The next morning, Emily was awoken by jeers. The voice that spoke to them was cruel and coarse. "Eat up, curr! Get your face in it, you filthy animal!"

Staying motionless, careful to give any indication that she was awake, Emily peered carefully through the lids of one eye. In the center of the cell, Talyndra crouched on her knees, a ceramic bowl on the floor a few inches in front of her. She appeared to be making the best of a highly undignified position.

[[[ image talyndra-crawl.jpg goes here centered ]]]

The source of the voice was a pirate who stood at the door, watching her intently. "Come on, eat! Let me hear you chew! Get that butt up in the air!" Talyndra flinched a few times but did not otherwise react to his taunts.

"The stone bitch is real quiet today, why is that?" the pirate asked. "The new girl too... what did you do to 'em, Elfy? Some woodland devilry, I've no doubt."

Talyndra made no response.

An indistinct voice from somewhere above them shouted incoherently and a slightly panicked expression crossed the pirate's face. "Can't get a bloody moment," he muttered under his breath before turning tail and slamming the cell door behind him.

Once the bolt had been drawn on the door and the pirate's footsteps had disappeared, Talyndra arranged herself into a cross-legged sitting position. Balancing the bowl on her ankles, she reached for a discarded spoon. Then, looking Emily straight in the eyes, she said, "Ah, you're awake. Sorry you had to see that."

Emily sat up on the bed, trying to stretch before being instantly reminded that her arms were still stuck behind her by stone restraints around her wrists. Her arms and shoulders hurt considerably.

"Come sit here, I'll feed you," Talyndra said, picking up a second bowl and waggling the spoon.

Being spoonfed by Talyndra was a little weird for Emily, but it seemed preferable to sticking her face in the bowl like an animal. The bowl's contents were some kind of thin and bitter gruel, quite unlike the dinner she'd shared with Richard the previous evening.

"I hate that man," Talyndra ranted. "He's always making me do these sorts of humiliating things for his amusement. Maybe next time I will try to be asleep as well."

"But aren't you afraid he might..."

Talyndra scoffed. "Oh, he is too afraid of the captain for that. All the crew are. And too superstitious about wood elves. Humans believe some crazy things about us. But in this case, it is to my benefit."

Emily was prevented from asking about what any of those crazy beliefs were by a spoon of gruel slipping into her mouth. "Ulp!"

"We must figure out some way of summoning the Stoneshell, Emily," Talyndra said. "Not only will it bring Aria back to us, but it is the key to our escape. You told me last night that you have summoned it to you in the past—that this is some special property of its Mer origin."

"Yes," said Emily. "I tried to summon it back after Richard took it from me, but his magic was too powerful. And now it is so far away... I don't even know where it is!"

Talyndra looked Emily sternly in the eye. "Do not speak with such despair. You are the Stoneshell's bearer. I know little of magical artifacts—we wood elves have no use for them—but I know that the chosen bearer of an artifact has a special connection to it, one that transcends time and space. Emily, it is clear to me that you were called out of your world by the Stoneshell. And if that is so, then to summon it from another deck of this ship should present no challenge."

Emily frowned. For Talyndra to express her ignorance of magical artifacts and then confidently make wild conjectures about them in the same breath was quite absurd. But she wasn't confident enough in her own knowledge of this world's magic to offer any kind of rebuttal. If only she'd been able to read some of Zephyr's book before it was taken from her!

"I will help you," said Talyndra. "If you can see the Stoneshell, perhaps you will be able to move it. So I will help you to see it."

"But how?"

"Watch."

Talyndra closed her eyes and began to hum a simple melody. She raised her hands and started to trace lines through the air. Green light followed her fingers, and a picture began to form as the lines joined together. Then the picture began to grow, taking on a life of its own, as Talyndra's humming increased in intensity. It took on the shape of a ship's cross-section, with all the decks, corridors, and rooms detailed. Little points of light moved across the decks and through the corridors, while others sat motionless.

Emily's eyes expanded to take it all in. "Wow, Talyndra, that's amazing!"

