Eranae Varinus Celenor decided that her voyage across the Cape of Narl couldn't get any more uneventful. But that was before that very afternoon when dark clouds approached the southern horizon, the direction in which she sailed.
The captain of the ship, which was a single masted bireme, climbed down from the commanding platform and walked to Era. He was a short Temeri man with slight tan and matted golden hair tied into a sailor's braid which went well with the embroidered blue vest and leather skirt he wore.
"Valiant one," he addressed Era, "May I speak?"
Of course he thinks that I am an errant songmaster under some Renkayan lord's service, Era sighed. Well, he wasn't entirely wrong. She did have the typical Renkayan bronze complexion and cherry-blonde hair that were cut short and tied into a songmaster's honor-knot. However, she was not a servant of any Renkayan clan. Her attire, a sleeveless white tunic over a knee length travelling skirt, marked her as a civilian. However, the weapon strapped to her back told a different tale. Hence the honorific the captain used was one addressed to warriors.
"It seems we will have to halt after all," Era sighed, "That is what you wanted to tell me, captain is it not?"
"Yes, it is, valiant one," the captain nodded, "We might have to take a detour due to the unfavourable weather. There is a cove nearby to the east…"
"Captain!" yelled the watcher atop the mast, "Triremes spotted on the horizon."
Era reflexively rushed to the edge of the deck and squinted, synchronizing her rhythm to Lifesong and pouring it into her eyes. This enhanced her ocular strength, allowing her vision to reach far beyond its current limit. On the horizon, she saw two massive vessels with three tiers of oars approach in their direction at an alarming speed. Their sails bore no flag but Eranae was pretty sure about who was aboard. Nonetheless, she wasn't expecting them.
"Pirates?" a sailor asked.
"There shouldn't be any pirates in these waters." the captain assured, but there was a hint of confusion in his voice.
"These are no pirates." Era clarified, "It's the wretched Elaia."
The sailors began muttering in panicked tones. A few even made a sign against misfortune with their right hand.
"Captain, we have to sail through the storm." Eranae said with a commanding tone.
"Valiant one, the Elaia though warlike are not thieves or brigands." the captain tried to explain, "These waters are not yet under their jurisdiction so I doubt they are here to collect tribute. Maybe they are just passing by."
"'Passing by straight to this ship," Era pointed to the sea, the triremes were now close enough to be seen by unenhanced eyes.
"Surely they cannot be after us, or someone on this ship, can they?" the captain asked, "Why would the Elaia send two warships in such a pursuit?"
Well, they did besiege the largest stronghold of the Renkaya for that, Era remembered. Frustration brewed inside her on remembering her mentor's inability and the council's indecisiveness. Had they accepted that the old man was spiralling to senility and replaced with someone more capable, the city of Nydhekar wouldn't have fallen and she wouldn't have to flee the city to sail to the other side of the continent with one of the most dangerous relics in existence. Era took in a deep breath to calm down, focusing on the matter at hand.
"They are after you!" a sailor yelled at her frantically, "You must be a Renkayan traitor lord's daughter or sister or something. I've heard about them slaughtering whole towns for giving asylum to the likes of you."
His comrades chirped in agreement. The captain's face began losing color.
"If you think so," Era said, "All the more reason for you to venture through that storm."
"We...we can just hand you over to them." A sailor stuttered, "Right captain?"
"Can you, now?" Era said with a calm yet disturbingly sharp voice, placing her right hand on the hilt of the weapon on her back.
"There are...fifty of us against...just you alone." he stuttered again, "Right captain?"
The captain remained silent for a moment, "The lady's a songmaster, lad. Even if there were twice that number, I doubt that the odds would be against her. However, that doesn't matter. She was promised a safe voyage, it would be dishonorable to go back on our word."
"You would have them sink us, captain?" a sailor asked.
"Of course not," He turned to Eranae, "Valiant one, is there a way to talk this out? Anything other than going through the storm."
The triremes had reached close enough for them to hear the drums. Era realised that she needed to act upon this immediately. She couldn't, no matter what, let the relic fall into the hands of the Elaia. Tightening her grip on the hilt, she drew the weapon from it's strap. It was an enlarged variant of the macana used by the stonewakers in the north. About as broad as an open palm and as long as a tall man's arm with a hilt half as long, the weapon was primarily made of white hardwood with prismatic obsidian blades embedded to the edges. Although it appeared heavy and unwieldy, Eranae held it in one hand with no signs of strain. This caused the captain and the sailors to shudder. It wasn't everyday when one saw a songmaster of her echelon.
"I'm afraid that is not a possibility." Era told the captain, "Can you maneuver the vessel through the storm?"
"It will be a rough ride," he looked to the horizon, "But it should be safe as long as we maintain distance from the vortex."
"That is good enough." Eranae told him, "Ready the oarsmen, I shall give you a headstart."