Stilled Seas

Days passed slowly for the group on board ship. While the nights were still fairly enjoyable for Hethir and Val, the gloom over the ship was nearly palpable. Ironically, the only one that knew exactly what they were sailing towards was almost painfully cheerful.
Nezys had taken to dancing around the  rigging of the ship, her projection gliding easily from one rope to the next. While it was not quite true to say she was singing--the sounds she made were too tuneless for that label--the joy expressed by the notes was unmistakable.


While Hethir had at first attempted to dissuade Nezys from her new favorite activity due to the inherent danger of her falling overboard, she was quick to respond that she could easily float and Hethir would have no trouble at all helping her back onto the ship. Hethir had been forced to concede that point.
"It is still jarring... you are our only ticket to finding D and possibly stopping his plans, even if you aren't truly in much danger... be careful..."
Nezys laughed, a sound like ringing steel, "relax 'father' I won't be falling overboard, and if it makes you feel better, I'll stay in sight of you so you can save me if needed."
"Father?" Val enjoined from across the ship, looking back at the two of them with a bemused expression. "I've never thought you the type Hethir..."
Perhaps, but then again, having my heir be a magically sentient sword that I tore free from the control of some kind of mad archdemon has more than a touch of irony as well.
Val let out a giggle, "you'd just best hope I don't decide to stop taking maiden tea to see what we could make together."
You'd make a terrible mother Val.
"And you an atrocious father Hethir, as you're already demonstrating with your new 'heir'."
Hethir was about to retort, but Nezys burst in with another laugh, "It isn't as though you're doing much better, and really, with how much of you is in my head, I might as well call you 'mother'"
Val started at that, and her jaw worked but no sound came out.
Hethir joined Nezys in the laughter that followed.

"What I don't understand," Val finally broke the silence on the poop deck that had reigned for nearly an hour, "is how you think D didn't recognize that his binding spells on Nezys have failed. Admittedly I'm not the greatest expert on magic as such, but it seems that most mages know when their spells are cancelled."
Hethir and Nezys glanced at each other, and shrugged almost simultaneously.
"Well, you are right about magic, for the most part, ongoing spells are still linked to their original caster in most instances. In the case of Nezys however... things are somewhat different."
Nezys continued, "D wanted to make certain that I couldn't be easily traced back to him, so he forcibly severed his connections to me, preventing any scrying attempts used on me from locating him. Fortunately for us, that works both ways. He cannot magically know anything about me. That of course will not stop him from scouting us."

"On the subject of scouting... Michael! What is that I see afloat to the Southwest?"
Several sailors almost immediately swarmed into the rigging, spyglasses in hand.
"Wreckage sir, a two-mast by the looks of it!"
How old? Best estimation.
"No more than a day! Another sailor responded, I can still see traces of smoke out of her galley stack!"
Hethir swore. If it was that recent they could be sailing into very dangerous waters, and--much as he felt like it was akin to putting his hand in a trap to see if it were armed--they needed to know what had happened to the other vessel.
Michael... set a course for the wreckage, but put the whole crew on alert, I want full arms and ready to repel... anything. We have no idea what happened to that vessel but I will not see it happen to the Storm Hawk!