With Felicity’s response tucked away and their near-arrest still a fresh memory, Levi and Rowan left Emberlight behind. A leeward wind carried The Clearwater south, toward Crow’s Eye. Levi’s mood was buoyant—Felicity’s quick response and willingness to meet was more than he’d hoped for.

Emberlight Coast’s port wasn’t small, but it would never be a true trading hub. The harbor, rocky and jagged like most of As’dra west coast, was notorious for its treacherous waters. The lighthouse was a necessity, not a luxury. Levi had scraped his ballast more than once navigating those cliffs. Thankfully, not this time.

Crow’s Eye, though—that was different. The wharf was vast, the cliffs stable enough to support buildings towering above the shore. The islands off the coast took the brunt of the ocean waves, and the warm, shallow water made the harbor perfect for trade. The place was alive with activity—traders, sailors, dockworkers, vendors all pushing past each other, loading carts with crates and barrels. Hundreds of ships of all sizes were moored at the docks, and further out, the massive ones—so big they needed skiffs just to shuttle goods to shore.

Levi watched the mid-afternoon hustle with an appreciative eye. Getting cargo to the top of those cliffs wasn’t easy. From where he stood, he could see the line of carts crawling up the switchbacks, heading to the richer parts of the city.

But what really caught his attention was The Iron Wind.

The Iron Wind was a sleek, formidable vessel. It wasn’t as large as the giants out in the bay, but it could easily crew fifty. Its dark, weathered hull was reinforced with metal bands, giving the ship its iron-like namesake. The bow was adorned with a carved figurehead–a stylized bird of prey with its wings splayed in a menacing pose. Along its sides, Pyromancy-powered cannons were mounted at the ready, their blackened muzzles barely visible.

Levi whistled low, a sound of admiration slipping out as he approached the hatchway. Felicity’s ship wasn’t the biggest in the bay, but it was damned impressive—much more so than his own humble sloop. His gaze trailed over those Pyromancer cannons, wondering just how much firepower they packed. He imagined Rowan sitting behind one for a moment, launching fireballs and cackling manically. The thought brought a crooked grin to his face.

The harbormaster was there, talking to a man Levi assumed was the quartermaster. They were going over the ship’s manifest, but the moment the quartermaster spotted Rowan perched atop his shoulders, his eyes flashed with recognition. No surprise—there weren’t many black-footed cats expected today.

With a lazy wave, the quartermaster gestured them aboard. Levi’s footsteps would have echoed on the wide hatchway as they climbed up were it not lost to the bustle of crew members on the deck, and soon enough, they were standing on the deck of The Iron Wind.

“Wonder where she is.” He muttered to Rowan with a sidelong glance, wondering if maybe her freaky mind magic could more easily sus out where Felicity was in the throng of crewmen around them. That seemed like something she’d be able to do, right?