Li quickly learned that it took time to adjust to the movements of a ship at sail. While he'd felt the ship shifting at the docks, truly being under sail was another experience, one that his body did not take kindly to. Ardlac left him alone in their cabin with a bucket, but returned to rouse him for their watch. Some of those on watch with them teased him for his sickness, though Garstin was kinder.

"They all forget most of them were sick at first sail," he told Li. "Your body will adjust."

It took three days, but at last his body did just that. He began to appreciate being at sea then, marveling at how the wind could propel a ship at sail. The name of the marvelous ship, he was told, was the Gryphon. He learned the nearly backbreaking work of sailing and of maintaining the ship, which allowed him to forget for a time why he was there at all. That is, until he dreamed again of finding Ash dead on the floor of his bedchamber, or, even worse, dreamt that he was still alive. He woke in tears many nights. On the rare occasion when Ardlac slept when he did, he always braced for some negative comment. If Li's nightmares ever disturbed him, Ardlac was oddly quiet about it. He never questioned or criticized Li. Perhaps he was not as terrible a person as Li had first thought him to be. Li tried to avoid attempting to sleep when Ardlac was there, finding excuses to leave the cabin even when he was terribly exhausted. When he couldn't, he lay facing the wall, hoping not to disrupt Ardlac's sleep.

It was nearly seven days before they encountered their first prize. It was sighted during one such off-watch when Li had been too exhausted to avoid sleeping when Ardlac had decided to. He was wedged against the wall, his back to Ardlac, who likewise slept with his back to Li, taking up less space that Li had expected he would. The bell woke them, tolling three times at a faster speed than the call to watch.

"Battle bell," Ardlac declared, rolling from the bunk. "Hurry up."

Li rose and shoved his shoes on, sword in hand. "What do I do?" he asked, somewhat afraid of the idea of battle.

"Stay by me," Ardlac replied. "And remember how to fight like I taught you. Your life may depend on it."

The instructions did not ease his concern. Li followed Ardlac from the cabin to the deck. A ship was on the horizon, not a single sail unused. At the stern flew a blue flag marked with an oddly stylistic initial D, and beneath it flew a red flag striped three times with gray.

"It's a trading vessel belonging to one of Dyrai's colonies," Ardlac explained to him before Li could ask.

"Hope there are no necromancers on board," someone nearby muttered. "We won't have any warning this time. Ow!"

Li saw someone else punch the speaker in the shoulder a second time and hiss something at him. As Li turned his gaze back to the ship before them he noted the pained expression on Ardlac's face. Ardlac offered no further information about the ship they were chasing or what was to come.

Li became very aware of the crew gathering around him. Captain Mond began calling out orders as they gained on the ship. Still unsure of his role, Li remained by Ardlac as others began preparing the great heavy cannons.

As they drew to within what Li quickly surmised was the range of the cannons, Ardlac pulled him away from the side of the ship. "We board. I hope you aren't afraid of heights."

Li did not think that admitting that he was would help him in any way. He gripped his sword and swallowed.

From the quarterdeck Mond bellowed, "Fire!"

The cannons let loose a ship-shaking barrage of thunder. Li couldn't help jumping and grabbing Ardlac's arm as the entire ship rolled with the force of the series of explosions. Smoke clouded his view of the other ship for several moments, but as it began to clear he saw the sailors aboard clutching injuries behind the broken railing on the side of the ship. The crew on the Gryphon cheered. For a moment Li was stunned by the destructive power of the cannons, this new and terrible invention. He watched as the crews of each gun pulled them away from the rail and prepared them to fire once more, loading them with massive balls of metal. When the cannons were prepared, they were moved back to the gaps in the rail which they fit neatly into.

Captain Mond did not order another round fired for several minutes. Li understood suddenly that the ship they were attacking lacked the cannons on the Gryphon. He considered what a battle would be like between two ships with the same weapons and he was nearly sick from the terror of the thought. He did not wish to be on a ship that was being shot with cannons.

"Fire!" Captain Monda finally commanded.

The ship lurched again beneath Li's feet and the thunder nearly deafened him. It was closely followed by screams and splintering wood. And cheers again as the smoke cleared. They were nearly alongside the battered ship and Li could clearly hear the cries, moans, and terror from its crew.

"No sign of surrender," Ardlac commented.

"How do you know?" Li asked, though he was sure even he could have noticed a clear message of surrender.

Ardlac glanced at him with a look that made him feel foolish and uneducated. "They would have lowered their flag. It is the sign of surrender. Even if every officer has been killed, someone will have command to lower the flag in such an event."

Li nodded. "Thank you for explaining," he said, hoping to ease the tension between them.

Ardlac only grunted.

The cannons thundered again at Captain Mond's command and the other ship slowed considerably in its sailing. Li expected to see the flag lowered, but it remained high on the ship's mast. As they drew closer, he realized that much of the rigging holding the sails open to the wind had been ripped apart by the firing of the cannons. It seemed that was the cause of the slowing of the ship. Li could also see splintered wood along the rail and sides of the ship, though it all appeared safely away from the waterline and could not cause the ship to take on water.

"Prepare to board!" Captain Mond ordered.

Li tightened his grip on his sword, suddenly rather frightened. As the ships drew alongside each other members of the crew tossed nets and ropes attached to massive hooks across the gap between the ships. The crew on the trading vessel cut away some, but couldn't remove all of them before members of the Gryphon's crew began climbing and leaping across to the other ship. A few fell screaming into the gap when their ropes were cut or the defenders struck them. When most of the crew had crossed, Ardlac moved forward, yanking Li with him by the arm. Reluctantly, Li followed him across the gap.

He found himself surrounded by fighting. The sound of clashing swords was loud, but nearly drowned out by the sounds of screaming. The screams of pain and agony, screams of aggression, and screams of fear were all loud and thunderous, almost deafening. He saw Ardlac attack a man who lunged at him with a sword raised to strike. Ardlac slashed the man across the chest, snarling, then again across the throat as the man fell.

Li was distracted then by the blood. It reminded him of the blood on the carpet in Ash's bedchamber, of his dead body laying in the room where they had confessed their love for each other so many times. The man Ardlac had killed looked nothing like Ash, but Li suddenly saw him there, laying where the stranger lay, bleeding his blood. It was too much for him to comprehend.

Ardlac yelled something at him, appeared in front of him and shook him. But Li's gaze was on the dead stranger and his mind was leagues and weeks away, back in another time and place, one that had sent him here to this ship full of dying sailors. To all the blood. He dropped his sword and began to sway.

Someone grabbed him by the shoulders. Before he realized it he was back aboard the Gryphon and Ardlac was dragged him away from the side where the fighting raged.

"You had best become accustomed to death and killing," Ardlac warned him. "Crying and nearly fainting when you see blood and death won't keep you safe on this crew for long, even if you are a cuffer."

Li only nodded, unable to speak or think.

Ardlac grunted and shoved him toward the door to the area below decks. "Go back to the cabin. Mond will deal with you."

Li nodded again, then stumbled his way back to his cabin. He could hear the fight still raging outside, but he cared little for what was happening. Once back in the room he shared with Ardlac, he fell onto the cot and sobbed.