"Mapping has always been a strength of mine," Talyndra replied, having stopped humming for the moment. "Now, look closely, and tell me if you can see the Stoneshell. We are here." Talyndra pointed at two glowing dots near the bottom of the ship.

Emily screwed up her eyes and peered at the map, trying to recall where the captain's cabin was. After a moment, she felt her eyes being pulled towards one particular spot on the map, a room containing a single glowing dot—the captain's cabin. "There," she said, using her chin to point at the spot.

Immediately, silvery light in the outline of a seashell appeared at that spot on the map. Emily gasped.

"That wasn't me," Talyndra said. "But I think you've got it."

"What about the captain?" Emily asked.

Talyndra glanced at the glowing dot next to the shell. "He's asleep."

Emily exchanged a skeptical glance with Talyndra but was met with only a reassuring nod.

"The map contains subtle details that only elf eyes can appreciate. Now, see if you can move the shell."

Focusing on the silvery light, Emily held an image of the Stoneshell in her mind and willed it towards her. At first, the shell seemed not to react. But as Emily continued to stare, she thought she saw it move. It was almost imperceptible at first, but then undeniable.

"Haha, yes!" Talyndra cried, pumping a fist in the air. "Bring it here!"

The silvery shell outline slipped from the captain's cabin and into the hallway. Emily maintained focus on it as she moved it along a winding route, across corridors and down staircases. Every time it came close to one of the moving dots, she froze, her heart jumping into her throat, and waited for the dot to move a safe distance.

Sweat beaded on Emily's forehead, and she could feel that the effort was draining her, but she persisted, thinking of the stone statue behind her. It was amazing to her that she was even able to use the summoning power from such a distance.

Finally, after what felt like many hours and far too many close calls with pirates, the Stoneshell reached the door of their cell. Emily's breaths came in short gasps, her energy nearly spent. But the sound of the Stoneshell clattering against the wooden door energized her and with one last mighty pull, she drew the Stoneshell up from the floor and through the bars in the window at the top of the door.

The stone pendant sailed into the cell, chain trailing behind it, and clattered onto the wooden floor just in front of where Emily had fallen to her knees in exhaustion.

"I did it," Emily gasped, her eyes glued to the familiar stone pendant, hardly believing it was here with her again.

With a wave of one hand, Talyndra dispelled the map. She scooped up the Stoneshell and, beaming from ear to ear, brought it to Emily's neck and fastened the clasp behind her. The familiar weight felt good against Emily's skin.

The moment the Stoneshell's chain clasped around Emily's neck, Aria's stone form shuddered. Particles of dust fell from Aria's frame as she moved, stumbling forward, eyes wide and rapidly blinking.

"Aria!" Emily exclaimed, rushing to her friend's side.

Aria looked around, confusion giving way to recognition. "Emily? Is that really you?" Her voice was weak but filled with relief. "Talyndra? What happened?"

Emily attempted to wrap her arms around Aria but was quickly reminded of the stone restraints that bound her wrists. "Long story short, I've been captured by pirates, just like you two. But I'm so happy to see you again, Aria."

Aria blinked a few more times, still clearly disoriented. "How was your meeting with the Merfolk? Did you learn anything useful?"

Emily told Aria the story of everything that had happened to her in Aquius, and all that had transpired since, with Talyndra chipping in at the very end.

"We have to get that book back," said Aria. "As long as the captain has it, he knows more about the Stoneshell than we do. From what you've told me, he sounds like a formidable mage. I shudder to think of what use he might put such knowledge to."

"Well it's not going to matter, because I've got the Stoneshell back now," Emily said defiantly. "And I'm definitely not going to let him trick me again."

"Are you hoping to distract him with your breasts?" asked Aria.

"What? Oh!" Emily glanced down, reminded for the first time in a while that her shirt was hanging open. "That... I didn't mean to wear it like this. It was his doing. I just can't fix it with my hands tied behind my back."

"I see," said Aria, winking. "It is nice to see you mostly dressed, Emily. I almost didn't recognize you."

Emily blushed. "I'm, err, hoping to make a habit of it."

