Chapter 4
Thor stood next to Captain Wyvern on the quarterdeck. Three years had passed since Thor had come aboard The Dragon and spent that first night with the captain in his cabin: three years during which much had changed in the life of the seaman. He was now fully a man: filled out and hardened in body, mind, and spirit. He had been elected by the crew to the rank of quartermaster following the death of Isaiah in a pitched sea battle. Thor had proven himself in combat when The Dragon commandeered other ships. He had fought valiantly, dealt with unruly seamen with stern fairness, and shown loyalty to the ship and crew. All were qualities the men would look for in one whose authority was surpassed only by the captain himself.
Thor had hardly been aware of how these changes in him had c
