There are at least five thousand other things I’d rather do than chase a man worth 2,000,000 Celos, but the owner of the bookstore is counting on me. And maybe, if I pull this off, I won’t feel so useless for once. The only problem is, I have no idea where Captain Swift is planning to go. 

I cautiously inch my way out the door of the bookstore and peer around. The leaf-covered roads show no signs of the captain or where he might have gone. My feet carry me through the streets without direction. I walk to the edge of town and stare up at the massive tree. Its white leaves flitter down on me as I gaze at it, hoping that it might magically tell me where Captain Swift went. 

Try as I might, I can’t communicate with a tree, but the rays of sunlight poking through the leaves remind me of someone that might be able to help me. Flandre is full of pointless information, so if anyone would know where a pirate would be, it’s him.

My body jolts as I touch the red crystal and link my mind to his. “Flandre, can you help me find the guy that took the book?”

“So, you’ve come to me for my extensive knowledge on pirates?” He laughs with confidence. “The first thing you must ask is… Why the hell are you looking for a pirate on land?”

“What? Should I be looking for him in the sky instead?”

 A moment passes in silence. “Aliyah, please. I know it’s your day off from classes, but you can still use your brain. He’s called Captain Swift because he’s the captain of a ship, so maybe you should try looking for the ship, you know, on the water.”

“You’re right. I just thought that maybe he was a sky pirate, or something.”

“Those don’t exist…”

My face heats up, and in my embarrassment, I disconnect my mind from Flandre’s. With his advice, I head towards the riverbanks. Faint footprints stick out in the mud heading downstream towards the Mallen Sea. They quickly disappear as the river widens and the mud hardens, but I continue. The river opens into the delta, so I walk along the coast, hoping that my long trek isn’t in vain.

The sun shimmers off the light blue water of the Mallen Sea. A ghost of its former self, ships rarely travel through these waters. Today is no different; there are no ships in sight. Light blue mallen birds, named after the sea, circle overhead. They scream at nothing, making my hair stand on end. 

My feet carry me along the coast for what feels like an eternity, but since the sun is still above me, it isn’t that long. I begin to think that I’ve gone the wrong way, but an alcove with an overhang appears on the horizon. I follow a path of trampled plants into the alcove. Shouts and laughter echo throughout the cavern-like area, and as I poke my head through a bush, the ship comes into view. 

A mast towers over the ship, and a dark flag flutters on top. From this distance, it’s difficult to make out the image on the flag, but it resembles a circle. As far as I know, a pirate’s flag is usually a skull and crossbones, but this flag doesn’t seem to be that. I would say the ship isn’t a pirate ship, but then it wouldn’t have a reason to be hidden here. If I follow that logic, then Captain Swift should be on that ship. 

I take a deep breath and stand up when it dawns on me: I’m about to try to sneak onto a pirate ship without anything even remotely close to a plan. My mind finally processes what I have to do, and my legs give out. 

I can’t do this. Getting onto the boat is one thing, but taking the book back from a ship full of pirates is a completely different beast. Even with a year’s time to prepare, it would still be impossible. It simply isn’t something I can do. 

But I promised the owner I would get it back, so I still need to do something. I may not be able to do it, but someone else might. Leorio would surely be able to do it, but I don’t know where he is and he has more important things to do than help me. The only other person I can ask is Joshua. I’m sure he’ll be glad to help, but knowing him he’ll say something like, “I won’t do it to help you. I just want an excuse to see a pirate ship.”

With my mind made up, I force myself to stand and nearly trip over the bush on my way out of the alcove. I hurry back along the coast towards Ellorin, afraid that the ship will leave if I’m not fast enough to return. 

By the time I get back to the village, the setting sun dyes the sky orange. If I had the time, I would stop and admire the view. Instead, I rush through the streets to get back to the dorms. 

The nice attendant at the front desk reluctantly nods at me as I check back in. I climb up the stairs to the third floor and knock on Joshua’s door, a white wooden door with a burn mark around the doorknob. 

“For the last time, I’m sorry about setting the stove on fire. I promise—” The door flies open and Joshua glares at me. “—it won’t happen…” His brow furrows and his face relaxes. “Princess? Fancy seeing you here.” He slicks back his hair and grins at me. “Could you perhaps be here to see me?”

“Why is everyone asking that today? And stop calling me that.”

His hair flings back down to cover his forehead. “Would this have something to do with that muffin you mentioned the other day?”

“Kind of.” I explain how my quest to find a muffin recipe led me to the bookstore, how Captain Swift stole the book that the owner wants me to retrieve, and about the ship I found in the alcove by the coast.

Joshua strokes his chin. “So, you’ve been suckered into something ridiculous again and now you want me to bail you out?”

“I can’t do it myself.”

“Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I can’t exactly do it either. Not that I want to, anyway”

My heart drops. “Are you saying you won’t help?”

He nods. “This isn’t something a student should be doing. It’s a job for the military.”

“I-I know that, but…”

“But you can’t say no, right?” He shakes his head. “Fortunately, I can. And I suggest you do the same. What you’re trying to do is too dangerous. Don’t lose your life over something so stupid.”

“Not like it even matters,” I mumble under my breath.

“If you’ll excuse me,” Joshua says, closing the door. “There’s some studying I need to do.”

