Wizard and Warden, prequel three

Darkvision was essential on the waters of the Opreto. There were shiplamps, of course, but they burned a lot of fuel and still missed things; a sensible captain used them sparingly. Cleave Sparkstone had been a ship's captain for eighty years now, and if the current venture wasn't entirely sensible he still intended to keep his crew focused on what would work. 

The wizard and his pet warrior had done a grand job of clearing the decks; his people had taken injuries and a few were out of commission, but nobody had actually died and nobody seemed likely to. If they could finish off these pirates, it would cement his name as a captain that nobody should want to cross.  

"Starboard side, close," said his First Mate Porphyry, leaning over the rail. "Tracking just ahead of us. Hold course."

"Hold course!" he called, and listened as the word was passed back. Lizard-folk didn't swim as quickly as some aquatic species, but they could hold their breath for a long time. Tracking the fleeing attackers across the water required caution, patience, and skill. "Anything from the prisoner?" he asked the Bosun, who was waiting beside him. 

"I'll check."

A moment later the Bosun was back, the warrior beside him. She was back to her regular size, sensibly armored in studded leather, and smiling as she said something to his bosun. "Captain," she said by way of greeting. "The prisoner says she knew this was a mistake and that sooner or later we dwarves would strike back. She'd like us to sink the boat her people are using and let them swim away; she says she can guide us to the cave they've been using to store their booty."

"You believe her?" 

"Yes and no," the warrior admitted. "I think she was the war-leader's wife, or mate, or whatever it is that lizard-folk have. I'd be willing to bet that she actually did argue that they should change tactics or quit while they were ahead. She still came along to protect him, though. And I'm sure she doesn't want any more of her people to die."

The wizard Valerius joined them on the foredeck. "How goes it?"

"We're tracking them," Cleave told him. "It's not easy, holding our speed down like this, but we're still with them." 

"Could you sink their ship?" asked the warrior Malwyn, looking at her wizard. "If you could, we might convince our prisoner to lead the rest of them out of Opreto and settle somewhere else."

"They're pirates," Cleave observed. "Silverkeep law says their lives are forfeit." 

"True," said the wizard Valerius. "How many of your crew are you willing to sacrifice to make that happen? Right now we haven't lost anyone. If we back them into a corner and annihilate them... I don't think we can manage that without losses. And they're lizardfolk on the water; they might surprise us."

Cleave ground his teeth, but the wizard was right. 

"We've already hurt them, badly," the warrior added. "The ones who stayed behind are likely--"

"SHIP!" called the First Mate, looking ahead. The rest of them saw it a moment later. 

Valerius sighed. "My turn, I suppose," he said, and strode for the railing. Malwyn followed automatically.