Night had fallen for the ladies peacefully, with no sign of Sarah's attackers in sight. She was relieved to have gotten away from them, but her mind was far from calm. Jayden...she figured one attempt at her life was enough. She would've never guessed he'd send the Greys after her.

Sarah sat on a bench near the main deck, a bottle of rum clenched in her hand. She waited eagerly for Cookie, the former lover was below the deck cooking a meal for them. Sarah could smell the cooked shrimp mix with the scent of the sea, her stomach growled with anticipation. She forced the hunger out of her mind, and took a moment to examine the ship. Her eyes followed the wooden pole in front of her, the mast that stood about eighty feet with the crow's nest.

Waving above the wooden nest was the ship's Jolly Roger, a white flag with six blue sabers in a circle. The flag was the symbol of the Darken Empire, six sabers to represent the Emperor's rule over six of the Seven Seas. She would order a new Jolly Roger on the next island, Port Ruby. The island was a hub for Caravans to claim missions, and for new Caravans to register with the Empire.

Sarah was so lost in her thoughts about the future, she hadn't noticed Cookie had stepped onto the main deck. She smiled and took a seat next to her captain. In her hands were two hot bowls of white rice and shrimp.

"So spill it," said Cookie, passing Sarah a rice bowl. "Who the hell is Jayden?"

Cookie had asked before, but Sarah declined to answer. It was a part of her past she wanted to forget. Jayden was more than a mistake to her, he was a curse. She thought on whether to just lie and sighed.

What kind of captain would she be...if she couldn't trust her own Caravan?

"He used to be my captain," replied Sarah, she ate a spoonful of rice to keep her mouth busy. Cookie gave her a curved smile and squinted her eyes. Damn, Sarah thought. She had hoped she was convincing enough. When she saw Cookie's stare wouldn't yield, she rolled her eyes and added. "Maybe we were a bit more."

"So what happened between you two?" asked Cookie. "You never told me why you left your Caravan."

Sarah looked toward the sea, the water was calm and flat. She remembered being in those waters that night. The sea wasn't calm then, the sea was ruthless. She remembered the Caravan, she remembered the angered looks on their faces. None angrier than the captain, a man she had trusted more than anyone.

"I didn't leave, they betrayed me...he betrayed me," she sighed through her nose, and could see his silver eyes in her thoughts. "I was stupid back then...I thought I loved him."

"That's not stupid," said Cookie, in a soft voice. "What's wrong with falling in love? I think that makes you a romantic."

"Well, that didn't get me anywhere," Sarah reached next to her, and took a swig of rum. "I was going to be captain of that ship, you know? Jayden told me I could succeed him. All he asked was that I dress like a man, and keep my breast hidden...It's funny," she took another swig and shook her head. "I was the strongest person on that ship, but I had to be a man to prove it. Eventually the Caravan found out and they asked him to throw me off the ship. It wasn't till the night before that I learned the truth, they were planning to take turns with me before they kicked me out."

She looked away from the sea and stared at Cookie's glazed eyes. With her colored nails, Sarah pulled down her tank top. Cookie gasped. She could see a dark, circular scar over her captain's left breast.

"So I ran," said Sarah, simply. "And before I could get off the ship, Jayden shot me. The bullet is still in there, crazy ain't it?"

"That's horrible." said Cookie, her voice barely above a whisper.

"No, that's life," Sarah shrugged. "It's why I'm determined to make this work. A female Caravan rising to the top, it's never been done before. We can finally gain respect for ourselves, maybe even inspire others to do the same."

Cookie's eyes widened at the thought. The Emperor was known throughout the Seven Seas as a cynic towards women. His vision of them as arm candy and home keepers was no secret. The idea of shattering his vision captured her.

"That dream is a long shot, kid." said a gruff voice.

The voice was masculine, which put Sarah on alert. Her heart had begun to pound fast, worried that the Greys had climbed aboard the ship. She and Cookie looked around but couldn't find the source of the voice.

"Down here, sugar."

Their eyes darted down and saw the Oracle standing in front of the bench. The teddy bear had his head craned up toward Sarah, his diamond eye glimmered from the moonlight.

