Demos immediately turned and began bawling orders to the crew, and Max and Kitai came up the ramp to stand next to Tavi.

"That was well done, Aleran," Kitai murmured.

Max shook his head. "There's something broken inside your skull, Calderon. You do all your thinking sideways."

"It was Ehren's idea, actually," Tavi said.

"Wish he was coming with us," Max rumbled.

"That's the glamorous life of a Cursor," Tavi replied. "But with any luck, we won't be gone long. We sail Varg and his people back home, make some polite noises to keep diplomatic channels open, and then come right back home. Two months or so."

Max grunted. "Gives Gaius time to gather support in the Senate, declare you his heir all legal and official."

"And puts me somewhere that is both beyond the reach of potential assassins and of unquestionable of importance to the realm," Tavi said. "I am particularly fond of the former."

The sailors began casting off mooring lines, and Kitai took Tavi's hand firmly. "Come," she said. "Before you splatter your breakfast all over your armor."

As the ship pushed away from the dock and began to rock with the motion of the sea, Tavi felt his stomach began to slowly roil, and he hurried to his cabin to relieve himself of his armor and make sure that he had plenty of water and an empty bucket or two available. He was a terrible sailor, and life on a ship was pure torment.

Tavi felt another twinge in his belly and thought longingly of nice, solid ground, be it ever so littered with assassins.

Two months at sea.

He could scarcely imagine a greater nightmare.

"This stinks," complained Tonnar, from five yards behind Kestus' mount. "This is like some kind of bad dream."

Kestus glanced down at the field hatchet strapped to his horse's saddlebag. It would be hard to get much strength behind a throw while riding a horse, but Tonnar's head was so soft, it probably wouldn't matter. Of course, then there would be the matter of the moron's corpse and potential murder charges.