Setting sail for Myion, the trio learns more about their spoils and discovered far more than expected.
"I'm a lousy traveler... well, a less well-equipped traveler anyway. You must make your own destiny."
The Hearth of the One True Bell is aboard the Fire and Fury, making headway towards Myion, on the southwestern coast of the Blessed Isle. Oresta and Pyres take time examining the logbook of the Heightened Sense, while Gale Whispered learns all she can about the Cache Egg. She learns that the Cache Egg was indeed in the possession of the Scarlet Empress ever since she entered the Imperial Manse, and that is was last opened 5 or 6 years ago. What could have been stored inside? Pyres and Oresta discover a surprise about the Heightened Sense: about ten years ago, it was commandeered by House Peleps with Seven-Fingers as captain, and ever since that time, there have been irregularities in its logbook. Was the Heightened Sense being used to smuggled goods... or people?
Gale Whispered reveals to Sientelle that she snuck back into her home in Arjuf to scrounge up enough money to buy her a gift, and presents her with a bracelet. The Wood Aspect is overwhelmed, telling Gale that everything she's ever received as been a trade, including her life for loyalty to House Iselsi.
Oresta befriends some of the midshipmen and learns that the captain's first mate, Cathak Vone, has been watching them quite closely during their voyage, especially the non-Cathak members of the Hearth. While Pyres distracts him by inciting a fight between two sailors, Gale sneaks into Vone's quarters. Hidden underneath some of his effects she finds a letter, signed by Cathak Zindel, exhorting him to "find Oresta and Pyres before the Anathema, or worse, Iselsi do." It seems to imply that Zindel, at least, knew of Cathak Vieren's plan to overthrow the House of Bells and considered it foolish in the extreme. Zindel, as a lieutenant of Cainan's, must believe Vieren to still be alive... and knows of the existence of House Iselsi. Something doesn't add up....
Suddenly, the ship rocks from a nearby explosion: the ship is under attack! Just outside the port of Myion, a blockade of Cathak warships has been set up, barring the Peleps-colours-flying Fire and Fury. Pyres directly disobeys the captain to stand on the prow of the ship and call over to the blockade that there are Cathak Princes onboard, enraging the captain. She orders them off the boat, which Pyres and Oresta reluctantly do while the others sneak onto the longboat as well. Fleuvienne suggests "sinking" the longboat to get rid of any trace of the other escaped Princes. She paddles Gale and Sientelle to shore while Oresta and Pyres sputter up onto the deck of the Cathak warship. An admiral is quick to greet them and inform Pyres that they are to be brought directly before his parents....
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