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sea anemone. Damp floorboards chafed his bare bottom, and rats squeaked and scuffled hard by. It would have been easy to surrender to tears. Raef refused them, swallowing back his first sob.
    He wasn't dead. The kluggites hadn't killed him, nor shown any inclination to do so, though Kemp had slammed him against a wall and ordered this horrible punishment. Still, something about Kemp troubled Raef. Something he didn't comprehend. Now that he'd gazed upon Kemp's sleeping form and admired it, Raef didn't hate him as he ought.
    But no matter. If he thought Kemp in any way appealing, it must be tiredness speaking, or his eyes deluding him. Kluggites were villains, and Kemp was the enemy, a barbarian. Come the morning, Raef would find a way to escape. He had to. And if he saw a chance, he'd snatch that ruby and take it back to Lord Haverford.
    "My beautiful lord," murmured Raef, conjuring Haverford in his mind's eye. He consoled himself with a sigh, which was lost beneath the creak of the capstan. The anchor was being raised. In a short while, a rocking motion from the boat offered succor also. Muffled shouts and a prolonged clattering above further indicated Kemp and his crew had set sail.
    So be it. In his merman form, Raef could travel back to Haverford and the castle from anywhere. If he wasn't in the sea in order to shift back at dawn, he'd have to wait 'til sunset. The prospect was an arduous one, but he would endure.

Three
    When Raef awoke, daylight seeped between the cracks. His neck hurt from sleeping in an awkward position, and as his memories seeped back, a nervous frisson seized him. He'd slumbered too long and would most likely have to spend the day on this cursed vessel, which pitched and swayed. Who knew what torments he'd have to face before dusk and his next chance to shift?
    He was still clearing the mists of sleep from his vision when the trapdoor opened and somebody descended the ladder. Fine boots delineated elegant calf muscles and leather clung to well-shaped thighs and a neat backside.
    Captain Kemp turned to face Raef, ducking to avoid hitting the ceiling. Raef swallowed a dry lump from his throat and scowled.
    "How you doing, boy?" asked Kemp, who'd swept his hair back in a red scarf.
    "How do you think?" Raef tried to sound snappy rather than scared. He spotted the ruby ring glinting on Kemp's smallest finger. "Please let me out, you … you barbarian thief!"
    "Learned that insult from your master, did you?" Kemp snorted, releasing the door of the cage. "All right. I'll let you out and give you a decent breakfast to boot. But you must promise you'll not try to escape, which isn't a difficult vow to make. We're out of sight of the shore, and the only place we'll make anchor before Lilhaven is a bleak clump of rock with cliffs no man could climb. Good swimmer you might be, but jumping overboard here would be madness."
    Not for me. Not once I've got my tail and gills back.
    Raef licked his dry lips and managed the untruth. "I promise I won't try."
    "Good lad." Kemp released the shackles from his wrists and ankles and pulled him to his feet. Raef's head swam and his limbs felt feeble. The boat oscillated, pitched on an upsurge, and sent Raef tumbling into Kemp's embrace. He breathed his scent: salty, herby, and oh-so-male. How could a pirate smell so… appetizing?
    "Get up too fast, eh?" said Kemp. "You must be hungry."
    Raef extracted and gathered himself, mustering another scowl. "Yes, I'm starving." And maintaining strength while in human form was always hard work for a merman, but he would hardly tell Kemp that and reveal his true identity to a kluggite. He'd heard many a haunting tale of pirates entrapping merfolk. Kemp would have him back in those chains for sure.
    He followed Kemp up onto the deck above, savoring the fresher air. He soon found himself sitting on a three-legged stool, the blanket tied about his middle, and eating a plate of bread, butter, and the morning's catch of mackerel. This