Simbawla whispered something to another of the crew, and they both stifled a laugh as they passed. Yanda looked at Kelton, and he shrugged his shoulders. She had her bow out with an arrow in notched in the string, and Kelton had an old sword in his hand. It was lighter than he was used too which made him feel less powerful. It was the metal, shaped thinner than he thought prudent for an item of death. Sebastian had said it was as strong as iron and held an edge better. It was certainly prettier. There were small etchings of birds along the blade, faded by time but still visible. They seemed out of place for a life-ending tool.

"You two going to stand there until they come?" the Captain called out. Kelton and Yanda were on the stern, behind the wheel and the man who silently controlled it. Sebastian was near the main mast directing the tautness of the sail himself.

"Aye," Kelton yelled back, raising his sword.

"Then you will be tired and of no use," Sebastian said. "It will be morning before we can even count the men on their deck." Kelton felt his cheeks flush. He was ready to play the warrior, and now he felt foolish standing like a battle was imminent. No wonder the crew snickered. He tucked the sword into his belt and sighed. The Captain repeated something similar to Yanda who rolled her eyes and slung her bow across her back. She nodded to Kelton, voiced a few words he didn't understand, and headed back to the berths. Kelton assumed she intended to rest, their brief partnership over until morning.

"I thought you said they were faster than us," Kelton said as he approached Sebastian. The Captain, in a lull between calling out commands, was eyeing the billow of the sail.

"Aye, but not like lightning. It will take them a day to close the separation now that we are headed away." Sebastian looked away from the sail and leaned over the railing to glance backward past the stern. "Had you not spotted the ship when you did, they would have met us before nightfall. You have given us a chance, small as it is."

"Can we not lose them in the dark?"

Sebastian looked at the cloudless sky and shook his head. "It will be near a full moon tonight. The sail will glow in it. Dropping the sail is even a greater risk since we can't move without it."

"And you are sure they mean us harm?"

"Chasing us is not some child's game. It takes them away from their heading, so there must be a purpose to it. No, my boy, they are hunters, and we are the prey."

"Will their numbers be great?"

"Aye. Greater than ours by four or five," Sebastian replied. "They would not risk it otherwise. And there will be bowmen in their masts. You may not be so keen to fight when you see the size of their ship and forces arrayed against us."

"Yanda will fight, so I must as well," Kelton said. He felt his confidence weaken at the thought of bowmen. The Brethren feared the bow, so he thought he should as well. His sense, weak or strong, may be useless against the weapon.

"Why is that?" the Captain asked. "She's pretty enough, but dying for her will achieve nothing. You can't even speak to her."

"I...well." Kelton fumbled with why. It had just seemed the thing to do. She was already angry at him for saving her once, so repeating the feat would harm, not help any perceived friendship. He settled on the only thing that made sense to him. "Because she wishes to die for me."

"Loyalty of the condemned," Sebastian said, shaking his head. "Unlike me, you are young and shouldn't be so quick to throw away your life. There's no hope to it."

"Did you give the same advice to Yanda?"

Sebastian shook his head. "Nay, but her risks are greater. Some things are worse than death. Many of them begin with an exotic young woman such as her."

"And I risk less?"

"Aye. You're pretty enough with that red hair," Sebastian said with a grin, "but the scar will lower your value to those with that kind of interest. It's your labor and the number of years you can perform it that will bring the most coin. A strong man is worth a lot."

"The crew, will they fight?"

"Some, not all. The odds are not good. Life becomes precious when actions have to replace talk."

Kelton thought on the Captain's words. Sebastian was already envisioning defeat, his best option was to delay the inevitable. It wasn't so different on the sea than in Aragonia. The world was full of people surrendering to power without a fight, claiming it useless. Kelton missed the woods, the company of Gossamer, and the time before he was flooded with knowledge. It had been better not knowing, though he thought differently at the time. Then again, there were some pleasant memories after he had ended the Choosing. Kelton leaned on the railing and looked down at the churning sea.

