Syryn's plan to leave would have gone more smoothly if he had factored in the unavailability of ships headed to Coop Island.

"Coop Island?" The sailor grinned at Syryn. He seemed to be waiting for the mage to say more.

"Yes? Coop Island. That's where I'd like to go."

The sailor's smile wilted. "I was waiting for a punchline but it seems you're serious about going there."

"I am serious. Why would I-"

"Nobody here deals with the Coopers, son. You won't find a single boat heading anywhere close to that wretched island."

The old sailor went back to marking an inventory in a little notebook he had been looking at when Syryn had approached him.

Syryn asked two more captains but he was laughed at and ridiculed. The mage understood that this was going nowhere. He entered one of the drinking holes and paid a large sum of money to the barkeeper for information. The mage came away with a name, Idriz.

Syryn boarded a ship to Log Island. It was a day's journey across a calm sea.

When the ship docked at the island, Syryn got off and took in the sight of several cart pullers parked at the dockyard. A well-paved path led from the dockyard to a cluster of warehouses all over the sandy desert island. Idriz owned the island and the warehouses, and the several ships that traded between several islands.

He was here. Now what? He asked himself as he looked at all the workers unloading goods and shouting above each other.

"Hey, where can I find Idriz?" He asked one of the workers unloading a heavy sack on his shoulders. Muscular shoulders strained against the weight of the sack that looked heavier than the man himself.

"What do you want with the big man?" The worker asked after wiping his brows free of sweat.

"I heard he was looking to hire a new crewmate for his ship."

There was a bit of suspicion in the worker's eyes as he looked over Syryn. The mage was illusioned to look like an ordinary man with a forgettable face.

"Where did you hear that?"

"I heard it just as everyone else did."

"Yeah? We already found our new member."

That was a lie. Syryn nodded. He didn't have a lot of choices now, did he? The mage did what he was best at.

The temperature of the air dropped. The tips of the sea waves rushing up froze in the air. Cracking sounds filled the air as ice melted and reformed, engulfing the salty ocean water. The dockworkers put down their chores and watched the water surrounding the ship freeze over.

It had happened very fast. A ring of ice now circled the harbour. Syryn had successfully taken hostage of the ships that were about to depart from the harbour.

"Ice mage, what is the meaning of this?" The sailor had seen the amount of power that Syryn wielded. He wasn't stupid enough to antagonise someone so powerful.

Arms crossed, the mage surveyed his handiwork and turned to the sailor. "Tell Idriz I'm the new crewmate."

"Why would he hire someone as indisciplined as you?"

"I'm just making a point, curly. Those ships won't move if I don't get hired. You Merchant folks have a schedule to maintain don't you?"

"It's just you against all of us." He raised his chin and squared up against Syryn. "Do you think you can take us all on?"

The other sailors had begun gathering around Syryn. The closest ones had heard the conversation between Syryn and the worker.

"You're just a bunch of sailors," Syryn said as he glanced at the thirty to forty workers whose attentions had swivelled towards him. He could feel the power of an anti mage trying to suppress him. He chuckled at the weak anti mage field that was incomparable to Rowan's suppression.

The mage punched his fist into his palm. "My first gang bang. Make it good boys."

________

Frozen sailors stood rooted to their spots like sculptures. The one's that still remained unfrozen breathed out misty curls of air. None of their anti mages was capable of taking down the rogue mage that had appeared from nowhere and attacked them.

"Get Idriz," he said to a bald sailor with a vicious cut across his eye.

"You called me?" A smooth sounding voice asked Syryn from his left.

The mage turned to look at the rakish looking merchant who was walking over leisurely. He had a languid smile on his face and it reminded Syryn of Magnus.

Idriz had heavy-lidded grey eyes and dark wavy hair. Dressed in a casual loose white tunic open at his neck, the merchant was a picture of ease and relaxation. A line of scar tissue went across his neck like a choker.

"Idriz?" Syryn asked the man.

The merchant smiled. "You have me at a disadvantage. What's your name?"

"Syryn. I'm your new crewmate."

Idriz' smile turned into a Cheshire grin.

"Welcome, Syryn. You're hired as a bodyguard on the Fool's Noose."

The mage's gaze drifted to the scar on Idriz's neck. The Fool's Noose - a ship with a name that someone with bad luck would normally avoid.

"When do I start?" Syryn asked.

"After you thaw out the sea," the merchant replied as he canted his chin towards the ships that were stuck at the harbour.

"It'll melt soon," Syryn replied. The sun, the sea, and time would do their job soon enough.

Idriz gestured for the mage to follow him. He fell into step beside the merchant and they walked in amicable silence. After walking past a few warehouses, Idriz turned to Syryn.

"Why are you really here, Syryn?"

"I want to get to Coop Island," he honestly told the captain of The Fool's Noose.

"Coop Island. You couldn't have picked a better time to find me."

Idriz was a good looking man but he looked as cunning as a fox. Syryn wouldn't trust him as far as he could throw him.

"When are you planning to leave for Coop Island?"

"Tonight," Idriz replied. "The seas are dangerous, Syryn. What is your luck like?"

Grey eyes smiled at him with interest.