Disclaimer: Like always, I don't own Golden Sun.

"You're trying to launch the ship?" the man named Kaja demanded. We'd reached the captain's quarters. The tour guide, Kaja, the captain, the two warriors, and the other sailor were clustered together. I sneaked a little closer and motioned for the others to follow.

"We can't set sail in a dangerous sea!" Kaja protested.

The warrior dressed in red glared at him dangerously. "What was that?"

The tour guide paled, clearly afraid of a fight. "We don't care about that! We paid our money, and now you have to launch the ship!"

"But the captain decided to set sail just a second ago," Kaja informed them. Garet opened his mouth and Mia promptly covered it.

The gray turbaned warrior seemed pleased. "We're setting off?"

"Yes," declared the captain. "Preparations are being made right now."

The second warrior turned to the first. "Perhaps we were a bit rash."

The other nodded. "Yes. We should not have been so quick to rush up here."
"Please, launch the ship when you're ready," agreed the tour guide.

The second warrior and the tour guide drew closer to us and I snuck further behind the jars. I didn't want them to know we'd been eavesdropping.

But I shouldn't have worried just yet. The red warrior had qualms of his own. "Dangerous sea..." he murmured uneasily. "It's dangerous out there! Is that why you wouldn't launch the ship?"

"Yes, the sea's dangerous. Of course the sea's dangerous. Especially with these monsters."
I heard Mia give a start next to me, and I'm sure the same thought was running through all four of our minds. Monsters? Like the talking mouse and the living statues?

The tour guide paled further. "M-monsters, you say?"

"Lately, we've been sighting creatures never before seen in the Karagol," reported Kaja.

"Dangerous ones?" the gray warrior wanted to know.

"Actually, some even came onboard the ship and attacked the crew," the captain admitted.

The tour guide's eyes were wide. "That is dangerous!"

"We suspect that our replacement ship might have been attacked," Kaja continued.

The red warrior drew himself up proudly. "With such dangerous creatures around, you might need warriors."

Garet poked me. "Should we volunteer?"

I hesitated. Something in me warned against it. "Not just yet."

"It certainly is dangerous, but the ship is okay," The captain sounded sure of himself. "After all, we-"

The red warrior cut him off. "If there are monsters, I'll be glad to help out."

Kaja looked surprised. "Really?" I remembered that he had been the one commissioned to fight.

The red warrior nodded solemnly.

"Hey, Ouranos, I thought-" the gray warrior started.

Ouranos turned to face his companion. "We have to make it to Tolbi for Colosso!"

He didn't look convinced. "That's true, but..."

"Hey, maybe you could give us a hand, too, Sean!" Ouranos suggested, closing the subject.

Sean didn't look enthusiastic, but he nodded.

"Really?" repeated Kaja. "Are you really going to help out?"

Ouranos looked a little angry. "I'm a man of my word," he declared. "If I said I'll help, I'll help!"

Kaja smiled for the first time I'd seen. "With you guys helping me to keep the deck safe, the ship should be okay."

The captain smiled impatiently. "So can we set off now?"

"No," Kaja declared. "We need someone to protect the oarsmen."

Garet jabbed me again. I nodded, and we snuck out of our hiding places and into the crowd.

But before the captain could notice us, he casually slipped a hand on the wheel. He gasped. "It's gone! It's vanished!"
Everyone's heads turned and Mia and Ivan joined us in the crowd.

Kaja and the captain scuttled over to the wheel. "The anchor charm!"

"The anchor..." muttered Ouranos. "That good luck charm?"

Sean snorted. "Oh, that. What's the big deal? It's just an old trinket."

The captain spun angrily. "What do you mean, 'Oh, that,' ?!" he demanded. "That anchor's been keeping my ship safe for years!"

The tour guide spoke up. "It's just decorative, right?"

"Even if we find some warriors, we won't make it without the anchor. We're not leaving!"

The stunned silence began to ring with angry protests.

"But you said we were leaving!" Sean shouted.

"What about our money?" demanded the tour guide.

"We'll never make it to Tolbi!"

"That was when I thought we still had the anchor!" he shouted. "The ship doesn't leave until we find it."

The sailor standing next to us began muttering. "What's the problem? We've got warriors to help us! Maybe..."

He glared and stopped muttering when he saw us staring. "What are you looking at, kid?" he demanded of Ivan.

"Nothing!" Ivan backed away and tugged at us. We exited the captain's quarters. "I think that sailor knows more then he's letting on."
I nodded. "I think he took it. But where'd he hide it?"
"And how will we find out?" Mia wondered.

Ivan smiled grimly. "Mind reading."

A few minutes later, the sailor left the captain's quarters. I signaled to Garet. "Do you have any idea where it is?" I began.

"What?" the sailor demanded, not even realizing that Ivan was sneaking up behind him.

"The anchor, of course!" Garet explained.

By this time Ivan was reading his mind. "Of course I don't!"

Ivan winked. I nodded, and all four of us headed up to the crow's nest, as the sailors called it. Sure enough, the anchor charm was dangling precariously along the edge.

Mia stooped down and scooped it up. We trooped down the ladder again, and I was very glad to be down on the deck again.

"I wouldn't go up there every day if you paid me a thousand coins each time," I thought aloud.

Mia looked at me strangely. "Why?"

I realized she was the only one who didn't know my secret. Ivan knew, from mind reading me, and Garet knew because we'd grown up together. Jenna knew, of course. So did Felix.

"I'm, um, a little..." I started.

Garet helped me. "He's afraid of heights."

Mia nodded. "Oh,"

We walked over to the captain and Mia shyly handed him the anchor.

"It's my lucky anchor!" I was sure that the people in Xian could hear his joyful cry. "You found the charm!"

"Where was it?" Kaja demanded.

"In the crow's nest," Garet answered automatically.

Meanwhile, the captain was stammering. "I...I don't know what to say...thank you! Now we can set sail!"

"Boy, that's a relief!" declared the guide. "Now we can set sail!"
Sean shook his head. "Not just yet..."

"What?" demanded Ouranos.

"We need someone to protect the oarsmen." Sean answered.

The captain chuckled. "You look like you have someone in mind."

"Yes, I do, in fact," Sean agreed.

"Who?" Ouranos asked.

Now was the time for us to step forward.

"Those warriors!" Sean declared, dramatically pointing to the four of us.

The tour guide looked skeptical. "But they're just children!"
"They may look young, but each of them is a force to be reckoned with." Sean promised. How did he know? I wondered. We barely knew him.
"I can't argue with that," the captain agreed. "How about it?"
I held my head high, trying to live up to Sean's expectations. "Of course."

"We can finally set sail!" the captain cheered.

"The ship is taking off?" the tour guide exclaimed eagerly.

Then the captain got a faraway look in his eye. "One more thing. I need some volunteers to help with the rowing...just in case."

"What?" The tour guide sounded outraged. "You're going to ask the passengers to row the ship?"

"The ship won't move without oarsmen," the captain reminded him. Then he turned back to us. "You know, come to think of it, I don't know your names. Do you care to tell me?"

I nodded. "I am Isaac, of Vale."

"Garet, also of Vale." Garet added.

"Ivan of Kalay," Ivan greeted.

Mia curtseyed politely. "Pleased to meet you. I'm Mia of Imil."

"Ah. Isaac and company, I'm looking forward to working with you." He gave a slight bow and we started off toward our new, temporary job.