The Wicked House of Caroline

“So, they finally learned their lesson.” Sybil sat on a wooden chair on the deck of her ship and took a sip of the fruit wine her aunt had brought. Just a few days away from Stromwal and the climate was completely different. The skies were almost clear, with only a few wisps of white clouds in the distance.

The waters were calm and two ships floated beside each other peacefully. Around them, a half dozen more ships were anchored nearby.

“It’s more that they want to limit their losses,” Great Aunt Rebecca replied as seemed to polish the top of her kraken cane with her sleeve. “They lost too many ships and the merchants and nobles were complaining that the trade routes were not secure.”

“Let them continue to be insecure for a while longer,” Beks said as she knelt beside a large chest filled with leather folios wrapped around bundles of paper. She opened three random folios, skimmed through a few pages without a word, and then bundled them back up. “Mommy, please have them bring this chest to your quarters.”

Sybil nodded and motioned for one of her crew to call someone to carry the large chest away.

“Grandniece, what did you buy that you needed to have picked up at the Port of Black Sands?” Great Aunt Rebecca asked with interest. Now that Beks had unlocked and opened it, it didn’t seem to contain anything rare like jewels or coins.

“Information I’ve collected about the past oracles and several noble families that are well connected to the Temple,” Beks replied.

Great Aunt Rebecca clicked her tongue and shook her head. “I’m afraid those who are so close to the Temple won’t side with your Brother King.”

“I know, Great Aunt. It isn’t for the purpose for winning them over, but for defending against them.”

Her Great Aunt gave her a satisfied nod of her head. “Good! That’s right! Don’t trust anyone! You never know when someone will try to take advantage of you or trick you, so you must keep your guard up! One never knows when they’ll be accosted by an annoying man who happens to have a good face and mouth on him....”

She muttered the last part with some bitterness and Beks squinted her eyes, mirroring her mother’s expression.

“Auntie,” her mother said with a tired sigh as she lowered her flask. “He didn’t trick me-”

“My love, I caught a fish! Didn’t you say you like this kind of fish best? Take a look before I send it to the galley!” Robert of Caroline rushed down the stairs from the quarter deck, dragging a massive fish still struggling to live behind him. His face was bright and excited, almost asking in silence for his wife to praise him for a job well done.

Sybil turned her head towards her aunt. “It’s not just his face and mouth that are good,” she said as she stood up. “He also has a good heart.” She turned her attention towards her husband and smiled. “Is that tuna? How did you remember?”

Beks cracked a smile as her father puffed up, but retained that warmth in his eyes as he looked at her mother. “How can I not? I know all your favorites. Orange like the sunrise, seafood over rice with a slight spice, silk over cotton and wool, and you would prefer to go barefoot everywhere if the surfaces didn’t hurt your feet.”

Her mother’s face softened at her father’s ramblings. She looked over her shoulder, at her Great Aunt, and almost smirked. “He has a good head, too.”

She then helped Robert carry the fish to the galley while trying to decide how she’d like her tuna prepared.

Beks looked back at her Great Aunt. “Daddy does love her a lot.”

Despite her Great Aunt’s earlier annoyed look, her expression softened as she leaned back against her chair and rested her cane over her lap. “I find him annoying and needy, but he is sincere to your mother.”

Beks nodded. “He loves her more than life.”

“No, my dear,” Great Aunt Rebecca told her as she closed her eyes and tilted her wide brim hat forward to shade her face before she rested. “Robert almost died in our presence once, it was before your mother accepted his advances. Your mother was in the midst of a battle and knowing that she’d become distraught if the fool died, as he closed his eyes and seemed to succumb to the inevitable, I told him there would never be a chance for Sybil of Blythaus to become Sybil of Caroline if he died then. I should’ve kept my mouth shut.”

Beks chuckled. “He woke up?”

“I said her name once while he was at death's door and he came back,” the pirate queen told her. “Robert of Caroline’s love for your mother is stronger than death,” Beks smiled as her heart swelled. As she turned around to return to the captain’s cabin to focus on the documents she received, she heard her Great Aunt say one more thing. “I hope you also one day be loved the same.”

Beks paused in midstep. She lowered her head. If she were being honest, it wasn’t something she ever considered would happen to her. In an arranged marriage, it was foolish to ask for love.

You are ours and we are yours.

Her heart tightened. Foolish to ask, but not against it.

She returned to the captain’s chamber and found that the chest had been conveniently placed beside the table. Laurence was at one end of the table, writing with several papers in front of him. A look of concentration graced his face and for a moment, Beks was reminded that there could be no other King than her Brother Laurence.

“Do you mind me joining you while you go through your things?” Laurence asked without looking up.

“How did you know I’d come here and look through them?”

The corners of his lips curled with a grin as his eyes crinkled. “They just delivered the chest and said it belongs to you. I know how you are; you pretend to be calm when you receive something, but will tear open a present as soon as you’re in the privacy of your own room.”

Beks rolled her eyes. “This isn’t a present.”

He raised his brow knowingly. “Are you excited to go through it?”

Her lips tightened into a line and she didn’t want to confirm his accusation. She gritted her teeth. “Yes.”

