As sunset fell the following day, a change came over the crew. Darian took up a post beside Amaro at the wheel, refusing to budge the entire afternoon. Meanwhile Fia shimmied up one of Blue's tentacles and peered over the horizon with a scope to their eye.
Not that there was much to look at. The ocean spread as far as Theo could see, broken only by the smudged outlines of distant cliffs to the west. Ever since they'd left Mare, the view had stayed pretty much the same.
But he couldn't ignore the excitement crackling through the air, making it feel charged and electric. So he joined the rest of the crew on the deck, all of them intently scanning their surroundings.
He had spent all day poring over his sketchbook and various grimoires with Meg, trying to break down each and every one of his dream-spells into their smallest components. It was grueling work, and they had very little progress to show for it. As much as Theo would've liked to keep going, he had to admit he appreciated the chance to get some fresh air.
"Hey!" Fia's shout shattered the silence. Ryan, who had been watching them anxiously from below, jumped as if someone had lit a fire beneath his feet.
Darian reacted with only a little more restraint, whipping her head toward Fia. "What is it?"
"Got something incoming at two o'clock," Fia said, leaning so far forward Theo worried they might fall off the tentacle. "Looks like...looks like...it's Halkis!"
They sounded delighted, but Theo had no idea what they were talking about. At least until a slender shape appeared in the sky, silhouetted against the sinking sun. As it came soared closer, swooping in graceful arcs, Theo realized it must be a large bird.
Hold on, the bird that had originally brought them the message from Mare – wasn't its name Halkis? Right, Darian had sent it to inform the pirates of the rendezvous....
Fia had already hopped off the tentacle and started racing to the bow, but the bird landed on the railing before they got there. Darian reached it first and untied a scroll from around its leg.
Everyone watched with bated breath as she read out the message. "If the winds hold true, we'll be upon you by sunset. So sit tight and don't worry your pretty little head, princeling."
Darian clicked her tongue. "That certainly sounds like Gryseld. All right, Amaro, bring us down."
The deck jolted beneath Theo, and the Blue Sky began descending. The sea rose up to meet them, blazing scarlet in the sunset. They settled in the water with a gentle splash, causing the craft to rock back and forth; Theo had to grip the railing to keep his balance.
Once they were steady, Blue's glow dimmed a little. With the craft no longer airbone, she didn't need to expend as much Levia.
Leaning over the railing, Theo inhaled the salty sea breeze. You definitely couldn't ask for a better place to meet a pirate crew.
Sam must have thought the same thing, because she turned to Theo with a huge grin on her face. He smiled back, relieved at how easily it came.
For a while they waited, the silence broken only by the waves lapping at the hull. The sun slipped below the horizon, leaving behind only a faint splash of red, while the first stars began to peek out of the night sky.
Despite himself, Theo struggled to keep his eyelids open. He didn't know how long they'd been waiting, but after spending all day studying, his exhausted brain insisted it was time to rest.
Just when he began to drift off, a flurry of shouts jolted him wide awake. When he looked up, a thrill ran down his spine. Four stark silhouettes had appeared in the night sky.
He recognized the unmistakable outlines of skycraft, but something about their shape seemed a little strange. Instead of smooth domes, the bells of their medusids seemed to be formed from dozens of waving tentacles, resembling anemones more than jellyfish.
As they came closer, Theo saw why. These medusids were positioned upside down, their lacy tentacles bobbing above a flat, pancake-like bell. Vaguely, he remembered the aquarium had jellyfish like this too.
He turned to the side, wanting to tell Zenith – only to freeze in his tracks. His heart slammed against his ribcage, echoing in his ears.
Idiot. Zenith wasn't here. Instead Sam stood closest to him, jumping up and down and waving at the approaching craft along with Jin. At least nobody seemed to have noticed his moment of weakness.
