How could they stare at me this way? Their arms crossed, their smiles about them. Smug could not begin to describe these ignorant fools.

“Bramble! Bramble!”

I shook my head and reality snapped back to. Ersel had been calling me.

“Bramble, do you know what a familiar is?” she teased. I did, but I did not want to believe it.

“I am no familiar! I am a god!” I declared.

“You are no god, Brambleburn.” Reposted Black Ink. I looked for him, quickly spotting him a top the crow’s nest. It seemed he had overheard. “You are a familiar, a spirit summoned or transformed by the caster, to a new form or realm, thus locked into servitude until said otherwise. It’s written in Manizarc Magoi’s Methods of Magic and Wizardry.”

“Oh then it is simple then.” I declared further, “Ersel, free me of my bonds.”

Ersel stuffed back a laugh. I could not comprehend her sense of humor. Especially to such a travesty. “Bramble, I do not know how. Even if I did.” Her smile faded, “I do not know whether you would leave if I did.”

“First of all, I am a god.” I started.

“Not really.” Shouted Black Ink.

I ignored him, “As a god, I am bound by my promises. I will not leave you Ersel, you have yet to show me the world. ”

“You do not even know how large it is!” snapped Ersel.

Bilal laughed, “Not even I know that!”

Ersel and I both store at the captain.

“This world of ours is grander than any of us could imagine. The frozen waters to the far north, the eastern lands treacherous to even consider, then the holy land.” Bilal shook his head, “Even if you dreamed of traveling the world, the Holy land would be impossible to get to.”

A world which was impossible to see? A world, perhaps, too big for me. No, I could not accept that. I wanted to see more, at least what I could. Then maybe then I would see the rest of it.

“That is fine.” I said at last, “Still, Ersel release me!”

“I told you,” she screamed, “I do not know how!”

Black Ink’s voice resounded from the nest, “You need the instrument which channeled the blood. Otherwise the bond holds until the blood host is killed.”

Suddenly the prospect of freedom did not seem far off. Humans did not live long, especially Ersel considering how reckless she was.

“That said.” Continued Black Ink, “Formed Familiars are known to revert once that happens.”

Revert. No no no! I could not ‘revert’. To spend even a mere century ‘reverted’ would be horrible after this. Absolutely dreadful.

“Then we must find that dagger!” I proclaimed, slamming my curled fist against my open palm.

“Oi, not so fast familiar.” Edged Ersel. She pinned one finger against my chest, “We do this raid first. We have obligations, and I need my money.”

Somehow this trip became an impossible task there and then. It was no longer a mere raid, whatever a raid was, it was now my mission to keep a suicidal human alive long enough to procure my own wellbeing. How had I fallen so far?

“Very well.” I sighed, “To both our futures.”

“Cap’n.” cried one of the crew. “It’s time.”

Bilal nodded once and then turned to the rest of his men, “Prepare to slow!” he shouted.

“Prepare to slow!” echoed the closest crewmen.

Before long, the crew was a tempest once more. I put on my cloak. My eyes darted to the front of the prow and my feet followed soon after.