A riddle left by Emil's eccentric—and now very dead—Uncle Claudian sets him on a mission across the ocean in search of seven hidden keys. The last key promises freedom from not only Claudian's dubious reputation, but the gallows, because the solution to the riddle is the name of Claudian's killer, and without it, Emil's the most likely suspect.

The notorious—if somewhat impulsive—pirate captain, Ash, doesn't quite believe that Emil's innocent when he comes begging the use of her ship…in the dead of night…with no shoes and a more than sketchy solution to her own legal problems. It'd take more than a favour for Ash to ferry a nobleman anywhere, but she could use a hand sailing, if Emil can learn to pull his weight. Ash's own crew scattered upon her last arrest, and reuniting them is the first step to resuming her reign of terror.

Both goals are possible, if Ash and Emil cooperate to battle the ocean instead of each other. Their adventure takes a turn for the surreal, however, when they discover that each key isn't hidden in a place, but in a memory, an eerie half-history warped by Claudian's recollection of it, where the weight of the past is poised to crush them, and Claudian's aren't the only secrets to be spilt.

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