There were many times in my long life that I remember fondly. That last night around the officer’s canteen table before we all departed Bagliona with nearly a dozen ship captains was one I’ll always remember. The entire table was packed as all the other captains wanted to throw me a bit of a prize party, something that is traditional to celebrate after a captain’s first prize.

“Teh the most dangerous of us all! Dread Captain Rebecca Marshall! May her name be known!” Sir. Patrick rose a toast, and we joined him before hauling one back. A half dozen ayes followed along with a raucous cheer.

In addition to my ship lifting in the morning there was the Fortunate, Argos, Cloudsark and Intrepid. My Aunty Gracie and Uncle Roark were coming with me to pick up the stranded travelers. Intrepid was Captain O’Malley’s vessel and he was going to lift with us, and break off once we started back down the coast. Cloudsark was a small skiff like mine, different design though and I knew her captain well. Captain Rathmore commanded another of the small packet ships that abounded in the region, and he was making a short hop across the edge of the Hattrack expanse and back.

I had invited the two naval officers that I had returned property to and they joined in on the toast, Lieutenant Samika and his brother Vern were both there, the elder of the pair wearing his recovered property. I raised my glass to them. “To House Trebond, and their Justice delivered!” I cried and they raised the toast with me as I smiled. There were other nobles that had put in claims on my prizes, but I left the mess to the adjudicators to sort out. They would get the right of it and keep all the items with bindings on them in trust, and I’d get my indicated ransom.

I’d had to stop off at the inquisitorial offices and sit down with the investigation team to figure out just what I had stumbled into. They were sending one of their people with me to check out the island and the home of my vanquished foe. I had already told them that I wouldn’t be returning to Bagliona, although I wanted my flight plan to say I would be with a sealed final destination. I wasn’t taking any chances, and had no illusions that staying too long in this city was bad for my health.

The earlier I could through off any pursuit, the better. I would take only those that wanted to accept messenger guild contracts, as crew, and drop them off at another guildhall, or if they worked out, keep them with me.

The investigators would be returning aboard Argos and I was planning on heading north towards Swapper’s Needle. It was somewhere off coast about two days flight I reckoned. After bouncing my plans off of Aunt Gracie she had agreed with me on my assessment and said that she would be stopping by the needle in a few weeks too, if I was still there.

Sir. Patrick slapped me on the back and I grinned when he pulled out a small package from his uniform jacket. “I wanted you to have this. I found it useful in my early days as navigator aboard Perilous, and I think you will make good use of it.” I untied the ribbon and looked inside and gasped.

It was a shiny brass compass with a long chain meant to be secured onto a flight harness, but instead of being any sort of magnetic device, the surface of the dial swam with flowing script that pulsed in a single direction, the entire dial shifting as I turned it. “This is a Leyfinder!” I stammered in shock. My hands shook as my eyes dampened when I recognized the family crest on device and he squeezed my shoulder. “This was grandpa’s Leyfinder?” I said, my voice breaking as I read the inscription etched on the inside of the brass cover.

“I knew your Grandfather very well Becca. We served together you know, and I’d have given anything to have him with us here today to celebrate your first prize. He would have been right proud of you! I still remember the day gave this to me when I made captain, after Captain Arnos got killed in the battle of Langar Bay.” He sounded sad and I saw a distant look in his eye.

“It only seems right I return it to his favorite granddaughter.” Sir Patrick smiled at me and I struggled with my composure as he stood up and raised his own toast. “To the winds! May they carry us safely on their backs!” Another round of ayes followed.

We celebrated long into the night, and the next morning I was saddled with a nasty hangover, and nearly fried my apprentice when he startled me awake.

“Someone is looking for you!” He poked me again with the scabbard of his cutlass and I startled and leapt out of bed, my sheets falling away, as I landed in a combat stance, power flaring then rippling down my arms as I stumbled, then gripped my throbbing head as my casting fizzled in backlash as I came to my senses. Neil quickly turned around, his face going a heavy shade of red as he dashed from the room, a pillow slamming the door shut in his wake along with my undignified shrieks.

Pausing to get properly dressed, I glanced at the chronometer on the wall and cursed my apprentice. It was a bit early, we still had an hour or so until breakfast. There was a knock on my door as I blearily blinked my eyes and downed a glass of water before spitting it into my sink to clear my mouth of the rancid taste of bile. I had the sinking suspicion that I hadn’t kept my drink down last night.

