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man.” Tikaya squeezed his arm. “I’ll commiserate with you later, but I think there’s something more important to worry about here.”
    Rias nodded. “It’s clear we’re running from pursuit, though I haven’t seen sign of it on the horizon yet.”
    Knowing they might not have much time alone, Tikaya rushed through a summary of her discussion with the captain and her thoughts on the flute.
    “Perhaps I can help you with it tonight.”
    “You can sleep tonight. You need some rest,” Tikaya said, hoping she didn’t sound too motherly. “Besides, I believe a background in Nurian mythology is going to be required to solve the puzzle.”
    “Ah, I am aware of basic Nurian history, but mythology isn’t my strong point.”
    “The scenes are of animals and people and hunting. I believe they go together in a certain order to tell a story. The problem is that there are a lot of Nurian stories revolving around hunting.”
    “Have you talked to the boy?” Rias asked.
    “Garchee?”
    “Is that his name? He wouldn’t give it to me. He might know something.”
    “I doubt any well-known tale is depicted,” Tikaya said.
    “Well, unless I miss my guess, he brought it on board, so he might have some knowledge.”
    Tikaya stared. “He told you that?”
    “He’s told me nothing. He’s been doing his best to avoid me. But it’s clear he hasn’t been here long, and the captain doesn’t strike me as a man with the gumption to steal royal Nurian treasures. I think the boy brought it on board, offered to trade it for his passage, and now perhaps we’re being trailed by the owner.”
    Tikaya mulled over the hypothesis. It might be plausible, but... “How would that boy have gotten the flute? Theft? Such treasures would be well-guarded.”
    Rias hesitated, then shrugged. “I’m more concerned about who might be coming after it. If it’s magic, could a practitioner track it?”
    “Oh, yes,” Tikaya said.
    “We better talk to the boy.”
    “We’re riding low in the water,” came the captain’s bellow from above. “My new seaman better be at the pumps!”
    Rias snorted and gave Tikaya a hug before disappearing into the recesses of the ship.

Part V
     
    That night, Tikaya woke to a touch on her leg. For a confused moment, she didn’t know where she was or why her back hurt. Ah, yes, she’d fallen asleep on the floor while in the process of scribbling notes. She recalled having a similar sleeping experience with that strange artifact in Wolfhump. Turgonians had a definite desk shortage.
    Snores reverberated through the bay, and hammocks creaked and swayed as the ship rolled with the waves. Rias crouched in front of her with a low-burning lantern. “It’s good that we dug out those hammocks and strung them,” he observed. “We’ve used them so much.”
    “The last time I was in mine, the ship pitched and it spit me out faster than a foreigner trying poi for the first time.”
    Rias managed a weary smile. He might have appeared fresh yet that morning, but fatigue had finally claimed him; when he opened his mouth to speak, it turned into a yawn wide enough to swallow a parrot.
    “Nice tonsils,” Tikaya murmured.
    “Thank you.” Rias rubbed his eyes. “They’ve long been a source of pride for me.” He pointed at the Nurian boy, who swayed in his hammock, his eyes closed. “Have you spoken to him?”
    “No, he wasn’t down here when I nodded off.” Tikaya sat up and groped behind her, trying to find whatever was stabbing her in the back. The flute, of course. She supposed it was good that she’d fallen asleep on the priceless artifact, so it hadn’t been rolling around the bay all night. The captain might not have approved of that.
    “I’m finally off-duty,” Rias said. “For four hours. Now might be the best time to question him.”
    “Now might be a time for you to get some rest.”
    “Later. Do you mind waking him? Seeing me looming over his hammock might... distress him.”
    “You did