"I kissed a girl once," Kelton said to Sebastian. There was no response. "Or mayhap, she kissed me. It was her idea, and I was glad she had it." He turned toward silent Captain. Sebastian was watching him with curiosity, but not interrupting. "If I had it to do over again, I would have figured a way to never leave her." Kelton smiled. "I can still feel her on my lips. Is that how it always is? A girl kisses you, and it stays forever?"

"Only until the next girl comes along," Sebastian replied.

"I don't want another." Kelton looked back at the churning waves. "I like dreaming of her. I try and think of ways of making her smile. She has a pretty one, more beautiful than any I have seen before or since." Kelton chuckled. "She's smarter than me too. I should have had her with me, so I didn't do something reckless, like seek passage on an un-flagged ship."

"She must truly be a beauty. Something to live for I think."

"The world doesn't see it that way." Kelton sighed. He pushed away from the railing and stood tall, determination filling him. "I already knew I would never see her again. Sometimes hope fills my dreams with reuniting, but life won't allow it. I only tell you now because I had to tell someone," Kelton laughed again. "And you're the only one on this ship that understands my words."

"And what was this wonderful woman's name?"

"Juno. She is cursed, a slave as you would call it." Kelton sat on a wooden crate that stored coiled rope. "I was told the world beyond Aragonia was filled with wonders. Yet, I hear from you there is the same slavery as in my land. Same laws that protect power and weaken the rest, such as your edict of flags. It was but a winter ago when I thought the world a pleasant place where anything was possible, as in stories."

"It is not all bad. I fear you judge the entire world by a small part of it. There are many good parts where a man, such as yourself, can find a woman like this Juno you speak of and build something greater than either separately could. I have never found my Juno and think you lucky to have her in your mind." Sebastian looked up at the sail, studied it for a moment, then turned back to Kelton. "If she is what you say, why did you leave the Dark Isle?"

Kelton decided the truth was no longer worth guarding. The morning would bring with it a good chance of the end. If this were to be the last conversation he would have, it would be a sincere one.

"I killed one of the Brethren. It was flee or risk all the people around me and most likely die anyway," Kelton said.

"Brethren?"

"They say they speak the word of the Goddess, though I don't think they quote her well." Kelton shook his head. "They are the real power in Aragonia, more powerful than the king." He looked down at the deck, his foot fidgeting as he recalled his downward spiral. "You see, some think I am the Answer, a person from an old story that is supposed to be sent from the Goddess to end the Brethren's hold." He shook his head again. "I am only a boy born with a curse." He looked up at Sebastian. "I'm hunted because I can see like the Brethren do. I can feel where people are without seeing them. If someone strikes at me, I know it before it happens. Some say it's a gift from the Goddess. I say it is of demons and I am merely an unwanted accident. Either way, I am condemned for it, and everyone around me is in peril just for knowing." Sebastian took a step back. Kelton could see the beginnings of fear. Maybe he should have kept it all to himself.

"These Brethren? They are the priests of the Dark Isle?" Sebastian asked. Kelton nodded.

"They...they all see as you do? No one can hide from them?" Sebastian asked.

"I am Unseen to them," Kelton said with a nod. "We can not sense each other. I think that's why they fear me. I am told they don't allow the Unseen to reach their first winter, and even then it is a rare thing. A man, a storyteller, kept me apart from them, at least until I stopped the Choosing." Kelton smiled at the memory of Gossamer. "I always thought of him as my father. Had to leave him behind as well. Couldn't bear the thought of him dying on my account."

"I don't understand, what is this Choosing?"

"It is where the Brethren choose a girl in a town to serve the Goddess. They say she will live like a princess, but I don't believe them. No one ever sees them again."

"And you stopped this...Choosing?"

"In truth," Kelton replied, nodding his head in affirmation, "it was something awful. Thought I would fail but I couldn't let the Brother take Rebecca without trying. I just ran at him while he was busy fighting others and stuck him with a sword. I lost my stomach when I saw what I had done. Joycelyn, Rebecca's mother, shouted out something about me being the Answer. Then the town gathered as one, and the soldiers had to run away. No one could remember anyone killing a Brother before, so the fable seemed to fit me."

