The mayor was a punctual man. His experiences taught him that business had to be done fast. The earlier the better. Because the more you wait, the higher was the chance to be double-crossed. Several men had tried the past tides. They now rotted six feet under. But the huntress he met this morning… He didn't know what to think about her. She seemed strong, arrogant, and definitely hard to bury.

  That’s why he came even earlier than planned. This time, with a dozen of his best bodyguards.

  He froze in complete disbelief.

  A blood puddle was slowly absorbed by the dust. The mayor followed the red path with his eyes. At the end of the trail was lying one of his men, disfigured, his teammate waiting for him to get back his composure.

  “What the hell is going on here!”

  Foruna’s Pebble was enjoying a meal on a low wooden table, completely ignoring the carnage. The mayor approached slowly, carefully analyzing the situation. His eyes stopped on Foruna’s hands. Bloodied.

  He rubbed his eyes, not sure of what he saw.

  “You fucked my man? What the…” he murmured.

  He took a look at the grassy place. The traveler’s road was still calm. Few people seemed to have noticed the battle, but flew away as soon as he crossed their gazes. The dozen of his henchmen put a hand on their sword. They had carried a heavy wooden box that was now lying on the ground.

  The mayor stepped forward.

  “We had a deal, diver. Explain yourself!”

  Foruna looked up at him, interrupted in the middle of a sentence. She quickly wiped her knife on a piece of tissue and sheathed it in her back.

  “Your man needed a lesson. I gave it to him.”

  The mayor blinked. He looked at his disfaced man, then came back to Foruna.

  “What kind of lesson requires you to beat the learner to death?! You remember I’m about to entrust you my daughter, right?”

  “Does your daughter know when not to speak?” asked Foruna.

  The mayor calmed down, a smile appeared on his face.

  “Absolutely not,” he denied. “Actually, she’s way worse. But you may have what it takes to carry her, at least.”

  He had a cynical laugh, a hand on the pommel of his sword.

  “Ah ah ah, I may have found the perfect Pebble for this mission, finally!” enjoyed the mayor. “Lets conclude this never ending talk. I came with the shipment.”

  Six guards landed a large wooden crate. With 40 centimeters tall and 60 centimeters large, the almost 2 meters long box could actually have been a coffin. Fortunately, rotten flesh wasn’t an expensive commodity in these lands. Inside the box were probably stored some popular and expensive stuff. Rakon, prismes, gold jewelry, even alcohol or local goods. Things that could be sold for an expensive price on another Rock.

  “You will deliver this crate to the north’s rock, Golivan.” said the big man. “A small and gentle man, always running away from dangers.”

  He sighted.

  “He promised me a military alliance. This shipment is supposed to seal our collaboration. Nothing really valuable. Just the bare minimum for this coward to accept my deal.”

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  Fragile seals were visible on each side of the box, forbidding divers to open it during the trip and steal the content without getting catched by the authorities. It was a standard. Vetz quickly checked the quality of the seals, and nodded at Garan. The boy led the guards to the back of the caravan where the crate could be attached under.

  “Is that all, Mr. Rock?” asked Vetz, taking the lead of the conversation.

  She was worried: no one pays 1 golden rak for a single dive delivery. It definitely smelt a rat.

  She flashed a businesslike smile.

  “I’m confident there will be no trouble for this mission. We know how to deal with fast delivery, don’t worry.”

  The mayor returned her fake smile.

  “I’m sure you will. Goods delivery is your job.”

  He faced his group of men and searched for someone.

  “Where is that damn girl… Kali!” he shouted, not finding her. “Come here.”

  Vetz lost her smile when she saw a silhouette emerging from the group. Foruna had explained to her that they would carry a passenger, but Vetz believed till the end the mayor would have changed his mind.

  A short blond-haired girl stepped out of the group of soldiers. She had a travel bag and solid leather boots. She walked so slow that the mayor lost his composure.

  “Damn it! Faster!”

  The girl gasped, and hurried, walking in small steps as she was bound by some invisible rope. You could tell from a glance that the girl didn’t want to be here. She looked sad and angry at the same time. She wore a knee-length white dress decorated with gray swirls of wind blowing over light green blocks evoking the earth. A gold amber had been sewn above her heart, representing a piece of earth in the sky. A floating island.

  She stopped at the side of her father and stared at the Pebble. She ignored the welcoming smiles.

  Foruna looked at her in return. Her eyes widened.

  The girl had her ankles tied by a rope, restraining her movement.

  “You will carry my daughter as well.” started the big man. “She will trade and seal the deal between our Rocks.”

  He noticed Foruna’s gaze on the rope that tied the girl.

  “She… she escaped the last two caravans I put her in. I’m… I’m trying different methods.”

  He had a barely embarrassed smile.

  “I suggest you keep an eye on her.”

  The Pebble watched in silence. It felt like carrying a prisoner. But the prisoner itself was a cute princess...

  Plus, it was utterly unusual. Not the fact that people joined the caravan for a dive, but the fact they did during an incoming ash tide. People usually travel during the Blooming, when the ash and all the consequences of it were far less annoying. And there were a lot of additional reasons about this strategic choice. The Ashing was avoided like hell for traveling because the ash eventually engulfed everything, including most Rocks and mountains. The visibility dropped near zero, and monsters lurked everywhere during that period. Surviving was hard enough in a well protected city to make a dive a completely absurd idea. Even trained divers took it very seriously. And the ones that didn’t were already dead.

  Everyone knew that.

  And they were about to do it with a weak princess.

  Vetz took a calm, almost implorant voice.

  “Mr. Rock, this dive is going to be dangerous, even for us, divers. There’s no guarantee that another passenger…”

  “I know the risk.” cut off the mayor. “Don't bother me with the obvious. She will be wise and obey your orders during the trip.”

  He faced his daughter.

  “Are you?”

  The girl clenched her fists and glanced defiantly at the Pebble.

  “Perfect!” exclaimed the rich man. “If she does not obey, I allow you to tie her for the whole dive. She’s pretty good at escaping. So be aware she will try to leave you as soon as she can.”

  He glanced at her daughter, searching for something he would have forgotten to mention. Finally, he faced Foruna.

  “Please, do not hurt her too much: she is supposed to be attractive when she’ll meet Golivan. It makes negotiation easier...”

  He wiped the air with his hand.

  “Whatever, we have finished here. Leave as quickly as possible. Golivan’s already waiting for you to come.”

  “We were ready to go… We just need an hour to adjust our food supplies.” explained Vetz.

  “Do as you wish. I leave two of my men to escort you to the ash. Just to make sure she does not escape from you too early.”

  And without further ado, he left, followed by most of the guards.

  No thank you, no goodbye, nothing. Not even a look for her daughter.

  Remained the blond girl, grinning her teeths in pain. She was apparently struggling with a lot of emotion. Vetz, Foruna and Garan kept silent when watching them left. They were feeling the pinch.

  A new member. A dangerous dive. The approaching tide.

  They stared at Kali of the Floating Rock.

  She was an average size girl, probably around Garan’s age. Her short wheat-blond hair was tied back by a light-green headband. An accusing gaze always up, she was judging the world with her pale olive eyes. Slim, cute and rich dressed, you could believe she was an angel.

  “What are you looking at?! Scum.” she spat.

  Foruna rubbed her chin.

  “Great.” she commented. “A polite, smiling princess.”