Jean leaned back in the captain's chair, his gate a steady pulse of cold through his bones as he watched the screens in front of him. Every moment that passed made him more certain. That was why he had Eliza out and scouting around the ship.

  They were parked in the air docks near a tower with several long platforms connecting the structures. There were a few other slipships in the docks, and the wet docks below were full of local sailing ships that couldn't even make it out of the island's bubble and into the nightsea.

  No one should have thought to look at them beyond their ship's design. The Nighthawk wasn't one of the older vessels that sailed the nightsea, but it wasn't unusual anymore. Factories had already begun to churn out similar ships based on the designs proliferated by Roald's contact since the message that called on people to go to the Dark Meridian.

  That was why the two figures situated along the long docks near two large crates were off. No one in their right mind would hang out in the air docks, especially behind two boxes close to the edge. They were either workers trying to hide from their taskmasters or were up to no good.

  Jean's thoughts tended toward the latter.

  "We may have a problem," he whispered.

  "A problem is the beginning of a solution," Artur said, leaning against the ship's wall. "But to start requires resolution."

  "What is it, brother?" Sayed asked, standing closer to the front screen.

  "We're being watched," Jean said. "I have Eliza monitoring them, but I'm more sure of it now. There are two of them outside."

  "What do we do?" Sayed furrowed his brow. "If we charge at them, it will cause a scene. Perhaps we should move the ship to a different dock."

  "Then they might find the jig is up," Artur shook his head. "Best not to tip the cup."

  "He's right," Jean said. "If we move, that tells them we know something is wrong. It would be better to catch them unawares and interrogate the truth from them now."

  "That would leave us away from the ship," Sayed shook his head. "I am one for a grand chase, but what if Alex calls on us for help?"

  "We have the device," Jean held up the box. "We're not going far. So long as we catch them quickly, they cannot run far."

  "A better plan than just waiting here being watched," Sayed nodded, smiling. "And a more active role than sitting and waiting for nothing."

  A doubt gnawed at Jean's mind as Sayed turned to leave the bridge. There had to be something they were all missing. However, no matter how hard he searched through the wave of fate, he could not think of what it was.

  "Mari," he said as he grabbed Artur's shoulder to keep him from leaving.

  "Yes," Mari chirped back over the speaker.

  "When we leave, seal the doors to anyone that is not a member of the crew. Artur will be here to help fly the ship out if there is a problem."

  "You would have me pilot the ship?" Artur asked, putting a hand up to his chest. "Be still my heart, get a grip."

  "As a last resort," Jean smiled, handing Artur the device as well. "But yes. Be ready in case things do not go as planned. I've got a bad feeling about all this."

  "And the device?" Artur asked. "This much trust crushes like a vice."

  "You'll be the one in the position when Alex calls for help. If we see the ship move, we'll try to get back on track, but time will be of the essence."

  "I think I understand," Artur nodded. "I will do as planned."

  Artur nodded solemnly, holding tight to the radio as Jean left him behind. He and Sayed would be the fastest to solve whatever was happening outside. Artur had proven himself trustworthy more than once on their journey, so he had no doubt there. His only question was who was watching them and what else might be hiding out in the dark twilight.

  He quickly caught up with Sayed as the swordsman stood waiting by the hatch. Sayed stood with his eyes closed, focusing on his breathing as he waited. Jean patted him on the shoulder, pointing to the door ahead.

  "We'll move fast once the door is open," Jean said. "I'll jump to Eliza while you go to cut off any chance of escape down the docks. We'll have them before they know what happens."

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  "Understood, brother," Sayed nodded, flashing a smile as he opened his eyes. "I pray that God guides our steps to victory."

  Jean nodded, placing one skeletal hand on the door and twisting it open. At the same time, he opened his gate further, breathing new aether into it and drawing power into his connection with Eliza. She still waited for him, hovering invisibly above the men on the docks.

  Clack. Clack. Clack.

  He ran through the door first, springing to the edge of the deck on his bony feet. At the last moment, he jumped high into the air, locking his eyes on Eliza's invisible form in his spirit vision and drawing a connection between them both.

  "Spirit Step."

  In an instant, he disappeared, his arm grasping Eliza's skeletal hand as she did the same. The moment they touched, she appeared in the air over the crates on the docks, the wispy white trails of her ghostly body circling below him. He looked down on the two men who had been watching the ship for an instant and took their measure.

  They were dressed like normal people, wearing brown jackets with soft grey woolen hats, but they couldn't have been. Their reaction gave them away.

