“Come to my cabin,” Maq said ungraciously, leading the way below.
“Stay with the others, Caramon,” the half-elf told his companion. The big man nodded. Glancing darkly at the minotaur, Caramon went back over to stand with the rest of the companions who stood silently, huddled around their meager belongings.
Tanis followed Maq down to her cabin and squeezed inside. Even two people in the small cabin were a tight fit. The Perechon was a trim vessel, designed for swift sailing and quick maneuvers. Ideal for Maquesta’s trade, where it was necessary to slip in and out of harbors quickly, unloading or picking up cargo that wasn’t necessarily hers either to pick up or deliver. On occasion, she might enhance her income by catching a fat merchant ship sailing out of Palanthas or Tarsis and slip up on it before it knew what was happening. Then board it quickly, loot it, and make good her escape.
She was adept at outrunning the massive ships of the Dragon Highlords, too, although she made it a point to leave them strictly alone. Too often now, though, the Highlords’ ships were seen “escorting” the merchant vessels. Maquesta had lost money on her last two voyages, one reason why she had deigned to carry passengers-something she would never do under normal circumstances.
Removing his helm, the half-elf sat down at the table-or rather fell down, since he was unaccustomed to the motion of the rocking ship. Maquesta remained standing, balancing easily.
“Well, what is it you want?” she demanded, yawning. “I told you we can’t sail. The seas are-”
“We have to,” Tanis said abruptly.
“Look,” Maquesta said patiently (reminding herself he was a paying customer), “if you’re in some kind of trouble, it’s not my concern! I’m not risking my ship or my crew-”
“Not me,” Tanis interrupted, looking at Maquesta intently, “you.”
“Me?” Maquesta said, drawing back, amazed.
Tanis folded his hands on the table and gazed down at them. The pitching and tossing of the vessel at anchor, combined with his exhaustion from the past few days, made him nauseous. Seeing the faint green tinge of his skin beneath his beard and the dark shadows under his hollow eyes, Maquesta thought she’d seen corpses that looked better than this half-elf.
“What do you mean?” she asked tightly.
“I-I was captured by a Dragon Highlord . . . three days ago,” Tanis began, speaking in a low voice, staring at his hands. “No, I guess ‘captured’ is the wrong word. H-He saw me dressed like this and assumed I was one of his men. I had to accompany h-him back to his camp. I’ve been there-in camp-the last few days, and I-I found out something. I know why the Highlord and the draconians are searching Flotsam. I know what-who-they’re looking for.”
“Yes?” Maquesta prompted, feeling his fear creep over her like a contagious disease. “Not the Perechon-”
“Your helmsman.” Tanis finally looked up at her. “Berem.”
“Berem!” Maquesta repeated, stunned. “What for? The man’s a mute! A half-wit! A good helmsman, maybe, but nothing more. What could he have done that the Dragon Highlords are looking for him?”
“I don’t know,” Tanis said wearily, fighting his nausea. “I wasn’t able to find out. I’m not sure they know! But they’re under orders to find him at all costs and bring him alive to”-he closed his eyes to shut out the swaying lamps-“the Dark Queen…”
The breaking light of dawn threw slanted red beams across the sea’s rough surface. For an instant it shone on Maq’s glistening black skin, a flash like fire came from her golden earrings that dangled nearly to her shoulders. Nervously she ran her fingers through her closely cropped black hair.
Maquesta felt her throat close. “We’ll get rid of him!” she muttered tightly, pushing herself up from the table. “We’ll put him ashore. I can find another helmsman-”
“Listen!” Catching hold of Maquesta’s arm, Tanis gripped her lightly, forcing her to stop. “They may already know he’s here! Even if they don’t and they catch him, it won’t make any difference. Once they find out he was here, on this vessel-and they will find out, believe me; there are ways of making even a mute talk-they’ll arrest you and everyone on this ship. Arrest you or get rid of you.”
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