Erhan sat on the helm of the ship under the glaring eye of the midday sun with his eyes closed as he meditated, breathing in the slightly fishy smell of the muddy green river. The bunk in the sailor's cabin wasn't an ideal place to rest. the bedbugs were particularly annoying. it wouldn't bother him much as he had been through much worse. But the gentle swaying of the vessel on the waves created a nice rhythm, trying to lull him to sleep. It too was the proof of how out of practice he was.

So he forced himself to focus on sensing the flow of the spirit along with the river. A mysterious feeling, almost like floating in the wind. He did some subtle manipulation of air currents to make help the ship along in its journey. A good practice with the least amount of sacrifice. That was what he needed now. A firmer grip on the sacrifice. Or, he might die from blood loss if he tried to spritcast one of the greater mantras. He wouldn't mind passing away, but until he accomplished his goal, he wouldn't make that choice.

Behind him, Arban helped other sailors put up the sail as he huffed and puffed and sweated a few bucketfuls. He had told Han he'd pay in full for the whole journey, but the damn old man disagreed immediately. He had given some great speech about accepting money from children and shoved this generous offer of helping out on the ship to Arban. Arban had disagreed of course, but Han had his ways of persuading people.

It had been a week since the journey started and until now it had been relatively peaceful.

Han came to stand beside him, gulping down from a waterskin. “We’re reaching the Autumn groves,” he said.

Erhan slowly opened his eyes and looked up at him.

Han took a deep breath as he stared straight ahead. “I hope this time we have a safe road through here.”

Yes, peaceful, until now.

Thick cluster of trees lay on both the riverbeds. Their roots stuck out in the water and foliage on their twisted barks cast shadows on the flowing river underneath. Birds twittered occasionally rising over the rustle of the river. Deeper into the swampy jungles, under dark shadows a few fast boats. Branches and leaves covered their shapes, camouflaging them. Concealed within the deep vegetation, pairs of eyes kept a vigilant watch over the running waters as if the eyes of predators searching for a sign of their prey.

They spotted the approach of the ship and perked up. From their open lips calls of various birds and animals and reached waiting ears inside small huts made of leaves. A different set of animal noises answer them. Their messages were sinister.

'Ensnare the prey!'

Ropes with hooks flew out of the vegetation and landed on the deck of the ship. the hooks dragged against the dock and hooked onto anything they could find. The whole ship shook as it's body strained, creaking and cracking its timbers against the thick ropes. The sailors shouted out curses and profanities.

“Steady the boat! Prepare the bows and arrows,” Han roared in his deep gravelly voice,

Some sailors ran inside the cabins and fetched many longbows. They passed them around amongst others. Erhan also took one. Like his sword skills, archery was one of the many survival skills he picked up during his travels. Although right now how skilled he or the other sailors were mattered little. the bows were only effective as a threat here. A warning for the pirates.If the pirates' numbers weren't too much that is.

Erhan nocked an arrow as he watched small boats cut through the water toward them. They left a white trail of froth that melted away in the next moment. The men sitting on those boats looked at the men on the ship with cold, unfeeling eyes. Fifty river pirates, Erhan sighed. Enough to gobble up nineteen to twenty-odd sailors on the ship. If their intentions were more than a simple road toll, then... he glanced up at the ships sail. Nice wind they had today.

Bandits around Clover were strong. They were full of deserter soldiers or runaway criminals. These too, they wore old armours, carried cheap but well-maintained weapons. Their skins were a pale yellow due to little exposure to sun and a lot of water. Their eyes set on their prey, ready to pounce.

This group of pirates and the group of bandits inside the stone forest of Silebar were two of the biggest problems in the queendom. Although the queen wasn't tolerant towards crime, the terrain of these two places was quite dangerous, not at all convenient for big armies to mow down petty criminal hiding in their depths. They were a haven for such people and they fell on the only two paths leading from the south to the capital.

Ron’s caravan should take the other path through the Silebar forest. That is why he had been so eager to receive the protection of the Moras crest. It could ease the attitude of those robbers. However, no noble crest protected Han’s boat, and they were on their own.

A man with a scraggly beard and a magnificent scimitar like moustache stood up from a boat in the middle a circle of boats. He opened a mouth full of rotten teeth, and shouted at them, “lower your weapons and surrender. Or fight us and die!”

Erhan gave a rueful smile. Not a road toll after all.

“That’s bad,” Han muttered. “They are probably slave dealers.”