“By the winds! Who wants to depart for hades this early in the morning!?” I bellowed and heard muffled argument between Neil and someone else before I finished fastening my blouse over my undergarments and threw on my flying jacket and laced my trousers.

“The Adjudicator office want a word with you Captain!” I heard someone say from the room outside and I poked my head out to see two adjudicators and a guard sergeant glaring at my apprentice who didn’t look any happier than them.

“This better be damm good!” I grabbed my boots and kicked the door open to sit down on a nearby chair and put them on.

“There was a complaint filed against you a couple of hours ago when your flight plan was entered into the docket. You have to settle it before we can let you lift, I’m afraid.” The guard sergeant looked warily at me and I gave a simmering stare at the adjudicators. “Well what’s it about? I have all my accounts settled, my bills are paid and I’m not carrying cargo. My passenger was already aboard and cleared last night!”

“We have a complaint from the Bagliona Hunter’s Guild, and need your statement.” The guard sergeant gave me a cold glare and I rolled my eyes.

“Form the stone then! I’ll give my statement. If it’s about yesterday, they attacked first and I will so testify!”

One of the adjudicators pulled a round ball of glass, and said the ritual words. “Bound by truth and nothing but the whole truth! So mote it be!” He sounded off one of the typical appeals to the great seal and the stone glowed white for a second, indicating it was consecrated free of all magic then a deep blue for a moment before fading. Nothing could affect this truth stone.

Generally, you could use almost any object as a truth teller, but the adjudicators preferred to use glass balls or other such objects.

I gave my testimony, and described how one of their battle mages had struck first, trying to break my shield before I attacked. The guard’s eyes went cold when I explained how they were illegally trying to claim a bounty within city limits and how the guard station by the gate had been conspicuously empty.

“We apologized for the inconvenience Captain Marshall! I will personally return inquiry into this matter!” One of the adjudicators was now giving an outraged stare at the guard sergeant who looked no happier at the testimony then them.

“How did they get away with sending you to me? Didn’t you honored gentlemen take statements before you rousted me out of bed?!” I snarled at them and one of the adjudicators looked abashed.

“We were given our statement by one of the bystanders. We did not know they had tried to take your bounty, and because it was a magical attack into your defenses there was no outward sign that they had struck the first blow.” The wincing adjudicator wilted under my murderous glare.

“Two dozen bounty hunters block a registered ship captain from returning to her ship and you don’t think they weren’t trying to collect a bounty? Why didn’t you question one of the attackers?” I shrieked

This was not a good time to piss me off. My hangover was in full force and I really didn’t want to deal with this right now. “You will desist Captain Marshall! We came here on official city business, and had to clear it with you before you lifted, we just got the report a couple of hours ago.” I looked at him confused before I sighed and pulled my flickering aura back into myself, trying to ease the power back before I suffered another fizzle.

“Why wasn’t I questioned yesterday?” I yawned and sat back down and propped my feet out as I leaned back in the chair and motioned for them to continue.

“The complaint wasn’t submitted until now.” I laughed. This was far from the typical glacial pace such complaints were dealt with. “Don’t give me that! What rating was the complaint? It must have had a high priory one if you got past the front desk with this nonsense.” I shook my head as the door banged open.

Neil was carrying a few flasks of steaming kava and he quickly set them down in front of me on a nearby table. “The winds bless you Neil!” I stammered and quickly started sipping at one of the flasks before I winced and reached into the spellfolds of my jacket and pulled out a packet of wakesprig and dumped it into the flask, putting the stopper back on the metal container and shaking it to mix the herb into the coffee. It was the best hangover cure I knew of.

“Um it was a gold priory since we knew you would lift in a few hours.” I shook my head in annoyance and decided I’d had enough of their company.

“I thank you honored gentlemen for your time, now let me nurse this hangover in peace, and good day to you.” I waved them to the door and the adjudicator bowed to me as the guard sergeant turned and gave me a salute before they clambered out the door.

Neil was giving me an odd look and I yawned again and downed more of my enhanced kava. “Just what was all of that about?” He asked and I laughed and explained the reason for the visit.

The teen shook his head and groaned. “You know they will blacklist me here after that.” He muttered darkly and I inquired my eyebrow.

“Does it really matter? It’s not like they can hire out an airship to track us down, I saw the sort of coin that the Rusalka had been pulling from their leader’s purse. None of it was gold.” I chuckled and already knew that no airship, or any other flyer for that matter were likely to be stupid enough to try to follow our small flotilla when we lifted and headed out. The Argos was a warship in all but name. Not even the most desperate were stupid enough to tangle with Uncle Roark.

