Chapter 47

A court guard called Andersen’s name and the captain came forth from the crowd to stand in the witness box. He looked over at Theodore—his expression hard and angry, so different from the night they had met at the party at Gregor’s which now seemed to Theodore a life time away.

“You know the prisoner to be Captain Drakon?” the magistrate asked the witness.

“Yes, your worship.”

“How is it that you recognize him?”

“Several years ago he and his men stopped my ship, boarded and made off with our cargo.”

“If it was so long ago, what makes you think this was the man?”

“My ship has been pirated only once, by the pirate ship Dragon. It is an experience you do not soon forget. He is a man you do not soon forget.”

“And what was it about him that made him so memorable?” the magistrate asked.

The captain looked at Theodore. “Ask him to remove his shirt.”

The magistrate raised his eyebrows, then turned to Theodore. “Guards! Unchain him. The prisoner will remove his shirt.”