Erhan nodded and locked the arrow at the moustached man. Slavery in inside these lands eternally plagued by war wasn't a pleasant thing.

“There’s no slavery in the queendom. They are dealing with other kingdoms. They are traitors!” Arban who was listening in said with an outraged expression. He drew out a short sword from his waist, a good quality one his uncle gave him. He looked eager to jump into the boats and fight those pirates. Before anyone could stop him, he shouted back at the pirates, “We will never surrender to traitorous cowards who only know how to hide like rats.”

Silence reigned as both the sailors and the pirates glared at him. Han spoke through his clenched teeth, “If we survive today, I’ll throw you off my boat right in front of crocodiles.”

Arban frowned at him. “Why? What did I do?” His eyes suddenly widened as he shouted, “You can’t be thinking of surrendering to the traitors!”

Erhan's mouth hung open in amazement. He had truly underestimated the kid. He was worse than Erhan thought.

Han had wanted to find a way to negotiate and end this peacefully. But it seemed the moustached pirate leader had taken Arban’s words quite literally. He sighed with an exaggerated show of regret. “Since you don’t want to listen to my advice…” he shouted to his fellow robbers, “Boys, start the show.”

And with those words, the true horror of their assault unveiled themselves to the boat. From the trees close to fifty arrows arched up towards the sky as pirates holding sabres and swords swung down the ropes clinging to the boat.

Erhan muttered a mantra let loose the arrow. It whistled and almost seemed to disappear, travelling through the air faster than arrows should. the moustached man didn’t even see it coming. It struck him between his eyebrows and sent him flying back over the canoe in a shower of blood. However, hell broke loose before he even landed on the water.

A sharp wind blew down the river raising surging waves. It sent askew the arrows from the trees arching down. The boats turned and the ship swayed and tumbled in the wave, nearly turning over. Its sail swelled to the limit and the wooden railings broke off. Ropes snapped and sent the pirates holding them splashing into the river with the moustached man. They weren’t alone. Most people on board the ship and the boats also went overboard.

Han and a few experienced sailors along with Erhan, seven people managed to stay onboard holding whatever they found as the ship tried to slowly steady itself. Erhan felt familiar lightheadedness. But no time to puke. The wind he called did the trick, bar a few minor inconveniences. But he had to hurry before pirates gain their balance first.

He leapt down the boat and landed on one of the turned boats floating near the ship. He steadied the swaying vessel and looked around. He had to find the sailors as fast as he could.

Everyone who fell onto the river, be it, sailors or pirates, tried to swim back to firm ground. But it wasn’t easy. The river had a medium flow here and armours and other heavy garments dragged them down.

Arban was just five or six yards away from him, thrashing around, splashing and choking on the water as he waved his sword around. He refused to let it go even though his woollen shirt and soaked cloak pulled him down. He was the closest to Erhan. He tried to swim toward the druid with one hand.

Erhan touched the tip of his staff on the water from his flipped Boat and close his eyes. He had spotted the men he needed to save, now it was time to work.

A sudden change happened in the flow of the water. It wrapped around the sailors and Arban, slowly drawing them closer to the Boat Erhan was on.

'Splash' 'splash' 'splash' reached Erhan’s ears. What was that? He spread his senses out. tens of senses of hunger joined the many senses of panic, anger and fear all over the river. Crocodiles. He had to hurry even if it meant risking his neck. The set of mantra he was muttering changed. Their rhythm quickened and became more intense. The air hummed around Erhan as ripples formed around the river. those ripples converged toward the boat. They only dragged in the sailors and Arban with them. The sailors closed in, but Erhan found standing up difficult. A weak feeling enveloped his body as he swallowed nausea down. If only he could lie down right there. But he didn’t take a break, he didn't lift his staff out of the water. Not yet. Just a little bit more.

Yellings and warnings about the crocodiles came from the trees and the ship from the helpers of both sides. Ropes dropped down for the drowning to grab on and sailors reached Erhan. Most of them looked confused. How did they reach this place together? Why would the water bring them here? Only some, including Arban who knew Erhan’s identity, guessed something.

Erhan faltered and almost dropped down from his shaky carrier. He opened his dull and listless eyes and lifted his staff from the water. He pressed down on the boat and tried to steady himself, but that provoked another series of erratic swaying. Erhan bit his lips, somehow steadying himself.

Why was it so dark and cold out here? Is it night already? He shook his head and his vision cleared somewhat.

