Chapter 74: The Hunt is On

…

~~Day 39 (Command, Day 2)

~~Aside from a need to clarify command to the deck crew, today seems to have gone much better. Considering the circumstances. The crew has repeatedly expressed their eagerness to help in my new goal of locating the King and Queen of Hyrule. Although, I have to admit that my attempts to have a serious discussion on the subject with Airmen Layna and Biluf have been difficult with the amount of context Dholit seems to omit from her interpretations. I can't really tell, though; the only real way I can be sure of her accuracy would require me to constantly defer to Irleen while exchanging her translating gem so that she can tell me what the other Gelto are really saying. I can only guess that this kind of arrangement would just annoy all of us.

~~Leynne and Dubbl seem to be a little more comfortable with each other now that they are working on opposite shifts. Well, as comfortable as they can be without having to deal with each other. I really don't want to have to call all hands on-deck again, especially now that I know that Dubbl likes to hit people whenever they disagree.

~~I've checked into both engine room shifts to see how they've been doing. So far, everyone on both shifts seems to understand the basic upkeep of Sello's engine. This seems to be helped along by Sello coaching them between drinking sessions. Admittedly, allowing Sello to drink as much as possible is beginning to have its effect. The engine room smells funny. And Sello's couch is missing. I don't think he realizes it's missing, but all four airmen have admitted that they didn't even see Sello remove it from the room.

~~Our current course is still northbound toward Thicket Island. We've been reaching for most of the day, which I really had hoped would eventually allow us a full run with the sails open. Leynne has taken some time to examine the port capstan controlling the outboard spars. He says that one of the gears which facilitate operation had failed to mesh correctly and that the capstans probably should not be operated until he can fix the problem. I've told him to get whatever he needs at a general store. Since we can't identify the Island Symphony as a Skyrider ship without attracting attention, we won't be able to obtain supplies at branch offices (assuming those are still open). No other company is likely to help us, either. Approaching Sagacity Island as we are, we'll be in territories close to where the Airliners and Zephyr Sails operate, and neither company likes Skyriders. We're sailing by the soles of our feet, and our lack of funds is going to eventually start hurting. We need support.

~~We need the company.

…

~~Day 40 (Command, Day 3)

~~The crew seems to have taken quite well to routine. I didn't expect issues to arise from Airman Gold, but the whole crew was especially bright this morning during the shift change. They worked out a meal schedule and rotate one person out at a time for lunch. I lent my assistance to the dayshift's schedule by taking the helm for Leynne. I asked Gold if he needed relief so he could get a ration at midnight. He explained that, with the engine disconnected, he has a panel which he can put a ration packet on so that he can eat while still working the helm. I just asked him not to make a mess on the console.

~~We've still been reaching on a northeast wind, but it's been a little stronger today. I'm hoping that we'll make Thicket Island some time tomorrow.

~~I'm a little dismayed that Princess Zelda didn't try to contact me in my dreams again last night. I have to admit that I've been a little skeptical about the whole thing. I haven't told Irleen about it until I was certain. The more I think about it, the more I realize that it could have easily just been a crazy dream. Maybe I'm just thinking about it too hard.

…

~~Day 41 (Command, Day 4)

~~We made it to Thicket Island this morning, and there've been some interesting developments. First, no one here seems to like Leynne's accent.

~~Second. One of the dockers I spoke to about a vessel carrying the king and queen sounded a little confused. He explained that he had heard something about some of the southern islands wanting to break off the kingdom to form their own nation, but he had no idea that the King and Queen of Hyrule were supposed to be passing by Thicket Island. I know that it wasn't likely that they stopped here, but the fact that he had not heard anything about it says that it's possible that they did not take this route. I've been trying to remember the layout of the Sky Lines, and, now that I think about it, I think the River Lines might've made for a more direct route from Castle Island. Still. At least we know where they aren't.

~~Third. We actually got asked about a shipping problem that occurred a few weeks ago. When the dockmaster found out that we had just come from Autumn Island (technically true), they asked us if the Autumn Island dockmaster reporting any missing supply crates. We told him that we hadn't heard of anything like that, and he explained that if we happened to go by Autumn Island again, we could tell the dockmaster that he's seen some supply crates go through here. Leynne asked why they weren't here anymore, and the dockmaster told us that someone had slapped a set of shipping instructions on them and sent them off to East Iron Island before he could stop them.

