The great red ship with its massive black sails fully emerged from the mist as the Gryphon turned away from its path. The Gryphon groaned and shook under the power of its loosed sails and the harsh angle of the rudder against the waves.

Li gripped the ropes he held with all his strength, afraid to let go and be trampled by the rest of the crew scrambling to sail the ship, prepare the guns, or find a safe place to shelter from the coming attack. Li heard some praying to the god of the sea, to protect their souls.

"Quelin, keep us safe."

"Quelin, guard our souls."

"Quelin, speed us from this place."

"Protect us, Quelin, please."

Others prayed silently, gripping medallions around their necks.

As they passed the ship, balls of red fire flew toward the Gryphon. Thankfully, it seemed they were outside the range of the necromancers' magic and the balls fell into the sea, where they vanished with gasps of black smoke.

"She's coming at us!" one of the lookouts warned.

Li could not tear his eyes from the ship of Dyrai. It was terrifying and beautiful, haunting and elegant. On its bow it sported a being of horns and claws, though the ship remained far enough from them that Li could not see all the details. For which he was thankful. What he could make out of it was terrifying enough.

It appeared that figures in back and red robes stood at the bow of the ship, a blood-red light emanating from them. The light became brighter and larger, then formed into more spheres of flame.

Balls of magic raced toward them. One caught a rope attached to the main mast, but someone in the rigging quickly cut it away and cast it into the sea.

"Ready the stern guns!" Captain Mond commanded.

The red ship was falling behind now, the Gryphon having completed its change in course. At Mond's command, all four cannons on the stern fired, sending balls of hard steel soaring toward the enemy. One splashed down in front of the ship's bow, another bounced off the figurehead, taking a twisted horn with it. A third broke through the rail and onto the deck, knocking down a robed figure, and the fourth hit the foremast, snapping pieces of the rigging as it went.

Mond quickly ordered a second round, which had similar results, causing only slight damage. It seemed to Li that the distance between the Gryphon and the ship of Dyrai was growing larger, and he hoped they continued to outpace the enemy. The Gryphon being the smaller of the two ships would help them, Li hoped.

"They must not have a storm mage," someone commented from near Li.

Li wasn't certain what that meant, but it was becoming clear to all of them that the larger ship couldn't catch them and they were out of range of the necromancers' magic.

They continued on at full sail for some time, until the ship had vanished over the horizon. Only then did Mond return them to the usual watch rotation and reduce the sail somewhat.

"That could have been a disaster," Aricka commented, watching the horizon with Li.

Li was not going to argue with her assessment. "What's a storm mage?" he asked instead.

"Someone with power over the weather," she explained. "They can be necromancers or sorcerers. Usually, they call up winds to move ships more quickly, or to raise the seas to swamp other ships with waves. But they forget they get caught in those same waves."

Li nodded. He debated his next question, but finally chose to ask it. "When we discovered the trap, Ardlac said he was useless. What did he mean?"

Aricka sighed. "Everyone has been quiet about it, so I'm not surprised you haven't heard about him. We all respect him too much to gossip. But he's an Asir. The Asirim and the necromancers have fought for lifetimes. Asirim can detect necromancy and he could have known that was a trap the moment we saw the Seawalker. We never would have come so close to it if he had. But men who are Asirim can lose their magic sometimes. I don't know all that much about it, all I know is when his previous partner died all his Asir magic left him. Makes it extra hard, I think. The Asirim can usually talk to the dead. I'm sure there's more to that than I know, but I imagine losing the man you love, then the magic that might let you talk to him sometimes could break someone less strong than him."

Li looked over to where Ardlac was also watching the horizon behind them, possibly looking for the enemy he could no longer sense. As difficult as it was to imagine the cold man in love with anyone, he supposed there was often someone out there for everyone. And while he didn't understand what having and losing magic might be like, he could sympathize with loss and pain.

"He isn't usually so closed off," Aricka added. "He's always been quite friendly and good in the time I've known him. The loss of Seith and his magic has changed him. I hope none of it is permanent."

"Perhaps I should be kinder to him," Li said to himself.

"Has he been mean to you?" she questioned.

Li shook his head. "I wouldn't say so. It's clear he doesn't want me around, though."

"It's understandable," she replied. "He's in mourning."

So am I, thought Li, but he wasn't ready to tell his story to her - or anyone other than Captain Mond. The complication of his murder trial would make it more difficult to tell, and he wasn't one for lying. He'd need to remember the details of his lie to maintain it, after all.

"I don't want Mond to send him off," Aricka went on. "I don't think he will, but Ard was expected to the ship's Asir. Mond will need to replace him if his powers don't return."

Li was surprised by that. In his interactions with the captain he hadn't thought he was so cruel. "Mond would send him off the ship for something he can't control?"

"I said I don't think he will," Aricka replied. "By rights, he could. I think he'll keep him on. But we need to hire on another Asir in that place. And soon. Ships from Dyrai don't often abandon their prizes when they are outrun. That ship has marked us, and it won't be the last we see of it. Eventually, we will be fighting those necromancers. We'd best have an Asir then if we expect to survive."

Li was surprised by the fear her words caused him. After all, if he were to die fighting the ships from Dyrai he would simply join Ash in the Spirit Realm. Perhaps death wouldn't be so terrible, so long as it was swift.

Aricka turned to leave him, then stopped and swore colorfully. Li looked the direction she was gazing, along with many others on the crew, and found himself in agreement with her stream of curses.

Directly in their path, on the distant horizon, was a bank of black, rolling clouds. The clouds stretched for such a long distance that Li could scarcely determine where the edges were that would allow them to pass safely around the storm.

"What more?" Aricka demanded. "First necromancers, now storms?" She glanced back at Li. "Best get some rest before that's on us. Won't be much time to rest while we man the pumps."

Perhaps this would be what sent them all back to the lovers they had lost.