"Oh Emily!" cried Talyndra. "Why didn't you say anything? Here, let me fix it for you."

Talyndra pulled the two bottom corners of the shirt in her hands and tied them together, much as Emily had done in the first place. Emily breathed a sigh of relief and thanked her. "I felt bad asking you, considering you're, well..."

Talyndra glanced down at her body and shrugged. "Can't be helped. I'll find something when we escape."

Emily cocked an eyebrow and cast Aria a meaningful look. "When?" she repeated.

"You have the Stoneshell now," Talyndra said, pointing at the pendant. "Use its magic and get us out of here."

Darkness clouded Emily's brows. "It's not that simple," she said. "The Stoneshell creates fire. It's... difficult to control. If I start throwing fire around indiscriminately, I could burn this whole ship up. You would drown, and Aria would be trapped at the bottom of the ocean!"

Talyndra nodded solemnly. "I understand. But can you not use a small amount of fire? A few controlled blasts. Just enough to burn through the door and take out any pirates who get in our way."

Emily bit her lip and exchanged glances with Aria.

"You have been developing more control in our recent sessions," said Aria. "I'm sure you're capable of what Talyndra suggests."

"Maybe," replied Emily. "But it's difficult even in a no-pressure training situation. This is way higher stakes. And what's more, I don't know how I'm going to blast pirates out of our way with my hands stuck behind my back." She wiggled her fingers for emphasis.

Aria's eyes widened and she started muttering to herself. "Oh my. This whole time... why didn't I think of that? What a silly mistake..."

"What are you talking about, Aria?"

Aria laughed her musical, wind-chime laugh. "Oh Emily, I've just realized that we've been training all wrong! No, no, don't give me a look like that, it's a good thing!"

"How is it a good thing?" Emily yelled.

"Up until now, I've been instructing you to summon fire from the Stoneshell into your hands. But that's not the only way you can use the Stoneshell's power. You can summon its fire anywhere on your person, you certainly don't have to use your hands!"

Emily gasped. "You mean... wait, okay, I have an idea. Stand back, Talyndra."

Talyndra did as instructed while Emily turned to face the door of the cell. The Stoneshell felt warm against her skin as she began to summon its flame. With a series of deep, deliberate, and carefully measured breaths, she drew the flame from the Stoneshell and into her chest, into her lungs, and up, up, up. Warmth surged up through her throat.

Then she breathed out.

A jet of bright orange flame burst from Emily's mouth, aimed directly at the door. Talyndra jumped even further back, putting a forearm in front of her face to shield it from the heat.

[[[ image emily-breathing-fire.jpg goes here centered ]]]

Once the breath had fully left Emily's lungs, the fire stopped. There was now an enormous, smoldering hole in the middle of the door. Emily smiled back at the other two, tendrils of smoke rising from her nostrils. "Never thought I'd take up smoking."

"I'd advise against it," said a stern, very familiar male voice. "The ashes get everywhere."

Standing just beyond the destroyed cell door was Captain Richard, smiling haughtily and holding a book in his right glove. He lifted his left and opened his palm towards Emily.

This time, she was ready. She felt the Stoneshell rise from her chest but stopped it from moving further by focusing on it, bending her knees, and rooting herself to the floor.

Richard grimaced, made a straining noise, and then gave up, allowing the Stoneshell to fall back against Emily's chest.

"You're not doing that again," Emily snarled.

"Perhaps not," Richard replied. "But, as we discussed earlier, it would be terribly tragic if you allowed your little necklace to destroy this ship. The statue and the elf certainly wouldn't survive, and you'd have only yourself to blame."

"Shut up!"

Richard raised the book in his hand and flipped through its pages. "I've been doing some reading about this Stoneshell of yours. A powerful and special artifact it is. In the right hands... well, the possibilities are endless. And did you know it was a betrothal gift?"

"What's this got to do with anything?" Emily didn't like the funny look on Richard's face.

"Oh, it just means that to unlock the true power of the Stoneshell, the bearer must... consummate. Then the Stoneshell's power will extend to both."

Emily deepened her stance and narrowed her eyes. "What are you trying to say, exactly?"