~~The dockmaster said that no one knew what was in them and that someone had gone over the top with adding warning brands to the outside. He said that he thinks that someone was playing a prank because that same person had marked the crates "Perishable", "Flammable", "Do Not Feed", and "This End Up" (among other things) on every side, and the "This End Up" indicated that every end was up. It might be wishful thinking, but that sounds just like the kind of thing Line would do. Leynne and I talked about it a little afterwards, and he's agreed that we should ask about the crates when we reach East Iron Island.

~~We've managed to get our hands on some cheap supplies, mostly rations and the part which Leynne needs to fix the capstan. We also found some cheap clothes for the crew, knowing that they probably did not expect to have to live in their clothes like this for too long.

…

"Kyabtin? Kyabtin!"

Link startled to life at the sound of Dubbl's voice calling to him. He pushed himself up from the bed and glanced around to find Dubbl waiting by the head of the bed.

"Con tùkħanu?" Irleen groaned from her hanging bed above Link's feet. "Tūbla? Con kapòhu? Hōn lòn rawàn."

Dubbl shot a confused look up at Irleen before returning to Link. "Kyabtin, you wake?"

"I think so," Link groaned as he moved to the edge of the bed. "What's going on?"

"Tlouble."

Link had to rub the sleep out of his eyes before Dubbl's mangled word registered. His brain immediately snapped to life, and he looked up and asked, "What kind of trouble?"

"Shib come flom ze souz," Dubbl replied, one hand pointing out the cabin's frosted windows. "Lights on."

Link became aware of his heartbeat. This was something he had been dreading. A ship from the south was an indication that one of the ships might still be pursuing them from Castle Island, and he had told both deck crews to keep their eyes open for any ship following them. It was a surprise that a ship had taken this long to find them; if those ships had still be pursuing from Castle Island, even with the lead they gained from the Sky Lines, they should have been on top of the Island Symphony almost as soon as they docked at Thicket Island. He had forgotten about the order, but he was glad that they were still keeping watch. Although this vessel could simply be another ship from Autumn Island, Link was not sure if he should take that chance. So he told Dubbl as he stood up and moved over to his desk, "Turn on the lights and have the current watch meet me on the poop deck."

"Yes, Kyabtin," Dubbl replied with a sharp nod.

"Ħìtīn kīt hì ħawit cōthu con tùkħanu?" Irleen asked while watching Dholit leave. "Ħàn huk káhápīnatìn ta?"

Link, who had just picked up his tunic, decided to set it back on top of the desk and grabbed his trousers off the arm of his chair. He started putting them on as he asked, "Sorry, Irleen, what were you saying?"

"Just wondering if someone was going to tell me what's going on," she replied as she moved to hover over Link's desk.

"Dubbl said there's a ship coming," Link said.

"So?"

"From the south," Link replied after pulling his tunic over his head. "It might be a ship following us; I'm going to go look right now."

"You don't think they're still chasing us, do you?" Irleen said as Link crossed the cabin.

"It might be nothing," Link said as he slipped his boots on. "But we should be sure. The Symphony's pretty unique; it wouldn't take much time for them to notice a six-masted schooner with outboard spars."

"Yeah," she commented in a sassy tone. "Curse the Architects and their gift of building unique ships."

"Would've been nice if we hadn't become fugitives so fast," he replied as he opened his wardrobe.

"Your sword?" she asked as Link removed the sword he received from Meilont and slung it around his waist. "You can't be expecting trouble."

"I was wearing it earlier when I was on shore," Link said as he fumbled with the buckle. "This is just in case, but I don't think I'll need it."

Irleen sighed as she followed him out the door. "There's no place like home…"

When Link stepped out onto the deck, he found it empty and lit by the shadow falling off Thicket Island. The sun was just barely rising, blocked by the island but bright enough to hide the weaker stars in the sky above. The electric lights built into the ship's bulwark at intervals were alive and casting just enough light to distinguish the edge of the ship. Link rounded the port staircase and took it up to the quarterdeck. He paused to look out at the docks, finding that only a few dockers were wandering around this morning. Then he continued onto the poop deck, where he found the night crew standing at the transom.

Gold heard Link approaching, shifted his head to one side, and spoke in a voice intended to gain everyone's attention, "Cap'n on deck."

"As you were," Link quickly responded as the Gelto turned to see what was happening. "Report."

Dubbl cast Gold a confused look, and Gold replied, "Ship sighted tae stern, Cap'n. Can't tell if she's just passing or not."

Link stepped up to the transom. "Any sight of a black flag?" he asked.

"Twali," Dubbl said to the Gelto standing next to Link. "Waba thawcya'ak kwabbil 'afocxi max?"

"Na'," Twali replied with a shake of her head.

"Not," Dubbl told Link, although the headshake was enough of a signal to him.

