"Mermen?" Idriz and Syryn exchanged another glance. The villains had turned up earlier than he had predicted.

From the water on the other side of the ship came a sharp command that compelled the sailors with its almost hypnotic voice.

"Bring out your captain."

One by one, the crewmen turned around in a daze and stared at Idriz. Realising what was happening to them, they blinked heavily and turned back to the group of mermen in the water. As subtle as it had been, the sailors were disgruntled at being mind controlled. But they were also fearful because knowing that they were under the effects of a compulsion could not spare them from its effects.

"Idriz, you should maybe get inside your cabin," Syryn whispered to the man. The mage had a feeling that this was somehow his fault, and that he had inadvertently tangled the Fool's Noose in his problems.

Ignoring Syryn's advice, Idriz calmly walked over to the port side of the ship. Syryn on the other hand was content to stay out of sight.

From the merchant's vantage point, he could make out several mermen in the water. A quick headcount informed him that there were at least thirty of them.

Above the line of their waist, they appeared to be as humans but some distinguishing features set them apart from humanity. Every single merman and mermaid displayed a scattering of glimmering scales that went up the neck and along the cheekbones. A pair of gills behind each ear served as sensitive spots that could be attacked when overwhelmed by a merman. And between their fingers grew a transparent webbing that aided them while swimming.

In terms of power, merpeople were bigger than the average human. Whether it was their broadness or the lengths of their bodies, merpeople were superior to humans. And when it came to magic, merpeople were weaker than humans but they specialised in psychic attacks and subtle mental manipulations that proved difficult to resist if one did not have strong mental strength and preparation.

"Greetings, Selimi, I am the captain of the ship," Idriz spoke in a manner that accorded respect without lowering himself. "What business do the Lai'ovanri have with my humble ship?"

"Idriz," the merman said, rolling the 'r's in their peculiar accent. "Hand over the Sage's Pearl and we won't have to sink your ship today."

Syryn was a bit relieved. This didn't sound like his fault at all.

Idriz had a reaction that could be only be described as horrified. "The Sage's pearl? How did your people manage to lose something so precious?"

"It is not your place to question us, land dweller. We know that the pearl is on your ship."

Idriz laughed like he couldn't believe what the merman was saying. "If I had the Sage's pearl on me, would I be crossing the ocean so close to Silisia? Pardon my rudeness but your claims are absurd, Selimi. I swear upon Eos that I do not carry the pearl on me. Search my ship from top to bottom if you will."

It was at this point that Syryn had a strange feeling wash over him. The temperature of his body was beginning to climb and it brought a hot flush to his cheeks. He wasn't able to maintain the illusion because something was disrupting the flow of magic inside him. The mage began to back off slowly while Idriz exchanged words with the hostile merpeople.

As though his body wasn't satisfied with the symptoms that were afflicting it, Syryn felt an intense headache assault him. He dragged his feet towards the nearest door he could see. Violently yanking it open, he stumbled inside like a drunkard who had imbibed a barrel of alcohol.

An image appeared in his mind. It was fashioned out of gold and shaped like a monkey. Confused as to where the thought had come from, the mage pulled the fertility idol out of his bag and held it in front of him.

"What?" He asked the idol in a slurred drag of his tongue. "Are you doing this?"

The fertility idol was hot in his hand. It vibrated against his skin, getting hotter and hotter. Syryn's heartbeat soared and he squinted as he began to see double images of everything. The world was a blurry landscape of shapes, angles and colours that replicated themselves. Syryn's nausea peaked and then he stumbled and fell to the floor, letting go of the gold idol. It rolled away from the mage and ended up under a table.

"Shit-" Syryn cursed softly. He tried to get on his hands and knees but his vision spun violently. The skin on his forehead split into a clean seam. And for a few seconds, his third eye appeared of it's own volition. Syryn was blissfully out of consciousness when the eye opened to reveal double irises.

And somewhere far away on another ship, a spell winked out of existence. Rowan was thrown off-kilter by the spell leaving his body. He was suddenly a man again. The anti mage immediately knew that something had happened with Syryn and the gold idol. He hoped it was for the better, and that his mage was safe.

______

"We are taking this human," the leader of the mermen declared. The Fool's Noose was crowded with crewmen and merpeople who had climbed aboard to inspect the ship. The mermen were wearing magical amulets that transformed their fish tails into bipedalled appendages that resembled legs. Now three of them were gathered around the unconscious Syryn who was unaware that he was being kidnapped.

"For what reason?" Idriz asked. "He has committed no crime against your kind."

The merman barked out an order in their native language. He then turned back to the captain.

"Idriz, reinforcements are arriving even as we speak. If you want us to peacefully leave your ship then you will stand down and let us take the man."

The merchant was caught between a rock and a hard place. As difficult as it was, the decision he had to make was crystal clear. Syryn's life for the lives of his sailors, for his ship. And if Syryn was guilty of some crime involving the Sage's pearl, Idriz could not afford to protect him.

"Tell me at least this much. What do you intend to do with him?"

He looked at the unconscious young man. When they'd met only a few days ago, Syryn had displayed a strength that had impressed the merchant. Now seeing him curled up on the floor in such a vulnerable manner made the man's heart ache.

"Our king will decide," the merman informed him. "Have you made your decision, Oh Captain of the Fool's Noose? Will you save your men in exchange for this human?"

The merchant was pierced by the desperate eyes of his sailors who were outnumbered by the mer-people. If they were up against a human party, this would have gone down in a different direction. But they were surrounded by water and hostile creatures that could sink their ship without so much as batting an eye. And they weren't like the pirates who respected the laws of Coop. His choice was obvious.