Theo breathed in deeply, willing his pulse to stop racing, and forced himself to focus on the craft as well. The one in the lead was heavily armored, while the other three were smaller and lighter than the Blue Sky. As they came closer, he got a better look at the lurid paintings splashed across their hulls. Here a roaring dragon surrounded by lightning bolts; there a mermaid in full song, revealing a mouthful of pointy teeth.
It kind of reminded Theo of those vans with wizards and pinups airbrushed on their sides. In spite of everything, he couldn't help but smile.
The lead skycraft landed with a splash that rocked the Blue Sky. The others settled behind it, and soon the still night air filled with shouting voices. People bustled across the decks, a riot of activity.
Overwhelmed, Theo didn't know where to look. Then a new sound cut through the voices – a low, clanking groan.
A ramp was unfolding from the largest skycraft, lowering toward the Blue Sky's deck. Darian hurried toward it while Amaro began maneuvering the Blue Sky closer.
The ramp struck the deck with a resounding thud. The echoes were still ringing in Theo's ears when a new voice belted out with lungs of brass, "Ahoy, princeling! Giving up without a fight? Mark my words, you'll rue your cowardice. Prepare to be boarded!"
"What?" Ryllis snarled, reaching for her spear. Darian, however, let out a dry chuckle.
"I see you haven't found yourself a better sense of humor, Captain Gryseld." She cupped her hands around her mouth to shout as well, though her voice couldn't hope to match the other one in volume.
At that moment, someone appeared at the top of the ramp. A woman, surprisingly squat and rotund. As she made her way down, Theo blinked. Her gait didn't seem quite normal; it almost looked like she was riding a leema, except he had trouble telling where she ended and her mount began.
Because there was no leema, he realized. Instead, the entire lower half of her body was shaped like a fat slug, complete with a coating of mucus that shimmered in the light of the globe-fish. As she squelched down the ramp, a trail of slime followed her.
Above the waist she looked human enough, aside from the fact that her skin was the same mottled green as her slug half. Indeed, with her jewel-encrusted coat and tri-cornered hat, she couldn't be a more stereotypical pirate if she tried.
Theo was well aware that his jaw had fallen wide open, but he couldn't help it. At least until a sharp elbow dug into his side and Cay's voice whispered in his ear, "Stop staring, will you? She's a wereslug, that's all."
Well. Theo supposed it wasn't any weirder than Guntar being a were-chicken.
Soon Captain Gryseld reached the Blue Sky's deck, her body hitting the metal with a rather wet-sounding slap. Hands on her hips, she gazed imperiously at the gathered crew. Though she was even shorter than Darian, every inch of her presence exuded proud authority. Theo didn't dare look away.
"Evening, princeling," she declared. "Appreciate the welcoming committee. Quite a few I don't recognize, at that."
"Yes, I'll have to introduce you," Darian said. "I'm glad to see you're in good health, Captain."
"Oh, I'd be happier if you'd just give me back my best fighter." Gryseld turned so she was facing the cabin roof – or rather Kress, at her usual post behind the cannon. "What say you, Kress? Finally had it with the goody-two-shoes life?"
"'Fraid not, Captain!" Kress yelled back, all good cheer.
Huh, so Kress had once been a pirate? Honestly, Theo didn't have much difficulty picturing it.
Gryseld heaved a sigh. "Worth a try, worth a try. Now, prince – "
Suddenly she paused, then glanced around the deck with narrowed eyes. "Say, where's that great shiny guard dog of yours? Here I thought he'd be glued to your side, ready to pounce if I so much as look at you askance."
The breath caught in Theo's throat. All his awe at Gryseld's appearance fled in one fell swoop, leaving behind only the aching void in his chest. He had gotten good at ignoring it, or at least trying to fill it with his resolve to find Zenith, but now the pain came flooding back as if it had never gone away.
And he wasn't the only one. Darian flinched, uncharacteristically caught off guard. But she quickly gathered herself, squaring her shoulders and looking Gryseld in the eye.
"He left with a seraphim. But that's why we need your help, Captain. We're going to get Sir Zenith back."