Link located the ship a little to starboard. "Duoscope," he said, holding out a hand to Twali. Although Twali had not understood the word, she handed over the duoscope, and Link put it to his face. Just as Dubbl had said, the ship was running with its lights on, which was normal enough even as the sun was rising. Even with the low light, Link could see well enough that the ship was armed; the hull was painted black, just as most armed vessels should have been before the fake Princess took power. Link thought back to the ships over Hyrule Castle and tried to remember what their sail plans were. This ship appeared to be a brigantine, given away by the abnormally wide topsail which indicated that the rest of the aft mast was gaff-rigged. After concluding that there had been no brigantines at the castle, he sighed and stared long and hard, looking for some sign that it might be hostile. He could not see any open gunports, but that may have just meant that it had not spotted the Island Symphony yet.

"Anything?" Irleen asked.

"Shhh," Gold hissed at her.

Then Link spotted it. The ship had turned a bit, probably in response to a hard gust from her port side. The helmsman had overcorrected a bit much and exposed the starboard side. And Link saw, just past the starboard edge of the fore topsail, the trailing edge of a black flag peering behind the ship.

"Oh, crud…" Link moaned to himself.

"Kyabtin?" Twali asked.

Link handed the duoscope back to her. Then he told Dubbl, "On the moorings; we're leaving."

Dubbl gave a sharp nod. "Yes, Kyabtin. Lwamm!"

Link turned to Gold as the two Gelto dashed for the main deck. "As soon as we're loose, drop the ballast to put us below the island. Then engage the engine and take us due north."

"Bad news?" Gold asked.

"I don't recognize it," Link said, "but it has a black flag. We need to avoid it."

"Ain't we bein' a li'l… obvious?" Gold asked. "I mean… leavin' just as soon as we spot the ship?"

Link shook his head. "Not that obvious. This isn't a bad time for a ship to leave, and going under an island isn't really suspicious."

"Aaaah. That was gonna be me other question."

"As long as we're going north, we won't attract attention."

Gold nodded. "Sorry, Cap'n. Never been a fugitive 'fore. Never sailed under an island 'fore, either."

"Just make sure we're low enough that we don't hit the underside," Link said.

"Aye aye, Cap'n," Gold replied with a grin. He turned and walked toward the bow.

Link heard Twali sigh and turned to her. She caught his glance over her shoulder and commented with a helpless shrug, "'Inu 'olwu giysomotak 'igazh. 'Inxaylokwak zasaykwl xiban dha' iddaf. Kwilis filwaf."

Link sighed. "If you're saying you're tired of running," he said to her, "I agree." Then he stepped to the bulwark and shouted at the dockers below, "Island Symphony to port, ahoy! Clear the moorings!"

…

~~Day 42 (Command, Day 5)

~~Sighted an armed vessel for the fake Princess's navy and left Thicket Island bound for the next closest island, East Iron Island. The vessel hasn't appeared on the horizon, so it looks like they've stopped at Thicket Island. Still, we need to watch it; if it takes word back that it saw a strange vessel out here, we might have more ships out here looking for us. Dubbl, Leynne, Gold, and I have already talked out a solution in the event that that ship or any other navy ship appears. And we also have a plan in place in case we look too suspicious in asking about the king and queen and the cargo from Autumn Island. We figure that the armed ship we saw at Thicket Island will eventually overtake us, so we have to be prepared.

~~I still haven't heard anything more from Princess Zelda, but I'm trying not to just write the experience off as just a strange dream.

…

~~Day 43 (Command, Day 6)

~~I don't think that brigantine was interested in us. The horizon's been clear all day except for another schooner passing to the east. Cale alerted me twice about seeing something on the horizon, but it only turned out to be specks of dust on the duoscope; we found out that he sets it on the deck when he needs to rest his eyes. Leynne later modified the duoscope by attaching a belt to it so it could be hung around the user's neck.

~~We've still been reaching for the past two days, but the wind's shifted enough to give us a better push south. I'm hoping the wind will shift to the west a bit; if we're going as far as Sagacity Island, like I suspect we eventually will, we'll need it to get there fast.

…

The atmosphere in the tavern suddenly thickened with the presence of two black-clad airmen stepping through the open doorway, both of them sporting muscles threatening to rip open their undersized tunics at the slightest flex. Their heads were shaved bald, and they sported armor plates on their shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees, the kind of armor meant to be worn so that the wearer had a full range of motion. They had cutlasses properly strapped to their belts, indicating their usual gear. Their beady eyes wandered around the nearly empty tavern for a moment, and then one of them nodded in the direction of the door leading to the overnight rooms beyond. The one who nodded then approached one of only two occupied tables while his companion walked to the door.

