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The hanging nets and plethora of trophies and other decorations h for the skilled assassin to fully conceal himself

Then he waited, with the patience that had sothat the captain would re clear of Luskan and thethe coastline

He had barely settled into position when the cabin door opened and the first mate, not the captain, entered The man--if it was a human, for he seemed to have a bit of orc blood in hily beard gone ray than its previous black, a face that reminded Entreri of the cracked and deeply lined tundra of the Bloodstone Lands during the dry sus so bowed that he could slide onto a short horse fro One of his eyes was dead, a wide-open orb grayed over by a thick film Even his demeanor spoke of a sailor who had seen too rumbled and cursed under his breath with every step as he uardin’ ye," he mumbled in a voice uardin’ us frory dock boys o’ Baldur’s Gate? Useless bit o’ dirt walkers, the whole lot o’ ’e, then know that I’ o’erboard!"

He ruffled through so for a particular chart, Entreri could see, then he rolled it, tucked it under his arm, and shambled back the way he’d come He almostit closed behind him

"You were heard on the deck, Mister Sikkal," Captain Cannavara said, trying to sound regal, and trying to look the part, too, and being successful at neither attereat plumed tri-cornered cap--one taken from another man, obviously, for it hardly fit his enoriven his enormously bushy mop of hair He had cut the hat on one side in an attempt to slide it down farther, but alas, such an act had also taken the integrity from the hat’s band, and so with every h, ridiculously high, upon his dirty hair

"Do you mean to wound the morale of my crew before we have even left the harbor, man?" he said "If so, do tell before we are too far out for you to swim back to the docks"

The salty first mate lowered his eyes and respectfully answered, "Me pardon, Captain"

"Your last pardon, Mister Sikkal"

"Aye, Captain, but I isn’t saying any what th’others ain’t thinkin’," he replied and he dared to look up "Five land dogs"

"Five formidable warriors"

"Aye, but no friend o’ Luskan is Drizzit Dudden, not matterin’ what Captain Kurth’s sayin’!"

"The water is cold," Cannavara replied soain, then, or still er"

The captain turned and pushed the door to make sure it was properly closed, then motioned Sikkal to follow him to his desk

"I care for this no more than you do," he quietly explained--quietly, but of course, Artemis Entreri was in perfect position, wrapped around a beam above the net above the desk, to hear every word

"I ere, given no choice in the o’s orders were clear, and I’ainst that one!"

"What’s his tie to these dogs?" asked Sikkal "The little man’s carryin’ his poker!"

The captain shook his head "More a tie to the dark elf, I expect Beniago is doing as he was instructed to do, as I expect that High Captain Kurth is doing as he was instructed to do"

"Kurth? Instructed?" Sikkal started to reply, but then his face brightened as he said, "Theuess"

Up above theht very hard against growling at the surprising news Were they speaking of Jarlaxle? It had to be, or of Bregan D’aerthe, at least So suddenly, everything changed from Entreri’s perspective, for so suddenly, he wasn’t so sure that this was about Drizzt at all Surely Jarlaxle’s band had an interest in Drizzt, but wouldn’t their greater interest be in hio Alegni, then Jarlaxle and that wretched Kimmuriel surely understood that they were not safe

Jarlaxle! The nahts He recalled the last look the drow had thrown hination--but behind any such e, Entreri knew: relief For as Entreri lay there, caught in a net, surrounded by eneh the ranks of the Netherese with hardly a care

Entreri forced the memories to the back of his mind and reminded himself to pay attention

"Bah, but it’s only a couple tendays or so to Baldur’s Gate, as we’ll find a favorable tide,"his head with every word

"We’re swinging wide," Captain Cannavara replied, and he motioned to the chart he had sent the man to retrieve "Wide to Baldur’s Gate and wider back to Luskan, for we’ll be ordered to Memnon once we’re in port"

His eyes went even wider as he echoed incredulously, "Memnon?"

"We’ll be surprised by the order, of course, but to Memnon we’ll sail, and perhaps all the way to Calimport beyond that"

"What’re ye talkin’ about? What goods’ve we got for theoods, Mister Sikkal"