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‘When I saw a band of disgruntled Traders form up and leave the meeting early together, I followed them. When I saw their real intent, I joined them. As did a good many others along the way.’ He paused.

‘Later, I heard some talk about what had been done to Davad Restart’s carriage.

And what some wished to do to him. If I’d been there, I would never have allowed you to drive that carriage off alone. What Tenira was thinking, I don’t ’

‘I’ve told you before, I don’t need you to look after me!’ Althea was suddenly savagely angry. ‘I don’t need anyone’s help.’

Brashen folded his arms on his chest. ‘Oh, that’s obvious, now. I’m only puzzled as to why you stood up at the Traders’ meeting and asked for the help you now refuse.’

‘I don’t need help from you!’ Althea clarified fiercely.

‘I do.’ Keffria found her sister’s shock almost satisfying.

She met Althea’s glare with a calm look.

‘You seem to have forgotten that I, not you, am the Trader for this family. I am not so proud as to turn away the only help we may be offered.’ Keffria switched her glance to Brashen.

‘What do we need to begin this? Where do we start?’

Brashen tilted his head toward Malta. ‘The little one is right. We need money to start.’ He nodded next to Ronica.

‘And the Captain’s lady will have to push Davad Restart to make him present this offer favourably to the Ludlucks.

Any other liveship owners who would add their approval would help.

Maybe Althea could get her sweetheart to put in his word on this.

I know a few of the liveships, and I’ll speak to them directly.

You might be surprised how much pressure a liveship can put on his family.

’ He took a breath and briefly rubbed his temples.

He put his kerchief away slowly. ‘Althea is right. Getting crew will be a problem. I’ll start on that immediately, put word out in the taverns that I’m hiring a lively crew of daring men.

Those that come will half expect to turn pirate.

They may turn away at the name of Paragon, but… ’

‘Ay’ll go. Ay’ll sail wiff you.’

The boy blushed a bit when they all stared at him, but he didn’t lower his eyes from Brashen’s face. The plate of food looked as clean as if it had been washed. With the meal, the boy seemed to have taken on substance and spirit as well.

‘That’s a brave offer, lad, but you’re a bit small yet.’ Brashen could not quite keep the amusement from his voice.

The boy looked indignant. ‘I feshed wiff my Da, ‘fore the slave raiders kem. Know ma way roun’ a deck.’ He shrugged his thin shoulders. ‘D’ruther do that’n shovel hosshit. Hosses stink.’

‘You’re free now. You can go anywhere you want. Wouldn’t you rather go home to your family?’ Keffria asked him gently.

His narrow face stilled. For an instant, it seemed as if her words had muted him again.

Then he shrugged. His voice was harder and less boyish as he said, ‘Nothern but ashes’n bones there.

D’ruther go back ta sea. S’my life, right?

Freed, am’t I?’ He looked about defiantly as if he expected them to revoke that.

‘You’re free,’ Althea assured him.

‘Then ‘m gone wiff him.’ He tossed his head at Brashen, who shook his head slowly.

‘There’s another idea,’ Malta broke in suddenly. ‘Buy a crew. I’ve seen some tattoo-faced sailors about Bingtown. Why couldn’t we just buy some sailors?’

‘Because slavery is wrong,’ Amber pointed out dryly.

‘On the other hand, I know some slaves who might be willing to risk punishment by running away and joining the crew. They were stolen from homes and families in the Pirate Isles. They might be willing to take part in a chancy venture, if they were promised the opportunity to go home. Some might even know something of the waters.’

‘Could we trust slave-sailors?’ Keffria asked hesitantly.

‘On the ship, they wouldn’t be slaves,’ Brashen pointed out. ‘If it’s a choice between an able-bodied runaway and a broken down drunk, I’ll hire the runaway. A little gratitude from a man given a second chance at life can go a long way.’ He looked suddenly thoughtful as he said this.

‘Who put you in charge of hiring?’ Althea protested. ‘If we’re going to do this, I’ll want the final say on my crew.’

‘Althea, you can’t be thinking of sailing with them,’ Keffria protested.

‘How could you think I would not? If we are going after the Vivacia, I must be on board.’ Althea stared at her sister as if she were crazy.

‘It’s completely inappropriate!’ Keffria was aghast. ‘The Paragon will be an unreliable ship, with a motley crew, going into dangerous waters, possibly into battle. You can’t possibly go. What would people think of the Vestrits if we allowed you to sail on such a ship?’

Althea’s eyes grew flinty. ‘I worry more about what people would think if we were content to let others take all the risks of regaining our family ship. How can we say it is a vital errand and ask our friends for aid, but then say that it isn’t worth one of the family taking a risk?’