"It is a great burden being the hope of many," Sebastian said. "Not unlike being a captain of a ship, though my worries are more limited. Now, our fate is entwined, and the power rests on another ship we have yet to meet. Can this sense of yours stop this?"

"Distance from Aragonia weakens it. I can still force it to the surface, and I think sword to sword, no man can stop me if they do not possess the same sense. Those bows you spoke of, they are a different story. The Brethren fear them, so I do as well. Yanda's is the second I had ever seen. Like many things, the construction of them is somehow hidden from us, though it seems simple now that I have seen it."

"The Dark Isle is well named."

"Aye. Much is kept from us. The Brethren fear many more things beyond the bow. Thinking is one of them."

"I am sorry I could not show you more the world. There are many things you would find wonderful." Sebastian's face drooped as if he were the cause of the failure.

"I do not regret my time on this ship. I've learned much and seen more than most. In some ways, I feel it is my fault that we are hunted. My curse has followed me and continues to peril those around me. Fate wishes me off this world."

"Fate, luck, or divine - it is all the same," Sebastian said, waving away Kelton's words. "It is man's way of not admitting we have control over things. I piss on those thoughts. I decided to sail to the Dark Isle. My crew choose greed as well. The open water is no place for an unflagged vessel, and we all knew it. It is not your fault that we made a decision. It is not that ship's luck," the Captain pointed in the direction of the pursuing vessel, "that they found us. It is nothing but a series of choices that have come to roost. Blame it on the wind, if you must. It is as likely the culprit as your Goddess."

"You do not believe in a Goddess?"

"Nay," Sebastian replied, shaking his head. "If Gods exist, they are poor stewards and aren't worthy of my devotion. I've seen a babe born still, its mother torn to death by the birthing. Did some God love them less than others? Do the wealthy and powerful deserve a God's love more? Nay. Gods are the solace of weak minds, and a tool for those who wish to control those men."

"I do not know if the Goddess exists or not," Kelton admitted. "The Brethren do much in her name as you say. Much of it wrong. Mayhap, if she does exist, she does not have the power many place in her."

"Ahh, on that I can agree," Sebastian said, patting Kelton's shoulder. "They don't have the power claimed by many."

Sebastian shouted out a command when the edge of the sail began to flap. The full billow returned. Kelton decided the interruption was an excellent time to leave the Captain to his ship. It felt good to tell the man about his past. The unburdening had relaxed him. It didn't matter that it changed nothing. It only mattered the someone else knew. Kelton headed below deck to rest, and think of the rope he should never have climbed down.

Kelton awoke to singing filtering from above. He followed the sound into a starlit night, the moon hanging large just above the horizon. The sail glowed as Sebastian said it would, its cloth loose in a weak wind. Waves were rolling and breaking gently in a calm, predictable way.

Simbawla was leading the crew in a repeating chorus, the last line changing in a pattern they all knew. Everyone had a mug in their hands and drink was slushing out as they hit the high points of the song. Even the Captain was singing along in his deep voice.

Yanda was sitting on the same rope crate Kelton had sat on earlier, watching the spectacle. There was a hint of a smile on her face, though it was not fully deployed. Unlike the others, she had no drink in her hands. Kelton assumed the mugs were full of mead, or some other libation. Memories of the morning-after in Rolic's cave made his stomach roll. The sea plus drink did not seem a good fit. The singing, on the other hand, pleased him. It was out of place with the events expected in the morning. A welcome diversion.

Yanda's lips straightened, and she rose when Kelton approached. He was becoming used to her standoffishness and thought little of it. It was her way, and he wasn't about to alter it before morning.

"Kelton, my boy," Sebastian called, waving Kelton forward. There was a glee in the Captain's eyes as if the world was moving to his whims. "Come join us. There's a barrel of brew we wish to finish, and we could use some help." Kelton shook his head and waved away the offer of drink.

Simbawla, who never stopped singing, pulled Kelton into the group as another chorus began. He prompted Kelton, leading him with an exaggerated pronunciation of the words. Kelton laughed as he struggled to sing along, his voice adding to the volume which seemed the whole point. Soon, his tongue memorized the meaningless chorus and his mouth committed to the song. A sense of togetherness formed. Kelton became one with the others, and a simple joy filled the night. There was power in singing. The meaning of the words was unimportant. It was the unity, the complete removal of any vestige of loneliness. At that moment, Kelton was elated.