Although still blurry, he could at least make out the floating shapes of the sailors gathered around him. But he couldn’t see any further than that. Even the sounds were blocked away by a strange ringing right inside his ear canals. Are the crocodiles close? All the senses in his mind had turned into a jumbled, noisy mess. He had to turn it down, but it was too difficult to concentrate enough to do that. His throat felt parched, he needed some water. no, he needed to warn them!

“Grab the ropes,” he managed in the rough, grating voice.

The sailors came to their senses hearing his voice and the voice they swam towards the ship only a short distance away and grabbed the ropes hanging from them. Before they began their climb, screams of agony and horror reached their ears. The beasts had found their lunch. They rolled their huge bodies full of thorny scales, stirring up mud and blood, muddying the further as their jaws and fangs wrenched their victims apart.

“Hurry! hurry, hurry, hurry!” Han only yelled that one word, but his urgency reached the floating sailors. They rushed to climb the ropes.

Arban was one of the last to grab hold of a rope due to his embellishments weighing him down. Halfway up he looked back.

Erhan lay horizontally over the canoe, completely spent. His right fist still gripped onto his staff as tightly as it could. A druid only parts with his staff when he wants. Not even death could break this law. But the vicious monsters of the river were already closing in on him.

Death was coming.

Erhan was sinking into the sweet embrace of unconsciousness when an annoyingly familiar voice reached out to him out of the darkness. Who was disturbing him? Was it that irritating kid again? He opened his eyes. Oh yeah, he was still in the water. The crocodiles might catch up to him. But… he was too tired to get up. He didn’t want to get up. He didn’t, but… he couldn’t stop here. He had had to reach his goal. He had to! For his Leah’s sake, for his Ellie’s sake, for the sake of everyone who fell prey to the Fade…. For his own sake! he had to survive.

A sailor on the ship swung the rope towards him. Its end fell near his hand and he reached out to grab it.

A sudden impact on the side of his canoe spun it around and snatched the rope away before his fist could tighten around it. It was a swing of one of the crocodile’s tails. The beast already had his mouth full with the crunchy head of a pirate though, so it didn’t bother with Erhan, leaving him to another crocodile it was courting. A little gift to strengthen the relationship.

Before Erhan could respond, a cavernous red mouth decorated with rows of dagger-like fangs jumped out of the river. A foul stench of rotten fish hit his face like a tide. Desperate, Erhan thrust out his left hand in a futile attempt to ward it, but the creature’s jaws snapped shut upon his forearm. “Damn it all to hell!” he heard Han roar overhead and at the same time, Erhan heard the sound of his arm bone cracking. He felt it through the shaking of the bones of his whole body. A wave of electric pain spread through his whole body. And then… there was no then.

The gentle flow of water sloshed against the side of the boat. The river was so wide close to the northern oceans that making out one shore from the other was difficult. The port of Valar, the capital city lay on the eastern bay. Slowly the boat made its way there.

Erhan opened his eyes, wishing he could keep them close. The light burned!

The room was small but neat, decorated with a bunch of mirrors of all shapes and sizes on three walls. Only one of them held a huge map. He recognized this room. It was Han’s. Where he laid was comfortable enough, but he needed to get up. He didn’t know how much time had passed, but by the light coming from the small round window on the opposite wall, it must be daytime.

He propped himself up on his elbow trying to get out of the bed, but a twinge of pain sent a tremor down his bones. His body lifted only halfway, dropped down again with a thud.

Arban, who was nodding off on a chair in a corner of the cabin, woke up with a star at the sound. “What are you doing old man?” he hurried over to Erhan with a disgruntled look on his face. “You look like your bones would shatter like glass if you move too much. And also, you’re white as a piece of chalk.”

Erhan looked down at his body. He did look thin and pale. His limbs felt numb. Especially his left hand. It was wrapped with so many bandages, it looked thicker than an Elephant’s leg.

“What do you think? Pretty good right? I wrapped those bandages,” Arban said with pride.

Erhan tried to smile, but his skin felt so stretched and it became a grimace instead. He said in a scratchy voice, “It’ll work. At least as a pillar.”

“Hmph,” Arban cast aside his lips in disdain. “No one appreciates good art.” he looked at Erhan’s right hand and said, “But man, you really didn’t let go of the stick did you?”

Erhan hummed as he raised his hand and looked at his staff.

