To a certain extent Matayal understood why Captain Sohan would sail into a storm. Even if they weren’t desperately dashing for their lives, the Wavecutter was equipped for it. It was still crazy, of course, but slightly less than it could have been.

When the Zenobia followed after them, she thought that Nurul had to be even crazier- or more likely desperate. It was one thing to kill her here, away from civilization. Denying involvement or more likely executing the next step of the plan afterwards would be much simpler if this segment of the plan went off without a hitch.

Though she knew that the Zenobia could likely survive a storm such as this, especially with a Consolidated Soul Phase cultivator on board, they wouldn’t get out unscathed. It was only a question of whether they would be able to catch the Wavecutter or not.

She would have preferred to be up on deck, even in the middle of a storm, but the Wavecutter wasn’t built for… stability during a storm. There were only a certain number of harnesses for those in important positions, plus those in the quarters belowdecks. Matayal was strapped in, tumbling every which way but ultimately fine. She just wished she could take an active part in the situation, or sense what was going on outside better.

But she couldn’t, so she waited. The instant she sensed any damage to the Wavecutter she planned to make her way out to help, but lighting bolts were somehow channeled through the ship without causing any damage and despite the swaying and occasionally flipping of the ship it seemed to be holding together well.

Finally there was a knock on her door, followed immediately by a report from one of the crew. “The Zenobia has taken sufficient damage to slow them. Captain Sohan says we are now pulling further away.”

That was good news, but… it wasn’t satisfying. Beyond that, Matayal thought they could do better. “Can you ask him to not pull too far ahead? Actually, perhaps I should do it myself.”

“It’s dangerous, ma’am…” the crewmate said, but Matayal had already detached herself and stepped out the door. It shut behind her a bit more forcefully than intended, but she let the ship twist around her as she walked towards the stairs.

“I understand you’ve spent more time on a ship, but storms aren’t exactly new to me either.” She stopped at the top of the stairs, sensing for what she needed.

“The attachment points are to the right,” the crewmate commented. “Since you seem determined to go.”

Matayal slid out onto the deck and slung the harness around her, letting it pull away from its anchor point. She took note of how the few sailors maneuvered and copied them. She was missing some years or perhaps decades of experience, but she had the advantage of being in a higher cultivation Phase. Instead of sending her slipping off the sides of the ship, she controlled the water to support her.

“Captain!” Matayal called through the winds and waves, “If possible, I’d like to stay just ahead of the Zenobia instead of leaving it far behind!”

There was a pause during which she was unsure if Captain Sohan had heard her, then his voice boomed out towards her. “Have a plan, do you? Normally I’d like to get out of this storm as fast as possible, but very well. We’ll hobble ourselves a bit. Since you’re up here… why don’t you help with some of those sails?”

Matayal thought it was insane to have any amount of sail even slightly unfurled in such a storm, but it seemed the masts could handle it… and the crew had some sort of method to actually control where the winds blew them. In normal windspeeds Matayal could handle such a simple sailing task, but in a wild storm where wind seemed to suddenly change directions it was a different story. And the waves were a problem too.

Matayal lent her aid wherever it seemed people needed help. She could provide more power than most given her cultivation, or simply stabilize people as they went about their tasks. As she worked, she kept track of the Zenobia behind them, barely something that could be felt through the storm. They were certainly a bit further than before, but the distance remained relatively stable.

When the storm eventually began to die down, Matayal more clearly discussed her plan with Captain Sohan. They would skirt near a number of occupied islands, making themselves visible. If the Zenobia stopped to perform repairs they would simply continue on to Pualani, otherwise they would make use of the ship chasing them at a later date. It would be difficult for the Purunomo clan to deny their actions if they were seen from multiple islands. It wouldn’t ultimately affect the Brandle clan’s response, but having justifications they could point out would smooth things over with everyone else.

As they were out of the storm, the Wavecutter did its best impression that some of its sails were out as they kept ahead of the Zenobia. They wanted to seem as if they could be caught and were barely avoiding it. Of course, at all times they had at least one crew member and one of the Brandle clan guards watching the distance.

There was one difficulty in the plan. The Zenobia was not only damaged, but Nurul himself was not helping with their speed quite as much. It wasn’t that strange, as Matayal knew that even Consolidated Soul Phase cultivators couldn’t last forever. It just made the process of keeping the enemy ship just on the horizons a tad more difficult.

Rerouting their course towards various islands was a good excuse for them randomly slowing down, as the turns would hopefully be seen to gradually set them behind. That was important, because Nurul and the other cultivators did put in occasional efforts to speed up their ship. It was a delicate balance of looking like they never suddenly gained speed while still keeping some distance.

Sohan’s crew pulled it off excellently. So much so that Matayal wondered if there wasn’t some other angle she was missing. She wouldn’t have called Nurul a clever man, but at the very least the Purunomo clan was functional. They had also managed to secretly gather the fleet they surrounded her with, enough that they didn’t have a clue about it beforehand. Assuming he was stupid was dangerous, but as they got closer to Pualani and were still being followed she had to assume the worst.

When they were just approaching Pualani, her fears were realized. “Captain Sohan!” called the lookout. “There’s a flotilla heading towards us from the island, and I don’t recognize their signs!”

Any battle would be extremely visible from Pualani, but the fact that everyone would know who killed her wouldn’t bring Matayal or any of the others back to life. She looked to Sohan, who nodded calmly.

“Full sail then. Matayal, if you could stand at the front… we’ll need you to deflect as much as you can while we slip by. Don’t worry about the hull for the moment, the sails just need to stay intact. If the ship goes down… well, I know you can swim from here.”