‘I think she should, actually.’ This astonishing statement from Brashen left several of them gaping.

He addressed his remarks to Keffria, acknowledging that the decision actually rested with her.

‘If you don’t make it plain that this is a Vestrit venture, you won’t get any of the other Traders to support it.

They’ll see it as entrusting a liveship to a ne’er-do-well, disinherited Trader’s son and a foreigner.

And if – I hope when–we regain the Vivacia, the ship will need Althea.

Badly.’ He met Althea’s eyes cautiously as he added, ‘But I do not think she should sail as captain, mate, or even crew. This is going to be a tough crew, one that will be kept in line by fists and brawn, initially, anyway. The type of men we’ll end up with aren’t going to respect anyone who can’t pound them to the deck if he has to.

You don’t qualify. And if you’re working alongside them, they aren’t going to give you respect.

They’ll test your abilities at every turn. Sooner or later, you would get hurt.’

Althea’s eyes narrowed. ‘I don’t need you to look after me, Brashen Trell. Remember? I’ve proved my abilities, and they’re not based just on body strength. My father always said it was a poor captain who had to keep his crew in line by blows.’

‘Maybe because he felt that was the first mate’s job,’ Brashen retorted.

He modified his tone as he added, ‘Your father was a fine captain with a wonderful ship, Althea. He could have paid low wages and still had good men willing to work for him. We won’t have his options I’m afraid.

’ Brashen yawned abruptly, then looked embarrassed.

‘I’m tired,’ he said abruptly. ‘I need to get some sleep before we do anything further. I think we at least know what our difficulties will be.’

‘There is one other problem we haven’t addressed at all tonight,’ Amber interjected.

They all looked at her. ‘We can’t assume the Paragon will enter into this willingly.

He has many fears of his own. In some ways, he’s a frightened boy.

The dangerous side of the coin is that he is an angry man, just as often.

If we are going to do this, I think it is essential that he do it willingly.

For if we try to force him to it, there is no possibility of success. ’

‘Do you think it will be hard to persuade him?’ Ronica asked.

Amber shrugged. ‘I don’t know. Paragon is completely unpredictable. Even if he is agreeable at first, he may change his mind a day or a week later. It is something we must take into account on this venture.’

‘We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. First, we must get Davad Restart to get the Ludlucks to agree to our plan.’

‘I think I can prevail there,’ Ronica said in a voice that had a cool steel edge to it. Keffria felt a moment of sympathy for Davad. ‘I think I shall have the answer to that before noon tomorrow. I see no point in delaying this.’

Brashen sighed heavily. ‘We are in agreement, then. I will return tomorrow afternoon. Goodnight, Ronica and Keffria. Goodnight, Althea.’ There was a very subtle change to his tone as he bid her sister goodnight.

‘Goodnight, Brashen,’ Althea returned his farewell in a similar tone.

Amber, too, bid them farewell. As Althea prepared to walk them to the door, the slave-boy also stood. Keffria knew a moment of exasperation with her sister’s impulsive behaviour. ‘Don’t forget, you have to find a place for the boy to sleep,’ she told Althea.

The boy shook his head. ‘Not here. ‘M gone wiff him.’ He tossed his head at Brashen.

‘No.’ Brashen made the single word final.

‘Freed, am’t I?’ the boy protested stubbornly. He cocked his head and stared at Brashen. ‘Ken’t stop me.’

‘Don’t bet on that,’ Brashen told him ominously. In a kinder voice he added, ‘Boy, I can’t take care of you. I’ve got no home to go to; I’m on my own.’

‘Me, too,’ the boy insisted calmly.

‘I think you should let him go with you, Brashen,’ Amber suggested. She had a strangely speculative look on her face. With a wry twist to her mouth, she added, ‘It might not be the best of luck to turn away your first willing crewman.’

‘S’right,’ the boy asserted cockily. ‘El ken’t respect a man who don’t dare. Dare tek me. Y’on’t regret it.’

Brashen squinted his eyes shut tightly and shook his head. But as he left the room the boy followed him, and he made no motion to discourage him. Amber followed with a smile on her face.

‘Do you think they can bring Papa home?’ Malta asked in a small voice after they had left the room.

While Keffria was trying to decide how to answer that, her mother spoke. ‘Our finances are foundering, my dear. There is no point to refusing this risk. If it succeeds, it may save the family fortunes. If they fail, we will sink a bit faster. That is all.’

Keffria thought it a cruel thing to say to a child, but to her surprise, Malta nodded slowly. ‘I was thinking the same thing myself,’ she observed.

It was the first time in the last year that she had spoken in a completely civil tone to her grandmother.