Marisa saw the light and nearly tripped over Orris trying to run in its direction. Orris, realizing what had happened, quickly followed. Luke and Lee were not far behind.

“She’s there! She has opened the locket, she’s trying to lead us to where she is! Quickly, Orris!” Marisa had lost all interest in politeness as she pushed past dock hands and ladies in feathered hats. The light had been at the far end of the harbor, before Anna had quickly snuffed it. Marisa kept going, until the crowd thinned and there was open space for an all-out run. Behind them, over the palace walls, the alarm bells were blaring as the Regent ordered the port of Asphel closed. It would take some time, however, for the order to take effect. Sailors had to man the ships and the entrance to the bay blocked off.

Stella smirked as she heard the bells go off. She had taken all of that into effect. The plan was ready to commence its final stage, and she would soon sail away the victor. The girl had yet to wake, and in a few moments they would be off…

“Lady! Lady, the wench is awake! She just sent a beam of light into the sky…!” One of the younger boys, most likely part of the group that kept the decks swabbed aboard the Erinye, was pointing frantically at Anna. Stella whirled around and immediately walked over. Anna inwardly cursed the spying deckhand and briefly debated whether or not to continue her feigned sleep or face her kidnapper at last. As Stella loomed over her, Anna chose the latter. She opened her eyes and looked up defiantly.

“Well, well, well. So you are awake, little sleeper. My, what lovely eyes. I must say, they are even lovelier than your sister’s, although they should be identical. I presume you two have met? If I had known you were twins, I could have saved myself a lot of trouble.” Stella drew her rapier and used it to lift the golden chain on which the locket was strung. “This is all I wanted, really. I’m sure you won’t mind if I take it now? There’s a good girl. Actually, the less of your blood I spill, the better. I might need you alive, later. Now, needing you alive doesn’t necessarily mean I need you with all your limbs attached. So behave, and we can get this done faster. Then you can hurry on home to that filthy—”

Stella’s melodious voice fell abruptly silent. A frown tugged at her beautiful face, and she let the necklace drop. “—that filthy brother of yours,” she continued, the frown slowly becoming a sneer as she stalked to the edge of the ship and looked out to the dock. Luke and Lee, directed by Marisa, were merely minutes away and would soon be upon them. Anna sat up, about to seize Stella’s rapier in the best she could manage for a surprise attack, but the plan was foiled as Stella turned around and pulled Akros roughly to her side.

“NOW.”

Anna watched, dumbfounded, as Akros and several of Stella’s most trusted followers jumped from the Erinye to the merchant ship anchored beside it. One of them, a tall girl who looked only a bit younger than Anna, was wearing a wig of dark curls and a shabby reproduction of Stella’s clothes. The merchant ship’s crew, Anna could see now, were bound and gagged; they had been ambushed in the night, their ship overrun and their captain’s throat slit before they could even begin to defend themselves. Their enemies had come from a ship bearing the standards of Gareth, but they were soon painfully aware of the deception that had taken place.

Anna stared as the girl in the wig ran to the bow of the captured ship, which began to ease itself slowly from the docks. A cry rose up in the harbor as the soldiers of the palace and the sailors that had been called to close the port immediately went after the merchant ship. Anna, as she looked on in horror, was caught completely off-guard when Stella dove for her, that pale ivory hand once again clamped over her mouth—this time to keep her silent. The entire remainder of the Erinye’s crew had fallen on their bellies or crouched behind barrels, all of them barely daring to breathe. Anna could swear that Stella was laughing quietly, but tears were threatening to spill from her own eyes. She couldn’t let this happen. She had to free herself.

“They’re leaving!” Lee cried, and Luke glanced in the direction where Matanza and Reina had been anchored, out on the edge of the bay. He strained, but couldn’t tell if Jesse had managed to reach Reina in time to steer her in a position to gun the ship when it attempted to sail out of Asphel Harbor. Cursing under his breath, Luke went pounding down the docks behind Lee, passing Marisa and Orris on the way. “Stop! Stop it, that isn’t the right ship!” Marisa reached out and managed to catch hold of Luke’s arm as he ran by. “Please, my sister—our sister—isn’t on the ship that’s leaving. I know it. She opened the locket…”

“Look, whoever you really are, I don’t have any time for this. I need to get to Anna. I don’t know what you’re talking about. It could have been any light, and besides, Anna would be tied up. How could she get to her locket?”

