Markus watched Calliope step onto the ship as if she had decided to become Queen of the sea rather than Tyrant of the Island. She would have that attitude for awhile, he imagined. Stepping onto the Weather Witch with her, he climbed the main lower topsail to get a better view of the town, though it would help little. The smoke and the elevation would hide much of what he would have liked to see. The moonlight illuminating the sun colored buildings was the best he found. 

Markus let go of the rope and dropped down to the deck nimbly. "I didn't know if you had any magic of wind or water," he said, ignoring her tone for the moment. She had probably left her spellbooks back within her citadel. "It certainly would have helped, but I do have a plan for that. If you could, check the mooring line and make sure we're not hindered here in anyway while I go below decks." 

He hustled down the stairs, telling himself he would only need to deal with this bitch for at most another few days. She was impressive in her way, but he was in no mood to play lackey. The fact that he had whiskey would help pass the time at least, he realized with a resigned sigh. In a matter of a minute, he stepped back onto the deck with a keg of black powder. There were only a handful of Kegs down there, but they would need to sacrifice one if they wanted to flee. 

"Did you untie the mooring yet?" he called as loud as he dared. He made his way along the aft of the ship, dragging one of the many ropes attached to the back mast and placed the powder keg on the stern. The swordsman removed his top, the rags falling off to reveal the hard, cut muscles of his back and he tied the rope to his slim waist, placing the rondel dagger he kept into his teeth. Using another rope, he tied it to the belly of the barrel. Even if Calliope would give a word of protest, he didn't explain and simply leapt into the water with the keg. 

Markus kicked hard in the water, moving the keg a relatively safe distance from the ship and keeping the keg upright. Taking the knife, he opened the top of the powder keg and tied the rope attached to the barrel to the bottom of the dock to keep it upright, and then he pulled back on the rope that had him attached to the Weather Witch, smoothing through the relatively calm water. There was a chance of sharks and it was another reason he had brought the knife, but he had to risk it.

He climbed back on deck, wet and breathing mildly. The borderlander reached for the swordbelt he had left behind and unsheathed his backsword, hacking off the rope that still connected the barrel to the ship. "Hold on!" he called, no longer concerned with subtlety. "Rath'funin" he muttered, and a coil of flame erupted from his outstretched, free hand and sailed through the air to impact the powder keg floating lightly. 

The dock exploded, and the heat and debris cut into the Swordsman still on the stern, launching him, rolling, onto the aft. But they got their wave and their wind. 
[@Penny]