Blackbeak Bluff All I desire... is silence and indifference...

The encounter with the woman had been pleasant enough, but it lent nothing of value to her search. Mou was still missing, and his scent trailed farther and farther from the island. Still, Maegi kept up her pursuit, determined not to let the boy slip away like she had so many others--Cicero, Ramsay, Euron. . . It was that guilt in the pit of her stomach that spurred her on, more than anything else.

The cliffs were precarious, and the girl stayed far from them, fearful of the plunge to the churning water below. The birds cried loudly overhead, and the air was suffused with salt and summer. Another lost soul was ahead, laying on the stone and staring out at the water. Maegi thought it was odd, how close he was to the edge. She came to a halt within crying distance and peered at him.

"What're you doing?" she called out, eyes narrowed in confusion. He was either brave or stupid (or both, she admitted begrudgingly). She didn't necessarily want to talk to him, especially if he was in the latter category, but he could have information on Mou's whereabouts.

When you followed a bread trail, every crumb counted--even the smaller, seemingly insignificant ones.