Mark ignored the comment and motioned for Sonia to do the same. Ignatiy visibly shuddered at the sight of the water and even Adrienne seemed ill at ease. Mark understood why Ignatiy would be upset, but he didn't know what was bothering Adrienne. He thought small talk would take her mind off of whatever was troubling her.

It apparently worked because a confident grin overtook the troubled expression. "While that crazy friend of yours was making so much noise, I escaped through the pit."

Ignatiy stopped dead in his tracks. "The pit!? You couldn't have!"

Adrienne's grin turned malevolent. "Even conjured beasts like the Red Demons know better than to cross something more dangerous than them."

An uncomfortable silence came over them and Mark opted to avoid small talk from that point on. Consequently, few words were exchanged amongst them for the rest of the trip.

It was past sunset when they reached the ruins of Sandstone. If the other cities in Gladius were an example of how it once looked, then very little remained. Huge chunks of the city walls were missing and not a single building remained intact. Sonia took the liberty of explaining what happened.

Turning to Felix, Mark asked, "How did you get here in the first place?"

The hope for an alternative was not much. Sonia was right about their chances. An hour of searching produced nothing that even remotely resembled a boat. Though everyone felt a degree of frustration, Edward was the first to voice his complaints.

The group dispersed to see what they could salvage from the ruins of the city. Because their condition was still rather delicate, Teresa and Ignatiy were excused from the task. Adrienne would have been excused as well, but she displayed unusual vigor and there was no one who would tell her she could not do anything.

Mark did not get far when Felix called out to him.

Felix looked out to the sea. "War is not an easy business, nor is the warrior's trade light work. The burden is much heavier on conscientious souls. I have seen it many times before. You can tell just by looking at them. I was watching you a good while before I introduced myself. I saw that tell-tale look in your eyes, the look of a man who struggles with what he has done and what he must do.

"Last night I asked Sonia about it. Your cousin is quite protective of you, but once I proved my good faith, she told me everything that has happened. And so I learned about your misadventures here in Gladius, your run-ins with the Guard and your encounter with that mountain savage."

The events were never far from Mark's mind, but bringing them up like that made his insides go bitter. The recent attack in Stormtree had only added to the bloody deeds on his conscience. However, now it was different. He had someone who had already faced those demons and he had clearly approached the swordsman to offer his help.

Felix gave him a critical look. "Come now, you are not so simple-minded. Being trained as an Aritan, I can see how your education would be lacking on the subject. However, we Templars are obliged to have an intimate knowledge of the Sixth Commandment. I blame your misunderstanding on a flaw of the vernacular. Have you not studied the Three Ecclesiastical Tongues?"

"In war, it does not matter what side you are on. It is simply a matter of kill or be killed. There is no sin in killing an enemy soldier, nor in him killing you, provided both have the means and the will to fight. That is the lot of warriors. As it is written, 'Omnes enim qui acceperint gladium gladio peribunt.'

"The distinction lies in the reason for killing. If you kill in the defense of a life, be it your own or someone else's, the deed is sinless. True murder is when a man kills for the sake of greed, hatred, envy, and cruelty. That is the offense to God."

The old knight frowned. He could tell Mark was not convinced by his words.

Resting a hand on Mark's shoulder, Felix said, "If you do not accept this reality, you will be driven mad, and you will betray all the people who rely on you. For their sake, you must carry the burden."

Mark nodded. He was grateful to Felix for explaining the Templars' justification, but in his heart, it was not enough. He had already made the decision to take up the warrior's burden until Randwulf's day of reckoning, but it still felt like he was doing nothing more than meeting evil with evil.

He did not get to dwell on such thoughts for long, for Sonia appeared on the distance, calling out to him.

She led him to a hidden cellar Jill had uncovered. It seemed that however extensive Sandstone's destruction was, the pirates were not all that thorough. They found several other underground storerooms which were largely untouched by the raid and the two decades of neglect that followed. Most of these storerooms belonged to the city's many merchants and tradesmen, which proved to be quite fortuitous.