Laurence laughed. “Then it’s the same thing, isn’t it?”

Beks gave him a light scoff. “You don’t have to leave. I won’t bother you.”

He gave her an amused nod and returned to his work. Beks sat on the chair beside it and unlocked it before taking out leather folio after leather folio to find the copy of oracle histories.

When she first got her original copy back at the Old Tower, she had focused on the Tenth Oracle first and worked her way up to the most current one. Between her work, family, and the chaos that Luther brought into her life, she never finished reading.

She laid out the thick leather packet with the histories of the Oracle and opened it. This time, she was going to memorize the pages. All of them.

Once they were burned into her mind, she could access them at any time, as well as properly review and reference them.

Aside from the creaking of the ship and the gentle scrape of Laurence’s ink pen on parchment, the quarters were filled with the sound of shifting paper. If anyone walked in, all they would see is a man hunched over writing and a woman on the other side of the table, flipping page after page, as if just taking a glance at it.

However, even just ‘taking a glance’ at a sheet, without really reading it or comprehending its contents, became time consuming when there was an entire chest full of papers.

“I admit, I am a bit jealous.” Deo’s voice came from the threshold of the entrance as he stood in the doorframe and crossed his arms over his chest. “Looking at the two of you so engrossed in paperwork, it almost seems as if Beks is your sister and not mine.”

His comment was not without basis. The two had dutifully rooted themselves in the captain’s chambers for three days, only breaking for meals and sleep. Beks was more than halfway through the chest and Laurence had prepared multiple routes of reconquest.

Laurence looked up from the table with a slight smirk. “Well, she has been with me longer.”

“Not to mention that her work habits resemble yours.” Lady Eleanor squeezed past Deo to get in. In her arms was a wooden tray with two large bowls, cups, and utensils. “I’ve always said you two are like siblings born of different mothers. Not even the twins or Luther resemble you as much when you two are working.”

“Bookworms,” Deo said with a snort. Beks rolled her eyes.

“Someone has to do the office work,” she said as she continued to shift through the papers.

“As important as that is, you can’t do work if you don’t have enough energy. Take a break and eat,” she said. She stopped by the center of the table, far enough away from both ends where if the contents of the bowls or cups spilled, it wouldn’t get to the papers stacked on the tabletop.

Laurence smiled and collected his work into a pile before getting up. His fiancée placed the bowls and cups on the tables and he walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

“Thank you.” He pressed his head against the side of hers and kissed her.

“Please don’t do this here,” Beks said with dull eyes. “I want to eat.”

Deo barely muffled his choked laugh. Lady Eleanor giggled; her cheeks flushed red. “Don’t worry, we will be restrained.”

Beks squinted her eyes and looked at them suspiciously. Laurence sighed. “All right, I’ll go eat outside. I need the fresh air.”

“You also need to do some walks around the deck. You’re still recovering. Sitting in the dim cabin all day isn’t going to help,” Lady Eleanor told him with a bit of scolding. Laurence smiled at her and nodded.

“I will do as my future queen says.”

Lady Eleanor flushed once more and Beks sighed as she moved to another part of the table to eat. Deo shot the would-be royal couple a disgusted look before bringing Beks’ bowl and cup to her. When they left, Deo took a seat.

“How much more do you have to memorize?” he asked. Beks could almost hear the pity in his voice. Her brother wasn’t someone who liked to study, at least from books, so she could understand.

“Just two more.”

Deo looked over to the chest and Beks avoided his eyes, trying to focus on her stew. Her words made it sound as if there wasn’t much left, but each leather packet was as thick as her palm. It wasn’t all endless text, like a book. There were many charts, maps, and lists included. Still, it was intimidating to someone who wasn’t used to it.

“We’ll arrive in the West Islands in two days. Daddy wants to take us around to see where Mommy grew up,” her brother told her.

Beks nodded. “I should be done by then.” She can then devote her attention to the family outing. She paused mid scoop of the wooden spoon and looked up. “Is Daddy excited?”

“He is debating whether or not to ask His Majesty if we can delay the return to Gurani Island in order to spend more time in the West Islands,” Deo said with a tired sigh. “Mommy said they can come back another time. She doesn’t want to delay.”

“Brother Laurence will agree to a few days if Daddy asks him, but I know he wants to get to the island to talk with Laz and Lucian about proceeding with contacting allies in the kingdom,” Beks said.

Deo smirked. “That’s what Mommy said. Besides, it will take at least a day or two to have the ships supplied for the remainder of the journey. Those who have family on the islands will also have time to see them.”

“Does Great Aunt still plan to remain?”

“She is still the commander of Maritime Legacy. She can’t escort us forever,” Deo said as he leaned back against his seat. “But, I think she’s happy to be able to spend time with her only living blood relations.”

Beks narrowed her eyes a bit. “I should’ve spent more time with her.”

Deo shook his head. “She knows that you are busy. She even told Daddy not to bother you.”

Beks hummed and continued to finish her stew. As she neared the bottom of the wooden bowl, the door was thrown, and Wrath rushed with Laurence and Lady Eleanor behind her. Beks looked up and furrowed her brows. From the looks on their faces, they weren’t coming to return to work.

