To Kill a Kingdom

Elian and a smaller crew sail the Saad away from Midas, ready for their mission to find the Crystal of Keto. He is sailing the ship to Eidýllio to meet with their Queen. Torik, Kye, and Madrid play cards as they sail, but Elian worries about how they will convince the Págese king to allow them to climb Cloud Mountain. The crew decides to fish for dinner, but just before they can lay their nets, they see something in the water. Elian gets his binoculars from Kye and looks out over the water. They recognize that it’s a body but are surprised to see that it’s a girl. Elian wakes the rest of the crew in case it’s a trap but jumps in to save her. He swims out to her, realizing that she’s completely naked, and catches her just as she’s about to sink. The crew tosses a buoy into the water, and they pull Elian and the girl onto the ship. Elian drapes his wet shirt over the girl’s naked body, and suddenly she wakes up and coughs up ocean water. She curses at him in Psáriin and slaps him, looking as though she wants to kill him.