Tress of the Emerald Sea

Ann and Fort teach Tress about the different spores. There are 12 spores for each of the 12 seas, although Fort mentions that there is a legend about a 13th spore—bone spores. Ann insists it is nonsense. They tell Ann that midnight and crimson spores (from the seas where the Sorceress resides) are the most dangerous, and that she should avoid them at all costs.

While they talk, Tress counts the pouches of spores in the barrel of cannons, then secretly replaces Laggart’s rigged cannons in the hidden compartment with regular cannons to avoid the destruction Laggart and Crow want.

When Ann leaves, Tress asks Fort about her—how she is assistant cannonmaster but does not work with the cannons. Fort, who loves making deals, asks Tress what information she is willing to trade for information about Ann. Tress admits to her quest to save Charlie. Fort informs her that the Sorceress does not ask for ransoms in the form of money, but in the form of souls—royal souls, to be specific. Tress will not be able to pay the ransom. Fort tells her that nobles do not care for people like them, and Tress should abandon her quest. He then tells her that Ann has terrible aim, which the crew only found out after making her assistant cannonmaster, so she is not allowed to use the cannons.

Fort also reveals that Crow had made him make a deal to get Hoid from another ship. It was a bad trade, and he does not know why she wanted Hoid. But Tress is reminded of how Crow wants to take the crew somewhere that she knows they would not go without being trapped by a blood bond. Tress determines to consider this information further.

Tress finishes counting pouches and replacing the rigged cannonballs before going to find Hoid. He is barely able to communicate that his curse prevents him from telling people about his curse or how to remove it. Some part of him is still aware, though, and finds a way to let slip a tiny piece of information: He tells Tress to find a grouping of six stars.

Tress feels confused but leaves Hoid alone as he turns back to his senseless behavior. Tress finds the cat has chased Huck into her room; she removes the cat and comforts Huck. As she lays on the bed and listens to Huck describe his home, she sees carvings on the ceiling that look like stars. She cannot find a grouping of six; she is disappointed, but then Huck tells her there are more under the bed. She finds a grouping of six stars, presses it, and finds a hidden compartment. Inside is an aluminum box hiding midnight spores.

Huck urges Tress to kill the midnight spores with silver, but Tress, beginning to get used to danger, decides to keep them. Huck tells her they are extremely dangerous, but he does not know why.

Bells ring on deck, alerting the crew to a ship in sight that the captain has decided to pursue. The pursuit takes several hours, and eventually the captain tells Laggart to fire a warning shot. Tress knows the shot will be aimed at destroying the other ship. Tress, though, had replaced the rigged cannonballs and watches as the shot only incapacitates the other ship, as the crew expects it to. Captain Crow and Laggart are clearly angered, and Tress hopes Laggart does not suspect her. The crew celebrates having easy plunder, and Crow seems to recognize that good crew moral would also be good for her.

They raise their pirate flag and the other ship surrenders, but suddenly the seethe stops, pinning both ships. Tress is confused as to why everyone is suddenly worried. Ann explains that when the other ship was the only one trapped, the Crow’s Song had the advantage. With both pinned, they are on equal ground. The other ship might decide to attack, which it does, sending out a cannonball that hits the Crow’s Song’s hull.

Captain Crow shoots the other ship’s cannonmaster and orders Ann and Tress to do their work fixing the new hole in the ship. It has to be closed before the seethe starts again and spores enter the ship, activate, and destroy the ship and its crew.

Ann helps Tress as best she can; she does not know much about sprouting, but she has seen the past sprouter work. She identifies the tools Tress will need and they go to the hole.

Tress climbs a ladder to reach it and uses trial and error to figure out what she has to do. She kills some spores accidentally and struggles to get the roseite to grow where it needs to plug the hole. Then, she realizes one of the tools can attract the roseite while another can repel it, and she uses both tools to direct where the roseite grows, plugging the hole messily just as the seethe starts up again.

The two women hear cannons as the ocean moves again.

On deck, Captain Crow orders the Dougs to arms as they near the other ship, which has again surrendered. Salay interrupts, reminding Crow that according to tradition, it is up to Salay’s discretion how they decide to engage the other ship’s captain. Salay stands her ground, refusing to allow a massacre. Crow seems to realize she cannot afford to alienate many more crew members and agrees.

As Salay speaks with the captain of the other ship, Tress sees one of the sailors grieving over another one that Crow had killed. He stands and points his gun at Crow. Crow, in a show of power, shoots herself in the head. Vines pop out of her and stop the bullet before returning inside her body. She warns the other ship’s crew that any future trouble would lead to death. Tress trembles as she wonders what Crow is and what those vines were.

Tress asks Ulaam what Crow is. He explains that she is a gestator for verdant aether, or a spore eater. He explains how aethers come to be on the moons, where they come to Tress’s world. Aethers on most worlds have symbiosis with humans, but those on Tress’s world are aggressive.

The aethers need a host, which is what Crow has become. The spores drain her of water to survive, and she has to drink near constantly. She has survived longer than most spore eaters, but it will kill her. Tress wonders what her goal is for the crew in light of this information.