The book snapped shut and Richard bowed his head to step through the hole in the door. Talyndra jumped behind Aria, who scowled at him, and Emily readied herself for a fight.

But instead of attacking, Richard knelt down on one knee. "Dearest Emily, I want to give you the world. Together, we could rule an empire. I feel a powerful bond with you, and I know you feel it too. Emily, would you offer me your hand in marriage?"

Emily's jaw dropped.

"Oh! How foolish of me!" Richard said. "How can you offer me your hand when... let me fix that for you."

With a small gesture from Richard's chin, Emily felt the stone restraints holding her wrists behind her back crumble into dust. She sighed with relief and brought her hands in front of her, rubbing the stiffness out of each wrist in turn.

"Now, let me try that again." Richard pulled off his leather gloves, exposing his granite hands.

"Your hands!" Aria exclaimed. Talyndra peeked out from behind her back.

Richard ignored the other two, having only eyes for Emily at that moment. He reached out and grasped her hands in his. "Emily. Would you be my wife?"

A burst of flame exploded between them, knocking Richard back against the wall.

"Does that answer your question?"

Richard drew himself up and dusted off his clothes. He gazed at Emily blankly, but soon cracked into a smile. "I suppose that is to be expected. I'm disappointed, of course. But I have a second proposal."

Emily had already summoned fireballs in both her hands.

"So feisty! I do love a feisty woman. And I'm sure you'll love this."

"Out with it, then."

"I'm a sporting man. I may be a pirate, but I live by a code of honor. I treat my crew well, and they will die fighting for me. You will sooner burn down this ship than get them to surrender." He emphasized this final sentence with a pointed look at the fire in Emily's hands. "I don't think you're a killer, Emily. I've met killers."

Emily hardened her expression. She couldn't let him see how much he was getting to her.

"So let's not do anything we may live to regret. Instead of attacking me and destroying both my ship and your friends, I propose we fight a duel. Magic, of course."

"A magic duel!" Aria repeated. "It has been many years since I last witnessed a magic duel."

Richard cast Aria a fleeting glance before turning back to Emily. "Well, aren't you lucky? Here are the terms of our duel: a one-on-one battle between myself and you, Emily. If you win, I will give you and your friends your freedom, and control of my ship. You will become the new captain."

Emily allowed the fireballs to dissipate slightly as she considered this.

"If I win, you will give me your hand in marriage."

Emily scoffed. "What? You're joking."

"I never joke about matters of the heart. Consider it, Emily. Win or lose, your friends will survive. Reject the offer, and... well, it won't be pretty for any of us."

"I c-can't believe you're just asking me to burn you to a crisp," Emily said, a crack in her voice betraying the smug tone she was going for.

Briefly, Richard looked confused, then stated matter-of-factly, "Lirethel rules, of course."

"That means the duel ends after one combatant falls over," Aria interjected.

Richard's eyes sparkled. "I wouldn't want to do anything to spoil my prize, now would I?"

Emily made a face.

"On the contrary, think of it as friendly sparing. We'll go multiple rounds, to avoid either of us winning or losing by fluke."

"How many rounds?" asked Talyndra, poking her head out from behind Aria. There was a look of excitement in her eyes.

Richard smiled impishly. "That's the best part. A little addition I just now thought of, inspired by you, my green lady." He steepled his fingers, chuckling at his own brilliance. "The loser of each round will remove an item of clothing. The duel ends when one is fully naked."

Emily sighed deeply, clasping the bridge of her nose between her fingers. Of course that was Richard's brilliant idea, something involving nudity. Her luck in this world seemed to run in a single direction.

"The crowd is going to love it." Richard clapped his stone hands together with a loud bang. "I'll give you some time to think it over. Have an answer for me when I return."

With that, the captain turned on his heel and climbed out of the cell through the hole in the middle of the door, whistling a jaunty tune.

Once he was gone, Emily exchanged a long, thought-laden glance with the others.

"Emily... you don't have to—" Aria began.

Emily raised a hand for silence and turned her face away from her friend. She had already made her decision.