Deo rose from his seat. “What’s wrong?”

“Kadmus naval warships are approaching,” Lady Eleanor said as she stood at the doorway and peered out. From within, Beks could see that the crew outside had begun mobilizing.

“Warships? How many?” Beks put her now empty bowl down and stood up.

“Three, each with three cruisers escorting them,” Lady Eleanor reported.

Deo frowned. “How far?”

“They were just spotted approaching fast on the horizon,” Lady Eleanor looked over her shoulder towards them. “Maritime Legacy’s escort ships are pulling anchor to get into a defensive position.”

“I thought that the Kadmus navy had been ordered to return to territorial waters and focus on the seat trade routes?” Beks said with narrowed eyes. “We’re not anywhere near Kadmus waters.”

“For several warships and their escorts to come this far even after the official recall order has been made, I would guess that they’ve come for the reason of targeting pirates,” Laurence replied as he stood by the table and frowned. “There is precedent of small batches of naval units seeking out particularly aggressive pirates as a preventative measure.”

“How is it preventative with the pirates vastly outnumbering and out weapon them?” Lady Eleanor replied with a low growl. “They’ll be destroyed!”

“Inky and Octavius weren’t subtle in their prior attacks,” Beks added. “By now, they should know that Maritime Legacy have sea beasts.” Inky the Leviathan and Octavius the Kraken weren’t the only sea beasts, either, though they were the two with them.

“They’ve been sent away by your mother and Great Aunt’s orders,” Laurence replied. “Something’s wrong.”

Wrath curled up on the bed and hugged her favorite book. “They sent Inky and Octavius to deal with the war ships first, but they came back.”

Beks cocked her head, unsure why they would. She turned to look at Lady Eleanor for explanation.

Lady Eleanor seemed frazzled as she knit her brows. “Captain Lyone said that there is something dumped into the water that affects leviathans and krakens.”

“Liver of some sort of shark,” Laurence added.

“Great Trench Shark,” Wrath said from the bed. “It makes other sea beasts go crazy.”

In order to avoid harming the sea beasts and possibly being caught in a frenzy, her mother and Great Aunt sent the two beasts away. This mean that they’d have to deal with the navy the traditional way.

“I’ll go on deck to help,” Deo said before rushing out of the room.

“Where is Thad?” Beks asked.

“He was on another ship practicing wind biha,” Wrath said. “Mommy has called him back.”

Beks adjusted her clothes. She looked down, satisfied that she’d thrown on pants this morning instead of a dress. She grabbed the papers on the table and haphazardly wrapped them back in their leather covers before piling them back into the chest. She slammed it closed and turned the lock before marching towards the door.

Lady Eleanor blocked her. “Where do you think you’re going?” she asked with a frown. “It’s not safe on deck right now, Beks. That’s why they sent us here!”

Beks shook her head. “They’ll use their biha to defend and attack. I need to refill biha where I can.”

Lady Eleanor didn’t move from her spot.

“Elle,” Laurence said from the table. He gave her a solemn nod. “Let her go.”

Lady Eleanor bit her lower lips and hesitated for a moment before finally stepping to the side. As Beks walked past, she grabbed her arm and met Beks’ gaze with firm, worried eyes. “Don’t do anything risky.”

Beks picked up her harness that was on a hook outside the door and held it against her. “I can only do my best.”

She pulled away and rushed out onto the deck, afraid Lady Eleanor would grab her and drag her back inside. She called for a crew member to help her latch the harness in place once she pulled it on. The metal latch was hooked on to her front and she rushed up the stairs to the quarter deck.

“The escort ships can outmaneuver the warships, but the warships will have more fire power than us,” she heard her mother say as she, her father, brother, and Great Aunt were standing on the bow, looking towards the fast-approaching ships.

“Then let them keep the cruisers busy. Kraken’s Whip and Leviathan’s Throne will focus on the warships. Can you separate them?” Great Aunt Rebecca asked her mother.

Sybil narrowed her eyes. “I can, but they’ll need to get closer if I’m going to reach them.”

“You focus on separating the ships,” Robert said. “When they’re far enough apart, Deo and I will set fire to the sails.”

“They’ll be dead in the water and we’ll be able to attack them easier,” Deo added.

“How close do they need to be?” Beks asked as she walked behind each person and placed a hand on their shoulder, filling their biha wells. “First mate!” She turned to fill the biha well of her mother’s first mate, who was at the wheel.

“I’d say at least within four ships’ length,” her mother replied. “Beks, I will need you to keep my well full.”

Beks nodded and stood to the side, out of the way.

Great Aunt let out a whistle and a colorful bird seemed to drop from the sky and then throw out its wings to glide just as it neared them. “Escorts focus on cruiser. Kraken on a warship,” Great Aunt Rebecca told the colorful bird. It let out a squawk and then, in a raspy voice, repeated the words.

Beks’ brows shot up. “Since when did they talk?”

The bird flapped its wings and flew into the sky, sweeping over the water to get to the Kraken’s Whip, which had drifted further away.

Her Great Aunt chuckled. “They’re good at repeating messages. Convenient when you can’t write a note.”