Arban didn’t let him appreciate the object for long. “You have seen it all your life. What’s more there to look at?” he bent leaned forward, pointing at himself and said, “Instead you should try thanking me for bandaging you. It was exhausting.”

Erhan stopped trying to make small talk with him. He had a headache and didn’t need to increase it. Instead, he said, “help me go outside.”

Arban frowned. “ are you sure? You might burn to ashes under the sunlight though, judging by how pale you look.”

Erhan gave him a disgruntled look. The kid wasn’t as funny as he thought he was. “Don’t worry, I won’t blame you if I do.”

“Oh well, I’ll just scatter your ashes in the river if that happens,” Arban said as he leant his shoulder to Erhan to help him up.

To Arban’s credit, the sunlight did sting Erhan’s eyes and skin a bit, along with the salty river wind. His dark hair contrasted against bloodless pale skin and gave him a ghostly appearance. He limped along, leaning on Arban, towards the helm. The sailors working all around the boat turned to look at him. They stopped their hands and gave him a bow.

“Did you tell them?” he whispered to Arhan.

The boy scoffed, “After the trick you pulled? Do you think I needed to tell them anything?”

Erhan turned to look at the sailors. Their faces were full reverence and gratitude. "Uff!" he blew a breath out. If he had to endure such an attitude for the rest of the journey, he might as well jump into the river and be done with it.

“How long was I unconscious?” he asked Arban. “How many days?”

“Four.”

Erhan nodded. At Least it wasn’t much longer. They should be close to their destination then.

“But man! I don’t know how much you remember since you fainted and all, but the last few minutes there were the most exciting ones of my life.” Arban said, reminiscing.

“Who saved me?” Erhan asked.

Arban craned his neck, looking around for someone. “That old man did,” he said. “The crocodile was trying to drag you into the water when Han took out the biggest scimitar I’ve ever seen,” he explained, flourishing around his free hand, “and then jumped down with it. Let me tell you. I’ve never seen someone chop the head off of a crocodile that big that quickly. Though not like I’ve seen anybody try that.” He sighed and shook his head. “Han’s really strong. I also want to chop off crocodile heads like that.”

Hearing this, Erhan couldn’t help but laugh.

Arban glanced at the pale man leaning on his shoulder. “Yeah, laugh away. Someday I’ll go back and chop some of them off. Then you’ll see.” As they reached the helm, he let go of Erhan and said, “anyway, thanks to your hocus pocus, we escaped before the pirates got ready.” he thought for a moment and nodded. “While I’m at it, I’ll chop off their head too, those traitorous slave traders.”

“Why aren’t you all working?” Han’s shout came from behind them. Having lent his cabin to injured Erhan, the old sailor had been sleeping with the other sailors in the general cabin. As they’d be reaching the docks today, he’d spent most of last night working on the calculations. Today was the day to unload the goods and settle the wages after all. He’d been late to sleep, and the sailor’s bunk wasn’t very comfortable. The one he slept on, in particular, had plenty of bedbugs. So he was a little late to get up today.

He followed the sailor's eyes and spotted the two people on the helm and skipped over. “Oh, Sir Erhan! You’re awake.”

“Yes,” Erhan said. He sat down cross-legged over the deck and closed his eyes. He needed to fully check the condition of his body. Going by how lightheaded and ‘boneless’ he felt, it should be bad. As he looked inside he confirmed his speculation. For about a month, he should only try spirit casting if he wanted to die. For now, he needed plenty of rest and plenty of food to replenish his blood.

He looked down at the pillar of a left hand. Unfortunately, that rest meant he had to bear this injury during the whole time. At least, the creature hadn’t torn out his hand. Or he would become like the ‘one-eyed grey lion slayer’ Becker.

He stood up and dipped his head towards Han. “Thank you for saving my life,”

“No no,” the bald man shook his head. “We should be the ones thanking you instead. Without you, many sailors would have lost their lives even if we managed to escape. And if we failed to then…” He let the silence hang for a while. He leaned forward a little and said in a low voice, “but are you one of those—”

“Stop there,” Erhan held up his bandaged hand. He looked straight at Han’s eyes and said, “I’d prefer if you don’t mention it, or ask about it, or do anything really. at least not where I can hear you.”

Han gave a grave nod of his head.

“You don’t have to be so serious,” Erhan said seriously. “I just don’t like hearing about it.”

“Yeah, what he is, is already old news,” Arban interjected from the side. His put his hand over his eyebrows and looked at the northeast direction. “The capital’s right there!” his voice bubbled with excitement.