"Youaremostcertainlytheugliestcreaturelhaveseen," Lendle chattered at the morkoth. The gnome was leaning as far over the railing as his short stature allowed, ogling the beast and rapidly and loudly speaking to it. It was apparent Lendle wanted his voice to be heard above the sound of the wind and waves. Though the creature remained submerged, its head was just below the water, and it was looking back with interest at the gnome. Lendle watched its beak open and close and its red-flecked eyes narrow. The gnome tried to imitate the morkoth, then gave up and waggled his fingers in a childlike manner.
"Youbenicetome," Lendle sputtered. "Ikeptyoualivewithmyherbs."
"Slow down, please." Maq reached his side and affectionately scratched the top of his head. "I can barely understand you, which means it's doubtful the morkoth has picked up on a word."
"Thinkso?"
"Yes, I think so."
"Hmm." Lendle rubbed the end of his ample nose and smiled. He made an effort to talk more slowly for Maq. "I wasn't really talking to him anyway. He's ugly, huh?"
"Yes."
"And he looks like a couple of creatures put together. Part octopus. Part barracuda. A little bit of squid thrown in. Maybe a sea snake or an eel, too. He'd make good bait for a really big fish. Too bad we have to get rid of him."
"Uh-huh."
"You know, Maquesta Kar-Thon, I could create a device resembling his tentacles, but straight. And I'd make them much wider and flatter, of course, like oars. Made out of steel or hard wood-that would be best. You wouldn't want them to wiggle the way his tentacles do. They'd need to be sturdy, and water-resistant, too. I'd spread them even, like the legs of a starfish, like spokes on a wheel, then I'd attach them to a barrel. See, just like the straight part of his body there. If I could affix it to a winch, something to make the tentacles turn, I bet I could hook the whole thing up to the back of the Perechon. I'd crank it up, wind it up like a child's toy, and it would help power us through the water. We'd go much faster."
Maquesta offered Lendle a weak smile. "It has potential," she laughed. "But how about you getting belowdecks and working on your oar engine? That device is already put together; it just needs to work properly. Because of the morkoth's cage we're not covering much distance. And we can't carry the creature any other way, because I suspect if we took him out of the water, he'd die."
"My oar engine!" The gnome beamed. "You most certainly could go faster, Maquesta Kar-Thon, if I got my engine to work!"
"Exactly."
"Til get right to it."
"Wonderful idea."
"And I'll fix dinner at the same time." The gnome pushed away from the railing and headed toward the stairs. Then he stopped, scratched his head, and turned back to Maquesta. "What do I fix for the morkoth? Do you think it would eat my brown-bean soup? How about cornmeal muffins? Dried kipper?"
"Don't worry about the morkoth, Lendle. Tailonna is out catching some fish for it. She claims morkoths eat only living things. And I'd be careful not to get to close to its cage. Those tentacles are long, and I'd hate to tell the crew the cook has been eaten."
The gnome whirled on his tiny feet and resumed his course.
"Oh, Lendle?"
He stopped again and looked over his shoulder.
"Thanks for fixing my leg. And my arm. And for seeing to the rest of the injured crew. Without you, we'd all be in the infirmary."
The gnome smiled and waved his hand, dismissing her words. "It was nothing," he jabbered. "Besides, Tailonna and Ilyatha helped." Then he dashed belowdecks.
Maquesta stared through the water at the morkoth. It placidly hung floating inside the cage, glancing up at her occasionally. She reached over the side to touch the top of the cage and saw the red flecks in the morkoth's eyes grow more intense and brighter, and its tentacles began to undulate faster. When she withdrew her hand, the beast again seemed docile. Maq doubted the thing was subdued. She suspected it was just biding its time, waiting for someone to lean too close. She decided to instruct her crew to give it a wide berth. She couldn't afford to lose any more sailors-or the morkoth.
It fell to Tailonna to feed the morkoth every day. She would catch fish, then carry them to its cage and push them through the bars, careful not to bring her fingers too close to the creature's beak. It seemed to be growing stronger, and though the bars on the cage were solid, and the latch strong and out of the morkoth's reach, the beast's presence worried her.
"Do you think we'll have any trouble getting the morkoth to Lord Attat's?" the elf asked as Maquesta and Fritzen wandered over to watch a feeding session.
"No trouble at all," Maq replied. "I intend to make the minotaur lord come get it."
The three laughed for several long minutes, before Maquesta strolled toward the aft deck. Fritzen followed her.
"When we pull into Lacynos-" Fritzen started.
"If we make it on time," Maq interrupted. "The cage is slowing us, despite the magic of the flute. I'm troubled over it; the cage's drag was something I had not anticipated."
"We'll make it," he said. "And when we make it, what will you do, Maquesta?"
She looked at him quizzically.
"You've a taste of being a captain now. I can't see you doing anything else."
Maq had to admit she felt a satisfaction at the respect accorded her by the Perechon's crew. No longer was there any hint of her being merely the ship's mascot or someone who had to be treated as special because she was the captain's daughter. She was the Perechon's captain-at least for another week, and everyone on board recognized that. Once or twice it had occurred to her to wonder what it would be like with Melas taking over again as captain, and her following orders once more. But she quickly pushed such thoughts away as the ultimate disloyalty.
"My father is the captain of the Perechon. It's that simple."
"Kof brought back pockets full of gems. Enough to buy your own ship," Fritzen posed. "And a lot more."
Maq hung her head. "I know. I've been thinking about that. I want to offer some of the gems to Attat, an attempt to buy Kof. He deserves his freedom. Lord Attat is liable to not let him go-just for spite. But if Attat did go for it, there still would be enough gems left over to pay this crew a year's worth of wages and to buy a fully-rigged two-masted ship. I'd hate to leave my father. But, despite everything, I sort of like this. Being in charge."
Fritzen grinned. "It shows."
"I'd have to get a crew," she mused, dreaming.
"Well, for starters you'd have Kof, if Attat can be tempted. And you have me."
Maquesta looked up at him, and Fritzen drew her into his arms. He kissed her, and she lingered in his embrace, then she pulled away, confused, and worried that someone might have been watching. "I-I have to take the wheel," she stammered. "It's my shift."
"I'll relieve you in a few hours," he offered, grinning.
Maquesta nodded, backing away and realizing she must be blushing horribly. Turning and bouncing up the stairs, she allowed a wide smile to creep across her face.
As Lendle busied himself in the hold working on his oar engine, Ilyatha helped him, relishing the darkness of the ship's belly and delighting in the gnome's company. The shadowperson told the gnome that the work kept his mind off his daughter, Sando. Though from time to time Ilyatha stared off into the distance, as if in a trance. Lendle suspected he was trying to telepathically contact his daughter. Finally, the shadowperson's words confirmed it.
"We are still too far away for my mind to touch hers, to reassure her we are coming," Ilyatha said sorrowfully.
Lendle tried to be compassionate. "We're still many days out of Lacynos," he said. "She'll be all right. You'll see."