"You're proposing an alliance?"

"I don't see as we have much choice. Not going is not an option, right?"

"Right."

My smile had grown with each reply. Raine had said that when it came down to it, Phaelan would be all business, and that he had hauled her out of trouble more than once. Trusting him had never been an issue. I realized something and chuckled.

"What?" Phaelan asked.

I told him what I'd said to Raine about my misgivings concerning him. To his credit, Phaelan sat sprawled in his chair, not in the least bit offended. In fact, he seemed to find it amusing.

"If I had a kugarat for every time someone underestimated me, I'd be even richer than I am now."

"I didn't exactly underestimate you," I said.

"I didn't even enter into your estimation at all. No offense taken. I'm a pirate, a very good pirate. What most people don't realize is that you have to be very proficient at many things to be a successful pirate. How to avoid being trapped on land after your ship has been blown to smithereens is one of them."

"This has happened to you before?"

Phaelan narrowed his eyes in thought. "Four...no, five times." He grinned and spread his hands. "I'm here and whole, meaning I escaped every time." The grin vanished. "I made sure my best men came through that mirror first, just in case something went wrong. The Guardians' mirror is broken and now so is the one here. I don't even want to think about how much bad luck we had dumped on us when that happened. The crew I've got is what I have, but they're not enough to sail the Kraken across the Sea of Kenyon. Also thanks to the Khrynsani, you have no ship, and half of your crew is dead. From what Raine told me, you and your people put a big dint in the Khrynsani population, nearly wiping them out."

"Not nearly close enough." I thought of Sandrina, her inner circle, and the Khrynsani mage who had vaporized the Wraith and nearly fifty men and women.

Phaelan stood and slung his sword belt into position. "Then what do you say we cross that oversized pond together so you and yours can finish the job?"

We weren't waiting until tomorrow to leave. High tide was in three hours, and we would be sailing with it.

Once again my survival depended on getting out of Regor as quickly as possible.

The Kraken stayed right where she was-moored near the entrance to the harbor along with the Raven and the Sea Wolf. We weren't about to risk bringing her any closer to shore. She could be destroyed by any number of means, but those were all mundane. Storms or cannon were all I wanted to worry about, and those were normal concerns for any ship going to sea. No one had carved a chunk out of the Kraken's hull, and no one would get the chance.

Since we now had only three ships, one sentry dragon and its pilot would return to their squadron. I left that choice to the senior officer, Calik Bakari. The other two dragons' pilots had saddled and prepped their mounts. Calik would follow on his dragon, Sapphira. They would fly them out to the ships and land them in the holds. The dozen firedrakes would be rowed out separately, four per ship.

My team had arrived. They were cloaked, hooded, and masked. If they were seen, they would be marked. Their identities couldn't be known to the public. Not yet, possibly not ever. I'd been forced out of Regor. They had been forced into hiding. We had the same impetus-a reason from our pasts to bring down and destroy the Khrynsani. Plus, they all had military backgrounds.

Each carried their weapons and a duffle containing clothing fit for where we'd be going, plus additional gear. Phaelan had assured me that all three ships carried more than enough weaponry to outfit double the number of people on board the ships. Weapons got broken and if they couldn't be repaired, they needed to be replaced. But like soldiers the world over, my team preferred their own.

They were given a wide berth as they loaded their gear in the next boat to go out to the Kraken. Mundanes felt the urge to get out of their way; lesser mages experienced the same compulsion, but they knew the reason for it. Dark power rolled in waves off of these three men and one woman.

Needless to say, I was no longer concerned with stealth. The Khrynsani knew what we were up to, and had blown the Wraith out of the water to keep us from doing it. I didn't know why they hadn't waited until we were in the middle of the harbor or out to sea and beyond hope of rescue. That was what I would have done. For whatever reason, they decided to do it when they did.

Imala and I had spoken with the remaining crew of the Wraith.

Then we introduced Phaelan as their captain for the voyage.

It went much better than I thought it would.

The crew of the Wraith were basically seagoing spies who gathered information in the ports they visited to benefit goblin intelligence and the secret service. Phaelan's crews did much the same thing, but to benefit the Benares family coffers and business interests. The remaining crew of the Wraith had no doubt gathered extensive information on the Benares family and Phaelan in particular. So it was almost as if they already knew him. They knew what kind of man he was, probably more so than I did.

They actually liked him-and he them.

I leaned down and whispered in Imala's right ear. "I think this is a good thing, but I'm not entirely sure."

"A combined crew of elves and goblins," Imala mused. "Most definitely a first. And from a tactical standpoint, a good idea. Goblins can take the night watch and elves the day."

Minutes later, Kesyn, Talon, and Agata arrived under full guard, courtesy of Imala. I had them take the boat out to the Kraken.

Everyone and everything being shuttled to the Kraken was being searched for magic-activated trackers or explosive devices. That included me. Though unlikely, someone could have gotten close enough to slip a tracking stone on us. If we blew up in the middle of the Sea of Kenyon, I wanted to die knowing I'd done everything possible, probable, or merely likely to have prevented it.

