They soon arrived at the meeting place of the fleet, where five other ships carrying the flag of Mahlon were waiting. The other ships were close to the Gryphon in size, and only one other had cannons on board. For two days the captains and crew passed between the ships, using small boats to move between the ships. All members of the crew thus had the opportunity to see friends or get to know other sailors from the fleet.

Li remained on the Gryphon, but was happy to join in conversation with other crew members who visited them. It was rather fascinating to learn that each ship had its own ways of doing things, though all were still governed by the regulations set down in Mahlon. The time spent entertaining the other crews often involved tales of battles against pirates and necromancers, and detailed accounts of prizes taken. Li thought some of the stories were certainly elaborated, if not completely falsified, but he listened to them regardless. This was especially true when his own fellow Gryphon crew members told guests about their exploits, including things Li had witnessed himself and knew had happened differently from what was being told.

"Sailors need to always be trying to appear better than those who are equal to them," Ardlac explained when Li made the observation to him in private. "Everyone knows the tales are exaggerated. It's a part of being on a privateer."

Eventually, once the captains had determined their course of action from the instructions they had been provided, the fleet sailed for the island of Cibroc with the plan to remove Dyrai's control from the area. It took two days of fast sailing to reach it, and the fleet immediately began its planned attack.

The Gryphon and Drake, the only two ships with cannons, set to work bombarding the two Dyrain warships in the harbor, while the crews of the other ships prepared to land on the island's beaches. Those on the Gryphon like Li and Ardlac, who were not part of the gun crews, spent their time assisting in supplying those crews with the powder and balls needed to continue raining destruction on the enemy vessels.

Hayel and the Asirim on the other Mahlonian ships quickly minimized the threat of necromancers, leaving all the work to the gun crews and landing parties. The Dyrain warships attempted to repel the Mahlonian assault, but they had been caught unaware and struggled to mount any true defense. Before long both ships were in flames and sinking in the shallow bay.

It was then that Li looked out to sea and noticed another ship on the horizon. He grabbed Ardlac's arm and pointed. "Whose ship is that?" he asked, though he didn't think Ardlac could see the flag any more clearly than he could.

Ardlac's eyes were wide for a moment, then he shook his head and turned away from the side of the ship. "Hayel!" he cried, immediately catching the Asir's attention.

Hayel joined them at the side of the ship and gave Ardlac a thoughtful look. "Dyrai. Two necromancers. They are too far for me to judge their powers yet."

At last, one of the lookouts spotted the ship. "Ship to the west!" someone cried from atop the nearest mast, breaking through the excitement on deck caused by the successful destruction of the ships in the harbor.

Captain Mond used a spyglass to assess the ship, then commanded the gun crews to prepare the guns facing out to sea. Hayel went to speak with him.

The moment the ship was close enough, Mond ordered the cannons fired. Much to the concern of all of them, the ship did not slow after multiple bombardments, despite being hit by many cannonballs and with holes through its sails. Hayel subdued the necromancers, and the cannons reduced the number of crew on the Dyrain ship, but still it seemed to come on without any hesitation, directly toward Gryphon's middle. The Gryphon was going to be rammed if the ship was not stopped.

Elri jumped to the rail of the ship and cast his chain of Altmyr into the sea. The wind roared around them and the sea churned. The deck of the Gryphon pitched in the waves, rendering the cannons nearly useless. Yet Elri's manipulation of the sea and air made up for the loss of the weapons. A great wave rose over the bow of the enemy vessel, flooding over it and slowing its progress, sweeping members of the crew overboard. Then the wind whipped around the ship, catching the sails and spinning it into another great wave. This time, due to the work of the wind, the wave pounded the ship from the side and sent it over, forcing the masts into the water and dragging the sails downward. Water flooded into the lower decks of the ship, and it sank in minutes.

A cheer went up from the crew of the Gryphon, and the Drake. Elri merely nodded to them all and pulled the chain from the sea, winding it carefully about his waist again even as it dripped with seawater.

"That was impressive," Ardlac commented as Elri walked away from the rail.

Li was in agreement as he looked out at the broken debris and dead sailors floating in the much quieter sea. He had seen Elri work his magic before, but never in so violent and destructive a way. It was both frightening and fascinating and he was thankful Elri was on the Gryphon and not one of the enemy vessels they fought.

Before long it was reported that the landing parties had rid the settlement of the invaders from Dyrai and returned all aspects of the island of Cibroc to the control of its people. There was much celebration that evening, but Li chose to enjoy most of it on the Gryphon. Ardlac was also uninterested in venturing to the island, unlike Aricka and Garstin, so they passed the time drinking and gaming in the common area, then returned to their cabin for their own, much more private form of celebration.

Later that night, Li was awoken by a strange sound, but quickly realized the sound was the call of whales. He was surprised to hear them so close to shore, but was soothed by their calls regardless. Ardlac was laying close beside him, his arm draped over Li. It had become quite common for them to wake up in such a way over the last several days, one of them holding the other. Li had tried to think little of it. Certainly it was only due to them becoming more comfortable with each other, and had nothing to do with the warmth that took hold in him whenever he was close to Ardlac. The care they showed each other when they were intimate was only the respect of friends, nothing more. They weren't lovers, only partners with a satisfactory arrangement. They were friends who sated their natural desires together and ensured each other's safety outside of their cabin because that was what partners and friends did. It did not matter to him that what he felt reminded him painfully of what he had felt around Ash. He would not admit such a thing to Ardlac. Certainly, if Ardlac felt anything other than what friends and partners felt for each other, it would have brought his magic back to him. Therefore, the feeling Li felt was not at all mutual, and to voice it would be to invite heartbreak. He was content to enjoy Ardlac's company and convince himself that he had not fallen in love with a man who did not love him.

Ardlac stirred and sighed. "I love the whales," he murmured.

Li smiled. "They aren't too close to shore?"

Ardlac began to lightly caress Li's forearm. "They're a smaller breed. Shoal whales. They live closer to land, most often."

"You know your whales quite well," Li observed.

"Their calls fascinate me so I studied them," Ardlac replied.

They were quiet for a while, and Li would have thought Ardlac had fallen back to sleep if not for the continued caress. After a moment, Ardlac shifted again so he could look down at Li. Li wasn't certain what he saw in Ardlac's expression, but it was close enough to his expression of desire that Li wondered if he wanted to have sex to the sound of the whales.

Then Ardlac cupped his face with one hand and leaned down to kiss him.

It was a soft, tender, intimate kiss that stunned Li. They never kissed, not even when they were in the midst of their most intimate or passionate sexual experience. Li had simply assumed Ardlac did not enjoy kissing, or that perhaps it wasn't done in Nariume the way it was in Mahlon. But Ardlac kissed him then, a kiss full of tenderness, and Li responded as soon as he finally realized what was happening. He kissed Ardlac in return, slipping his arms around his shoulders. Ardlac seemed to relax against him, apparently relieved by Li's response.

When the tender kiss eventually ended, Ardlac sighed and settled beside him again. Neither of them spoke, and Li again forced his mind away from the possibility of what such a profoundly intimate kiss might mean. He turned on his side away from Ardlac, but tugged gently on his arm. Ardlac pressed against him from behind and settled his arm over Li. He brushed Li's hair away from the back of his neck, nuzzled his face against Li's neck, sighed, and promptly began to softly snore.

Li, mind spinning and desperately trying to cast aside his own feelings, stared at the wall and listened to the call of the whales, unsure if he would ever sleep again.