In addition to that, I had my new crystal in my banks. In addition to the three crystals I had acquired from Cassidy, I had gotten two more from Argos and one from my Aunt Gracie. It wasn’t even a tenth of Sweetwind’s main bank filled, but it was a damm good start. I could probably get several blasts out of my lance before I’d have to worry.

I could certainly outrun anything now long enough to get to ground, or disappear into a cloudbank, once the crystals were all full.

Finishing my kava, I tucked the other stoppered flask into my belt and stood up and began to pack. After we were done, I sent Neil off to the ship with our gear and I went to lounge around and wait for breakfast.

Meeting Uncle Roark and Aunt Gracie around the breakfast table, we exchanged charts on our slates and finalized our preparations. I waved to them as they left and Neil returned.

“Natasha and Cid are waiting.” He reminded me and we left from breakfast and walked across the field. Four cradles waited for us on the field, and I saw Costas give me a wave as his team was wheeling out the Cloudsark and prepping it for launch. Tony was waiting for me on the field, in full battle gear, a massive smirk on his square jaw and I clasped hands with him. “Ready for an adventure cousin?” I asked and he guffawed and slapped me on the back as the ladder fell down from the bow cockpit and we climbed aboard after Neil.

“You know, it’s is never dull around you Becca!” He said and threw his flight bag over his shoulder as he followed me up the ladder and we climbed aboard Sweetwind.

I strapped myself into the pilot’s station, Natasha beside me on the co-pilot/navigator’s console. Tony tossed his bag into the spine corridor and then took a seat at the mechanician’s station. As we both poured power into ship, it began to stir and awaken.

I looked out over the field and saw the flashing heliograph from the tower and gave a feral whoop of glee, my body shivering with the prospect of being aloft once again. In unison, all three ships lifted from their cradles, Argos pulling into the lead and Fortunate taking one side of our formation and my own ship the other.

The Intrepid roared under us and banked side to side in greeting. A few moments later I gave Captain O’Malley a return gesture from my own ship as Tony gave a chuckle and exchanged a rude gesture with someone in Intrepid’s mainmast. I pulled out my spyglass and saw that is was Kessa O’Mally, Shamus’s daughter, hanging from the mainmast and blowing kisses at him then spanking her rump.

“What did you do to get her ire this time Tony?” I laughed and gave my cousin a lusty wink which caused his face to go scarlet. Natasha suppressed a giggle with great difficulty at the antics.

“Not my fault, and Kessa knows if I actually took her up on any of her offers, her da would castrate me!” He winced and I saw the captain of the Intrepid shaking his fist at his daughter from the aft helm.

Almost in unison, once we were with the brisk wind blowing at seven thousand towards the south, all four ships let their sails go and we surged forward, the larger ships letting only enough sail out to set the pace. I adjusted the sails and grinned at the smooth transition when I set the sheets. The overhaul had really helped, and Cid had worked wonders on the temperamental mechanisms that controlled Sweetwind’s sails.

An hour later, we waved goodbye to Intrepid as we turned to the sea and set out over the shining expanse. The sun had just risen, burning its brilliant morning glare, until we adjusted our goggles and rode the morning turbulence as the winds shifted with the sun.

Far below, we would see the occasional sail and wake of a vessel plowing the waves. Once our course was matched, I stretched and looked over at Neil. Tapping on the heliograph, I signaled to open formation a bit so we would have more room, then I unstrapped myself and lashed into one of the support poles next to the pilot’s seat as I flipped the ship onto autohelm.

“Neil, strap in. Natasha take the controls.” Neil looked at me in shock as he strapped in next to Natasha who flipped off autohelm and began slowly rocking the ship up as she got a feel for Sweetwind and tracked the shifting breeze we were following. I adjusted the zepherscope and smiled at the iridescent curls of the winds in the glass lens.

“Lifting thermals, good tracking starboard bow, zero two one.” I called off and she nodded and turned slowly into them along with the other two ships. The entire fleet slowing rising, sheets tracking with the thermals.

I could see her carefully adjusting the collective, the control that manually adjusted the flow of power to and from the storage banks to the ballast. Her hands were steady on the yoke, her eyes never leaving her tracking of the winds out the canopy glass as she made minute adjustments with the pedals, trimming the ship as it turned.

