Racing Banners

When I ascended the rigging again, it was with my brother's quill in imperishable dragon glass. My crew came, as I suspected, shortly before the bells. They walked with their heads high though it was obvious some of them came with a less merry will than I would have liked. But the promise of fare lured them here.

I wanted no fair-weather pirates though. I counted them from my place above and found us to be short. Three were missing.

"Where are Yeli and Than?" I slid down the main line and landed lightly on the deck facing Jemek.

"They did not come." From his tone of voice I couldn't tell if they had walked away or been sent on. I hoped they had been sent away. To be laid low in the shallows was ill against us.

"Where is Coram?" My master at arms asked in return.

"I sent him at business. He'll make the cruise or die trying."

I saw him nod, and knew he was praying that my words were true. To lose crew on dry land was a bad end.

My patron and his men arrived, as before he had the boy with him, who still spoke no word, and behind him, two other men, who by their very demeanor were mysterious. I saw a key tattoo on their wrists and knew that these were the so-called Keepers of Wisdom.