“Auntie, prepare to intercept any cannons. When they’re near enough, I’ll flood the ports.”

“Of course.”

Beks scanned the deck and then looked towards the other ships. She could see their escort ships move in front of them. The colorful bird flew from one to the other and the ships adjusted their course, opening up the waters in front of the two main ships.

Her mother needed open space and a clear view of the incoming ships.

“Robert-”

“Yes, Auntie!”

“Don’t call me that. And send out three flares.” Without looking away from the horizon, Great Aunt Rebecca gave an order. Robert didn’t hesitate and immediately punched his fists into the sky, sending up three balls of fire.

In the distance, shouting was heard as their escort ships began to move forward and fan out. Beks squinted and saw a figure hovering in the air.

Before she could register that it was Thad, he seemed to fall at a measured rate onto one of the escort ships. A moment later, he was up in the air again and this time, moving off the ship and over the water, towards another escort ship.

Thad can fly now? It wasn’t so much flying as Thad was using wind biha to hop ships. Still, to someone who couldn’t properly manipulate biha at all, it was impressive. Besides, Gerard could focus his biha to make wind that could topple trees, but he couldn’t fly.

“What took him so long?” Deo said as he turned and squinted in his brother’s direction.

“News likely only got to him,” their mother replied. She frowned. “Thad’s biha well isn’t fully developed to push himself this far. He’s only just learned to stay floating for a short period.”

“If he falls, I’ll catch him,” Great Aunt Rebecca said.

Beks kept her eyes on her brother, though she was helpless to do anything if he did run out of biha and fall. He was one ship away from the Kraken’s Whip on their right and stopped on the escort ship, likely to take a rest. Beks frowned.

“He should stay there,” she said in a low voice. It was too dangerous for him to push himself, as he could run out of biha while at a high height and plummet.

After a few moments, Thad jumped into the air, but this time, a man was with him. Beks let out a sigh of relief seeing her brother’s biha master holding him up to carry him the rest of the way. Master Zilar’s biha well wasn’t as large, but he was much more precise and used less biha for the same task.

They were almost to the Kraken’s Whip when someone’s shouting rang out. Beks whipped her head to the side just in time to see a streaming ball of water flying through the air, towards her brother and Master Zilar.

“Thaddeus!” Sybil shouted and Great Aunt Rebecca swept in front of her.

With her cane in one hand, she raised her hands and a wall of water rose between Thad and the water ball. The water wall churned and as the water ball slammed into it, it was swept up in the movement, preventing it from pushing through and hitting Master Zilar and Thad.

“What was that?” Deo choked out as he looked towards the warships. They weren’t close enough for their mother to redirect with water.

“Give me the spyglass!” Robert held out his hand and the First Mate tossed the spyglass to Deo, who gave it to their father. The middle-aged man lifted it to one eye and closed the other. Beks watched as his large hands seemed to grip the tool. His jaw clenched.

“What is it?” Sybil asked. Robert lowered the spyglass and spat out a name behind gritted teeth.

“Admiral Adjutor.”

“What was that? Where is Thad?” Laurence’s voice came from the stairs. “We saw the water coming towards him from the window below!”

“Get back in the chamber!” Sybil shouted.

“Thad landed on the Kraken’s Whip,” Great Aunt Rebecca said without looking at Laurence. “Stay below and wait!”

“Brother, the warships are being led by Admiral Adjutor,” Beks said just as Laurence turned around. He froze in mid step and his hand clenched the railing. Beks felt her stomach drop at his change in countenance. “Brother?”

Laurence grit his teeth. He whirled around. “Adjutor was on suspension before I was in a coma. He dared to proceed with his will despite my rejecting his proposal.”

“What was his proposal?” Deo asked with narrowed eyes.

Beks ran through all the proposals she could think of related to the navy, but couldn’t remember any connected with an Admiral Adjutor. That meant that the proposal was not presented in court and instead, presented to Laurence in private. She felt her limbs grow cold.

There were very few things presented to a monarch in private, including confidential military experiments.

She looked at Laurence with trepidation as he answered. “Adjutor demanded a policy where anyone with water biha affinity would be forced to join the navy to be taught to use their water biha for attack purposes. I didn’t agree, as my mother did not want to force conscription of any kind on the recovering population. In addition, water biha users can be used in other places.”

It was one thing if water biha users joined the navy, but to be rounded up and forced from their families? It wouldn’t sit well with the citizens of the kingdom, especially when there were very few who had biha wells large enough to create a strong or consistent attack. What good would forcing water biha users with minimal strength to become human weapons on a ship?

“So that’s what he’s doing....” Sybil said in a low voice. She narrowed her eyes.

Explosions ran out as the escort ships and the cruisers began to meet. Sybil yelled for Laurence to return to the captain’s chamber. The three warships pushed forward and Beks saw water being pulled from the sea on either side of the foremost ship.

Great Aunt Rebecca let out a snort. “Sailors aren’t the same as being of the sea,” she muttered under her breath. She stepped forward, still clutching her kraken topped cane in one hand as she lifted her arms. She held them out at her side and then threw them forward, pointing both her hand and the cane at the oncoming ships. “Why remove the water from the sea when the entire sea can be at your whim!”

