Henry finished recapping the day's events to Captain Broussard and Philip, leaving out a few details he would later share only with Philip. Overall, it had been an astonishing story. With the exception of the loss of Annabel and Jason, the two captains could not be more pleased with its outcome.

The captured pirate ship held the precious cargo from all three of the merchant ships that it had attacked. The pirate captain, his first mate and purser were in custody in Undaunted's brig, and Undaunted had not suffered a single casualty or taken any damage. All in all, a most satisfying day.

The final topic of discussion had been concerning a memorial service for Annabel and Jason. It was scheduled to take place the next morning at sunrise. Once that was finished, Redoubtable and its crew would sail for home. Undaunted would be sailing with the captured ship Distant Thunder for Katima, some eighty-four leagues to the southwest.

The "captain" of the pirates, interrogated during the night, confessed to the mutiny. After his admission that he wasn't the real captain of Distant Thunder, only two questions were asked. The first: "Were the captain and the crew loyal to him killed or stranded?" The response, "Stranded," led to the second question, "Where did you leave them?"

"Katima" had been the answer. Broussard's and Paquin's plan was for Broussard to sail Undaunted and Distant Thunder to the island and rescue the stranded crew. Because Distant Thunder and its crew belonged to a foreign navy, the rescued crew would be split up and spend the next several weeks in the brigs of the two ships.

Once Undaunted reached home port with her prize, the Admiralty would have to decide what to do with Distant Thunder and her rescued crew. Most likely, because the two countries were not at war with each other, they would be released and allowed to sail away.

Broussard's crew would be disappointed, of course. Distant Thunder would have earned them capture monies had she truly been a pirate ship or the ship of an enemy government.

The decision about what to do with the three captured pirates was another matter, however. It would be interesting listening to the arguments presented by the two sides representing the three mutineers. Would they be detained and tried for piracy, or would they be sent home and tried for treason? Either way, their fates would be the same in the end.

Captain Broussard, about to take his leave, stopped at the door and turned to make one last plea. "Philip, you and I have known each other a very long time. Since our academy days, in fact. Can't you tell me who the young woman was?"

Philip gave a sad smile to his old acquaintance. "I wish I could, my friend. The thing is, I only met her an hour or so earlier than you did this morning. It would be wonderful if there were a story I could recount that stretched from stem to stern. Then, we could drink a few beers during the telling. Sadly, there isn't any such tale."

"Yes, I thought as much. I did have to ask one more time, though. Good night, then."

"Good night, and good sailing. You're going to cause quite a stir when you sail in with that capture."

Turning, Captain Broussard left Philip's cabin for Undaunted and preparations for the next day.

Philip rose and shut his cabin door. Returning to his chair, he sat back and looked inquiringly at this friend. "Now, Henry, the rest of the story. I heard what you told the two of us, and I heard what you didn't tell, as well. What happened to Jason?"

"I told you we sailed the ship out of the cove. Actually, Annabel got us out somehow without raising the sails. She used some part of her power, I think, but I didn't see it because I was below deck with everyone else except Jason. He was at the ship's wheel."

"Anyway, I heard Jason urgently calling me, so all of us below immediately rushed on deck. Annabel was lying unconscious next to the stern railing. I ran to her and saw she was breathing, but thought she was in shock. Within moments, however, she had regained consciousness and was able to speak." Henry chuckled. "I admonished her for recovering so quickly. I don't think she appreciated that, and then surprised me again by sitting up."

Henry thought back to that afternoon, marveling once more at Annabel's recuperative powers. That was something he fervently wished he could have investigated further. Oh, well. "She asked Jason to travel with her back to Noordan. How could he refuse? He gave me instructions to convey to you his appreciation for your assistance with the operating documentation of the quadrangulator and said all of his notes are in his cabin. You know what to do with everything, I suppose?"

Philip thought about this. "Yes, I know. So, he went with her?"

"Yes. Annabel requested a rowboat that she could use to return to shore. She didn't tell me why she wanted the boat, but I asked Lieutenant Antoon to prepare one for her, which he did. Annabel and Jason got into the boat and started rowing for shore, though they turned and began rowing parallel to the shore once they'd gotten within a hundred yards or so of it. Suddenly, a light-grayish mist completely enveloped them. Before that oddity had fully registered with me, a strong wind sprang up that capsized the boat."

He stopped to take a sip of the water from the tumbler on the table next to him. "As I told you when we first met this evening, I'm confident they were already taken by the Mindspin before the wind ever hit. You heard the rest about the attempted rescue, already. I feel badly that the seamen believe Jason is dead. They really liked him and it showed in the way they never gave up searching until it was too dark to continue."

"Do you think we'll ever see him again?"

"I think so. Annabel said he could leave any time he wants. He'll return at some time in the future. There is still much in our world for him to accomplish. It may be years from now, though, when he has fit into the clothes he is meant to wear. Yes, Jason will return. He may come alone, but I don't think so. I believe he'll be with Annabel. They are fated to do great things together."