  One of the men bolted, scrambling down the docks and away from the ship. The other rolled off the side, spreading his arms wide as he fell toward the water below. Jean brought his foot down, landing where they had stood, and made his choice.

  Sayed could chase down the one who ran down the docks. He would follow the one who jumped. Jean stepped off the docks, stretching his arms as he fell toward the water below. Wind raced past his arms, sending his robes fluttering around him.

  Jean took a deep breath as he stretched invisible strings around his hands below him. His quarry folded in his arms, going for greater speed as he raced toward the water below. Jean pitied him, for Jean wouldn't allow him to reach the water.

  "Spirit Strings."

  Jean threw out the fingers of his right hand, letting the aether from his heart flow out from the tips and out into the night. He caught the passing platforms near him but didn't pull the strings tight yet. Instead, he thrust down with his left hand, sending out five strings to attach around the falling figure. Jean smiled as they connected, tapping onto the man's shoulders with ease.

  Then, the man spun, a black dagger cutting through the air behind him and severing all of Jean's strings in a single cut. The strings that had just caught on his shoulder went slack, and Jean frowned as the strings in his right hand became taunt and slowed his descent.

  Jean had a choice. He could either follow the man into the water and try to track him in the cold dark, or he could try to follow the man from the docks and hope to catch him when he came to shore.

  It was a problem because if Jean dropped into the water, he would sink to the bottom. Despite his devilish good looks, he was only bone. Bones sunk in the water without fat around them to let them float.

  "Eliza, try your best to follow him," Jean sent her out into the water with a whisper. "I will see what I can do from the docks."

  Eliza flew off his arm, disappearing into the water without a sound. Her wispy white form went invisible as she entered the water. Jean didn't think it would do any good, but it might protect her from attack if the man had the means to hurt aetheric creatures.

  That left him hanging over the water, dangling beneath the platform above with only the water and a long pier nearby. Jean kicked his legs back, throwing his body along the string before kicking forward. He repeated the process until he swung from his strings, focusing his eyes on the wood below. When he was sure of the distance, he released the string, sending his body sailing toward the pier.

  He practically flew through the sky, his arms out wide as he brought his legs to his chest. If he landed wrong and fell into the water, he would sink to the bottom, and the chase would be pointless. He needed to hit solid ground.

  "Huff."

  He landed on both feet, throwing out his arms to keep his balance. When his balance shifted, he threw them both out to the side and kept himself upright. He stood straight after being sure he wouldn't fall back into the water. He stretched out his arms and cracked his neck out of habit.

  He sighed, happy his robes would be spared the soak in the cold water. While he didn't have lungs or skin, drying out his clothing would be annoying.

  He checked around him for watching eyes, but so early in the morning, there were no people near him on the docks. The few ships working on some far docks didn't have the time to pay attention to the antics of some random man jumping down the docks.

  Jean was thankful for that. The fewer witnesses he had to deal with, the less likely they were to be noticed by the authorities. Now, he just needed to see if he could track down the man who had jumped from the docks.

  He started down the pier, heading toward the shore and keeping watch on the water below. Only the steady rhythm of waves cresting against the wood poles of the docks and the stones on the far shore disturbed the water's surface. No bubbles rose from the water, and no person jumped onto the shore.

  "A strange turn of events," Jean whispered as he crossed his arms.

  His next turn of fate was whether Eliza could track the man in the water. He received his answer a moment later. The aetheric strand that connected him with Eliza severed as he stood at the water's edge. Eliza had disappeared beneath the water, and the tether that kept her to Jean had been severed.

  Jean frowned, closing his gate and releasing the held energy within his heart.

  "First my strings and now Eliza,' he shook his head. "I think the blade is made of a similar metal to the strange cuffs. If they are made of the same metal, both would be able to cut off the flow of aether."

  He bit his lip.

  "It would be an upending of the power difference between the cursed and normal people," he clenched his fists tight, bone scraping against bone. "Such a terrifying possibility."

  He waited a while longer, hoping the man would push through the water and onto the docks somewhere along the line, but in the end, the man disappeared without a trace. That left Jean none the wiser about why the ship was being watched.

  In the end, he turned away, picking out the tower that would take him back to the ship. He could only hope that Sayed had caught the other man who had run. However, if the second one had similar means to the first, Jean held out little hope.

  It seemed like the wheel of fate was turning against them, and they would have to make the choices to put fate back on the right track.