A ripple appeared in the water and began moving forward quickly. The ripple grew larger, turning into a wave, and steadily increased in size until it almost blocked the warship from view. Beks’ watched as her Great Aunt seemed to use her hands and cane to manipulate parts of the wave to rise up and block any low flying water ball launched from the war ships.

On the center of the bow, Sybil stared intensely at the horizon, her arms at her side. She slowly moved her arms forward. The wave split in two.

“Robert, light the sails of the leftmost ship!” Sybil shouted.

Behind her, Robert’s gray eyes fixed on the furthest ship from them. He narrowed his gaze and after a few moments, drew his head back. “Deo!”

“Understood!” Her brother rushed to the railing and held out his hands. Deo couldn’t set fire to objects from a distance, but as long as there was fire, he could manipulate it from a greater distance than their father.

Beks hadn’t seen where the fire had started, but Deo had.

Within moments, smoke was coming from the bottom of the largest sail on the center mast. Flames shot into the sky and lit the other sails on fire. Once there was fire, it couldn’t be stopped.

The ship was turned away, pushed to the side by a wave so strong and violent, it nearly pushed the ship on its side.

“Rightmost ship!” Sybil yelled. She threw her arms to the side and another wave built up, rushing towards the other ship.

It was too late for the other ship to react upon seeing the incoming wave. Yelling could be heard, and they seemed to want to readjust the sails to get away from the bulk of the wave’s force. But what were sails but flammable sheets?

Fire engulfed the second ship’s sales so quickly; it was obvious that someone was forcing it.

The center warship continued to attack with water. The closer they got, the stronger the water pressure to the point that the ship rocked when it was hit. Beks ran to fill the biha of those all around her, allowing for a steady stream of biha to be used. The same could not be done for Kadmus’ navy.

“The water attacks are slowing down!” Deo shouted.

“Of course, they are. They don’t have a Beks with them to keep their biha wells full! Attacks can only last so long!” Great Aunt Rebecca yelled back.

The sails on the center ship burst into flames.

The biha users on the warship turned their attention to trying to put out the fire. Without the sails, the warship could only sit and try to defend itself. The cannons were useless, as in order to stop them, Sybil had flooded the gunports when she sent waves to ram against the ship. The water was continuous, making it difficult for anyone to get near the gunports, let alone the cannon to load it.

This was a common tactic used by water biha users of Maritime Legacy. In order to protect their own ships from damage from cannon fire, they would make it so that no one could use a cannon. In the best-case scenario, the levels with the gunports would be flooded.

Without weapons to defend themselves and no sails to retreat, the choices were either to sit and die or die while doing as much damage as possible.

Beks was not surprised when the warship was turned towards them.

Great Aunt Rebecca turned and shoved her arms forward, towards the Kraken’s Whip. The wave was not as strong as Sybil’s, but it was enough to move the ship further away. Sybil yelled for Leviathan’s Throne to prepare for impact. Her focus was on keeping the gunports disabled.

As strong as she was, she could not do two things at once. The amount of control she was using required an enormous amount of concentration.

Great Aunt Rebecca turned and tried to use another wave to direct the one coming warship, but it was too close and there was not enough room to build up a wave strong enough.

Beks’ eyes widened and she ran to the edge of the quarter deck. “Get them out of the captain’s quarters!”

The door below burst open and Lady Eleanor ran out holding Laurence’s hand. She pulled him along as Laurence held Wrath in one arm. The little girl had her eyes shut and clung to Laurence with one arm around his neck while clutching her book in the other.

“Beks, move to the stern!” Deo grabbed her arm to pull her away. Robert was shouting at Sybil to step back; that they wouldn’t be able to use the cannons so soon.

Beks reached for the latch at her chest to release herself from the rope in case the ship went down. Her hands were wet and she fumbled with the latch.

“Beks!” She heard someone yell her name and felt something slam into her back, knocking the air out of her. She let out a wheeze as she was flung to the side, across the quarter deck. Water pooled around her and Beks laid on her side, trying to push herself up.

Pain shot through her, as if all the muscles on her back were on fire. She let out a heavy gasp as she clawed onto the floor to steady herself.

“Get up, child! We Lyones only die on our terms, and I now you do not consent to this!” A blade slammed in front of her and began cutting at the rope. Beks looked up and saw her Great Aunt with a look of concentration across her face. Her gloved hands gripped the legs of the kraken wrapped around her cane. The sheath had been removed, revealing the blade within.

The last thread was cut off and before Great Aunt Rebecca could grab Beks, the rope snapped. She leaned back in surprise to avoid it, not realizing the stairs were behind her.

“Great Aunt!” Beks reached for her, but the old woman fell backwards. Her kraken cane-sword landed in front of Beks and began to roll.

Forgetting about the pain on her back, Beks pushed herself up and stumbled a step. She saw her Great Aunt caught by her brother. She relaxed for a moment and let out a breath of relief.

She didn’t see the horror on their faces or register their shouting. She heard the creaking behind her and whirled around to see a massive ship graze the bow of her mother’s ship, tearing off the figurehead of a sea beast and railing. The collision shook the ship and Beks, already unsteady and on a wet deck, slipped. She fell forward, her arms shooting up to brace herself as she hit the floor.