I'd assigned two of my team members to each of the other Benares ships. Bane Ahiga and Elsu Lenmana would be on the Raven and Dasant Kele and Malik Chiali would go to the Sea Wolf. Kesyn, Jash, and I could take care of the Kraken. The sentry dragon on each ship would be prepared to defend it. What had happened to the Wraith meant that we needed to be on guard against black magic attacks at any time throughout the voyage. If that happened, we needed to fight fire with fire, and I wasn't referring to cannons. We could signal quickly enough between ships, but I wanted help to be onboard in case of an attack. When dealing with black magic, a second could mean the difference between an unsuccessful attack and complete destruction.

Chapter 24.

All three ships had put on every yard of sail throughout the night to take advantage of the good winds that we'd encountered soon after leaving Regor's harbor. All hands had been needed. The crew remaining from the Wraith were assimilating well into Phaelan's half crew. Considering that the ship's operation and our very survival depended on a crew working seamlessly together, they'd had little choice. For the most part, the goblins would take the night watches, with the elves on duty during the day.

The goblins had pushed what had happened to the side as they did their jobs. Agents in goblin intelligence and the secret service took their lives into their hands on a daily basis. Living until retirement age as a field agent was virtually unheard of. They knew the dangers and took the risks. Still, to have nearly fifty men and women who you served with and worked beside every day be vaporized in an instant went beyond horrifying.

They had died in their sleep, or where they had been standing guard, with no chance to fight an enemy to defend themselves. The enemy had already been there, taken a piece of the Wraith, and left. The mage who had brought death to those men and women didn't look them in the eyes as he killed them. He or she had been in a closed room, risking nothing.

A coward.

A coward who would pay.

Imala had said she would keep me posted on the investigation via ship's telepath. I didn't expect that she would find any evidence or clues that would lead her to the mage who had worked that spell. They would have had to have been within five miles to have been guaranteed success. Regor was the capital city of the kingdom. There were thousands of people within five miles of the waterfront. But just because they wouldn't be found immediately didn't mean any of us would stop looking. We would never forget. Someone would talk; they always did.

The guilty would be found.

The crew of the Wraith would be avenged.

Having a ship vaporized within hours of leaving on an expedition made you forget a few things-like ensuring that your son who had only set foot on a ship once in his life took precautions against seasickness.

Though he was old enough to take responsibility for himself.

Or so I would've thought.

With full-blooded goblins, it was difficult to tell by looking at them if they were about to feed the fishes.

Talon was half-elf. His skin was a paler gray than a full-blooded goblin's. Right now he was obviously green. It wasn't a good color on him.

Luckily we had two ship's doctors-one goblin and one elf. Phaelan had said he'd had his most important crew sent through the mirror first. I was grateful he'd considered his doctor indispensable-though he had come through the mirror after the gunners. Between the two doctors, they determined the best treatment for a seasick goblin/elf. They had recommended that Talon come up on deck and get some fresh air while they mixed a tonic for him.

While at our family's country estate, Talon had fallen in love with our hunting firedrakes, and they with him. He had spent as much time as he could out with them. He'd already spoken to Calik about helping to take care of them on the voyage. Calik had agreed. It would help him to have more time for his sentry dragon, Sapphira, and it would give Talon something productive to keep him occupied and hopefully out of trouble.

One of the drakes had already adopted Talon as his own. Indigo was a deep blue, almost purple firedrake with black stripes. Since the drakes considered the ship their nest, there was no danger in them flying off. Indigo had taken to staying with Talon. He was presently perched on the ship's railing that Talon was leaning over.

Talon had just managed to raise his head from where he'd been hanging it over the side. I had a firm grip on his belt.

Even with the tonic, Talon wouldn't be guaranteed of keeping food on his stomach. The doctors had a draught for that problem, too-nutrient-rich and quickly digested. I hoped Talon would adjust and wouldn't need it, but I wasn't holding my breath. The sea was shallow here, just west of Rheskilia's northernmost islands, and today the sea was smooth as glass. As we neared the Lastani Islands, we'd likely run into rough seas. That'd be the true test of the tonic-and Talon's stomach.

I had a spell that would help, but it also had the unfortunate side effect of grogginess. If Sandrina knew we were coming-and I was now sure that she did-I wanted Talon to have all of his wits about him.

The Wraith being destroyed was proof that someone didn't want us reaching Aquas. Sandrina and any allies she might have in Regor had access to telepaths the same as we did. If so, she knew the Wraith had been destroyed, but that the expedition had set sail ahead of schedule.

She would try again. Whether using magic means, mundane, or both, Sandrina wasn't about to give up. When she did, I wanted Talon able to not only defend himself, but help protect the ship and crew as well.

Kesyn had said Talon was strong. I'd seen enough firsthand evidence to know that for myself. I also had no doubt about his control, his ability to hold on to a spell once he launched it. Controlling his impulses was where he needed work-a lot of work. Becoming a mage was equal parts knowing when and when not to use magic than having the necessary strength for more advanced work. And as I knew from my own experience, such knowledge didn't necessarily come with age. I'd had to hit rock bottom only a few years ago before realizing that I was in trouble.

