The ship searching for Sileas and Yehudit.

Wulfsen swayed in the crow's nest as he stared across the blue expanse. No red sails. A week at sea and still no sign of the ship that took Sileas. They had sailed in the same direction as the red-sailed ship had taken, but it could have changed course. It probably had changed course. It could be anywhere. Wulfsen hoped the ship really was going to the island to help find Nelek, and not somewhere to sell Sileas into slavery.

Wulfsen did not want to leave the crow's nest, but thirst drove him to climb down to the deck and to the water barrel.

Shawn stalked back and forth on the deck. His anger had not dissipated since leaving Portside. If anything it had grown as days had passed and there was no sign of the boat that had carted off his daughter. He longed to kill someone. Anyone.

Wulfsen drank a couple dipper's full of water. He watched Shawn pace as he sipped the water, then replaced the dipper.

"I haven't seen anything up there." Wulfsen said to Shawn. "I had hoped to overtake the ship days ago."

Lek was miserable. He had been spared seasickness, but he knew his uncle was still furious with him, and that Wulfsen was not pleased with him either. He did his best to keep out of the way, spending most of his time hidden below deck. But if he wanted to drink he had to get his own water. He saw Uncle Shawn and Wulfsen talking nearby, he tried to quietly creep to the water barrel without being noticed.

"They are long gone, aren't they?" Shawn clenched his teeth. "Never to be seen again. This will kill Brie. That last thing she needs is to lose Sileas. What was that girl thinking?" It was all he could do not to shout.

Wulfsen shook his head, he refused to believe he would never see Sileas again. He wished he had taken a chance and hugged her when he had the chance.

"No, we will find her. It's just taking longer than I thought it would." Wulfsen stomped over to the railing. "Maybe we should start looking at this as an abduction... We know of lands where slavers take captives. Maybe we should look there instead of sailing without a real direction hoping to spot red sails."

Just the possibility that Sileas was on a slave ship made Shawn nauseous to his stomach. "You're right. A specific direction would be good. Obviously we're not going to randomly spot red sails out here."

The thought made Wulfsen feel sick too. He hated to think about what slavers would do to Sileas. "Let's talk to the captain about the new course."

Sileas and Yehudit enslaved? Lek burst into tears. He even felt bad for Questa, even though she scared him most of the time. This was all his fault.

In reply to Wulfsen Thornblade (msg # 9):


Shawn nodded his agreement and followed Wulfsen to find the captain.

Wulfsen spotted Lek.

"Why don't you climb up to the crow's nest and keep an eye out?" Wulfsen suggested as he walked past the boy and headed for the captain's chambers.

Shawn clenched his fists, still battling the desire to throttle the boy.

Lek hated the crow's nest, but he wordlessly scrambled up there.

Wulfsen knocked on the captain's door. "Captain?"

"Aye? Enter!" the grizzled old captain called out.

Wulfsen entered.

"Captain, I think we need to change course." Wulfsen said. "We haven't seen the red-sailed ship, I'm beginning to think we'll never find it this way... But if this ship is a slave ship we might know where it's going."

The old man harrumphed. "'Bout time you gave me a real direction to head in." He turned the wheel and headed in a different direction.

"You know where to go?" Wulfsen asked.

"I know of at least one area that deals in the slave business. It's a starting point."

"Hopefully we can get there in time." Wulfsen said.

"We have a lot of wasted time to make up for," the Captain growled.

Wulfsen felt sick to his stomach. Sileas had already been put through so much, what could she be forced to go through now? He clenched his fists, vowing to find her no matter what it took.

Shawn stormed down to the hull. Sick with worry, he just didn't want to be around anyone.

Even from so high above, Lek could tell that Uncle Shawn was furious. Lek dragged his eyes from his uncle and stared ahead, hoping to find the red-sailed ship and redeem himself.

"Just get us there as fast as you can." Wulfsen thumped the captain on the shoulder, then followed Shawn from a distance.

"We're going to find Sileas." Wulfsen told Shawn. "And we're going to rescue her. If she's been... hurt or something... I'll do whatever it takes to help her through it."

