The forecastle was deserted. Jace slipped over the railing and crept up to look out over the deck of the ship. The coast seemed to be as clear as it was going to get. He could see two men, and he assumed they were the ones he’d heard. They weren’t looking his way, though, but leaning on the railing and looking out over the port side of the ship.
Actually, it looked like at least one of them was relieving himself over the port side. That made it as good a time as any to down and try to make his way towards the stern. It made sense to him that the valuable captive would be locked in a cabin, not stashed below deck where any common sailor could get his hands on her.
The ship was unfortunately clear of clutter that would provide good cover, so Jace ducked down and padded as quickly and lightly across the deck as fast as he could on all fours. Thin and agile, he was a better horizontal runner than most, and he made less noise that way. He bore left and made it to midship without being seen. He stopped there, hidden behind the mizzen mast, and cocked his ears.
He heard the sound of booted feet hitting wood as one of the sailors and then the other let go of the deck rail and fell back onto the solid planking. Jace listened. It sounded as though they were headed back up towards the prow of the ship. He slipped around the mast to keep it between him and them, peering around to watch them heading up into the forecastle.
He got down on all fours and raced towards the rear of the ship. There was a flickering light visible in a cabin window and he focused on reaching it as quickly and quietly as he could.
So focused was he on that target that he completely missed the significance of the gaping shadow on the deck right in front of him, the shadow that was in fact an open cargo hatch.
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