He stopped beside the table and looked at the occupants. Two were dockers, an older gentleman and an apprentice enjoying their evening beer. Another occupant, although not actually sitting, was a tall, slender man with black hair, his clothing a pristine, white shirt and worn work trousers held up by a pair of blue suspenders. He had his arms crossed and, while keeping his face directed at the dockers he had been addressing, he allowed his eyes to look over the airman. The airman was not sure what to make of him, but his clean look hinted that he was not a local; no one who lived on an island known for its mines could ever look so comfortable. While he stood against a wall, a fourth person sat at the table in front of him, across from the dockers. The airman hesitated to call this person a man due to the pair of boots peeking under the brown, ragged robes barely touching the floor. The hood hid this person's face, and the airman wanted to avoid looking underneath it if he could avoid it.

The airman took in a breath and said to the whole table, "I'm looking for a ship."

"You feel you boys are in the right place?" the older docker asked, drawing a snort from his apprentice. "The port's that way," he added, pointing out the door.

"It's a unique ship," the airman continued. "Six masts, all gaff-rigged."

"Long ship," the man against the wall muttered.

"It's called the Island Sonata," the airman said. "It's supposed to be captained by a child."

"Scrapin' the bottom of the barrel on that one, aren't they?" the apprentice asked with an amused grin.

"I seen young commanders before, boy," the older docker said to the airman, "but anyone who'd put a child in command gotta be outta their minds."

"The captain's name is supposed to be Link," the airman said. Then he turned to the hooded figure at the table and tapped its shoulder with a finger. "Aren't you a little young to be in here?"

The hooded figure stirred when it realized that it was being addressed. A pair of hands extended from the sleeves, and the figure removed its hood to reveal a young man with thick, blond hair. He grinned at the airman and said, "Aren't you a little oldda be bullyin' kids?"

The airman's eyes flicked back to the standing man before saying to the boy, "Kinda young to be drinking."

The boy picked up the tin cup and tilted it slightly to reveal its contents. "It's milk." As if to prove it, he took a drink and released a loud, relaxed sigh. "Buy ya one?"

"Cute," the airman said to him. "You two don't look like locals."

"I hope not," the old docker said. "If our boys looked like them, I'd say there's some hanky-panky goin' on in the mines." Then he elbowed his apprentice. "Not that I wouldn't mind gettin' inna that lot." Both dockers shared a chuckle.

"Okay, so we aren't local," the boy admitted with a shrug. "It isn't a crime'a roam around, is it?"

"Where are you two from?" the airman asked.

The boy exchanged a look with the standing man, who only shrugged. "We just got here from Might Island. We gotta been sailin' almost two weeks, even with some good winds."

"Place isn't the same without the Lines," the apprentice said. The older docker nodded and leaned back in the chair.

"What ship did you two come on?" the airman asked.

"The Symphony," the boy replied.

"Company?"

The boy paused before he took a drink of milk. "Independent."

"So you're just waiting to be bought out, huh?" the airman joked.

"Well, if we do, we hope it won't be by a jerk like you."

The airman put a fist on the table and leaned on it. "Look, kid, I didn't ask to be recruited by the navy; I was just a deckhand when this all happened. I'd think that the fact that I have the power to arrest you would make you think twice about being a little brat. Why am I even talking to you?" He looked up at the standing man. "Don't you have anything to say? You gotta be his superior."

The boy blew an amused raspberry and turned to the standing man. "Did you hear that? He wantzza hear ya talk. Feelin' the need, Captain?"

The airman's face paled as he looked back up at the standing man. He could see the glare deepen on the man's brow as the captain opened his mouth and mumbled in a barely audible voice, "Do I?"

The airman took a moment to compose himself, and the boy made no effort to hide the glee on his face. After shooting the boy an irate glare, he replied, "Sorry, Captain, but you gotta understand. There's a vessel around here that's wanted by the Crown; we're questioning everybody. The Crown has reason to believe this ship and her crew are dangers to the kingdom."

"And so you Skyriders gotta be the cow rustlers, right?" the old docker asked, hostility tinting his voice.

"Look, pal, this wasn't by choice," the airman replied, his own voice gathering aggression again. "When we got recruited, it was either put on the uniform or swan-dive overboard. The company captains are supposed to be loyal to the Crown; we gotta chase down the captains of our own company because some of them told the princess to shove off."

"And it's nizza see you got your priorities straight," the old docker said. "You wore out your welcome, so scram. I didn't become a docker juzza hear some idiot cry his eyes out because his heaven-damned job doesn't suit his diaper anymore."

