Frisha leaned over the rail as the crew lowered the dinghy to the water. “Rez, be careful!” Frisha wanted to scream and protest that Rez could not go over to the ship alone. She did not want him anywhere near that ship if there was a danger. The only factors that had stayed her protests were Tam’s tight grip on her arm and her resolve not to make an embarrassing scene in front of all the men. She could not help feeling baffled and bitter that, out of all the people on board—the grizzled old captain, the burly crew, and the kingdom’s soldiers—it was Rezkin who was sent into potential danger to investigate the mystery of the sunken riverboat.

Rezkin rowed the dinghy over to the partially sunken vessel. It listed to one side, resting up against a shallower sand bar. He could not see any damage from his vantage, and his eyes continuously roved over the great wooden structure looking for any hint of danger. A slight movement from a window in the captain’s quarters caught his attention. He could have easily played it off as a shadow or play of light, but given the circumstances, he was not going to take any chances.

Drawing the dinghy alongside the riverboat, he could just reach the deck rail with the tips of his fingers. He tied the dinghy to the loose end of a rope dangling from the side of the vessel and then reached up to cling to the rail with his fingers. He curled his body in on itself and swung his leg up until his foot caught the lip of the deck. From there, he easily pulled the rest of his weight onto the lip and slipped over the rail. Having donned his soft-soled, stealth boots, his footsteps were smooth and silent across the angled deck. He frowned at the sight of several score marks, but could not tell what had made them or if they were recent.

Rezkin slid Bladesunder silently from its sheath and held the short sword in his right hand while he drew a dagger from his belt. His blood heated, and his nerves tingled with the thrill of battle energy. The close confines of the ship would make sword work difficult, and it would be nearly impossible with a longer blade. He padded lightly up to the captain’s quarters. Anyone inside would have seen him coming from the other ship, but now that he was aboard, the person could not know where Rezkin was unless the man poked his head out for a look. He lightly tested the latch on the door. It was not locked. He pushed the door open quickly, careful to keep it from crashing against the wall.