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struggle, his drinking companion was killed and Rool was carried away in chains. They dragged him to a dungeon deep in the woods, where they planned to keep him until word of his disappearance had died down. After that, they’d have taken him directly to the king’s militia, and it’s not hard to imagine what would have happened then: a rope around his neck, his body dangling in the capital city’s main square, a warning against all pirates.
    When news of his capture reached the ship, even the unshakeable Aires was thrown into panic. Rool’s capture had been coordinated by a famous bounty hunter, Mauthar. Mauthar had begun his career as an assassin-for-hire, ready to kill anyone for the right price. During one mission, though, he was caught, and he was offered his life in exchange for a change of occupation. The decision came easily. Of course, every major arrest for the next few years came courtesy of Mauthar. He was unstoppable. Nowhere, land or sea, was beyond his reach. His hideout, though, was on land, and that was where the crew of the
Black Demon
would have to go looking for Rool. At this point, as in the best adventure stories, the hero made his move. That very night, Benares was docked at a cove where Aires had anchored. Expecting a night of pleasure, he rushed over to his lover’s ship, but found her in tears.
    Naturally, he offered to lead the group that would free Rool, selecting the best men from the two crews to form a rescue squad. They set off a few hours later, in the middle of the night. Once they’d scoured the alleys around the port for information, they raided the dungeon where the captain was being held and killed the bounty hunter and all his men. Rool was free.
    With that, Benares earned the respect of Rool and his crew, not to mention the eternal gratitude of Aires.

    Dodi was a truly fine storyteller. Sennar had listened without so much as breathing, even forgetting his seasickness.
    “How’d he end up on the ship where we found him?” he asked, once Dodi stopped speaking.
    “Simple,” Dodi replied, pleased with the success of his story. “Mauthar had done favors for plenty of friends, practically every scumbag at every port in the Land of the Sea. So after Benares freed Rool, he was a wanted man. They came for him at night, while he was anchored in one of our meeting places, a secret bay. No one had ever seen a force like that just to capture one man. When we rescued him, they were on their way to sell him to the military.
    “To sell?”
    “That’s the way it always is. Didn’t you know that? One man does the dirty work, the other pays and takes all the credit.”
    “You should be a writer, Dodi,” said Sennar, when the story was over.
    Dodi smiled. “You’ll see, sorcerer. Once I’ve earned my fair share as a pirate, I’ll write all my adventures and be even more famous than Benares.”
    The night air grew damp. Sennar patted Dodi on the back and stood up, yawning. “I don’t know about you, but I’m off to bed.”
    “Wait, Sennar,” the boy stopped him. “Can I give you a piece of advice?”
    “Of course.”
    “If I were you, I’d watch my back.”
    Sennar looked at him, perplexed. “What do you mean?”
    “Benares isn’t exactly thrilled about the little chats you’ve been having with Aires,” Dodi answered grimly. “And, since I’m telling you anyway, the fact that you convinced her to get involved in such a dangerous mission has him kind of suspicious.”
    The sorcerer laughed. “You can sleep easy, Dodi. As far as Aires is concerned, I’m practically invisible.”
    Dodi narrowed his eyes. “Don’t be so sure, Sennar. Don’t be so sure.”

    For the next month, sailing was smooth. There was a strong wind behind them and only now and then did the ocean rouse itself.
    Sennar had grown accustomed to the ship’s rocking. Mornings, leaning on the gunwale, he watched the ocean return the sun to the earth, and the sight instilled him with calm. In truth, he