“Keep it. I need her to believe you’re the baron,” Yvan said. Wendell frowned. “You said if I did this—“ “—Quit your whining,” Yvan said, cutting the man off. “Once we make it to the fjord, you can fly back to the docks and take my ship.” Wendell said nothing. “Just follow my lead and do as we discu...

Wendell shared what he had learned with the captain, still keeping up his past lover's mask. Yvan kept staring at him with this confused sort of look. “You’re sure she said Malcolm?” He asked. “Positive,” Wendell said. “And she’s expecting?” Wendell agreed with a nod. “Looks like she could drop any ...

Marsilla’s cheer seemed to dampen a little at the question. “My brother,” she said, “though you will come to realise when you have children of your own that you can’t really trust anyone but yourself. As much as I love my brother, I can’t help but worry about my boys.” Wendell was forced to consider...

“Two,” Marsilla replied, wearing a stiff, somewhat proud smile. “Two boys. Raising them has been far harder than any work you’ll find me doing here,” she said, gesturing to the ship with an absent wave of her hand. She listened as Elyna described where she had been and where she still wanted to go. ...

“You’ve visited Nejem?” Marsilla asked, not surprised but seemingly comforted by the fact. “It is a dangerous place, which makes it all the more beautiful in my experience. I cannot wait to return and see my children,” she said, looking then to the swell of Elyna’s belly. “I see you are expecting. I...

“Captain?” Marsilla smiled. Wendell had always found her a little intimidating. He was glad that others saw her in the same light. “Now that would be a fine step up from my current duties.” Her smile was pulled into an amused smirk then. She crossed her arms, the trinkets on her chains and bands sin...

“And do what?” “Follow her,” Yvan said. “Until?” Yvan crossed his arms. Perhaps some found the man intimidating, Wendell thought, but not him. “Until I’m satisfied that I know why she’s here,” Yvan said, and it sounded like an order. Wendell got the sense that he was a man who was used to giving ord...