“Oh please, don’t be an idiot. If she hadn’t opened her locket, mine wouldn’t have resonated too. I know it was her. I know she opened the locket somehow, to show us where she really was. If you want to waste your supposedly precious time going after the wrong ship, then suit yourself. But we both want to find Anna. So we need to work together.” Marisa leveled her gaze with Luke’s, holding out her hand. “Trust me. We have to do this together, neither of us could save her on our own. And she’s doing her best to help us, so we have to do our best to help her.” “What are you doing?! LET’S GO!!”

Luke turned his head to see Lee gesturing for them to hurry, as the anchor was lifted on the departing ship and the glint of Orris’ dark armor flashed in the sun just ahead of them. Turning back to Marisa, Luke took her outstretched hand and shook it.

“Let’s go, then.”

“Well, finally.”

On board the Erinye, Anna was still locked in a stranglehold. The creaking of ropes and the sound of water churning and splashing grew louder as the other ship pulled away from its pier. Sailors and harbor guards were running toward them, their feet thudding loudly on the wooden boardwalk. The alarm bells were ringing even more frantically now, a few of the manned ships that were able had unfurled their sails in order to pursue the fleeing vessel. Stella laughed with glee as her decoy waved from the opposite deck, slowly growing smaller and smaller as the tide swelled and carried the ship with it.

“Now listen to me, my dear, and pay attention. You will not move, you will not make a sound, and you will not try to escape. While the pitiful royal navy and the highly incompetent harbor guards try to deal with this little crisis, you and I are going to sit here, nice and cozy, until all the commotion passes. I’m sure by sundown they will have…apprehended the miscreants responsible for such a heinous crime as kidnapping one of Guillare’s little lost princesses…oh yes, dear, I know exactly who you are. I know quite a lot about you…”

Anna shut her eyes tight, a tear falling down her cheek as Stella’s lovely whisper filled her ear. She could feel the sharp point of a rapier against her spine. Both of her arms were pinned to her sides by Stella’s surprisingly strong hold, and her ankles were still bound with knotted ropes. Her chance of getting away was growing dimmer and dimmer.

It was then that a raucous noise echoed out over the bay. A cannon was firing, the scent of gunpowder drifting to them on the wind. Anna, facing away from the water and incapacitated in any case, had no idea what was happening. But on the boardwalk, a mere few yards from the Erinye, Luke heard the gunfire and understood. Jesse had intercepted the other ship. “He’s got them. Whether Stella has Anna on that one or this one, it won’t matter now. Which one is it, Marisa?”

“That one…I’m sure it’s that one right there, with the covered figurehead…” She pointed to the Erinye, and Luke motioned for Lee to look as well.

“You think Anna’s there?”

“Yes. But we don’t have a plan…”

Luke chuckled darkly. “Who said we needed a plan? Plans don’t work very well, with Stella.” And then, as abruptly as it had appeared, the smirk turned into a frown. “No…plans don’t work at all, with Stella. You’ll have to stay here, Lee and I will find a way to get on board this ship. Everything else, we’ll have to play by ear. Don’t argue with me, you don’t know who you’re dealing with.”

“Oh, and you do? Is this woman a friend of yours?” Marisa eyed him critically, but Luke only turned away. Lee was already pulling his boots off, throwing them aside. Luke followed suit, and Marisa stepped back to stand beside Orris under the blazing sun. “Bring her back safe…” she called out, as Luke and Lee stood poised and ready to dive into the water. Luke made no reply, only raised a hand in acknowledgment.

Jesse braced himself as Reina shook with another cannon blast. The explosion that resulted was nearly deafening. And yet, the other ship had still managed to evade it! They had already fired several rounds, and each time their enemy had pulled hard to port or starboard and avoided any damage beyond singed sails and a section of railing blown off. Shaking his head, Jesse ordered the pirates manning the cannon to hold their fire. Reina wasn’t nearly large enough to block the bay, but Jesse knew what Luke had meant. They would have to board the ship and delay it somehow. If Anna was there, he himself would find her and keep her safe. The men were itching for battle anyway.

“Come on, lads! We board!”

A cheer rose among the pirates as the Reina sped up. It was only a matter of time before it had drawn up alongside the merchant ship, and Jesse caught sight of a woman with dark hair swinging down to the deck from the crow’s nest. Anger swept through him at the sight of her. He would take Anna back, this would end now. He gave his signal, and the men began to board.

