadox was someone important.

He stopped a handful of steps away, hands raised to show that he wasn't holding anything. He spoke slowly, that same placating tone the woman had been using.

Tanden didn't understand, but he watched the crowd and tried to understand the reactions he was seeing. In his arms, he felt the woman inhale sharply. Concerned, maybe? If she didn't like what he was saying, did that mean it was something that would actually help them?

Then, much to Tanden's surprise, Kuiavadox dropped to his knees on the steps. He said about five words, clearly and slowly. Slowly, meeting Tanden's gaze the whole time, he repeated the words while holding his arms forward and crossing his wrists.

It was the same way he had indicated his intention to tie Tanden's wrists together on the journey upriver.

"He wants us to take him," Tanden said. "He's trying to trade himself for her."

"I don't know."

"I do. Take her." Tanden moved, letting go of the woman and forcing Jale to step forward and take his place. She grabbed the older woman's arm and held up her bloody knife.

Kuiavadox watched Tanden approach, his lips pressed together. He had made his offer, and he was waiting to see what Tanden would do with it. Behind him the crowd was restless, people spoke over each other but nobody tried to move closer.

Thunder rumbled in the distance as Tanden stopped a few steps above Kuiavadox. "Boat," he said simply in Teltish, quickly acting out how they held the paddles.

Kuiavadox nodded.

Tanden gestured at him with his free hand. "You're coming. Tanden, Jale and Kuiavadox. On the boat."

Again Kuiavadox nodded. He might not have understood any of the words, but he knew their names. Hopefully he would understand what Tanden meant by grouping them together. The young man surprised Tanden again then, by reaching into a pocket and pulling out a length of rope. He held it up, and only then broke their eye contact by looking past Tanden, towards the older woman.

The whole situation felt oddly unreal, and the persistent fuzziness of the drug didn't help. Tanden plucked the rope from Kuiavadox's hand. Awkwardly, because he didn't want to let go of his weapon, he tied Kuiavadox's wrists together. When he was satisfied that the knot would hold, Tanden grabbed it to tug Kuiavadox to his feet.

"All right, Jale. Let her go," Tanden said.

Jale hesitated before lowering her knife and stepping away from the woman. She quickly climbed down the steps to attach herself to Tanden's side again. She was muttering under her breath, and it sounded a little bit like a song. She was reciting a Singing.

Tanden mentally ran through prayers in his head as he began to walk down the stairs, with Kuiavadox held a step in front, and Jale keeping closer a step behind. The crowd, grumbling and unhappy, split to let them pass. It was only a minor relief. Tanden watched everyone warily, expecting something to happen. But whenever someone stepped closer, Kuiavadox spoke, and the person moved back again.

Even after they cleared the crowd, the people followed at a surprisingly respectful distance. Tanden picked up the pace as they moved through the city towards the water. He liked the look of the nearing clouds and the rumbling thunder. A storm, while making travel harder, would hopefully discourage followers.

They reached the edge of the lake just as the first raindrops began to splatter the ground around them. There were plenty of boats, mostly pulled out onto the cobblestones and turned upside down for storage, but there were a few in the water. Tanden started to move towards one when Kuiavadox, for the first time, tugged against his hand.

"What?" Tanden snapped.

Kuiavadox spoke, then nodded his head at the other end of the pier. Tanden followed his gaze to see a boat tied off, floating low in the water. It looked like it was being prepared for a journey, because the middle of already full of packs. Tanden abruptly changed course, leading Kuiavadox to the prepared boat.

Jale hurried ahead and gingerly hopped into the front of the boat. She used her knife to slice through the ropes holding it to the pier. Tanden let go of Kuiavadox so the young man could climb into the boat with practiced ease. Then he turned, eyeing the crowd that had followed them once last time before stepping into the boat himself.

He placed the weapon beneath his feet and picked up his paddle. In the front of the boat, Jale was doing the same. She plunged her paddle into the water, quickly but not very effectively. Tanden knew being in the stern of the boat meant it was his job to steer, and so he tried his best to turn them around.

Thunder boomed above them. Tanden used his paddle to push off of the pier, and managed to turn the boat. They paddled out into the lake, into the coming darkness.

And then the storm began in earnest.