They found all the components they needed in relatively good repair. They rolled out casks of wine and whole spools of rope. They then cleared the shelves, which were the closest thing to serviceable planks they could find, and pried them off the walls. It was all brought before Felix, who carefully examined everything before giving them directions on how to construct their transportation to the island training ground.

After two days' work, they completed a raft big enough to accommodate all nine of them. Eight feet wide and twelve feet long, the raft offered enough room for them to move around a little bit, but not much. Happily, it was not supposed to be a very long trip.

They prepared to launch the following day, but the crew of Gladians had never been out to sea before. To say the least, they all had their misgivings.

The others echoed his sentiment in scattered muttering. Felix was undaunted by their doubts.

Both Edward and Ignatiy stowed their heavy packs, the haversacks were lightened, and a number of odds and ends were tucked away in the basement of a wainwright's ruined shop. All in all, the raft's burden was reduced by a good twenty stone.

After some experimentation in the shallows built their confidence, they were ready to set out. Without the means to contrive a suitable sail, they had to improvise oars to propel themselves. They had not gone far when Felix gave them instructions on their course.

Since no one else could claim any skill at seamanship whatsoever, they were left wholly in Felix's care. For the most part, they were willing to trust him. Even the most dubious of them kept their complaints to themselves.

Although the raft was big enough for them to stretch their legs if they needed to, the water loosened the ropes and made the craft rather unstable. Mark, the only one who could swim, did what he could to tighten the ropes, but his efforts only went so far. In the end, they had to settle for sitting still and hoping the raft did not come apart.

Somehow they managed to get by and after about a day at sea, Jill spotted something on the horizon. She pointed to the irregular shape and everyone moved to get a better look.

Though they tried to follow his advice, their oars were no match for a sailboat on a tailwind. The large vessel soon loomed over their tiny craft. They could barely keep enough distance to dodge the dozens of long oars digging into the water. Looking up, they could see several heads peering over the decks.

A portly man with scraggly red hair, a coarse beard and a crude eyepatch looked over the edge. He bared his mouth, full of rotting teeth.

The besieged companions drew their weapons as several of the pirates jumped onto their craft. The wood groaned under the added weight. Edward cut one down as soon as they landed, but his powerful swing splintered the planks in its path as well. Anyone standing on those planks lost their footing and fell into the water.

Sonia drove her blade into the chest of one pirate only to be attacked from the side by another. She dodged a swipe of his broad-bladed knife and hastily drew her rapier out of the corpse. The pirate that attacked her had matted black hair and a dark scar running across his face, directly under his fierce blue eyes. His predatory eyes widened in mania as froth began to form at the corners of his mouth.

Taken completely aback by the raving pirate, Sonia charged with her buckler and pushed him into the water. At the same time, her foot punched through the plank she was standing on, trapping her leg. A pirate tried to take advantage of her vulnerability, but was nearly cut in two by Mark. The planks under Mark's feet broke, his arms alone kept him from being swallowed by the water.

Jasper fended off a couple pirates trying to grab Teresa, stabbing one in the gut when the planks under Teresa gave way. He hastily swiped at the other pirate's face and jumped in after her.

By then, their craft was barely staying together and it was all but impossible to maintain their footing. The first wave of pirates had been dispatched, but more were on the way, coming around the other side of the ship in longboats.

Ignatiy looked around anxiously at the pirates closing in on them. From a pouch at his belt, he pulled out a single bomb. Although he had left his pack behind, he apparently could not part with all his precious creations. He raided his arms high in the air, holding the bomb with one hand and clutching his pendant in the other. The crazed gleam in his eyes burned brighter than ever. Mark knew exactly what he planned to do.

Mark's cry went unheard and Ignatiy ignited the bomb. As the pirates closed in, they did not even notice the quick-burning fuse reach its end. The last thing Mark saw was the all-consuming fireball tearing through wood like reedpaper. Ignatiy must be ecstatic, he thought.