As she lifted her head, she saw the warship pass, taking pieces of wood from Leviathan's Throne with it. She wanted to duck and cover her head to shield herself from the snapping debris that flew in all directions, but a rolling sliver of metal caught her eye.

Her Great Aunt’s cane was tumbling in front of her. Her eyes dilated. It was going to fall into the ocean.

Her instinct was to stop it. Her Great Aunt carried that came with her everywhere; it was important. Her wet hand grabbed the handle as it rolled past. She didn’t realize that it wasn’t rolling because it had fallen from her Great Aunt’s hand. The ship lurched forward, pulled down by the passing warship.

And Beks slid down with it. Her eyes widened as she saw the broken, jagged edges of wood that had its railing torn off. She pulled the cane against her and shut her eyes.

She was going to be crushed between the ships.

For a moment, she felt weightless, before her body slammed into something and the chaotic sounds around her were muffled at once. Her body remained weightless and Beks opened her eyes.

A large piece of wood passed less than an arm’s length from her face.

She opened her mouth and screamed, only to see bubbles shooting out of her mouth. Upon the realization that she’d fallen into the sea, Beks snapped her mouth shut. Salt water with an oddly bitter taste filled her mouth and she waved her arms around. She began to sink and panic filled her.

Beks tilted her head up. She could see light coming from the surface and make out the vague shadows of ships. Despite not wanting to be crushed, she needed air. She didn’t want to drown, either. She began to kick her legs and move her arms downwards in an effort to push herself up.

Her lungs were starting to burn and her body ached. She continued to kick and wave her arms. The surface didn’t seem to be getting closer. She clenched her hands and realized she was still gripping on to her Great Aunt’s cane. She refused to let it go despite it being an additional weight.

She threw her arms down, pointing the cane at her feet.

Once more, she cursed herself. Why couldn’t she use biha correctly? What was the point of having so much and being unable to use it?

Useless! Useless! Gritting her teeth, she forced biha from her hands.

Her right arm shot up.

Beks barely had time to lift her head, as she hadn’t moved her arm.

It was pushed up.

Her eyes widened as she saw the fast-approaching surface in front of her. A visible stream of water was seen and could be felt coming from her right hand, which was still gripping the cane.

Her fingers were tight around the tentacles wrapping around the handle while the base of her hand touched the kraken’s head.

Was her Great Aunt’s cane a device to propel water?

Propel was an understatement. Beks was jettisoned from the water, as if shot out of the sea by a geyser. She was thrown into the air, gasping for breath. Below her, she could see the damaged bow of her mother’s ship and the warship that had tilted over on its side. She could see the escort ships in the distance, cruisers on fire, and the half sunken hulls of two other war ships.

It was as if she could see far into the distance from the height where she was thrown.

The awe was short lived.

She plummeted.

“No!” Beks saw the deep blue water getting closer and closer. She waved her Great Aunt’s cane. “Do something! Don’t tell me you only work in water!” She gripped the cane and in her panic, flooded it with biha.

The air was cool when she was shot out of the water, despite the climate being warm and humid with their proximity to the tropics. As wind rushed around her during her descent, her body only grew colder. Beks pointed the cane at the water, screaming as she let out an unrestrained wave of biha.

She saw the water below her move, creating ripples away from her. Was that wind? She looked at the cane. Wind is coming from the cane? She could feel something beneath her, pushing her up.

She tilted the cane to the side.

It was a mistake.

The wind was coming from the cane and she was launched into another direction as soon as the cane pointed anywhere but down. The same force that kept her from slamming into the water now shot her across the air, just above the space between the two colliding ships.

“Beks! Stop!” she heard someone yell. She didn’t know who was yelling.

“I don’t know how!” Tears were in the corners of her eyes from the wind whipping past her. Her mind whirled. She was pouring biha into the cane. What if she stopped? Also a mistake.

As soon as the method of propulsion ended, Beks began to fall.

She screamed and pointed the cane back to the sea. Before she had a chance to release biha and arm grabbed her and pulled her back.

“My lady, hold on!”

Beks found herself dangling beside her brother’s wind biha master. Master Zilar grimaced as he used two hands to grasp her arm. Aside from pulling up the full weight of a rather tall and somewhat heavy woman, he also needed to focus his bihar to keep them from falling.

Beks’ free hand grabbed onto his wrist and she refilled his biha well. He grit his teeth, but gave her a thankful look. “I’ll keep your well full! Just get us back to the ship!”

He dutifully nodded and Beks felt the wind around her shift. They began to move forward, towards the Levithan’s Throne. Beks didn’t relax until her feet touched the wooden deck.

Her legs gave way as soon as she was released. Her body, exhausted, fell to the floor.

A pair of arms caught her before she hit the floor.

“Snowflower!” Her father’s eyes were red as he gathered her against him.

“Beks!” Her mother pinned her in an embrace.

Beks let out a trembling breath. “Is everyone all right?”

“Why do you care about everyone? Think about yourself! What if you had died!” Lady Eleanor’s voice was broken as she choked back a sob.

