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.I could hardly admit my true motives even to myself right then.“It’s a risk either way,” I said.“It is indeed,” Drizzt said as he rested his hand on my shoulder.“My friend, I am saddened that you will not be joining us on the road.But I admire your bravery.”“So you think I should stay here?”“I think you have wisdom enough to decide for yourself,” Drizzt said.“And you did not approach me to ask my advice, did you? You approached me to say goodbye.”I nodded.“Then goodbye, and safe travels, Maimun.I hope you find everything you are looking for.” Drizzt offered me one last nod of assurance, then walked away.With a heavy heart, I turned back to face Sea Sprite.The captain stood at the bottom of the gangplank, shaking hands with a man in blue wizard robes.I reached them just as their conversation apparently ended.I recognized the wizard: it was Robillard, the same wizard who had pulled me from the harbor in Memnon.“What are you doing here?” I blurted out before I realized I had spoken.“I have been hired by the Lords of Waterdeep,” he said.“To accompany a newly commissioned vessel to hunt pirates.”“But I thought you worked for the Memnon city guard.”“Waterdeep pays better,” Robillard said.“But … What vessel?” I asked.“Well, Captain Deudermont’s, obviously.” He shook his head in what I hoped was mock annoyance.“Enough,” Captain Deudermont cut in.“What are you doing here, Maimun? Drizzt and his friends have just left.” He gestured to the end of the dock.“You’ll have to hurry to catch him.”“I’m … I’m sorry, sir,” I stammered.“I’m not going with Drizzt.” I took a deep breath, then relayed what I saw at the Shank.As I reached the end of my tale, my stomach filled with butterflies.“You once said that you and your crew would help me on my journey, sir.Can you help me go after Chrysaor?”“Things have changed, Maimun.We are no longer a simple merchant crew,” Deudermont said, his voice taking an air of formality.“We are now commissioned to hunt pirates.Dangerous work in the best of circumstances.”“Chrysaor is a pirate, sir,” I said.Robillard looked down at me.“I know of this Chrysaor.He’s an underling pirate, not a captain.Serves—”“Asbeel, I know,” I cut in.“Pinochet, actually, last I’d heard,” Robillard said.“Who’s Asbeel?”“Oh, um, another pirate.I got confused.” I wasn’t quite sure why I was lying to Robillard, and based on his disapproving stare, Deudermont wasn’t so sure either.But the captain did not say anything.“Well, Chrysaor’s a water genasi, not exactly common in the city,” Robillard said.“A what?” I asked.I had heard the term before, but could not place it.“Genasi, descended of creatures of the elemental planes.He’s got the blood of a water elemental in him.”“But … Aren’t water elementals just, you know, water? How can they have kids?”“Elemental creatures, not elementals specifically,” Robillard said, rolling his eyes at my ignorance.“Maybe his great-great-great grandmother was a water nymph, and his great-great-great-grandfather was damned lucky,” Robillard said, laughing at his own joke.When he saw we weren’t joining in, he shrugged.“In any case, I can keep eyes on him easily enough.”I looked from Robillard to Deudermont, my eyes pleading.“If you help me, I’ll do anything.I can fight.I can clean the bilge or the galley.Whatever you wish.”Deudermont sized me up.“You made good account of yourself on the last voyage.You have sharp eyes, and I could use a good lookout.”“So does that mean you will help me?” I asked.Deudermont nodded.“Now grab some crates and follow the crew.We’ve a new ship to prepare.”I was off and running before the captain had finished giving his order.My goal seemed so much closer than it had even a day before.And, I dared to think, so was Joen.CHAPTER FIFTEENThe new ship, which Captain Deudermont named Sea Sprite—prompting among the crew a long series of jokes about his creativity—was beautiful, for sure.She was smaller than the old Sea Sprite, sleeker, with a different cut to the sails that would supposedly let her run faster and turn more sharply than any other ship on the seas.She was built to overtake a pirate ship in a chase, but not to overpower her.But she was not built for the comfort of her crew.On the old ship, our quarters had been cramped.On the new vessel we were packed in so tightly it was a wonder no one was crushed to death while sleeping.The galley was about half the size of our old one.Every time Tonnid or Lucky asked me to play cards, I turned them down.I didn’t want to get stuck with any of their lousy shifts on the new ship.In truth, we didn’t have much time to spare for games.And none of us were given shore leave for more than a day at a time.Instead we spent our hours on deck, with a pair of swordmasters hired by the Lords of Waterdeep to train the crew.For three months we sat in port, and for all three we drilled
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