Hida had been right, the only interaction that they had with their captors was once a day. Shortly after sunrise, a slot would open in the door. A voice from outside would demand the empty tray from the previous day. Once that had been slid through the slot by Mand and the others, a fresh tray of food would be provided.
Mand was surprised, the food tended to be mainly hearty stews with lots of vegetables and meats. Some cheese and bread would also be provided, enough to stave away hunger for the full day. It wasn't three hot meals, but it was suspiciously nutritious for prisoners.
"They want us healthy," she concluded, biting out of a hunk of bread.
"How's that?" asked Claire.
"The food. It's almost too good."
"I mean, it's a little bland."
"No, not good as in tasty. Good as in hearty. Good as in not starving us."
"They didn't seem worried about your health when they gave you that wack on the back of your head," Hida interjected.
Mand involuntarily moved her hand to the still prominent lump on the back of her head. She winced when her fingers brushed across it.
"I'm apparently a bonus, so I'm probably not as worth as much as you folk. They were only really in Cain's Point for Claire. They only came after me when I made a spectacle of myself the day before."
The thought of the feral smile of the lithe woman flashed in Mand's memory.
"Plus someone wanted to play," she thought to herself. "To demonstrate her power."
They had left Cain's Point two days ago. Life in the tiny room was boring. Mand and Claire already knew each other's life stories, and the boy didn't speak, so meant the only thing to do for entertainment was to talk to Hida.
Hida was from a small chain of islands in the south. The inhabitants were mainly fisherfolk who made their livelihoods on the ocean. Hida's family were merchants who would purchase and salt the fish, and then sail to the major markets for wider distribution. Apparently, there was another merchant family from a nearby island who were direct competitors. Hida believed that they were probably the ones that sold her out.
"You're probably not just a bonus then," Claire observed. "They didn't know about Hida until they got there."
Mand thought a moment. "Maybe, but perhaps these folks are mopping up. They came to Cain's Point because the group from last year failed to capture you. It's possible that they sailed to Hida's island because it somehow got leaked that there was a metalmancer there. They just didn't know who. I get the feeling that we are dealing with the "heavy hitters" of whatever organization this is. Of course, unless we find out more, everything is pure speculation at this point."
Conversation turned to less serious topics. Mand told a few stories about life on the road with Val. She didn't bring up what life was like before her and her sister started wandering for work. That was still too personal to go through with strangers.
The boy for the most part kept to himself. He would often sit in the room's sole chair, staring out at the ocean through the small porthole. When the girls would swap stories, he would sometimes turn the chair to listen, but more often than not, he seemed absorbed in whatever he could see outside.
Aside from the four bunks, and the chair and table, the room was surprisingly outfitted with a small bathroom that sat tucked away in next to the door. The bathroom was just large enough for a single person to stand in. Inside there was a toilet and a small sink. The bathroom also did double duty as a shower, with a spray head hanging off one wall and a drain in the floor. The ship was definitely pre-war alright. Maybe military?
Mand would occasionally try her powers on various items around the room. She also tried on the utensils that had been brought with the meals. She even tried to affect the walls at one point. No luck. She guessed that the ability blocking crystals were stored somewhere close by on the ship, but she had no way of telling where. If she could somehow determine their range, that might help with an escape plan.
Clare and Hida also made attempts, but aside from a slight shimmer on the item, nothing happened.
Mand had even asked the boy to try at one point. He merely shrugged his shoulders and went back to looking out the porthole.
There was still something that she wanted to try, but they would have to be at port. If they were able to get their powers to work, then they could make an attempt to escape. The issue was, even if they could break out of their room, there was nowhere to go.
Another day passed and Mand lay on her cot looking at the bottom of the bunk above her. She wondered how Val and Carl were doing. How was her sister getting along without her? Did she get help for Carl? Did she flee the city? Was she eating OK?
Suddenly, she felt someone tap on her shoulder. Much to her surprise it was the boy, making a motion for her to follow him.
"What's going on?" asked Claire.
"I don't know," Mand said as she pulled herself out of the bunk. The boy was gently shaking Hida, who had been napping at the time.
"Wha… wha?" Hida looked around, still in a half-confused sleep state.
"I think he wants to show us something."
Once he had everyone's attention, the boy began motioning towards the porthole. He then held his two arms out parallel to the floor, steepling his fingers.
The Mand and Hida looked at each other a little confused.
"I think he wants you to look out the porthole," Claire said.
Mand felt a little embarrassed that she hadn't figured that out herself. Squeezing past the boy, she and Hida looked out.
Outside, they could see a flotilla of ships anchored off of a coast. A huge mountain extended into the skies above.