Hoid appears, and Tress asks Ulaam about breaking the curse; he does not know how to do so. In a moment of semi-clarity, Hoid can give a vague explanation of what Tress needs to find. Ulaam helps her break down the clues; they realize Hoid is telling her to look for a familiar, or a talking animal. Ulaam explains that familiars have a connection to the Sorceress. Ann runs out of the room to find Huck.

Tress confronts Huck in her room. He admits that he is sort of a familiar, although he grew up on an island far away from the Sorceress. He cannot tell Tress about the Sorceress or how to get there, but he explains how curses are like contracts—static, but allowing room for loopholes of sorts.

People who are cursed cannot talk about their curse or how to remove it, but someone can get around that by arranging conversation to help the cursed person reveal bits of information by not directly talking about their own curse. It takes a lot of guesswork, but Tress does talk with Hoid to glean tiny bits of information about his curse so she can break it and learn about the Sorceress from him.

Salay knocks on Tress’s door and confronts her, telling Tress it is time to talk about who Tress really is.

Salay confronts Tress. When Tress tells her she is just an inexperienced girl who pretended to be an inspector, Salay does not believe her. She believes Tress’s confusion and fear are a mask to trick Salay. Nonetheless, Salay invites Tress to join a secret meeting when Tress confesses that she replaced the sabotaged cannonballs. Salay wants her to show the sabotaged cannonballs to Fort and Ann to convince them of what the captain is doing.

Salay says she finally believes Tress is not an inspector, but she does believe Tress is a King’s Mask. When Salay leaves, Huck explains that King’s Masks are the king’s assassins. He does not know if they are real or rumors that the king allows to propagate fear so he can maintain power.

Tress knows she is missing information that would help her resist the captain—she needs all the tools and information she can get. She sees Huck is afraid to spy again, thinking the captain had realized someone had done so, so she resorts to the midnight spores, which Ulaam had indicated could be used for spying. She opens the box of spores, pulls some out, and prepares water to put on them.

Activating the midnight spores creates a bond between Tress and the spores. They demand more water, which she drinks, strengthening the bond. They listen to her unspoken indication that they should take the form of a small rat. Finally, Tress’s consciousness is merged with the spores, and she sees out of the “eyes” of the spore-rat. “Midnight Tress” heads to the deck, sprinting between shadows to reach the captain’s quarters.

Midnight Tress, at the urging of the Tress part of the consciousness, waits for Crow to leave so she can read what Crow had been reading and writing. On inspection, it’s a chapter of a book about Xisisrefliel, the dragon rumored to live under the Crimson Sea. Some supposedly reputable sources have said that the dragon can cure illnesses, including spore gestation. Crow’s notes indicate that she is looking for a way to cure herself. They also indicate that she had had secret meetings with Weev about this, and that he eventually tried to extort her before he rejected becoming a pirate and she killed him. So, Tress knows now that the secret meetings Huck had heard her talk about are not the ones held by the crew—they are safe.

Tress is in a struggle with the spores and suddenly awakes in her room. Huck had seen black smoke coming from her mouth and, worried, used a silver knife to cut the connection to the spores. He saved Tress’s life. Tress drinks as much water as she can to reverse the effects of the connection.

At the secret meeting with Salay, Ann, and Fort, Salay convinces the others that Tress is a King’s Mask. They see her tenacity and bravery as unusual in a simple, young girl, and are convinced she must be something more. Tress does not want to take away their hope.

Tress reveals the sabotaged cannons. Fort opens one up to examine, and they all realize what Tress said about Crow is true. They discuss ways to prevent further bloodshed, including suggesting they go to the Crimson Sea, where there are fewer ships to encounter and attack. Tress agrees to “convince” Crow to go there, knowing it is the very place Crow wants to go to be healed. Salay asks Tress to put in a good word with the king and convince him that they were not part of the plan to kill anyone.

Tress approaches Captain Crow on the deck, considering how to broach the subject of sailing to the Crimson Sea. Crow addresses her and asks what Tress is doing out on the sea. Tress starts by claiming she wanted to see the world, and the captain seems disappointed by the simplistic reasoning.

Tress decides on a plan in that moment. She admits that someone she loves is in the Midnight Sea and asks if Captain Crow would be willing to sail to the Midnight Sea. Receiving the expected response that the crew would never do that, she calculatingly suggests a slightly less deadly but still dangerous sea: the Crimson Sea. Crow is interested because of her own need, but she tells Tress that the crew would never do it. Tress asks if Crow would do it if Tress can convince the crew. Crow agrees, not realizing that Tress has tricked her once again.

Tress encounters Ulaam and speaks about her encounter with Crow. Tress feels as if it was too easy to trick Crow, and as if perhaps she herself was tricked. She tells Ulaam about Crow’s desire to be healed by Xisis, and Ulaam tells her that Xisis only provides boons for payment. Ulaam clarifies that the only payment Xisis wants is servants to do his chores, and they must not fear spores, since he lives under the sea.

Tress realizes that although she did trick Crow, she also walked into Crow’s trick. Having shown willingness to work with spores, Tress is now the person who Crow plans to give to Ulaam.