I stare at the closed door in disbelief. Joshua has always baffled me, but I never thought he would do this. As much as I want to, I can’t blame him for not helping me. It’s the smart thing to do, and I’m used to being alone anyway, but it hurts because I thought this time might be different. 

Unfortunately, with or without Joshua, I have to get the book back. If he won’t help me, I’ll have to come up with something else. He said it’s a job for the military, but there are no nobles in the area, so they won’t care. 

I reach down to my last hope and touch the white crystal on my belt. “Winry, what now? I can’t do this.”

“Weeeeeeeeeeeelllllll… You should be more confident in yourself. You're amazing, you know.”

Her words stun me for a moment. “You sound like my brother.”

“Noooooooo, I sound like me. He said it first, but I believe in you tooooooooooo.”

I disconnect my mind from hers and walk down the hall in a daze. Leorio saying that is one thing, since he’s my brother, but Winry is aer. She says whatever comes to mind, which means she truly believes what she says. 

A spark ignites in me and I rush down the stairs and leave the dorms. 

If Winry believes in me, then I’ll use that as my excuse to be more confident, even if it’s just for a day. I’m going back to that alcove to storm that ship, and when I get there, I’ll take that weird book back. 

Ellorin comes to life as I pass through the streets. Now back from the fishing expedition, the villagers crowd the streets, celebrating a successful trip. To avoid questioning, I hide my face and rush to the riverside. The still water of the river reflects silver light from the second moon. The first moon pokes out from behind it, like a kid hiding behind their older sibling. 

The darkness of the approaching night hides the footprints from earlier, but I remember the path I took to get the ship. The corroded rocks, the overgrown wildlife, and the twists and turns of the coast. I remember all of it. Before I know it, the alcove stares me in the face. 

I follow the trampled plants again and poke my head through the familiar bush. The overhang shields the area from the moonlight, but a few torches illuminate parts of the ship. 

I take a deep breath. “I will get this book back,” I whisper, and step out of the bush. The alcove is darker than I expected. I can barely see the ship, but I can hear it, clinking glasses, laughter, footsteps thudding across wooden planks. Somewhere in that shadowy mess is Captain Swift… and a dozen reasons to turn back. 

I freeze. My legs want to run, and my mind starts listing every way this could go wrong. No plan, no backup, no real power. But Winry believes in me, even if no one else does, even if I myself don’t, and that’s all the confidence I need.

I grit my teeth and take a step. One step is enough. If I stop to think, I’ll stop for good.

Crack.

A branch snaps under my feet, and the noise makes me jump. In my panic, I trip over a vine and fall into another bush, snapping even more branches. 

I sit up to a man with brown curly hair staring at me with his eyebrow cocked. 

He pulls a knife out from his belt. “Snooping around, eh? That’s no good.”

A chill runs down my spine as my heart attempts to break free from my chest. The sight of his knife shatters any confidence that I had. I try to back up, only to run into the stone wall of the alcove. “I just got really lost,” I say, my voice shaking. “I’m new to this area and was trying to find the academy. Please let me go.”

The man shakes his head. “Afraid I can’t do that. You know where the ship is.”

“I won’t tell anyone.” His face remains unchanged, so I continue. “And even if I did, no one will try to do anything about you since you’re pirates.”

“Oh? You can tell we’re pirates? I really can’t let you leave now.” He raises his knife and steps towards me.
My mind goes blank, and my instincts take over. If I can’t talk my way out of this, the only way out is to fight. I reach down with both hands and touch Winry’s and Eren’s crystals. I wince as lightning runs through my arms and legs and our minds link together. My body aches from the burden of connecting to two aer at once, but I force myself to stand.

“Winry, let’s make a noise to distract him. Eren, wait for my command.”

“Youuuuuuu got it!” Winry says.

I lift my hand to the air and an explosion echoes through the alcove. The pirate and I both jump at the sound, and frantically spin around, looking for the cause. I realize the noise came from Winry and turn my attention to her.

“Why would you pick that of all things?” I ask.

“You said something distracting.”

“It distracted me!”

“Weeeeeeeelllll, then it worked, right?”

“That’s…” I shake my head and refocus. “Nevermind. Eren—” I kneel and place my hands flat against the earth. “—let’s trip this guy.”

“Yup, yup.”

The ground beneath me pulses and a raised section of dirt rushes at the pirate. It slams into his feet, and he falls flat on his face. His knife flies out of his hand and skids across the ground right to me. 

I pick up the knife and walk over to him. “Stay down, I know how to use this,” I say, pointing it at his back.

He rolls over and snickers. “Wow, I’m so impressed that you know how to use a knife. Where did you learn that? Knife school?”

His words catch me off guard. For a man at knifepoint, he doesn’t seem intimidated at all. “No, I learned from my time in the kitchen.”

“Ah, that explains why you don’t know not to let your guard down.”

His leg slams into mine and my feet leave the ground. I fall onto my face and the wind gets knocked out of me. The shock breaks my connection with Winry and Eren.

The man scoffs as he takes the knife from my open hand. “Not like I’m one to talk. You had a nice trick there, but it’s time I put an end to this.”

My chest contracts as I gasp for air. No matter how many tiny breaths I take, it isn’t enough. 

Something slams into the back of my neck.

The world tilts.

Stone presses against my cheek, colder than ice.

My breath stutters.

The torchlight flickers, once, twice, then darkness.