Disclaimer: See ch1

AN: At the time of writing, XV-Dragon was the only person to figure out part of Hay Lin's tricks. For those of you who don't know, the stripes on her arm make her arms seem shorter than they really are, causing opponents to underestimate her range. The other trick is in her black trousers and black sleeveless jacket. Black makes her appear taller than she really is, making it easier for her to duck under enemy blows.

"Our best hope of stopping Nerissa lies in us stopping her getting the Stone of Zamballa. The problem is that no-one has seen the Stone in fifty years." Will paused to look at the group in front of her, "The Stone is somewhere in Zamballa, but where in Zamballa is a mystery."

"I believe I can help you there." Came a voice from the doorway of the room. They all turned to face the owner of the voice, a tall, bald man with a gentle expression on his face. "I am the head of the Royal Intelligence Service. You may call me Oracle."

Almost everyone looked at him in disbelief. It seemed far too convenient. The Oracle chuckled. "Believe me when I tell you, it was no easy task. About sixteen years ago, when I first took the post of head of the Royal Intelligence Service, I sent agents into Zamballa with the intent of finding the Stone first. Three years ago, one of my field agents was able to pursuade the Perrin to hand over the long lost stone. To help you reach Zamballa, there's a ship in the harbour waiting to take you there. It's called the Fifteenth Dragon."

"Can you leave the room please? We need to discuss this information privately." Asked Will.

"But of course" replied the Oracle. "When you have finished, I will be waiting for you outside."

The six of them held a whispered discussion after he left the room.

"How do we know we can trust this guy?" Asked Will in hushed tone.

"We don't have to trust him completely. We only need to get to the Stone first. We're the best people to protect it and it serves Prince Phobos cause to work with us against Nerissa, not against. Not to mention the amount of damage we could do to his forces if he did try ambush us." Replied Taranee.

"Besides, it's the only link we have at all." She finished.

"I agree with the Fire swordmistress. Prince Phobos has nothing to gain from turning on a group of swordmasters. Word would spread, and the council of swordmasters would make sure that swordmasters from all over Meridian would turn on his forces. He would probably loose the war if that happened. I knew him at court, but I really didn't like him. He may be an arrogant and unpleasant person, but he's very cunning." Cornelia added.

"I know he's with the intelligence service." Said Hay Lin quietly. "My grandma knows him and she's in the intelligence service."

They all turned to face her. "What? I used to spy on my grandma's meetings when I was younger. Until a certain someone gave away."

As Hay Lin said those words, Irma turned bright red.

"It was an accident!" she protested. "Besides it got you your apprenticeship."

Cornelia just grinned. "And she has the nerve to call me stupid?"

"Watch it, Blondie!" snapped Irma, but before they could argue any further, Will slammed the hilt of her sword onto the table.

"Enough! It's decided then. We trust him and hope he isn't one of Lady Miranda's agents. Any objections?"

There weren't any and Will went out the room to talk to the Oracle. Less then five minutes later, they were heading for the docks.

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Chaotic. That was the only word that could describe the docks. Ships from all over the world were docked here and people were loading and unloading ships, yelling in different languages and trying to find ships. There were public houses and prostitutes, merchants and accountants, street peddlers and entertainers. In short, it seemed unbelievable that anything could get done here. But it did. For the docks, this was normality.

At Taranee's suggestion, they headed for the portmasters office. It was, as she pointed out, the place that kept track of all the ships in the port. But it wasn't a smooth trip. They were accosted by a group of burly, thuggish sailors, with some very nasty looking weapons at their side.

"Ere, we're looking for a good time sweetheart." Said one of the sailors as he grabbed Wills arm. She could smell the alcohol on his breath

"Then find it elsewhere." Caleb growled.

"I wasn't talking to you, pretty boy" he snapped as he pushed Caleb away. Caleb seemed to turn away, before smashing the thug on the arm with his quarterstaff. With a yell of pain, he screamed "Get em!"

As the rest of the group closed, Will drew her sword. "Try and avoid any fatalities guys. We don't want to be too delayed now."

The thug who had grabbed Will, swung at her with a Marlinespike. She dodged it with ease, and swung her Sakabato up under his chin. His friends watched as he flew into the air like a rag doll.

The batons that had been attached to Hay Lin's arms were in her hands. With cobra speed, she smashed the batons into the noses of the nearest two attackers. To them, it seemed as though her arms had stretched. But she knew they hadn't. Another thug took a swing at her head, but with a slight ducking motion, his mace missed her and she smashed both batons into his ribs.

A couple of thugs near Cornelia made the mistake of thinking she was the weak link. If she wasn't holding back, then that would have proved fatal. Her fist broke the legs of the closest one, while a high kick smashed into the jaw of the other.

Irma used the handguard of her rapier to smash into the face of the attacker nearest her with minimum effort. The next one, she threw over her shoulder in a one armed throw.

For Taranee, it was chemical warfare that she used. As a thug approached her, she threw a highly potent type of vinegar into his face. As he was trying to get it out, she punched his lights out.

Leaving their now defeated opponents behind, Will turned to Caleb.

"Thanks for standing up for me back there. I didn't need the help, but I appreciate it." She said with a smile.

"Don't mention it" he replied cheerfully. "The thing is…" he began, but a voice cut him off.

"Hey Will, Taranee, how are you?"

Her face lit up as she looked at the owner of the voice.

"Hey Peter, how you been? It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Caleb felt his heart sink. The tall dark skinned sailor seemed to be Wills boyfriend. Figures, he thought to himself.

Peter swung down the mooring lines and smiled at them. "It has. What are you doing here anyway?"

"We're looking for a ship Pete. One called the fifteenth Dragon." Said Taranee.

At this he burst out laughing. "You're looking at her little sis." He pointed to the ship sign, which read

'The XV-Dragon'. "It uses the old fashioned numerals instead of the modern ones." He explained cheerfully.

"Is she fast?" Cornelia asked.

"Fastest ship in the world" Peter answered with pride. "She's a clipper ship with a fine crew. I'll take you to the captain."

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Captain Charles Mann greeted Will warmly.

"Welcome aboard Swordmistress Watsuki." He said, extending his hand to her. As she shook it, he said to her "I've worked for the Oracle before. We are to take you to Zamballa as quickly as possible. I'm told your mission is top secret and I won't pry, much as I'd like to."

"Thank you Captain. How long before we reach Zamballa?" she asked calmly.

"Three or four days, depending on the weather." He replied.

Will smiled. Zamballa was normally a ten-day sail from Meridian. Assuming he was being honest, this ship would halve that time and then some. There was no way that Nerissa or Phobos would be able to catch them. She hoped. And while she didn't know the captain, she did know Peter Cook and more importantly, she trusted him.

AN: Ships are always referred to as 'she'. I hope you like what I've done XV, but if you don't then sorry, I didn't mean to offend.