The Rheni's Dream, a two-masted raider, races towards Malaz Island. They are pushing ahead of a storm that has arisen with unnatural speed. Captain Murl's heart is seized with dread as the azure flashes from the storm's base have all the hallmarks of the Stormriders, a race of sea-demons who slay trespassers without mercy. He questions Lack-eye, his cousin and the ship's tillerman, "Did we forget any of the offerings?" None but the last and most desperate, is the reply. Murl refuses to consider human sacrifice. The crew are all members of his family.