"You spent the day with her, Henry. What's your opinion of Annabel?"

"I wish you had been with us today, Philip. Annabel Tooke is the most extraordinary woman I've ever met. By quite a margin. It's not just her magic, either. She looks at events in the world about her and constantly adapts and changes to meet them on her terms. Annabel will accomplish great things in Noordan."

Henry paused to think back on what he had witnessed that day. "Yes, Annabel will indeed achieve great things, but I believe she will need to leave Noordan to realize her full potential. Jason is smart enough, wise enough I should say, to realize that. I can't wait to see what the two of them accomplish."

"Neither can I, Henry, neither can I."

The two men, veterans of many adventures together, sat in companionable silence, each lost to his own thoughts. The bell was just sounding for the change of watch when Philip was unexpectedly pulled out of his reverie.

"Philip, its going to be awfully difficult to explain Annabel's and Jason's disappearance. There'll have to be an accounting of it to the Admiralty. They aren't going to be very happy that their favorite civilian is presumed dead. Though he didn't die as a result of any clash with the pirates, I'm certain they're still going to want to know what he was doing there when he should have been on board Redoubtable."

Returned from his musings, Philip looked at the doctor, having forgotten for a while that he was present. "Confound it, Henry. Just when I was feeling so pleased about how all this turned out... You're right of course. Hold on a moment."

Philip signaled for his steward, who quickly arrived. "Sorry to wake you at this late hour, but we need a pot of tea and something to nibble on. Some cheese and fruit, I believe. It seems the good doctor and I are to be up a while, yet."

"Of course, sir." The steward hurried off to his appointed tasks."

With a deep sigh, Philip looked at Henry. "You were saying?"

"There are several layers of complications. The first, of course, is Annabel. The Admiralty will want to know what a civilian, a female civilian at that, was doing on a military mission. The second, potentially, is the matter of Annabel's magic. To be perfectly honest, I don't really know if any of the men ever actually saw anything. I know Annabel was careful to conceal her magic from them and I hope that she was successful."

"What does it matter..."

"Give me a moment, Philip." Henry stared up at the ceiling as he gathered his thoughts. "The third is that the Noordan don't want other civilizations to be aware of their existence. That's something she and I discussed while on our trek today. They're concerned that, if other countries learn of their magic, those countries will try to conquer them. I can't say, considering human psychology, that Noordan is wrong in their thinking."

A knock on the cabin door silenced Henry as the steward entered with the tea and fruit. "Will there be anything else, sir?"

"No, thank you. You're free to get some sleep."

"Aye, sir." Turning, the steward left, shutting the door as he went out.

Each man took the opportunity to pour and adjust his tea to his own particular taste before Henry continued. "I hope, Philip, that you haven't had time to make any entries into your log about this?"

"As a matter of fact, I haven't. It has been a rather busy day, as you well know. I do wish that I'd known of Noordan's concern earlier. Not that I'm aware of much that could have been done to change the day's events. Still, as you say, it's possible that none of the men ever saw her perform any of her magic. I suppose that the way she got onto, and away from, the pirates' ship will simply be explained away as her being extremely adept at camouflage. Should give some of the men a new standard to strive for. Not that they'll ever reach it, of course... unless they find a magic elfin cloak." Philip smiled at that thought and then lifted the tea cup to his lips with his left hand. The index finger of his right was busy tapping his chair's arm.

He looked at Henry once more. "This really is a sticky situation, but you're right... If any government, including ours I regret to say, learned of the Noordan, the urge would be too great to find and exploit them. Which means, my old friend, that you and I have to explain a lot without telling anything. This is a first for me, but I won't betray Annabel's trust... Or possibly doom a civilization to slavery or extinction."

Having served with Philip for all these years, Henry had known that was the conclusion the captain would reach. He always chose the ethical path. Leaning back in his chair, Henry thought, "How fortunate Annabel was found by an honorable man. Or three."

Philip, obviously deep in thought, paused with his eyes closed. Keeping them shut, he spoke in a very soft voice. "When we lose a man at sea, it's customary for me to write a letter to his family explaining the details of what happened and giving my condolences. It is the most difficult part of my position."

Opening his eyes, he looked at Henry. "This time, I'm going to ask the Admiralty to allow me to visit the family, instead. I need to explain to his family what actually happened to him. Knowing Jason, and also his family's reputation, I believe they will keep the secret. I would like you to accompany me on that trip, if you don't mind, Henry."

"Of course, Philip. I've wanted to meet the Devareaux family for some time. What, exactly, can we tell them, and what should we tell the Admiralty?"

The two long-time comrades strategized far into the wee hours of the morning. Sometime before dawn, Henry left, allowing Philip to pull out the log to set forth the previous day's events. He dipped his pen into the inkwell and began.