Shawn turned to Wulfsen. "Where did I go wrong? Sileas was raised knowing nothing but love after we adopted her. We were all so very close. She knows we lost most of her siblings. Sileas knows what her mother just went through and that she is needed. And she does this? Boards a ship with unknown people, leaves everyone behind without a word." He clenched the back of a chair until his knuckles were white.

"She must want to reunite Nelek with his family." Wulfsen said. "I wish she had gone about this differently... But she really cares about others."

"She and I agreed just that morning. She could go to Portside with Lek for information to bring back to you. I know she loves her cousins. I know she is protective of them. But she needs to learn to have some sense about things."

"I know..." Wulfsen sighed. "I wish I had gone with her. I should have gone with her."

Shawn stiffened. "You knew she was going and let her go without adequate protection?"

"I thought she would be coming right back, that was the plan." Wulfsen said. "I sent knights with her, men I thought I could trust to protect her but they failed."

And if he knew his daughter, Shawn was pretty sure she wanted Wulfsen with her and not a bunch of knights she didn't know. Shawn growled and slammed his hand down on the chair back.

"I should have just left Xavier in charge and went with her." Wulfsen said, even though he knew he had to be at the keep to do things Xavier could not do, use authority Xavier did not have. But now all of those refugees living at the keep meant nothing compared to Sileas. "I didn't even say bye properly... I should have kissed her!"

Shawn blinked. "Well I don't know about that, but she should have had someone she knew and trusted with her."

"Well, she has Yehudit... And Questa." Wulfsen said reluctantly.

Shawn could only assume Wulfsen didn't know or understand about the special need Sileas had. He wished not for the first time that Larrigan had survived the raid.

Wulfsen sighed. "We shouldn't be mad at Lek, he's just a boy. I'm the one who failed her."

"I shouldn't have given permission for her to go. I know full well how much Brie needs her right now. And now neither of us are with her." Shawn shook his head. "Lek is 18. Far old enough to know better than to not get information regarding who was on the ship and where it was going. And I'm willing to wager, Sileas ended up going because he went off the plan and was going to run off with them himse.f"

"Okay, then let's blame Lek. Let's keep him in the crow's nest until we find Sileas." Wulfsen said.

"That sounds like an ideal plan. It keeps him out of my reach."

"That too." Wulfsen nodded. The rocking of a ship is so much worse in the crow's nest that even seasoned sailors consider being put in it a punishment.

"We should send his meals up there to him," Shawn said. There was a slightly evil glint in his eyes.

"If we're going to feed him up there he'll need a bucket..." Wulfsen said.

"That shouldn't be a problem. We have spares, don't we?"

"Just worry the bugling boy will drop it." Wulfsen said.

"Good point. And knowing Lek..."

"It will get very messy down here." Wulfsen said.

"I suppose we should let him come for meals then. I have no desire to clean up after him."

"We're already cleaning up after him." Wulfsen pointed out.

"Yeah but nothing...nasty."

If Sileas had been sold into slavery she could be going through something more nasty than vomit... But Wulfsen did not voice that thought.

"I think I'm going to find something to eat. You hungry?"

"Not really, but I should eat." Wulfsen said.

"Yeah, Xavier was right. We do need to keep our strength up."

Wulfsen nodded. "Let's see what's in the scullery."

Shawn headed for the ladder like stairs that led into the sheltered part of the ship.

Wulfsen followed Shawn, his thoughts on Sileas.

Shawn ducked into the scullery and began to pull out ingredients for sandwiches.

Wulfsen paced, reminding himself that they would find Sileas and would rescue her. She would be all right in the end.

Lek thought the sea was playing tricks with his eyes. He looked away, rubbed his eyes, then looked back. The blob that looked like land was there, and so was what looked like a ship- and the sails were not white. They looked brown or maybe they were red.

"A ship!" Lek shouted. "And an island!" Lek did not know the proper sea jargon so he shouted about the boat and island while pointing.

"What do you suppose he is yelling about now?" Shawn said, having only caught a few words. "Did Lek just call out about a ship and an island?"