“Don’t worry,” Matayal said. “I don’t intend to just abandon you all after you brought me this far.” If she was going to slip away, she would at least bring as many of Sohan’s crew as she could with her. And of course the Brandle clan’s guards.

The incoming flotilla spread out, making it difficult for them to escape in any direction. Even the Wavecutter would have difficulty turning around completely to escape- though it was still an option on the table. But as they got closer to the flotilla, Matayal frowned. She looked at Sohan, who looked back at her and raised an eyebrow. “Sure feels like your clan, doesn’t it?” Sohan questioned.

“It does… but those aren’t our ships. We should be cautious.” Was there some sort of rebellion within the clan? She pondered that for a few moments before she suddenly felt her grandfather.

By the time the Zenobia behind them could feel the specific cultivations of the incoming flotilla, it was too late for them to turn around. The ship was bulkier than the Wavecutter, damaged from the storm, and full of exhausted sailors.

“Thanks for the trip! We’ll get you paid later today,” Matayal said as she leapt into the ocean, making her way towards the ship that had her grandfather going in the other direction. “How did you know we’d be coming?”

“Melanthina spotted a sneaky spy,” Netanel grinned. “That ultimately led to us taking over some of these Darklands ships, and then… waiting. I was about ready to just send out our fleet, but I figured either you were already dead or not.”

They didn’t have long for conversation as they approached the Zenobia. Nurul was standing on the prow with his forces arrayed around him. “You may have outmaneuvered us this time but-”

He cut off because Matayal had already leveled her spear at him, drawing currents of water around it. With her grandfather next to her she didn’t hesitate to put her everything into the attack. The spear sailed through the air, piercing directly through two people who threw themselves in front of the Purunomo clan head. Without that… Nurul would have been dead. As it was, her spear pierced all the way through his hip and pinned him to the mast behind him.

“We’re not at a fancy party this time,” Matayal said. “But since you lucked out, I’ll let you die in the town square.” Having some sort of public execution would be better anyway. “The rest of you… if you surrender, we can be lenient with your family.”

Netanel just nodded next to her. Matayal was the clan head now, and possibly even stronger than himself. It was a good display of authority for her to take control of as much as she could.

-----

Just because the Purunomo clan head was captured along with one of their ships didn’t mean things were over. There was the rest of the fleet to worry about. Then there were matters of politics to deal with. That had to be taken care of swiftly.

Matayal called together all of the clans on the island for an emergency congregation. Everyone would have been more comfortable in a public place, but she ultimately decided to call them to the Brandle clan. If some were afraid to show that was possibly better… and if they did come and intended to cause trouble it would be much easier to handle them.

Ultimately, Matayal found that every clan had a presence. Those who were long term allies of the Brandle clan had a larger number of participants, to the point they would have been stretching the boundaries of politeness had they not been suggested to bring sufficient backup. Even the Purunomo clan had some members in attendance, having made excuses for why their clan head was not around. It seemed they didn’t know yet, which was exactly why Matayal was hurrying things along.

“Great clans of Pualani,” Matayal addressed the crowd as she stood in a prominent position in front of them, guards flanking her on either side as a rather conspicuous box and large cutting blade were next to her. “There are some issues we must address. First…” she flipped open the box, large enough to fit a man- if uncomfortably. It was specially made to suppress spiritual energy, so the contents had been hidden from everyone. At the same time, she took the blade and chopped off Nurul’s head. “...the Purunomo clan has attempted to assassinate me.” Before the shock wore off, Matayal spoke rapidly, naming other clans she had seen involved with the fleet, starting with those present on Pualani. “Finally, they were working with outsiders from the Kartal clan… and the Society of Midnight from the Darklands.” As she said that bodies were dumped around the courtyard by waiting members of the Brandle clan. Just as the shock was wearing off and the Purunomo clan members and their allies were beginning to protest, the same guards waiting with bodies moved forward. “Now then, it would be best for all of you if you settle down. Perhaps not your whole clans are involved. I’m sure… none of you would try to assassinate me, right?”

The threat was implicitly tied to an offer. If they cooperated, they could be part of their clan that survived. The more quick witted understood that immediately, but some of the others shouted inevitable lines about lies and slander. They were quickly restrained not only by the Brandle clan guards but also the present allies of the Brandle clan.

“For those of you who are not sworn allies of the Brandle clan nor involved in this situation, I merely ask that you help us uphold the traditions of integrity and justice that the Shimmering Islands are known for.” Matayal smiled broadly. In truth, as cultivators went the Shimmering Island did lean towards some of those concepts, but strength was ultimately what decided the winner, and the truth. “We have more evidence to present to you all, most notably the fleet that will likely arrive within the next few days.” If the neutral parties stayed out of the fighting, they actually stood to gain in relative terms. Both sides involved in conflict would weaken somewhat, and while the victor might come out with more resources and ultimately grow… being a faction that stayed at the same strength left plenty of available opportunities.

Slipping away with her life when she should have died greatly changed the dynamic of the situation. She’d have to generously reward Captain Sohan and the crew of the Wavecutter for their assistance, as she couldn’t guarantee her escape without them.

Matayal looked around, spotting minimal unrest among the factions- except of course those who were pronounced as the villains. Things would take some time to settle, but the situation wasn’t the disaster it could have been, even disregarding her personal circumstances. There was one problem she hadn’t anticipated, however. She spotted Melanthina peeking into the courtyard. Children shouldn’t be exposed to violence and death so early. As a cultivator it was inevitable… but she didn’t want the triplets to grow up bloodthirsty or numb to violence. She’d have to deal with that situation somehow. Matayal wished John were around, but their circumstances meant it would still be a few months before that. Hopefully things were peaceful at the Tenebach clan at least.