The airman reached for the handle of his cutlass. This, to his surprise, prompted the boy to shove his chair backwards while he stood up. One hand went inside his robes, and, with his shoulders turned, the airman realized that the boy must be armed with something. His captain had started, one half-step closer to the table with his arms down at his sides as if he waited to pull something as well. But the airman stared at the boy, wondering if he had a sword or a pistol under those robes.

He decided to check by asking, "You wanna start something, boy?"

A mechanical click sounded, but not from nearby. Attention at the table turned toward the bar and found the large, barrel-chested bartender standing at the close end of the bar with a flintlock pistol aimed at the airman. "If he doesn't, I will," the bartender snarled. "Wrinkles is right; you Skyrider bastards gotta worn out your welcome. Now get the hell oudda here before I decidda give ya a handicap."

"Jim, don't," the other airman called across the room. "It isn't worth it."

"Both of ya, out!" the bartender hollered, waving his free hand for emphasis.

"We're going, we're going," the other airman said as he walked toward the door. "C'mon, Jim."

Airman Jim backed away a step and relaxed. The boy refused to drop his guard, so he shuffled sideways toward the door before finally turning and leaving with an even stride.

The boy waited until they were well out of sight before retrieving his chair. When he looked up from setting it back, he saw that he had drawn particularly irate looks from both dockers and the bartender. He thought he was in trouble until the bartender decocked the pistol and stowed it under the bar.

The old docker cracked a smile and leaned backwards in his chair again. "That's the worst accent I ever heard," he told the boy. "Lucky those Skyrider boys are dumb as bricks, or else you'd be walkin' home."

Link could not help grinning as he took his seat again. He had always suspected he had not perfected a "Southern" accent, but it was nice to know that he could pass for a local well enough. Link had to admit, as he took a calming sip of milk, that he was almost looking forward to fighting with that airman. He had spent most of his childhood dealing with pig-headed jerks like that, and it would have satisfied him to have fought against his unprofessional bullying. So he was glad he had something to drink; it was a welcome distraction.

"No kiddin'; that was a shitty accent," the apprentice chuckled before taking another sip of beer. "Where'd you learnna talk like that?"

Link licked his lips so they did not feel so dry. Then he said, "I have some friends that live down here. The Sokkarokka Band?"

The apprentice put on a wide-eyed look. "You know them?"

"My old post took them to Castle Island for the past four years. They used to invite me and a friend to hang with them during the Founding Festival."

"Well, that makes us friends. I always take time offa go see them down on Sagacity Island."

"Since we'h friends," Leynne spoke up, crossing his arms again, "do you suppose we could resume ouh previous discussion?"

"Yeah, what were we talkin' about?" the apprentice asked.

"Theeee… Royal Family, wasn't it?" the old docker asked as a bar girl brought them a fresh round of drinks.

"I believe so," Leynne said with a nod.

"Well, we can't say we saw them around here," the docker said. "We're just a small mining town; never been much reason."

"A royal entourage would gotta been a hell of a memory here," the apprentice added.

"Oh, if you must know where they are," the bar girl spoke up, holding her serving tray against her chest, "they might gotta gone'a Might Island."

Both Leynne and Link blinked at her in amazement. As familiar as Link was with the kinds of information that could be gleaned from dockers and airmen over a fresh beer, this was something he only knew from his usual visits to Sail Tavern, a place that never employed bar girls. "You-you would know that?" Link asked.

She nodded, causing her ponytail to swing and bob. "I was a student every other week at the college on Sagacity Island. I got stuck here when the Sky Lines disappeared."

"Naturally," Leynne commented.

"I wrote a paper on the political issues the southern islands have been raising," she continued, shooting Leynne a smug smile. "The governor of Might Island was tryinna rally some of the southern islands inna askin' that their islands have permanent representation on Castle Island so that they don't gotta expend money'a send representatives back and forth so often. Additionally, since the Royal Family has monopoly on how land is distributed throughout the kingdom, they find it difficuldda set up a few select facilities on both Might Island and Timbre Island. The Royal Family keeps denyin' them the right to resettle the land they need. Relatively speakin', these are actually quite trifle matters, but the governor of Might Island isn't really a fan of the monarchy, and he twists the needs of his staff juzza justify his complaints."

"Wait, wait a moment," Leynne said. "What exactly was the title of this… this papeh?"

"You godda funny accent," the apprentice commented.

"Originally, I intendedda support the separation movement," the bar girl explained. "But, after I did all the research, I hadda change the subject so I wouldn't look like an idiot. Really, not one piece of information I found supported my original premise. The title was… well, I titled it 'Being a Political Crybaby'." Both Leynne and the old docker snorted and quickly covered their mouths so they would not laugh too loud.