"Sounds like it." Wulfsen said, going back on deck.

Lek was bouncing with excitement. "It's the boat that took Sileas and Yehudit!"

Shawn had followed Wulfsen up to deck. "I'll tell the Captain to change course again." He made his way to the wheelroom.

Wulfsen climbed up to the crow's nest, crowding Lek, to get a better view.

"It looks like the ship you described." Wulfsen hoped it was not a slave ship, otherwise getting Sileas out alive would be tricky.

Shawn reached the captain who grouchily agreed to change course for a second time in less than an hour. Shawn hurried up to Wulfsen and Lek.

Lek scrambled down from the crow's nest. "It's the same boat!" Lek told Shawn.

"You're certain?" Then they only had to wonder and worry if the girls were on board or had been dropped off on the island."

Lek nodded. "It's the same ship."

"Then let's hope they are still on board and there's no trouble."

The island was visible now. "The island... it looks like the one Ila drew." Lek said.

Shawn lightly squeezed the boy's shoulder, setting aside his anger for now.

"If it's the ship and Sileas and Yehudit are there... Maybe everything will be all right?" Lek asked hopefully.

"That would be the best possible of outcomes."

Lek looked hopeful. Maybe he had not ruined everything. Maybe he would even get to see Papa soon.

Shawn wished he could share the boy's positive outlook, but he'd seen too much, been through too much over the years.

"Maybe the sailors are good people, they took Sileas to the island to find Papa!" Lek said hopefully.

"They're trying to sail away!" Wulfsen shouted, making up his mind that whoever it was, they could not be up to any good. "Faster captain!"

"Put on every bit of sail!" The captain roared at his crew.

"Maybe you should come on down from there now, Lek!" Shawn called up.

The ship was moving so fast now Lek was afraid to move, he just clung to the crow's nest.

"Lex! You don't want to be up there if a cannon comes screaming toward that crow's nest." He had no way of knowing, of course, if they had a cannon or not, but if they did, that thing was a great target.

"I'll fall!" Lek said, his knuckles white.

"You'll do far worse than fall if a cannon ball strikes that crow's nest."

Wulfsen rolled his eyes. "Should I go up there and get him down?" Wulfsen asked.

"If he wasn't Aislyn's son, I'd say leave him up there. But since he's family..."

Wulfsen grunted and climbed back up the the crow's nest. It was noticeably windier up there.

"C'mon boy, you need to get down from here." Wulfsen said, looking to the other ship. He noticed that someone on deck had red hair the same shade as Sileas.

"We're going to fast!" Lek shook his head.

"Shawn!" Wulfsen shouted. "I think I see Sileas!"

Shawn stared over at the other boat, squinting while trying to see. He did see a shock of bright red hair, and not many had hair that color. He cautiously smiled. If they were slavers,  they certainly wouldn't let the girls up on deck.

Wulfsen tied a rope around Lek's waist and shoved him from the crow's nest. He climbed down, untied the boy, then ran out on the bowsprit.

"SILEAS!!!" Wulfsen shouted.

Wulfsen heard Sileas's voice and grinned. "SILEAS!" He shouted again.

Wulfsen stood on deck, staring longingly at the ship with Sileas.

Shawn took Nelek below deck to a cabin and helped him get settled.

"Sileas told me the little ones had been lost. That's true?" He asked.

Shawn nodded sadly. He sat down next to Nelek. "I lost Sarah and two of the triplets as well."

"So much has happened." He said sadly.

"Too much," Shawn agreed. "And so much of it bad. I almost lost Brie too." Shawn hoped she would forgive him when she needed him the most.

Wulfsen ran around deck, hurrying to get off and to be reunited with Sileas. The past week without her had been a misery.

"Almost there." After Shawn had confirmed that Kadelyn, Erich and Peter were dead, he had been very quiet. He spent most of his time on deck with Lek, often staring out towards land.

Shawn nodded. "We'll rent a wagon in Portside and retrieve our horses. Won't be long now."

Wulfsen jumped from the ship to the dock. Sileas had to be around here somewhere, or coming to port soon.