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She found the ship’s carpenter engaged in conversation with Brashen, holding the ends of two coils of line in her gloved hands.

Althea watched silently as she awkwardly put a double sheet bend into the lines.

Brashen took it from her, shook his head, undid it and tossed it back.

‘Do it again. Keep doing it until you can tie it with your eyes shut. If we’re ever so hard pressed that I haul you out on deck, it’s likely to be in bad weather. ’

‘That’s reassuring,’ Amber muttered quietly, but did as he bade her.

Althea marvelled at how swiftly the woman adapted herself.

With all of them, Brashen was quietly asserting his new status as captain of the vessel.

Althea was accustomed to such a shifting of roles.

She’d seen it before, on the Vivacia, when a deckhand rose to mate status and suddenly had to change his relationship with his fellows.

She knew that sometimes it could be bloody, though she had never seen it go that far on Vivacia.

She was willing to cede to Brashen both the distance and the respect he needed to function as captain.

That distance might make it easier for both of them.

So she schooled her tongue to respect as she said, ‘Sir, I’ve a concern about the crew.’

He gave her his full attention. ‘And that is?’

She took a breath, then plunged in. ‘Jek is a bit too friendly with the other hands. It may lead to problems later. While we are in port, it is one situation. Out on the open water, it may become something else.’

He nodded. ‘I know. I’ve given it some thought. Most of these men have never sailed with women aboard, save for perhaps a captain’s wife. I intend to gather the whole crew and speak plainly. The message will be, it won’t be tolerated on board the vessel.’

Amber had followed the exchange with raised eyebrows.

For the first time, Paragon spoke. ‘What won’t be tolerated?’ he asked curiously.

Althea managed not to smile. Brashen took the question seriously. ‘I won’t tolerate any relationship between hands that affects the operation of this vessel.’

Jek had approached as they were speaking. She raised one eyebrow, but kept her silence until Brashen acknowledged her. ‘Jek. Is there a problem?’

She had heard what they were discussing. She didn’t pretend otherwise. ‘No, sir. Nor do I expect there to be one. I’ve sailed before, with mixed crews. If you don’t mind my saying so, I know how to handle myself in close quarters.’

Probably only Althea could tell that Brashen fought to keep from smiling. ‘I don’t doubt that you do, Jek. My concern is mostly for the men who don’t know how to govern themselves.’

Jek didn’t smile. ‘I’m sure they’ll learn, sir.’

Surprising them all, Paragon added, ‘Let’s hope the lesson is not too painful for anyone.’

‘He has spent the past three days on it. All I’m saying is that if it’s something of value, he should know it by now.

And if it isn’t, there are other places I’d like to put him to work.

Places that, in my opinion, show a lot more promise than that little cell.

’ Bendir put down his pipe. ‘That’s all I’m saying,’ he repeated defiantly.

He cast an exasperated look at his younger brother.

Reyn sat across the polished wood table.

He looked harried and pale. His shirt was rumpled as if he had slept in it.

‘You said much the same thing when I insisted I needed more time to puzzle out the flame-jewels,’ Reyn retorted. ‘If you had listened to me then, far fewer of them would have been damaged in recovery. Some things don’t happen overnight, Bendir.’

‘Such as your growing up, for instance,’ Bendir grumped to himself. He examined the bowl of his pipe. It had gone out. He set it aside. His embroidered shirt and neatly combed hair contrasted sharply with his younger brother’s appearance.

‘Bendir!’ Jani Khuprus instantly rebuked her eldest son.

‘That is not fair. Reyn has told us that he is having a hard time keeping his mind on this task. We should be understanding, not condemn him for that. As I recall, you were none too focused when you were courting Rorela.’ She smiled fondly at her youngest son.

‘He’d be a lot less distracted if he chose a sensible woman like Rorela, instead of a spoiled Bingtown girl who doesn’t even know her own mind,’ Bendir retorted.

‘Look at him. He has the colour of a mushroom. It’s a wonder he doesn’t go about walking into walls.

Ever since he began courting this Malta, she has done nothing but torment him. If she can’t make up her mind, then…’

Reyn leaped to his feet. ‘Shut up!’ he told his brother savagely.

‘You don’t know anything at all about what she’s going through, so just shut up.

’ He snatched up the ancient parchments from the table with a fine disregard for their fragility and stalked off toward the door.

Jani gave her elder son an exasperated look.

She hastened after Reyn to set a restraining hand on his arm.

‘Please, Son. Come back, sit down, and talk with us. I know the strain you are under. And I appreciate how you must share Malta’s grief over her missing father.’

‘Not to mention our missing liveship,’ Bendir added under his breath. He had intended that Reyn hear his remark, and his brother took the bait. He spun to face this new provocation.

‘That’s all you care about, isn’t it?’ he accused him.

‘A good deal. A sharp bargain. You care nothing for what I feel about Malta. You could not even grant me time away from the city and transport to Bingtown last month when she first received her bad news. It’s always the same with you, Bendir.

Money, money, money. I find these parchments, and I want the time to make sense of them.

It is not easy. There are very few written documents from the Elderlings.

That makes translating what we do find difficult.

I want to discover all of what they can tell us.

I hope they may be a clue as to why there are so few written records.

They obviously were a literate folk; there should be a wealth of books and scrolls.

But where? You care nothing for solving the greater mystery that may be the key to the whole city.

To you, these documents only represent one thing.

Can we make a profit from what they say?

If not, toss them aside and go dig up something else.

’ As if to mock Bendir’s attitude, he flung the parchments casually onto the table between them.

Jani winced as they landed. It would not take much abuse to crumble them into fragments.

‘Please,’ she said sharply. ‘Both of you. Sit down. There are things to discuss.’

Grudgingly, they came to the table. Jani seated herself at the head of it, intentionally taking the position of authority.

Bendir had become a bit too officious with his youngest brother lately.

It was time to take her eldest son down a notch or two.

At the same time, she did not want to encourage Reyn in his sullen melancholy.

Of late, it seemed that was his only mood.

She, for one, was heartily sick of it. She gave them no warning before she attacked.

She levelled a forefinger at Bendir. ‘You have no excuse for being jealous of your brother’s courtship.

When you were first infatuated with Rorela, the entire family was tolerant of your antics.

You spent every spare moment you had on her doorstep.

I seem to recall that you demanded we redecorate an entire wing of Rooster Hall for her, painting all of it in shades of green because you said it was her favourite colour.

Nor would you allow me to consult with her as to whether that was truly her wish.

Do you recall how she reacted to your “surprise” for her? ’

Bendir glared. Reyn grinned, an expression she had not seen on his face for some time. She wished she could have let it linger, but one had to strike while the iron was hot.

‘And you have to stop acting like a lovesick boy, Reyn. You’re a man.

I would have expected this of you had you fallen in love at fourteen, but you are over twenty.

You need to practise more restraint in how you display the heart on your sleeve.

Your request to dash off to Bingtown, unannounced, at a moment’s notice to us, was simply unreasonable.

Your sulking since then ill-becomes you.

You will go downriver shortly, and you will escort your lady to her first Summer Ball. What more can you ask of us?’

Glints of anger came into his eyes. Good. If she could make them both irritated with her, chances are they would commiserate with each other. So it had always worked when they were boys.

‘What more could I ask of you? I could ask a little understanding of what she is enduring! I wanted to go to her, to lend her and her family what support I could during this crisis. Instead, what have I been allowed? Nothing. You have sent off polite notes of sympathy, and say that letters directly from me to Malta would be precipitate. Mother, I intend to marry her. How can it be precipitate to ask my family to aid hers?’