I explained the maneuver to Neil as he watched Natasha work. The pilot’s yoke also had leads on it that the pilot could push or take power directly from or into the ballast or storage banks. That was the only yoke that could do it, and had been installed by my mother. Normally I’d use the charge leads though on the side of the console as they could transfer more energy at the same time.

Pointing to each instrument on the console and above it, I explained the altitude indicator, the airspeed indicator, and waveform gauge that showed how strong we rode with the ballast. That was normally always the same, though it could flux near a ley line, becoming stronger or weaker, depending on the area. You would have to adjust power to your ballast accordingly.

I explained the direction system, pointing to the compass that was affixed at the navigator’s section, and at the artificial horizon instrument on the console.

“Forward is dead ahead, each point is off the bow, then beam when at the side, then quarter when you direct aft. Going clockwise, until you end back at the bow from in a 360-degree turn.” I mimed and he nodded. Then I explained how the same thing worked in three dimensions off of the current level, pointing to the artificial horizon.

We quickly passed the time as I had him familiarized with the controls. One day he would have to hold a watch on his own, and the sooner the better. I didn’t want him on the helm yet, but had him pay close attention to what Natasha was doing ash she fought the winds and rode Sweetwind with a grace that made me smile. I could see she was enjoying the challenge too, she was truly a natural born pilot.

My fingers itched for the controls, and it felt odd not being at the helm. I had normally been able to feel Sweetwind grip the winds even when her auto helm was on as the ship tracked herself along, but this was different. Natasha had a different feel to the way she piloted than I did or the ship did, as she couldn’t make the minute adjustments that the ship could on its auto helm, or I did without even thinking, adding or lowering power to the ballast smoothly. I had made the collective quite sensitive when Cid had reinstalled that old console, but I could feel it was still a bit out of adjustment.

Every pull or push of power I could feel through my body as the windsong of the ship gripped me. It was an odd sensation to be sure. I could even feel Tony’s influence as he moderated the power draw, using his station as a bit of a dampener, smoothing out the flow. Sweetwind was practically purring along and he really didn’t have much to do.

Before long, I spied the tiny chain of islands far below, they spread out in long lines, curving like a spiral and in the clear skies I could see the entire chain.

I knew the horsetail was mostly uninhabited, except by the odd trade station or isolated village. There were a set of larger islands to the northeast that had more of a presence by Mageos. All of the islands were technically in their territorial waters but no one really paid much attention to them.

Argos was in the lead, and had my charts on which island we wanted. A bright series of flashes blared out from her fore topmast and I gave a wolfish grin. I sent back my acknowledgement when the Argos signaled the decent. I flashed back my confirmation along with Fortunate and we fell in unison, going in a lazy spiral as we lost altitude. As we approached the island I frowned. Something was very wrong.

Far below us I saw three ships anchored, flying the flag of the Empire of Nadir. They were three bank oar galleys. My blood ran cold when I recognized the crest of the Slavers Guild. This couldn’t have been a coincidence. It looked as if the ships had just recently entered and lay anchor.

Peering through my spyglass I could see the signs of recent combat and a pair of circling griffins. Drawing out my communication crystal, I quickly connected to Uncle Roark.

“As holder of the contracts to the stranded travelers I formally submit for your mercantile services. Let it be entered into the log that I have registered a plea for assistance in carrying out the contracts and protecting my interests.” I quickly both spoke to Allister Roark and intoned to my crew. Tony nodded and reached for the logbook.

I felt his confirmation through the link and Argos broke off, it’s massive bow lances and fire casters glowing. I could see the deck swarming with activity as the mercenaries ran for action stations. The Argos and the galleys below started a very heated conversation via heliograph.

Slavery was forbidden in Mageos territory, but I doubted that little technicality ever stopped slavers. Tony had my log book out; its golden chain extended and was recording my official plea that I had filed.

This was so I wouldn’t violate my writ of neutrality. I could safely now try and resist the slavers and their attempts to take the travelers.

It seemed they weren’t having an easy time of it, while I did see a group of tied and bound travelers on the beach, there were nowhere near the numbers I knew existed on the island. The griffins were combing the swamp and jungle but they weren’t having much luck. They quickly reformed up and streaked to defend their ships as Argos took up a bombardment position overhead.

“I think someone at the one of the guilds was bought.” I snarled. These slavers would never have risked such a large expedition unless they had gotten a tip off.