"Oh, master, I'm just handling some sudden business," he said. His voice had that particular clarity that comes when air is cold and the speaker is focused on more than conversation.
He seemed to be a bit more at ease from Van Dijk's point of view, something about him like the air around him was different.
Van Dijk noticed that they were on a boat, in the desert, the boat itself seemed to be running quite fast for how small it was. Probably an illegal boat. The stars behind Ludwig were sharp and many. A line of red along the horizon said the night would be long.
"Explain why I had the imperial army come and search my place…" Van Dijk asked, though he probably figured out some possible reasons.
"Oh, well… how should I start?" Ludwig let a half breath stretch. Sand hissed somewhere close. A rope thudded in a loose cleat.