My parents weren't mages, so there was only so much they could do to rein in a magically precocious son.

I was determined that things would be different with Talon.

Whether he liked it or not.

I knew that pushing too hard could be just as bad as not stepping in at all. It was a fine line I would be walking, but it was a journey I was determined to get right.

Starting with this voyage.

Our first morning at sea had dawned unnecessarily and ferociously bright. All of the goblins and many of the elves were wearing heavily tinted glasses. Talon had narrowly avoided having his fall off when he'd had to quickly lean over the side.

Agata Azul strolled toward us, dressed in one of my mother's sets of leathers. Agata must have been slightly larger in a few places. I knew this because I was a keen observer of my surroundings, and my powers of observation couldn't help but notice the laces were being pulled in some rather intriguing directions.

Talon shakily stood up and leaned on the ship's rail. He'd noticed, too. In fact, his noticing put some much-needed color back in his cheeks.

Kesyn had introduced his present student to his former student on the dock before they'd gotten into the boat to be rowed out to the Kraken. Agata had been her usual cool and collected self.

Talon? Not so much. He actually stumbled over a word or two. He recovered quickly, but not quickly enough. I'd heard it, Kesyn had heard it, and most importantly to Talon, Agata had heard it.

He'd tried to be smooth after that, even helping Agata into the boat-though completely lacking in sea legs, he'd needed it more than she did. Once on board, he tried to affect indifference, but failed miserably. Surprisingly, Agata had sought him out twice now, whether from pity at him being violently ill or actual interest, I couldn't tell.

"Dammit," Talon managed.

"Dammit, what?"

"I'm sick."

"I think everyone knows that." I paused and smiled in realization. "Ah, Agata's strolling over, and it's hard to be suave while hanging over the side of a ship."

As Agata walked toward us now, Talon groaned dramatically and sank to a crate near the rail. He risked a quick glance at her out of the corner of his eyes.

I rolled mine. If you can't be suave, evoke pity.

I leaned down to Talon's ear. "Just don't throw up on her."

Talon went pale, no acting needed. "I didn't think of that."

"Be sure to get your face over the rail before it happens. And get a good grip on the rail, not her. Dragging her overboard with you won't earn you any points."

"Noted."

I looked up and saw the goblin doctor arrive with a cup. Saved by the tonic.

I patted Talon on the shoulder. "Help has arrived. Behave yourself, I'm going below."

Chapter 25.

Those who could were below for some much-needed rest after having been up since noon yesterday, getting crew, passengers, dragons, and supplies loaded on the Kraken and then setting sail. We'd need all hands soon enough; the crew needed to sleep while they could.

The Kraken didn't have much room for passengers. In fact, there was only one passenger cabin, and that went to Agata Azul. I would be sharing the captain's cabin with Phaelan, Talon, Jash, and Kesyn-that is, if the old man had found a way to keep his snoring under control. If not, Jash and I told him we'd string a hammock for him on deck. That way, those of us below could get some sleep, and the crew topside would have no choice but to stay awake.

Sharing the captain's quarters had been Phaelan's idea. He'd insisted, especially when it became obvious that Talon didn't have sea legs. As he put it, "The kid will need fresh air."

Phaelan Benares rose even further in my estimation.

I pulled up a chair to a small table. Normally, I'd have read in bed, or in this case my hammock, but I wasn't about to lie down with a book written by Rudra Muralin. I wanted to be able to get away from it quickly, not get tangled in a canvas sack.

I'd brought a set of my usual court clothes with me in case I needed to look presentable. After trudging across miles of rocky wasteland, I seriously doubted my wardrobe choices would be anywhere near the top of my needs, but I was Chigaru and Mirabai's representative. If we encountered civilization, I needed to have the means to present myself properly.

But on the Kraken, I wore shirt, trousers, and boots topped by a light canvas coat that offered highly desirable inner pockets for an assortment of weapons both magical and mundane that I wasn't going anywhere without.

I'd hidden the book in a warded inner pocket. I'd wanted to put off examining Rudra's little book of evil until after I'd had sufficient sleep, but what had been done to the Wraith had changed my plans. I didn't know for certain that it was evil, but it had been written by Rudra and hidden by Sarad, so I felt safe in assuming it wasn't a collection of nursery rhymes.

Sometimes books fought back, especially volumes of black magic. Khrynsani black magic books always fought back. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that you were literally taking your life into your hands when you opened a book written by a Khrynsani dark mage.

I knew I'd be multiplying my risk by ten opening a book written by Rudra Muralin.

It would be bad.

If you wanted to delve into the mysteries of black magic, breaking the code on books was a talent you either developed or paid for. Men and women who had the gift could name their price for their services. I would have done the same if I had been in their line of business. They risked their lives and even their immortal souls every time they opened an encrypted book. They deserved to be paid accordingly. But some volumes they wouldn't touch for any price.