Of all the Beysib, Monkel was the only one accepted as an equal at the captains'table, partially because of his status as head of the Setmur clan, but mostlybecause the Old Man said he was welcome.

Prior to their relocation to Sanctuary, a Beysib scout ship had picked up theOld Man and his son Hort and fetched them back to the Beysa's court forinterrogation. Once it became apparent that the Old Man would not willinglyyield any useful information about their planned destination, the majority ofthe court had turned their attention to Hort, who was both more talkative andmore knowledgeable about the politics and citizenry of Sanctuary. Only Monkelhad continued dealing with the Old Man, plying him with specific questions onlya fisherman would ask: questions about tides and reefs, the feeding patterns andnature of the native fish. The Old Man recognized them as the questions of aworking man as opposed to those asked by the military or the politicians, andbegan to trade information for information. Their mutual respect had grown intoa cautious friendship, and Monkel had made a point of protecting the Old Manfrom the curiosity and jibes of his own countrymen. Now they were in Sanctuary,and the Old Man was returning the favor by helping Monkel and his clan settleinto their new home.

The next round of drinks arrived, and Monkel started to reach for his purse. TheOld Man caught his eye with a glare of stem disapproval, but the Beysib merelysmiled and withdrew a small coin barely large enough to pay for his ownrefreshment. Though poor by comparison with the royal Burek clan, the Setmurswere still substantially wealthier than their Sanctuary-raised counterparts.Soon after his arrival in town, the Old Man had warned Monkel against needlessdisplays of money... such as buying a round of drinks for the captains' table.Rather than a gesture of endearing generosity, he had been told, such a movewould be interpreted as an attempt to flaunt his financial superiority,hindering rather than advancing his acceptance by the local fisherfolk. Normallya bit tight-fisted by nature, Monkel had no difficulty following this advice,though the Old Man still tended to fret at him about it from time to time.

The cheap wine favored by the other captains was distasteful to Monkel, who wasused to the more delicate, subtle texture of Beysib beverages, but he drank itanyway to avoid appearing overly critical of the tastes of his new-foundfriends. In a compromise with his own palate, he merely sipped cautiously at oneglass while listening to the fishermen gossip.

The Sanctuary fishermen were a close-knit community, caring little for theaffairs of the "city folk," and it showed in their conversations. Fromdiscussions with his clansmen who had more contact with clan Burek, Monkel hadobtained a wealth of rumors speculating on whether or not the Rankan Emperor wasdead and the effect it would have on Prince Kadakithis, currently the object oftheir own Beysa's affection. None of this was even mentioned at the captains'table... their conversation, instead, centered on the movements of variousschools of fish, and occasionally touched on the unpredictable winds and stormswhich seemed to spring from nowhere to threaten the fishing fleet even atanchor. There was also still talk about the solar eclipse, though Monkel'sassurances that such phenomena were not unheard of in the chronicles of theBeysib Empire had kept the fishing community from joining the town's panic atthe time.

Monkel entered into the "fish" discussions wholeheartedly enough, particularlythose concerning the deep-water species he was familiar with, but remainedsilent during the "storm" speculations. He had his own opinions, of course, butwas more than reluctant to voice them, even here. There was a stink of sorceryover the harbor these days, but Monkel had been raised a fisherman byfisherfolk. He knew better than to stir their superstitious natureunnecessarily; He was lost in these thoughts when he suddenly noticed theconversation had stopped... in fact, all talk in the tavern had stoppedas the assembled fishermen stared at the front door. Since he was sitting withhis back to that door, Monkel had to turn in his seat to see what it was theywere looking at.

It was Uralai of clan Burek, resplendent in her guards' uniform as she nervouslysurveyed the Wine Barrel's interior. She caught sight of Monkel as he turned,and strode through the silent tables to where he sat.

"Monkel Setmur," she said formally, "the Beysa wishes to see you in the morningfor a report on the progress of the new boat."

Monkel started to reply, but the Old Man cut him off.

"Tell the Beysa we'll see her tomorrow afternoon."

Uralai's eyes glazed for a moment, which Monkel saw at once as a sign of anger,a signal the Sanctuary fisherman would not recognize. He hastened to intervenebefore things got out of hand.

"We will be taking our boats out before first light tomorrow. Assuming the Beysais not planning an early audience, we'll have to see her in the afternoon afterthe boats are back at the docks."

"... Unless she wishes to reimburse us for a day's catch," the Old Man addedwith a smile.

Uralai bit her lower lip thoughtfully for a moment, then nodded once in a sharp,abrupt movement.

"Very well, I will so inform the Beysa."

With that, she spun on her heel and headed for the door.

"Wait a moment!"

Monkel rose and started after her, overtaking her just inside the entry way.

"What is it. Lord Setmur?"

"You can't... you shouldn't be walking these streets alone at night. It'sdangerous."

"I was told to find you, and this is where you are. It left me little choice ifI was to carry out my assignment."

"Perhaps... if I walked you back to the palace."

Uralai arched one graceful eyebrow, and Monkel flushed at her unspoken barb. Shecarried her two swords crisscrossed over her back and was trained in their use,while Monkel had only his knife.

"Please don't misunderstand me," he stammered. "I was not meaning to imply asupremacy at fighting. It's just that we of Setmur have found that manyconfrontations can be avoided when we travel in twos after dark."

"And after you see me to the palace? Then you must return through those samestreets alone. No, Monkel Setmur. While I appreciate your concern, of the two ofus I think I am better suited to survive an unaccompanied journey."

With that, she headed out into the night, leaving him to return to his drink.

"You shouldn't let yourself be bullied that way," the Old Man chided as Monkelresumed his seat. "You were ready to give up a day's fishing just so we couldsee the Beysa, weren't you?"

"I think the original summons was for me alone," Monkel growled, his mind stillon Uralai.

"Of course it was. That's why I thought I'd better deal myself in. You're a goodman, Monkel, but too honest for your own good. There are a few items in ourexpenses that will require a fast wit and a glib tongue to justify."

"Have you been cheating the Beysa?" Monkel said, attentive once more. "That's afine way to treat a visitor to your shores. Would you do the same thing to yourown Prince-Governor?"

"In a minute," the Old Man smiled, and the others at the table joined in thelaughter. In Sanctuary, even honest folk had an eye open for anyone with moremoney than business sense.

Of all the assembled captains, only Haron held herself apart from the laughter.She peered thoughtfully at the young Beysib for several moments, then laid ahand softly on his knee and leaned forward.