"So, you mean the King and Queen were last seen on Might Island?" Link asked while Leynne struggled to control himself.

"Ostensibly," the bar girl said with a nod. "I would feel they returnedda Castle Island by now, but if you're lookin' for them, it can't mean anythin' good."

Link looked up to find that Leynne was now in control of himself. Leynne shrugged and said, "Well, that's a faihly solid lead. Betteh than what we got from Thicket Island."

"Why are you interested in findin' them?" the bar girl asked.

"We think that, if we can find them and take them back to Castle Island," Link explained, "it might help solve some of the problems around the kingdom."

"You feel the Royal Family's connected?" the apprentice asked.

"In a ratheh… convoluted way," Leynne said. "Just as that aihman said, the princess is the one in control of the navy."

"We think that she'll let the navy go if she's not on the throne anymore," Link added.

The bar girl nodded. "Yeah, that should do it. You just needda hope ya don't get shot down doin' it."

"Trust me, that's the outcome we'h praying foh," Leynne told her.

"Sounds like ya got the answer ya need," the old docker said.

"Just one more thing," Link said, raising a finger to him. "And this, I think, you should know more about. There should've been a few supply crates that came through here from Thicket Island."

The old docker shook his head. "We see a whole lodda crates come through here."

"Well, these are a little more specific," Link explained. "I'm not sure how many crates there were, but someone put a bunch of warning labels on them."

"Oh, I remember those," the apprentice spoke up. "We probably rolled one of those things five times before we decided which way was up."

Link gave a confused frown. "Was there anything inside?"

"I said 'we', didn't I? I couldn't tell ya what it was, but it was heavy. And loose; I don't think it was packed right."

"Ah they still heh?" Leynne asked.

"I don't feel so," the apprentice said.

"No, they're not," the old docker said. "I remember those crates, too. I didn't see who took them, but I remember seein' the shippin' orders slapped on them. All three major islands."

"'Majoh' islands?" Leynne asked.

The apprentice held up a hand and raised his fingers in response to his naming, "Sagacity Island, Might Island, and Bold Island."

"Direct routes," the old docker added. "Of course, that was before the Lines disappeared. Now, you gotta island-hoppa get anywhere."

"Don't we know it," Link said. "Do you remember how big the shipment was?"

"A dozen crates at best," the apprentice said. "I didn't count them, though."

"Will you be goin'a Sagacity Island?" the bar girl, having stood at the table the whole time, spoke up.

"It's the closest one," Link replied with a shrug.

"Would you mind taking me there? I got family on Sagacity Island; I wanna make sure they're okay. I'd pay; I have one hundred and twenty-eight rupees saved up."

Link frowned and looked at Leynne. "What do you think?"

Leynne shrugged. "You'h the captain," he said, drawing surprised looks from the apprentice and the bar girl. "Pehsonally, the money would be welcome. We could use a souhce of legitimate income while we'h running from the Crown."

"Wait, wait," the apprentice said. He pointed a finger at Link. "You're the captain."

The old docker chuckled after watching Link nod his head. "Explains why you know more than your buddy here."

Link stood and held out his hand to the bar girl. "Captain Link of the Island Symphony," he said with an air of pride. "And one hundred twenty-eight rupees sounds like the right price."

The bar girl struggled to hold in a smile at the realization that Link was a head shorter than her. She took his hand and shook it. "Thanks, Captain," she said.

Link nodded. "If you have stuff to gather, do it as soon as you can; we won't be staying overnight."

"You'll find ouh vessel docked… south of heh," Leynne added. He pushed away from the wall. "Link, we should move. Dubbl will be wondering what's taking us, especially if they've had to move the ship."

Link nodded his agreement over his shoulder. "Two hours," he told the bar girl. "Remember; the Island Symphony. Just look for a ship with six masts."

"And the only ship with female crew on the deck," Leynne added.

The old docker chuckled. "Got yourself a unique ship there, Captain."

Link jerked a thumb at Leynne as Leynne fished a red rupee and two blue rupees from his wallet. "He designed it."

Leynne set the rupees down on the table and indicated Link with a nod. "He hihed the crew." Then he told the bar girl, "Keep the change foh youhself."

She nodded, her eyes aglow with gratitude. "Thank you, sir."

Link and Leynne stepped out into the cold air of a Southern night, and Leynne placed his hands in his pockets to try to appear unbothered by the cold. He allowed himself a moment to play with his visible breath, blowing it out as if it was tobacco smoke, before saying anything. "It's a good thing the poht on this island is a little lahgeh than on Thicket Island," he commented to Link as they walked down the street. "Do you think they've seahched all the spaces by now?"

