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The Sea Sprite put back out teeks later, her course south Captain Deuder in Baldur’s Gate, one of the largest ports on the Sword Coast, about halfway between Waterdeep and Calimshan No one questioned Deudere, almost indecisive, a mannerism they had never experienced with the confident captain before

That deed four days out of Waterdeep Harbor, when the Sea Sprite’s lookout caught sight of a square-rigger sporting a deck covered with sailors Caravels were ordinarily crewed by forty to fiftyto attack swiftly with overwhelht carry three tio; they carried warriors

If Deudermont had seemed indecisive before, not so now Up came the Sea Sprite’s sails to full Catti-brie hooked Taulan the climb to the crow’s nest, and Robillard was ordered to take his place on the poop deck and to

use his ic to further fill the sails But the natural as already strong from the northwest, from astern it already filled the sails of both the Sea Sprite and the running pirate ship, and the chase would be a long one

At center deck, the ship’stune, and Drizzt came back from the forward beam earlier than usual to stand beside Deudermont at the wheel

"Whereher once captured?" the drow asked, a usual question on the high seas They were still closer to Water-deep than to Baldur’s Gate, but the as fro a southern course

"Orlumbor," Deudermont answered without hesitation

Drizzt was surprised by that Orlumbor was a rocky, ept island halfway between Waterdeep and Baldur’s Gate, an independent city-state, lightly populated and hardly equipped to hold a caravel full of pirates

"Will the shipwrights even take her?" the drow asked doubtfully

Deudermont nodded, his face stern "Orlumbor owes much to Waterdeep," he explained "They will hold her until another ship of Waterdeep arrives to tow her away I will instruct Robillard to use his powers to contact the Lords of Waterdeep"

Drizzt nodded It seeical, yet perfectly out of place The drow understood now that this was no ordinary run for the normally patient Sea Sprite Never before had Deudermont left off a captured ship and crew for another to pick up in his wake Time had never seemed an issue out here, amidst the steady and eternal roll of the sea The Sea Sprite would nor her or sink her, then return to one of the friendly ports and hand her over, however long that ht take

"Our business in Baldur’s Gatea suspicious eye the captain’s way

Deuder and hard at Drizzt for the first ti to Baldur’s Gate," he admitted

"Then where?" Drizzt’s tone showed that he was not surprised by that revelation

The captain shook his head and turned his stare forward, adjusting the wheel slightly to keep the caravel

Drizzt accepted that He knew that Deuder that they would not sail for Baldur’s Gate He also knew that the captain would confide in him as Deudermont needed Their business now at hand was the pirate ship, still far ahead, her square sails barely visible on the blue line of the horizon

"More wind, wizard!" Deuderrunted and waved his hand at the captain "We’ll not catch her before dusk unless we have more wind"

Drizzt offered a smile to Deudermont, then made his way forward, back to the bea sound of the Sea Sprite’s run, to the solitude he needed to think and to prepare

They ran for three hours before the caravel was close enough for Catti-brie, in the crow’s nest with her spyglass, to even confir then, the sun halfway from peak to the western horizon, and the chasers knew they would be cutting this one close If they couldn’t catch the pirate ship before sunset, she would sail off into the darkness Robillard had some spells to try to keep track of her movements, but the pirate ship no doubt had a wizard of her own, or a cleric, at least Though neither would likely be very powerful, certainly not as acco spells were easily defeated Also, pirates never ventured too far from their secret ports, and the Sea Sprite certainly couldn’t chase this one all the way ho

Deudermont didn’t seeht before, and would again There would always be another outlaw to chase But Drizzt, keeping a covert eye on the captain, never re hi, or everything, to do with the incident in Waterdeep and the mysterious destination that Deuderhtened his hold on the line of the flying jib and sighed Deudermont would tell him in his own time

The wind lessened and the Sea Sprite ht not get away after all The band ofand tedious ain and

took up the tune Drizzt knew that soon the pirates would hear the er of their doos seemed back to normal, more relaxed despite the fact that a battle seemed imminent Drizzt tried to convince himself that Deudermont was calm because he had known they would catch the pirate ship Everything was back to nor all hands about

"What is that?" more than one voice cried Drizzt looked to Catti-brie, who had her spyglass ai her head curiously

The drow skittered along the rail, pulling up to a halt alie of spray, the spray the giant dorsal fin of a killer whale ht make if any whale in all the world could move so quickly But this was no natural animal, Drizzt knew instinctively, and so did everyone else aboard the Sea Sprite

"She’s going to ram!" warned Waillan Micanty, near to the ballista e rushing pursuer veered to starboard and cut by the Sea Sprite as though she was standing still

No whale, Drizzt realized as the creature, or whatever it was, plowed past, twenty yards froainst the side of the schooner The drow thought he saw a form inside that spray, a human form