A man lunged forward from the dark. Rezkin twisted to the side, hooking his arm in the crook of the assailant’s arm and used the man’s own momentum to swing him around. He brought the pommel of his sword up into the back of the man’s skull with an audible crack. Glancing around the room, he saw there were no other occupants. He lowered the man to the floor slowly, not to prevent any further injury to the man, but simply to reduce the amount of noise he made.

Rezkin tied the man with one of the many ropes available on a ship and stuffed his mouth with a wadded rag. He then took a moment to examine the assailant. The man was strong and muscled, but his skin hung loosely as though he had missed more than a few meals. He was scruffy, unkempt, and smelled as if he had not bathed in some time. The man did not look like he belonged to the former crew, and he was certainly not a soldier. He carried only a long dagger, which Rezkin had knocked away during the scuffle, and a slender boot knife, which he subsequently removed.

Leaving the foul man where he was for the time being, Rezkin slipped back out of the captain’s quarters and padded to the back of the galley to peer through a small window. Hidden in shadows, he noticed someone was already at the window, presumably searching for him. He listened carefully from his vantage. At least two people occupied the room, and they both appeared anxious with restless motions and flustered chatter. Neither seemed keen on the idea of leaving their presumed safety to go in search of him. One of them asked if “the others” were in position yet. The other told him to shut up and wait for the signal. Now Rezkin knew for sure these were not crewmen or soldiers stuck on the downed vessel.

Rezkin could see the first man at the window and could tell fairly well where the second was by the sound of his voice. He slipped a throwing knife out of its sheath and flicked his arm forward. The knife spun through the air and sunk deeply into the man’s neck. Before he hit the floor, Rezkin rushed forward and dove through the window. The galley was set up in exactly the same fashion as the boat on which he was traveling, so he did not crash into anything. With the floor tilted at such an angle, it was almost like jumping into a wall. He bounced and then swung his legs out so that he perched between the floor and wall. Immediately, he flicked another throwing knife into the chest of the man sitting at the table. Utter shock seized the man’s features as blood burbled forth from his lips.