“Are you all right?” Laurence gently patted Lady Eleanor’s back to calm her before looking at Beks with worry.

She nodded her head once. She paused and then shook her head. “My back....”

Her mother gasped and jumped away to give her space. “Someone call for Dr. Tasea!”

“Wait, wait....” Beks winced as she tried to push her father away.

“What is there to wait for?” Her mother scolded. “You need medical attention.”

“Someone hit you with water biha when your back was turned,” Great Aunt Rebecca told her with a dark look on her face. “Cowards.”

“Great Aunt....” Beks wheezed and lifted her arm. Her hand had been clenching the kraken cane so tight for so long, she found it difficult to unwrap her fingers from around it. “Your cane.”

The old woman’s face softened. She nodded and stepped forward to take it. “Did it help you?”

“Is it a relic?” Beks asked as she tried to flex her hand after the cane was removed. “It forced me out of the water...and then in the air-

“The cane is just a cane,” her Great Aunt told her with a slight smug look. “There isn’t anything special about it, except for the design.” Beks squinted, confused.

The cane had played a part in shooting her from the water and then through the air. It wasn’t something that Beks could do on her own. She followed her Great Aunt’s gaze to the top of the cane, where the old woman’s fingers tapped on the shiny sphere that was the kraken’s head.

“Are you sure-”

“Sybil, don’t dawdle! Capture the sailors and interrogate them.” The commander of the largest pirate fleet turned her attention to her niece. “You want to know why they’re here, don’t you? Well, so do I.”

Her Aunt’s words seemed to refocus Sybil’s thoughts. She nodded and turned around, shouting orders to fish as many Kadmus sailors from the water as possible. Beks was brought to the captain’s chambers to change, though when Beks got there, it had a carriage-sized hole in the corner where the figurehead once was.

The damage wasn’t as bad as it looked. The ship could still sail, though it seemed that they would spend a few days longer in the West Islands to get the repair done. How could the captain of Leviathan’s Throne allow her children to sleep so exposed?

Lady Eleanor came with Beks to help her change, worried that she was too shaken and could collapse at any moment. She pushed up the changing screen that had been knocked over and brought Beks clothes. Before she could start, the doctor arrived to check on her.

A massive bruise was going to darken on her back in the coming hours. Nothing appeared to be broken from the impact of the water, but any movement Beks made resulted in pain. It took some time for her to change. Every now and then, she needed to stop. She grit her teeth and let out a hiss.

The most the doctor could do was give her a cream to numb the pain, which Lady Eleanor slathered on Bek’s back.

The sun had almost touched the horizon by the time Beks came out. She wore a dress with a loose back so as not to stick to the ointment. Lady Eleanor hovered by her side, holding her arm in case she fell.

“Sister!” Thad rushed towards her. Beside him, Wrath struggled to keep up. They skidded to a stop when they saw Beks walking awkwardly. Thad’s eyes reddened. “Sister, are you all right?”

“Nothing’s broken, but I have a very large and painful bruise...every time I move, it hurts,” Beks told them. “I’m afraid I can’t hug you.”

“It’s okay! Don’t worry! Do you need help?” Thad asked.

“Sister, if you are hungry, I will feed you,” Wrath said. She dug her free hand into her pocket and took out a cloth napkin. It was damp, and when she opened it, her little face fell. The half of a cookie she had saved was crumbled mush. Wrath’s lower lip trembled.

“It’s all right, Wrath! The galley will cook. Your big sister needs a big meal after her ordeal!” Lady Eleanor rushed to placate the devastated child. “You can feed her then!”

Wrath’s eyes reddened and she pitifully wrapped her broken cookie mush in the napkin.

Beks touched her head. “I appreciate your offer. How about you help me eat tonight and I will give you my cookie.”

Wrath wiped her eyes and nodded. She then reached up and pinched Beks sleeve.

Lady Eleanor led Beks forward, towards where a group of people were standing by the open railing. Several pirates were climbing aboard and each had a man tied up and hanging over his shoulder, like a sack of flour.

The men were dropped on the deck unceremoniously. They let out groans of pain, but no one moved to help them. They had to roll themselves into a seated position, and when they did, the looked up at the darkened faces of the Duke and Duchess of Caroline.

And the rightful King of Kadmus.

Beks stood to the side and saw the color fade from the old man with the snow-white beard in the wet navel uniform. From the insignia on this shoulder, he was an admiral.

“You....” The old man let out a breathless wheeze as he looked at Laurence with haunted eyes. “You’re alive! How are you alive?”

Laurence’s austere appearance didn’t falter. “It doesn’t seem as if you want me to be, Admiral Adjutor.”

“Care to tell us why you attacked us today?” Robert asked as he raised a brow and loomed over the men. “The Kadmus Navy had been recalled and ordered to return to their territorial waters. You’ve been a sailor almost as long as I’ve been alive; you should know that we’re not in Kadmus waters.”

The old man lifted his chin in defiance and shut his mouth, refusing to speak.

Deo frowned. “He doesn’t seem to want to give us an explanation.”