"It should've been the first thing they did," Link said. "But we'll have to make sure they aren't still watching when we board."

"Do you think two houhs will be enough foh heh to find us?"

Link shrugged. "I'm flexible, but we really need to get out of here before that ship finds us."

Leynne sighed. "So, what's the plan from heh? I imagine we ah going to Sagacity Island."

"Yeah. We probably shouldn't attempt to get to Might Island just yet. If I recall, it's much further between Sagacity and Might than what we've traveled so far."

"And, doubtless, much fuhtheh from heh."

"Ooooh yeah." Link paused when he noticed a black-clad figure approaching them in the distance. "Leynne, walk ahead of me."

"Huh?"

Link swung his arm. "Walk ahead of me. Hurry."

Leynne glanced down at Link with a confused expression before taking the lead toward the docks. Link flipped his hood up so that the few streetlights would not illuminate his face so well. Leynne was silent throughout the experience and did not dare look back at Link unless Link said something. Link kept quiet as he fell a pace further behind Leynne and stepped out so he could see past Leynne's left arm.

The black-clad figure slowly walked closer without paying them much attention. Just as Link had suspected, this man was wearing a black tunic with the same style of armor as the airmen from before. The main difference was the violet cape fastened to his shoulder armor and flowing through the air as he walked. His hip sported an arming sword, but Link also saw another sword on his opposite hip, a kind which he had only seen once before. If the hilt and the tassels dangling from the pommel were the same as Link remembered, then the man was wearing a Captain's Saber. It was the only weapon regularly used by Skyrider captains before they had been drafted; Link would have probably obtained one if he had been in command of the Island Sonata for more than two days. Captains were only supposed to wear them in a battle situation, when there was a chance their ship might be boarded.

Link's eyes then wandered up to the man's face. He was an older man with wrinkles just starting to form. As they came closer together, Link realized that he had a glass eye hidden in the shadow of his brow, revealed when he glanced at Leynne. The glance also showed off the scars in the streetlight. One was a diagonal slash over the socket sporting the glass eye, another a frightening crescent starting from the bridge of his nose and curving around his good eye. His black hair was ruffled but at least looked clean. Link knew the man from the captains' portraits kept in the main hall of the Skyrider office, probably the only captain who had his portrait switched to reflect his new beauty marks.

"Good evening," Leynne greeted the man as they passed. Link flinched; he was not expecting Leynne to draw his attention.

The captain offered them an acknowledging nod. "Gentlemen."

"Evening, sir," Link said, trying to play off Leynne's politeness.

But the captain's attention had returned to his path, and Link took that moment to follow him with his eyes as the captain walked past. Link waited a little longer, glanced backwards, and then picked up his speed so he was walking beside Leynne again.

Leynne glanced down at him. "That was… unusual," he commented.

"Sorry, Leynne," Link replied. "I was just taking a moment to reign my soul back in place."

"I didn't think he was that frightening. Even if he is one of the men chasing us."

"That black ship that's been chasing us. I know what it is now. It's the Moon's Shadow; that was Captain North that just walked past us."

"This is a concehn?" Leynne asked, his voice trying to convey more confusion than sarcasm.

"He doesn't look like that because he's a nice guy. He's been shot, stabbed, and slashed so many times it's a wonder he's still alive."

Leynne was baffled for a moment, unsure how to respond as he repeatedly looked between Link and the road ahead. "I… I see. It sounds as if he… takes cah of the dihty wohk foh the company."

"The Moon's Shadow is one of only six armed vessels allowed to operate in the company. None of the other ships has a battle record like it. Captain North has probably sent more pirate ships down to the surface than most other airship captains combined."

"Ah. Nice fellow."

"Yeah, if you're on his side." Link heaved a sigh and glanced back over his shoulder. "This is bad. If Captain North has orders to sink us…"

Leynne glanced backwards. "Don't wohry," he told Link in a low voice. "If it comes to it, we can always have the Gelto kill him befoh he finds us."

Link nearly burst out laughing, but managed to reduce it to a humored chuckle. "Maybe," he said with a grin.

They continued to the docks, which were mostly empty of foot traffic since no one really wanted to wander around an area covered in fatal tripping hazards. They found that the Island Symphony was gone. This, Link decided, was perfect. Where the ship had been waiting, had it remained there, would have been immediately discovered due to the black ship, the Moon's Shadow, mooring on the next dock over. Link and Leynne observed the Moon's Shadow and her airmen for a moment from the dark nook between a pair of storehouses. Then they snuck through the storehouses and empty office buildings toward the opposite end of the docks. As they moved, the airmen from the Moon's Shadow became fewer until only the dockers working the night shift occupied the docks. Link and Leynne made sure that the coast was clear before coming into the open, and, even then, they stood at the far end so they did not attract unwanted attention.