"If you're trying to shake the world up," said the Oracle, his furry finger pointed at the captain. "You better know what you're getting yourself into. I've met the royals and trust me, they ain't big fans of change."

"Well, I'm glad you're at least talking to us," Sarah held her knees and leaned forward. "What's your name, old timer?"

"Gizmo," The stuffed bear puffed up his chest, and held the sides of his waist. "Former captain of the fearsome Dragon Slayers."

"Wow," said Cookie, her voice in awe. "You must've been really powerful to fight off dragons."

"We didn't actually slay any dragons," Gizmo reached and scratched the back of his head. "The name was just to scare off competition."

Just great, Sarah thought. Not only was her Oracle a stuffed doll, but he was an exaggerator too.

"Well then, Gizmo," Sarah leaned back and rested her arms on top of the bench. "Tell me, what do you think our next move should be?"

"You're going to need some brains on this ship, lady." the teddy bear nodded toward Cookie. "You already got the muscle from big red. You're good with potions, I can navigate, but we need a tactician. Someone that can layout a battle plan for her captain."

Captain...Sarah couldn't deny it, the title had begun to grow on her. Gizmo walked off without her notice, his soft feet weren't heavy enough to cause the wood boards to creak. The blue moon had caught Sarah's attention, she had never seen it glow that way before. Her eyes then darted down toward Gizmo, but he had already made it to the door of her den.

"Where are you going?" asked Sarah. "That's the captain's den."

"If your friend on the dock likes you, he'll have an atlas in there." Gizmo hopped up and turned the knob before landing back down. The door slowly swung open and Gizmo peeked inside. Though the room was dark, he could see a large tome that rested on the captain's desk. "I'm going to take a look and see what I can find for ya. Port Ruby isn't far, we're going to need a plan when we make port."

"Uh...so am I supposed to pay you?" asked Sarah, awkwardly. Gizmo looked taken aback, which made her shrug her shoulders. "Sorry, I'm just not exactly sure how this works between us."

"An Oracle is bound to serve their captain." replied Gizmo. "You think I chose this over dying? All Oracles are criminals, our spirits are trapped. I mean, I mine as well be in chains right now."

"What did you do," Cookie frowned. "For them to trap your spirit?"

"Not tonight, big red," Gizmo shook his head and waved them off. "I'll see you ladies in the morning."

Gizmo closed the door behind him and left them alone again. Cookie was still saddened, she stared at the door a bit longer and let out a sigh.

"That's so sad." she groaned.

Sarah agreed. Jayden had told her what an Oracle was, but he never told her how they came to be. She remembered his Oracle, a black cat named Mira. The Oracle was always bitter and miserable, though Jayden never paid much attention to her. Sarah wouldn't follow his footsteps, Gizmo wouldn't be her slave...that wasn't the kind of captain she wanted to be.

"Yeah, but don't worry," she looked at Cookie with a sly smile. "He'll lighten up eventually. You sure did, with that Charlie fellow."

The name made her heart jump a bit. Cookie held the side of her rose colored face, her other hand held up her pendant.

"He is a sweetheart," She stared at her own reflection off the diamond. "But I don't think I could ever be with someone now. I chose the life of a Caravan."

She smiled at Sarah and gave her a wink, her words couldn't have made her captain happier.

"You my friend, are what they call a man eater," said Sarah, she chuckled and patted Cookie's shoulder. "Just try and keep the heartbreaking to a minimum."

Cookie gave an awkward laugh, her red face was then tinted with yellow light. An explosion snapped their eyes forward, and they could see a plume of smoke out in the distance. Kyla let out a soft cry that traveled to Sarah's ears, the Dragun then turned to give her owner a better look. She rose from the bench and approached the rail of the ship, another yellow flash rose from the horizon.

Cookie stared with wide eyes, her trembled fingers cut into the wooden rail. "What's going on?"

Sarah squinted and could make out three Caravan ships, two of them burned like bonfires over the water. She could feel the ship beginning to shake beneath her feet, the howling screams of the Draguns had cause Kyla to tremble with fear. Only one ship was left intact, and Sarah had no doubt about what she was seeing.

