Illusions 11

To Jace, "Not great. Any chance of deploying your part of the plan?"

From Jace, "Just give me a moment."

Kari stepped toward the officer. "Let your Consuls know," she called out, "that I, Kari Zev, captain of Dragon's Smile, have brought my fleet to claim this city." Any second, now.

Then there was a flash of blue, and whatever the officer was about to say was lost to the great spectacle that unfolded over the next few moments. Suddenly, ships were drifting out from behind buildings. Not Consulate ships, but pirate ships.

They moved in twos and threes, and like the enforcers, Kari could only watch, utterly transfixed, because she knew each one of them. Brass Hammer and The Demon of Vahd. Cold Wind and Kite. And more. They kept coming. Even the Sun Chaser—of course the Sun Chaser. Her fleet had returned to her, and they were assembling to fill the space above a plaza so that buildings protected their flanks to either side. One moment, Dragon's Smile was alone, and the next, it was one among dozens. This was Jace, she knew, or rather, the memories she'd shared with Jace. But nevertheless, she couldn't help but be consumed by the feeling that the Consulate was severely outmatched now. The enforcers seemed to share her assessment because all around her, they were taking flight to retreat from the pirate fleet.

THE SKIES OVER GHIRAPUR