Only Sir Kaeso was on the deck.

  I had been expecting there to be lots of armed guards, or the harpoon launchers to be manned and pointed at us, but the large crossbows were bare, without a gunner or any ammunition.

  “Where are the others?” The pirate captain had put on a pair of pants and a simple brown shirt. His hair was down, but there was a shine to the black locks that spilled over his shoulders that told me he had washed it since I’d seen him. He looked at the bald man in front of us. “You’re not a Touched.”

  “An’ yar not a Backer!” Captain Jace laughed. “I guess we’re both smart men.”

  Val shook her head and stepped in front of the chuckling man. “My companions have had a long day and decided to rest.” She pulsed magic through the purple swirls that ran over her cheeks, adding a purple hue to the dark wooden boards for a moment. “My subordinate tells me that you attacked him after he identified himself.”

  “Attacked is a strong word.” Sir Kaeso motioned towards the back of the ship. “Please, we can talk about this misunderstanding while we eat. I trust you brought your appetite?” He tried to grab Val’s hand, only to get the back of his slapped away.

  “I’m here as a courtesy, not as a guest.” Val straightened herself. “This ship flies under the Melior flag, as I am the highest ranking Bokor on this ship, that puts me in command.” Her eyes hardened, daring him to challenge her.

  “Oh course!” The muscular man moved in front of her so he could open the door to the cabin under the upper deck. “Please, come into my cabin. I assure you, everything will be to your liking.”

  Val paused and looked over at the side of the ship where the man in the red shirt was using a pulley to bring the rowboat back up on the deck.

  “Don’t mind if I do.” Captain Jace pushed past the man waiting at the door. “Oh, this is nice!”

  I moved closer to Val and lowered my voice. “What’s wrong?”

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  “It’s a trap.” The red-haired woman muttered. She put a smile on her face and moved towards the steps to the upper deck. “I’ve been stuck in that hole for the last few days. I’d rather enjoy the fresh air.” She put her hand on the rail. “The top deck is large enough for us to sit?”

  Sir Kaeso looked between the two of us and hesitated. He thought for a moment, then turned to the young man. “Gary! Go get the two cleanest men from down below and move the table and chairs from my cabin to the upper deck!” He let go of the door and backed up to the steps opposite us and ran up them to get to the top deck before us.

  “You’ll have to forgive me, I assumed incorrectly that you’d want to dine inside.” He gave an exaggerated bow. “Everything will be adjusted to your preference.”

  I didn’t have to see her face to know that Val was going to push that promise as far as she could until it broke.

  The Bokor walked over to the back rail and looked out at the sea, then turned around and braced her hands on the rail. “Since we have time, why don’t you explain to me why you think you can charge us to save the people that we rescued on the island?” She pointed at the shore. “Has the Council been notified that Port Reggo has fallen?”

  “Port Reggo fell?” Sir Kaeso sounded surprised. “I didn’t know. My job is to ferry supplies from this stockhouse to the war effort in Marquash.” He grinned. “Not many vessels can brave the open seas like the Sea Cutter!”

  “Ya been to Marsquash?” Captain Jace came up the steps with a sandwich in his hand. “That’s quite a ways from Paxus.” He took a bite out of the sandwich, chewed once, then swallowed. “Where’d ya get da sword?”

  “It was a gift from the king himself when I was knighted.” The younger captain took out his sword.

  Val and I both tensed and put a hand on the handle of the swords on our backs.

  “Friends!” The black-haired man smiled. “I was merely showing our good friend that it was the real deal and not a painted fake.” He flipped the sword around, so he was holding it by the blade and offered the handle to the older man. “Unless you’re uncomfortable, then I’m sure Master Bokor would do the honor of verifying it for you?” He turned and held out the handle towards Val.

  The ginger nodded at me, so I took my hand off my own sword and took the offered weapon. As soon as it was in my hands, I knew it was the real deal. I pulsed a little bit of magic into it to make the red blade glow.

  “It’s real.” I used both hands to hold the sword as I offered the handle back to its owner.

  I thought about pointing out that while the refined metal didn’t carry much of a risk of infection, there was still one. Whoever had given him the sword had either not told him that, not cared, or not been able to.

  Sir Kaeso replaced the sword on his back, then clapped his hands as sailors started bringing the table up. “I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to eat.”

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