"Pirates," Sarah took out her pistol and cocked it. "It's an ambush. Kyla!"

"What are you doing?" asked Cookie, her eyes wide with fright.

"They need our help," Sarah's eyes flickered from the fire ahead. "It's Caravan code to help a fellow ship in danger."

She commanded Kyla to proceed, and gave Cookie a pistol of her own. The shaken Dragun swam slowly over the calm water, and followed the sound of crackling fire. As they approached, Cookie followed Sarah toward the front of the ship. She had her pistol aimed at the main deck, but saw no movement.

Through the darkness, Sarah could see several grey figures aboard the ship. Kyla approached beside the vessel with no resistance, and Sarah knew something was wrong. The grey figures stared at her with frightened eyes, their bodies as stiff as logs. Her eyes surveyed the ship in disbelief, the pirates had all been turned to stone.

They hopped aboard and looked around the main deck. The ship had no Dragun attached, as was standard with most pirate ships, but it had a wide array of weapons onboard. Sabers, pistols, and cannons that lined the sides of the wooden ship. The two ladies wandered the main deck and gazed at the stone men, each face looked more horrified than the last.

"What happened to them?" asked Cookie.

"I don't know," Sarah touched the face of the ship's captain and sighed. "Check the other side, make sure there isn't anyone else onboard."

The two split in different directions to check the ship. While Sarah looked at their poor petrified faces, she was reminded of what could have done such a thing. Memories of raiding a sacred tomb, and a treasure too powerful for men to have.

"Jayden." she muttered, angrily.

He took it, she thought to herself. She looked up and saw a crow with shining red eyes. The black bird stood at the crows nest, its eyes gazed up toward the sky. The blue moon continued to shine bright, its presence had more significance to Sarah than before. A soft cry pulled her gaze, Kyla's shining eyes had begun to dim.

"She's tired," Cookie frowned. "We've kept her up too long."

"Alright then," said Sarah. "Sweep the ship and take whatever you can. We'll rest and get an early start in the morning."

The pirate ship wasn't as bountiful as Sarah had hoped. The ambush looked to be an attempt to replenish funds, or to gather goods for the black market. They did however find a chest full of bronze diamonds, and several barrels of rum and red wine. No time was wasted taking the spoils back toward the ship, though the difference in their strength was glaring at best. Sarah struggled to carry her barrel, while Cookie had just loaded up her seventh.

Cookie was her partner, so Sarah did not want to dwell on any jealous feelings toward her. However, it was impossible not give it a thought, Secretos were what separated ordinary people from the legends of the world. Sarah remembered being told tales in the orphanage about them. Each tale had a different hero, each hero possessed a power that common people dreamed of having.

She shook away her thoughts and dropped the barrel on the floor. Sarah took a deep breath and grabbed the barrel again, it had somehow became as light as a feather. She looked over the wooden container, and saw Cookie's jolly freckled face.

"I got it, captain." she said cheerfully.

Sarah was truly relieved, she thanked her and the two climbed back aboard their ship. Their yawns were evidence that the night had taken its toll, Cookie kissed her captain goodnight and returned to her cabin to rest. When she entered her den, Sarah was reminded that she wasn't alone. She found Gizmo asleep on the captain's desk, his furry head buried within the pages of her atlas.

She waited for Rocky to walk in before she closed the door behind her. She looked around and got a better look at her private quarters. The den was tinted with blue moonlight, the light came from a large circular window behind her desk. To her right was an empty treasure chest between two bookcases, and to her left she happily found her bed. The white mattress large and wide, big enough for her grey wolf to rest comfortably by her side.

She leaned back onto her pillow, with her hands folded over her chest. Her gaze shifted up toward the ceiling made up of wooden boards, tracing the dark wood rings with her eyes as she lost herself in her thoughts. She thought of Port Ruby, and felt anxious about meeting the Caravan Chancellor. She had to make her case in front of his council, and convince them to take a chance with her.

Don't worry about that now, she told herself. Tomorrow did not fear her...so she wouldn't fear it. A yawn dropped her eyelids and threw her into the darkness, her mind free to be at peace within her dreams.