Yanda looked flustered as she sat down again. Kelton was sure it was at how quickly he had meshed into the group and joined the song. When he caught her eye, he waved her forward. She shook her head with the same obstinance she always projected. The chorus hit a high point, and Kelton increased his volume. It caused laughter that almost destroyed the tempo. Yanda smiled. The same smile he had seen when they rode the bow together.

Kelton took a step forward, then dropped to a knee in front of Yanda. Holding his arms outstretched, imploring her to join the song. She struggled to pull the corners of her lips back down. Then, without warning, her lips began to move. Kelton signaled for more volume. She rolled her eyes, and her voice finally carried to his ears. The crew, seeing his success, dropped to their knees behind him and they sang to her. She laughed and her voice, sweet and bright, mispronounced the chorus as poorly and loudly as Kelton.

"I have heard better singing from frogs," Sebastian told Kelton once the song ended.

"It is not something that is done often in Aragonia. Mayhap, it would be a better place if it were," Kelton said. It brought back memories of Serenity singing. Her rebuke had long since lost its sting, but the beauty of her voice remained. Besides her, and the Wilted Rose's morning song, it wasn't really done. The Brethren didn't allow comradery to build.

"Aye, every place is improved by song." The Captain slapped Kelton on the shoulder. A gesture that seemed to seal an understanding. Simbawla bonded the same way. Kelton liked it.

Yanda, still smiling from the song, spoke to Sebastian. His eyes widened as she continued, her hands animated with the speech.

"She wishes you to surrender if she is to fall on the morrow," Sebastian interpreted. "She is using words I don't understand. Something about not wanting a fire to be doused, or the world being darker. I'm not sure, but I think she has put a value on you that men do not usually hold in her eyes. It is not her being sweet on you, it's...it's...respect, for the lack of a better word."

"Tell her that the only way she falls is if I fall," Kelton said. A one-sided argument ensued when the Captain relayed the words to Yanda. It was brief, but Kelton could see the anger brewing in Yanda's eyes.

"I think the respect has been rethought," Sebastian said. "She won't have you dying for her, though the other way around seems to be acceptable. She says that If you intend to act like a child, she will lash you to the mast in the morning."

"What?" Kelton said, surprised at the translation. He was about to respond with all the outrage he could muster when she turned and walked away as if her words were final. "You have to stop her," Kelton yelled at Sebastian. "Tell her that no one is tying me to any mast. Tell her that..." Yanda disappeared below deck.

"It is not her way to listen to men's opinions," the Captain said with a hint of a smile.

Kelton grunted in frustration. "She's impossible. It will not be her way or my way. It will be their way." Kelton said, pointing out into the dark sea, toward where he guess the other ship was. "She acts as if the world shapes itself around her will - as if I am nothing but an annoyance."

Sebastian translated for the crew. They were deep in their cups and thought it hilarious. It was as if they had forgotten that the morning was coming. Death, enslavement - it was all meaningless to them at that moment. Sebastian chuckled at Simbawla's response.

"Simbawla says its always that way with women. Sometimes they let us think we're in charge, but it is only them toying with our pride."

"Well, she skips over it all," Kelton argued. "It is as if she thinks she rules simply because she's here."

"Just like a man," Sebastian said with a grin.

"Aye," Kelton said, his tone dropping lower as he considered the words. "Like a man. A very stubborn one." It wasn't that she was a woman, though Kelton admitted that it did play a small part. It was her insistence at being the authority in all things. He thought back to his time with Joycelyn and her family. She ruled, yet never seemed to. Many times she deferred to Cory, and even to Gossamer when she had reached her limit of knowledge. At least she would listen. That was the problem with Yanda; she didn't listen or even stick around to hear another view.

"Not to worry, we won't be lashing you to the mast," the Captain continued. "Here I rule, and allow her the impression it is the other way around."