Jesse himself swung aboard among the last, making sure Reina was secure and manned with the few who would stay behind, their cutlasses ready should any enemy dare to set foot upon the deck. Cutlass drawn, dagger between his teeth, he stalked across the strangely empty deck. The woman was nowhere to be seen. The pirates moved about as well, searching for an enemy to run through, but none could be found. It was as though ghosts had been steering the merchant ship. This was ridiculous. Jesse shook off his frustration and stayed alert, listening for any telltale footfall or the sharp ringing sound of a sword being drawn. At last, he heard something. But it was even stranger than the silence—a whimper?

Behind a row of barrels, the merchant ship’s unfortunate crew were still bound and gagged, trussed up like pigs awaiting slaughter. Upon seeing Jesse’s wild eyes and drawn weapons, as well as the various tattoos and seamed scars of the men on either side of him, the prisoners stared up in panic. Casting a glance from face to face, Jesse did not see Anna’s among them. Letting out a roar of rage, he sank the dagger into the wood of the mast behind him.

It was then that another dagger came flying through the air, nearly pinning Jesse’s hand into the mast as well.

“A pleasure to meet you. Akros and I expected some sort of confrontation, as the Lady warned us this might take place. But little did we know we would be lucky enough to catch royalty today.” The voice belonged to a tall girl with red-gold hair, cut short and hanging straight. Standing in the light of the slowly sinking sun, she was outlined and merely a silhouette in the glare. Beside her was the lumbering figure of Akros, Stella’s burly head henchman. He laughed gruffly as the girl stepped forward. “Imagine, Akros! A little pirate prince, come to visit us! I think it’s a lovely surprise, don’t you?”

Akros continued to laugh, swinging an axe with one muscled arm. The girl took a few more steps toward Jesse, until the glare from the sun subsided and her features could be seen. She looked no older than he was, maybe even a year or two younger. Two scars ran down both sides of her face, each one drawn in a grim line from the apple of her cheek to the line of her jaw. They had healed not too long ago. Jesse narrowed his eyes at her, his hand gripping the cutlass handle tightly. The pirates were snarling, some calling out threats and expletives. One threw a knife at Akros, but missed at the last minute. Incensed, Akros swung out wide with his axe, only to be seized sharply by the ear. The girl, hair falling in her eyes, whispered something menacingly. The reprimanded Akros resorted to glaring at the pirates, spitting at them occasionally. They spit right back at him, guffawing all the while, the sound rasping through their throats.

Her companion held in check, the girl shook her hair out of her eyes. With one deft movement, she tossed something through the air at Jesse, something he quickly sidestepped—a long, curly wig of glossy black hair.

“You will never catch the Bandit Queen, little pirate prince. But not to worry—your little pirate princess is safe with her. For now. Though if it were up to me, I’d have taken the trinket and killed her, right there. Then again, I’m nowhere near as patient. It’s a shame. Someone as kind and thoughtful as the Lady should be treated with more respect.” Lazily, almost languorously, the girl was reaching inside her jacket, its fur-trimmed collar ruffling in the slight breeze. Lining the jacket, Jesse could see now, was a row of throwing knives, all sharpened and flashing in the orange glow of the setting sun. He said nothing, only watched and waited as the anger pounding through his skull began to sound like a beating drum. Akros was chuckling again as the girl ran her fingers over an ebony knife-handle.

Lightning quick, the knife flew. Jesse could actually hear the faint whistle of its passing, and then the thud as it embedded itself deep in the mast behind him. The girl sauntered over, her face just inches from his as she reached over his shoulder and pulled the knife out.

“This is the mark of Ennea Nineblades,” she murmured, smiling at him. Jesse blinked, but barely moved, as the knife bit into the first layer of skin and cut an x over his heart.

Anna could no longer hear the cannon fire. Stella was loosening her hold slightly, and someone stirred near the mast where they had been hiding. The deckhand who had called Anna’s wakefulness to attention was peering cautiously at their surroundings, trying to see if it was all clear. Stella hissed at him, and he ducked behind the mast once more.

It was lucky that he ducked at that precise moment, for if he had been a second too soon, Lee’s javelin would have struck him through the heart. There was a collective scramble from a variety of hiding places on the ship as Luke pulled himself over the bow after Lee, his good eye trained on Stella’s pair of bright green ones.