“I’m more interested in why he doesn’t pay respect to his king,” Beks said. The old man turned to her, his face turning ugly. He recognized her. Beks lifted her hand to touch the streak of orange in her hair. “He doesn’t seem to want to acknowledge His Majesty as King, either.” Beks narrowed her eyes and leaned forward. “And why would he? He’s an Adjutor.”

Deo glanced at her. “I’ve never heard of them."

“The Adjutors are a noble family on the southwest coast, mainly dealing with supplies for ship building,” Beks said. “But that’s not what’s interesting about them. The Temple sent clerics to pretend to heal His Majesty. It should be obvious that the Temple wants him dead.”

“What does that have to do with the Admiral?” Deo asked.

“I didn’t remember his name immediately, but I did remember. I’d been reading up, after all. The Adjutors are patrons of the Temple. They don’t just give tithes, they provide wood from their forest usually used for ship building to the Temple, and send children who aren’t in line for immediate succession into the Temple, bringing with them a certain amount of money. But what I want to know is what is the Temple giving you in return?”

╔═════════════════ ∘◦ ♔ ◦∘ ═════════════════╗

She climbed the jetty that jutted out into the water below her Great Aunt’s estate on the cliffside. The massive home had a staircase that led directly to the sea below and at that moment, Lady Eleanor was fishing there with Thad and Wrath. They were noisy and Beks wanted to find a place to ‘read’.

The estate house was fully furnished and had a staff, but not all the rooms were prepared for their arrival, just the necessary rooms. It was also a bit stuffy inside. The ocean breeze was welcomed in the tropical island, so Beks thought to enjoy her reading outdoors.

Unfortunately, her siblings’ excited yelling was distracting, so she walked further away. The Lyone Estate was in a secluded area of a small island not far from the large and main West Islands island. It had a large private dock, which at the moment was bustling with the repairs happening on Levithan’s Throne.

It would take a week to properly fix any damage, as well as restock for the rest of their journey. Her father had dragged them around the islands. He was far more excited than his wife considering it was his wife’s hometown of sorts.

“Where did you go today?” Laurence was seated on the rocks, looking out at the calm sea as wind tousled his hair. No wonder there were Thirnir standing guard not far away.

Beks’ shoulders slumped. Someone was already there. She’d have to look for a new place to read. “Waterfall and a pool deeper on the island. We jumped from the top.”

Laurence looked over his shoulder and drew his head back. “A bit dangerous, don’t you think?”

“It’s not too high,” Beks said. “And Mommy was at the bottom pool to help us up.” Laurence nodded. He looked back at the sea in silence. Beks let out a sigh and climbed onto the rocks near him. “Are you upset that Admiral Adjutor killed himself?”

“It’s surprising. I didn’t think he’d do so after being caught,” Laurence replied, his eyes never leaving the horizon.

Beks took a deep breath and followed his gaze. “Perhaps he knew something and couldn’t risk it slipping out.”

“About the Temple?”

“It looks like it, doesn’t it?”

Laurence seemed to swallow a lump in his throat. “You know, my mother didn’t trust the Temple.” Beks drew her head back and looked at him with confusion. “I know what you’re thinking,” he said as he gave her a knowing look. “My mother always went through the motions. She held religious ceremonies and prayers during important events. She even instructed that upon her death, we follow tradition and have a religious ceremony and pray for her. But, Beks...her faith and the institution of the Temple were separate in her mind. She believed in the gods and did what she could to revere them in the only way she knew how.”

“Through the practices of the Temple?”

Laurence nodded and looked ahead. “She resented that the Temple stood by the side and watched as people suffered under our family’s rule. Despite all the pleading for aide from the people, the Temple claimed to remain politically neutral and refused to say a word of criticism to my debauched family. When Mother rebelled, the Temple had told her it was unwise. They seemed to discourage her until the late Great Oracle spoke and prophesied that Mother would end the indulgences and bring in an era of reconstruction.

“The reason the late Great Oracle lived for so long in Kadmium was that she was a guest of my mother. Mother didn’t think she wanted to return to the Great Temple. Despite the Temple asking the late Great Oracle to return, she didn’t until she was dying.”

Beks nodded. “Yes, I read about that. She was already ill when she prophesied the Daughter with Dawn in Her Hair. She left Kadmium, but died as soon as she reached the Great Temple.”

Laurence narrowed his eyes. “She reached the Great Temple with only the things she brought with her; her attendants, her paladins, various relic clothing and religious texts. She had one chest when she left. I remember it vividly, as we saw her off. Because all of this was accounted for, the Great Temple never asked us for anything else.”

Beks looked at him. “There was more?”

“She was always writing,” Laurence said as he squinted. “I had accompanied Mother to see her a few times, and saw many journals and papers she was always writing in. Piles of them. When she left, Mother had the guest house cleaned and collected any belongings that were left behind to send after the late Great Oracle. Mother said that the late Great Oracle was meticulous, as there was nothing left behind.”

Beks squinted. “Then...what about all those things she wrote? Did she destroy them?”

Laurence shook his head. “With the care I remember seeing her write, I doubt it. Actually, Beks, I think her writings are still in that guest house and that she hid them.”

He pursed his lips. “Perhaps she knew something about the Temple, too. Something she doesn’t want them to know.”