At first it seemed impossible to get the horses to go down the ramp into the hold of the ship they were taking north. After a lot of coaxing Rufus sniffed the air, put his front foot on the ramp with a snort, then trotted down to the waiting bed of straw. The other horses followed his cue and the ship was able to get underway before sunset. In-Yeon elected to stay with their mounts and try to catch what sleep he could. One of the Go's retainers stood watch at the top of the hatch. They had all been on edge since spotting temple guards snooping outside the family's compound.

Scout Jia and San Jin made the rounds on the upper deck with two more guards but few passengers acknowledged their passing. A couple of the crew members seemed extra curious so the guards took note. After watching the ship clear the harbor, the foursome claimed a sheltered corner with a sightline to the hatch to decide how they would split the watches.

"I'm not sure we should leave our groom on his own," San Jin said in a voice quiet enough to be swallowed by the creaking rigging.

"You're forgetting the very seasoned warrior he is travelling with." Scout Jia said with a smile.

"We can include the hold in our rounds but I am less concerned about him than your good self," the senior guard said in an equally discrete tone.

"I agree. We need to stay on our toes, even after we are through the toll-gates tomorrow," Scout Jia furrowed his brow for a minute and proposed a three-shift rotation split between the six members of their party. "The boy is already out so he can have the last shift of the night. I will sack out now and take the middle watch. No don't argue. I am more used to this kind of duty than you may ever be." He then propped himself against one of their bags and pulled the hood on his cloak over his eyes.

In-Yeon was very confused when Scout Jia woke him for the final guard shift of the night. At first, he felt drained and nauseous. Since he had been sailing most of his life, he knew it likely wasn't from the rolling motion of the ship. It took his first round on deck to start piecing together the dream fragments.

Entering a stone tiled courtyard. Selecting blades and struggling to fend of three and four attackers at a time. Calling a halt to the practice to explain he needed more controlled forms than this rough bout. Reminding the head guard student competitions did not use battle tactics and being laughed at. Still holding his own through the afternoon until a strange shipment arrived. The wave of dissonance shaking him. Pushing as much of his crystal energy as he dared away through his tiger's eye connection to Master Wu. Falling to his knees. Being dragged to the castle infirmary. Begging to leave. Asking the healers to send for his father. Finally, convincing them to set up some isolating jade posts. Having the pressure ease enough that he could keep down water. Seeing the Governor berate healers and guards alike then being locked into a well-appointed chamber. Dark eyes staring through a narrow slate in the door. The distinct cackle of the Governor's wife laughing about toys breaking each other. A piercing headache. The rusty taste of blood in his mouth.

In-Yeon was so wrapped up in the lingering sensations from his dream he almost missed one of the seamen sneaking toward where Scout Jia and San Jin were sleeping. The drawn knife left no time for subtlety. In-Yeon summoned a wave to high enough to push the man across the ship's deck. Unfortunately, it also drenched the other guard.

"Sorry," he whispered as the man shook out his cloak.

"Looks like we caught some real luck with that freak wave," the guard said as he picked up the long dagger the seaman had dropped.

In-Yeon covered his mouth and coughed, "Yeah. Luck." His ears turned red but the guard's attention was on the seaman who was dangling off the outside railing.

Two members of the ship's crew came running but were soon calling "Man Overboard." A floatation buoy was tossed overboard but the ship did not stop. When the crew members noticed In-Yeon's shocked look they said, "Can't fight these currents but they should pull him to shore soon enough, so don't worry lad." In-Yeon bowed his thanks then continued his patrol with a quick check on the horses below.

When he returned to the main deck, he could see the sky starting to lighten. The low-hanging clouds were briefly tinged with burnt-orange and pink. In-Yeon muttered to himself, "Red sky in the morning, sailor's take warning." The winds picked up, the rigging creaked and the deck swayed.

The first-mate rang the bell beside the helm and loudly called, "All hands. All hands, on deck." A slim figure in a bright blue robe appeared beside the captain and threw sparkling dust into the air. The crystal fragments swirled around, tracking the changing direction of the wind. There were tense moments as the ship edged through narrow straights then the wind-singer slowed their chant but the wind suddenly shifted and the ship rolled dangerously close to the edge of the deck. The sparkling dust swirled into a twister before falling into the ocean. The captain nodded to the wind-singer and passed his orders to the first-mate.

"Look lively boys. We need to run fast if we are going to beat the storm." The man called.

In-Yeon scanned the rigging and could see where the lines had gotten crossed. He looked to the crew and pointed to the problem. Nobody noticed. "Damnation. What is the matter with them, can't they see it?" He looked frantically at the other guard. "Look, I know we are guarding together but if I don't take care of that," he pointed forcefully saying, "when they go to tack its going to get balled up. Can you wake another guard while I run up and sort out the rigging? Oh, and you will want to throw some tarps up for when that hits us." In-Yeon pointed to the boiling black clouds on the horizon.

"What about the wind-singer?" The guard asked while looking over to where the captain supported the blue figure.

"Nobody can direct something this size," In-Yeon said forcefully and added, "Not even on land with the best anchors anyone might muster."

"I'll take your word for it but if you are going up the rigging don't blame me if it goes bad."

"Just make sure everything is secure here. Oh, and be sure they close the hatches. We don't need the horses getting swamped." In-Yeon pulled off his boots and put a knife between his teeth before shimmying up the central mast. The first-mate yelled when he noticed In-Yeon's climb but then stopped when he saw where the boy was heading.

In-Yeon's quick intervention made it possible for the ship to tack properly as the storm hit. They ran as close as the dared to the shore up the long inlet to limp into port with the other ships caught by the storm's leading-edge.

"Oyez, I thought you had a wind-singer?" The harbor master called over to their ship's captain.

"We wouldn't be here without them, nor without a damn handy passenger," the Captain pointed to where In-Yeon stood wringing out the tails of his shirt. The boy nodded at the acknowledgement while hurrying over to where the hatches were being lifted. The horses all greeted him enthusiastically.

A blue sleeve reached out to stop In-Yeon from jumping into the hold. "I don't know how you did it, but thank you. Now don't play innocent. I was trapped in those winds but you grounded us both. The crystal sands wouldn't have fallen into the water any other way," the wind-singer whispered.

In-Yeon stood very still before asking, "A life for a life?"

"Alright. The guild won't know but I won't forget." The wind-singer made a complicated sign in the air and blew it toward In-Yeon. The boy accepted the intangible token before hurrying down the ramp to the horses.