They returned to Windrunner and found the crew ready to depart, having gathered their own information from the port's taverns and merchant houses while Maureen and Jake spoke with the harbormaster. The consensus from all sources was consistent—Pirate Queen Elizabeth was last seen operating near the Skun Islands, a cluster of rocky formations in the bay's center that provided natural cover for ships and made tracking difficult.
Maureen gave the order to launch, and Windrunner lifted from the platform with smooth efficiency, turning toward the bay's interior where the Skun Islands rose from the water in irregular formations. The flight took two hours at cruising speed, the ship passing over water that was remarkably clear, allowing them to see coral formations and schools of fish moving beneath the surface with enough detail that Jake could make out individual creatures at depths that should have been too far to distinguish.
