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a real terror, he thought. Luckily, though, the first mate seems friendly enough.
    “Captain Bawr, these are the two gentlemen you were expecting.”
    In his mind, Artus had created his own Captain Bawr—a tall woman with cold eyes and a lantern jaw. Her clothes would be coarse, the sword at her side polished brighter than any smile she could muster. A widow’s knot would hold her hair tight. A perpetual air of disdain would lurk in her stance and her movements. Maybe she would bear a scar or two from mutineers—all of whom she would have sent to a watery grave.
    “Welcome aboard my ship,” Captain Bawr said, her sweet voice like the whisper of an owl’s wings. She held out a dainty hand, gloved in kidskin against the cold. “I hope the authorities did not present too much of a bother to you in Baldur’s Gate.”
    Pontifax shook her hand without pause, but Artus stood astounded by the petite beauty before him. She looked almost ghostly in the moonlight, her oval face brightened by an alluring smile. A red cloak, its hood capturing her dark ringlets, hung to her waist. Below that, a white skirt trailed down to silken hose and shiny black shoes. Her blue eyes sparkling with a hint of mischievousness, Captain Bawr reached out and took Artus’s hand, which dangled limp at his side. “I’ll take your silence as a compliment… .”
    “Artus, milady. Artus Cimber.”
    Pontifax stifled a groan. They’d agreed not to give their real names on this voyage, but Artus was obviously too smitten to catch himself. No use bothering now. “And I am Sir Hydel Pontifax,” the mage huffed, shooting Artus a gruff look. He removed a small purse from his belt. “This is the rest of the fee agreed upon by the company agent in port.”
    The captain smiled and gestured to Master Quiracus, who took the purse. As the first mate silently counted out the coins, Captain Bawr asked, “What do you do, Sir Hydel, when you are not traveling?”
    “I have studied the arts, both medical and sorcerous. I’ve made my living plying both.”
    The first mate looked up sharply. “A doctor? That’s a nice bit of luck, eh Captain?”
    The look on her face made it clear the captain had little interest in doctors or mages. When she turned back to Artus, though, a tiny spark rekindled in her blue eyes. “And you, Master Cimber?”
    “I, er, mostly travel, milady,” he stammered. “I’ve been a scribe and an explorer and a historian.”
    Her pouting frown made it clear Captain Bawr found that answer even less interesting than Pontifax’s. “Ah, how … mundane,” she managed at last. “And why are you seeking speedy passage on a ship like the Narwhal, Master Historian? Did you mistakenly record the name of a king’s bastard in a chronicle? Perhaps you’ve run off with some money from an abbey.” She held up one slim-fingered hand. “I know, you misspelled a wealthy and influential merchant’s name in a town record and you’re now running for your life. It would have to be something that inconsequential, I’m sure.”
    The sweetness in her voice had transformed into an unmistakable malice. That was enough to break the spell that had fallen upon Artus. He bristled at the insults, squaring his shoulders and jutting out his unshaven chin. “I’ve seen a great deal of danger in the last two tendays, milady, and I do not take kindly—”
    “The only danger you’ve ever faced, Master Historian, was your patron’s wrath at a bottle of spilled ink,” the captain drawled. She idly waved a hand and turned her back on Artus. “Quiracus, take the old man down to the orlop, where he’ll be quartered as surgeon for the voyage. Our ink-stained friend will be put in Nelock’s charge.”
    “Wait a minute,” Artus snapped. “What do you mean ‘in Nelock’s charge?’ We’re not signing on as crew, Captain. We’re paying passengers.”
    The moment the words left Artus’s mouth, his medallion began to glow with a brilliant silver-blue aura. At