Link relieved himself of the tattered robes and dropped them to the ground, finding it safe enough to be seen in his captain's tunic. He had worn only his sword for his protection, but he had an additional belt situated between his regular belt and the sword belt. From behind his back, he pulled a pistol out of the holster attached to this additional belt and examined it for a moment. Unlike a flintlock pistol, this pistol had a wide, short barrel and no kind of flashpan or frizzen. The hammer was a small piece built directly behind the barrel and appeared almost indistinguishable from the frame of the gun. He pressed down on a button on the underside of the frame just in front of the trigger guard and pushed down on the barrel, opening the breech. From the new belt, he then drew a shell and loaded it into the breech.

Slapping the barrel closed, he told Leynne, "Keep your eyes open. We don't know if this is gonna catch some attention." Leynne nodded, and Link approached the nearest dock.

He stood at the mouth of the dock where an airship's bow should be overlooking the ground. He used a thumb to pull the hammer back until it clicked, just as Dubbl had shown him hours earlier. Then he aimed at the open air between the docks and, with some hesitation, pulled the trigger.

Fzzzzzzzzzzz! The initial sound startled him as a stream of dark smoke blew out of the barrel, and he pointed the gun at the ground as he tried to watch the progression of the shell he had just fired. At first, he wondered if it had failed. Then the air beneath the docks suddenly glowed bright red as a single point erupted into scarlet light.

"Subtle," Leynne spoke up, still standing away from the docks. Link turned to look at him. "They would have to be looking straight at it in ohdeh to notice it."

"Yeah," Link agreed. He placed the gun back in the holster and walked back over to Leynne. "The question is whether the ship spotted it or not."

Leynne crossed his arms. "I'm not wohried. We have some very attentive aihmen, and we did arrange this befohhand."

Link nodded and glanced down the docks toward the Moon's Shadow, although he was not able to see it between the distance and the dark. His description of Captain North may have been a bit over-the-top even by his own admission, but he was no less concerned about being pursued by that man. Link had only ever met the captain once or twice, although they had never been introduced; Link had just happened to be on-deck when North had boarded to speak with Captain Alfonzo. He doubted if North even remembered his face. Link had not really been important enough at the time to be introduced to another captain.

A half-hour must have passed before anything happened. The dockers had been ignoring the green-clad airship captain, so Link and Leynne were surprised by a figure jogging toward them.

In fact, someone else was surprised at the sight as well.

Link and Leynne both jerked their heads in the direction they heard pronounced footsteps. They only had a second to recognize the bar girl before another figure dove out of the space between a pair of nearby storehouses. The bar girl stopped with a jerk as this swifter person wrapped one arm around her chest and placed a glint of steel to her neck.

"No!" both Link and Leynne shouted as they ran forward, hands held out to help signal the Gelto airman to stop. The bar girl stood locked in position, her suitcase dropped on the ground next to her.

"No, don't!"

"Let heh go!"

"She's a friend!"

"She's a passengeh!"

"She's coming with us!"

"Don't huht heh!"

But Layna, as revealed when they were close enough to see her face, maintained an emotionless scowl as she listened to the incoherent ramblings of her superiors. The bar girl mouthed help to them as carefully as possible, trying to avoid touching the circular blade under her jaw.

"Layna?" Link said as he cautiously approached. "Layna, let her go. Please."

"What a fine time foh heh not to undehstand Hylian…" Leynne commented.

"Layna," Link said. He mimed gently pushing something away with one hand. "Layna, move away from her. Let her go."

Layna glared at Link for a moment. Then she withdrew the blade and stepped away, revealing that she had exchanged her regular clothes for a black bodysuit decorated with straps and pockets.

The bar girl heaved a sigh of relief. "What… what just happened?" she asked Leynne, a slight tremor coloring her voice. She turned and looked at Layna. "Who-who are you?"

"An aihman who hasn't had heh rabies shot," Leynne said as he moved to stand between the two girls.

"We're sorry about that," Link said as he invited her closer with one hand. "We didn't know she was with us."

"Oh that she needed to be declawed," Leynne added.

Link glanced back toward the end of the dock to see the Island Symphony slowly drift into the dock. "Let's get everyone onboard before she feels the need to actually kill someone."

"If she hasn't already," Leynne said as he picked up the bar girl's suitcase.